Our Mandate

By CALF President and CEO Dwight Ferguson

Here at the foundation, nothing’s more important than ensuring our capacity to deliver our nationally recognized, best-in-class leadership development program. It is, in essence, our mandate. What could easily be described as mandate No. 2 is guaranteeing the integrity of the selection process that determines the 24 fellows who make up each class. It’s a continually improving process. This year, fellow selection involved more than 100 program alumni with support from staff, involvement from our university partners, and ultimately, our board’s approval. Their collective commitment is to manage a process that’s aligned with our vision and values and assesses potential to positively impact our diverse California ag industry, especially those parts directly related to production. Class 54 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program will be selected by the end of the month, and because of this process and the dedicated commitment of everyone involved, it will no doubt be another class of leaders who make a difference.

As always, contact me at dferguson@agleaders.org or 831-585-1030 with any comments or questions.

Profiles in Leadership Awardees

Congratulations to this year's Profiles in Leadership Award recipients Carlos Castañeda (36) and Steve McShane (33)! The award recognizes Ag Leadership alumni for their leadership actions resulting in the betterment of industry, community, business, government, education and/or the environment. View list of all recipients to date.

SAVE THE DATE

The awardees will be recognized during an evening ceremony on Friday, Oct. 11 at Fresno State (in conjunction with the Class 54 inauguration). We will share more details soon via a news release and feature the awardees in the fall issue of Horizons.

Leadership Insights

Read our July Leadership Insights column on the subject of team building and trust, written by Dr. Robert Flores (HF) .

• All columns (April to July): Click here

Subscribe to Morning Ag Clips-California Clips: Click here, then click the California box.

NorCal Sporting Clay Shoot

The NorCal Ag Leadership Sporting Clay Shoot was a fun and friendly competition this month! We enjoyed the camaraderie and positive buzz of the 75+ alumni, family, friends and staff who gathered at the Quail Point Hunt Club. The fundraiser benefiting CALF raised nearly $14,000 (a new record!). Thank you to the event committee and our generous sponsors and donors for their awesome contributions to the event, raffle and auction. Mark your calendars for Aug. 2, 2025 for our 10th anniversary event – with exciting new features!

Region 5 Social in Monterey

Aug. 20 / 5 - 7 p.m.

Dust Bowl Brewing Co. Tap Depot*

290 Figueroa Street, Monterey

*No host

RSVP

James Ewart (49)

Alumni Council Region 5 Director

James.Ewart@delicato.com / 831-682-1235

Dean Brown Winemaker Dinner

Aug. 29 / 5:30 - 9 p.m.

Paris Valley Road Estate Winery, Paso Robles

Only 30 seats remaining – reserve your spot by Aug. 22!

We are excited about this special and memorable winemaker dinner at the beautiful Paris Valley Road Estate Winery, owned by Craig Stoller (Class 31). The event will feature a curated selection of fine wines paired with a gourmet multi-course meal crafted by chef Joe White. We are pleased to continue honoring CALF co-founder Dean Brown with this new event.

Region 9 Golf Tournament

Sept. 9 / 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Las Posas Country Club

955 Fairway Drive, Camarillo

The committee would greatly appreciate sponsorships! Please click the button for sponsorship and golfer registration details.

First Fridays / Sept. 6

We kick off this fall’s alumni learning series – Building California Agriculture's Workforce – with an exceptional speaker: Matt Patton (47). Patton will engage us in a thoughtful discussion on how we can collectively move the dial on inspiring, empowering and growing California agriculture's workforce.

Patton, who began his journey in agriculture as a dynamic classroom teacher, is now executive director of the California Agricultural Teachers' Association. He works with state staff and elected officials to preserve and enhance the integrity and funding of agriculture education programs across the state.

Learning Modules

You can still access these on the First Fridays page.

• July: Creating Systems of Opportunity
• May: Sustaining Long-Term Motivation
• April: Uncovering Your Hidden Potential

Leaders are Readers Book Club

"IMMUNITY TO CHANGE"

In our summer book club selection, authors Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey show how our individual beliefs – along with the collective mindsets in our organizations – combine to create a natural but powerful immunity to change. By revealing how this mechanism holds us back, Kegan and Lahey give us the keys to unlock our potential and finally move forward. By pinpointing and uprooting our own immunities to change, we can bring our organizations forward with us.

For more information about the book club, contact Mia Mirassou at 831-585-1030.

Update Your Alumni Directory Listing

FIRST TIME on the alumni directory: Use your primary email and click on forgot password. You will receive an email to create your new password and receive your username. Check your spam folder if you don't see the email in your inbox.

RETURNING: To log in, use your username, NOT your email address. For assistance, contact Mia Mirassou / 831-585-1030.

We share our condolences on the recent passing of our alumni:

Doug Rudd (26)

>Obituary

Thank You for a Successful Fiscal Year with Eyes on the Next!

What an incredible year (FY 2023-24) of generosity – all due to your time, talent and treasure. Among many exciting achievements, we realized triple-digit interest in Class 54, resumed California Exchange for the first time since 2018 and executed the 2024 Alumni Conference in beautiful Monterey!

Additionally, we're thrilled to report that because of you, we exceeded our goal of 750 gifts received. This is a testament to your dedication and continued support in this ever-important mission.

As we venture into this new fiscal year with renewed energy and passion for this work, we ask you to keep Ag Leadership in the forefront of your thoughts and help your fellow alumni and the foundation make it the strongest, most impactful year yet.

Together, we will continue growing leaders who make a difference. Together, we will strengthen California agriculture for generations to come. THANK YOU to all who give!