SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Ashley Boren, 53, of San Francisco, has been reappointed to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, where she has served since 2008. Boren has been executive director at Sustainable Conservation since 1997. She held several positions at Smith and Hawken from 1989 to 1997, including director of retail merchandising, and at the Nature Conservancy’s International Program from 1983 to 1987, including field representative. She earned a Master of Applied Economics degree and a Master Business Administration degree from Stanford University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Boren is a Democrat.
Mary Holz-Clause, 59, of San Dimas, has been appointed to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. Holz-Clause has been the dean of agriculture at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona since 2014. She was vice president of economic development at the University of Connecticut from 2011 to 2014 and held several positions at Iowa State University from 1987 to 2011, including associate vice president for extension, founder of the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, extension business development specialist and farm advisor. Holz-Clause earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in agriculture education and a Master of Public Administration degree from Iowa State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Holz-Clause is registered without party preference.
Helene Dillard, 59, of Davis, has been appointed to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. Dillard has been dean of the University of California, Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences since 2014. She was associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University from 2002 to 2014, where she was a professor from 1984 to 2014. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in plant pathology and a Master of Science degree in soil science from the University of California, Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Dillard is a Democrat.
Eric Holst, 47, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, where he has served since 2012. Holst has been senior director for working lands at the Environmental Defense Fund since 2006. He was principal at Holst Conservation Consulting from 2004 to 2006, executive director at the Resources Legacy Fund in 2004, program officer at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation from 1999 to 2003 and a manager at the Rainforest Alliance, Conservation Agriculture Program from 1996 to 1999. Holst earned a Master of Science degree in environmental management from Duke University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Holst is a Democrat.
Robert Craig McNamara, 64, of Winters, has been reappointed member and president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, where he has served since 2002. McNamara has been president at Sierra Orchards since 1980. He was president of the Center for Land-Based Learning from 1993 to 2010. McNamara is a member of the University of California President’s Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources, American Farmland Trust and the Public Policy Institute of California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. McNamara is a Democrat.
Jacob Chavez, 44, of Orland, has been reappointed to the 42nd District Agricultural Association, Glenn County Fair Board of Directors, where he has served since 2014. Chavez has been owner of the Hay Wagon Inc. since 2003. He was a packaging operator at Johns Manville from 2001 to 2002. Chavez is a member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the California Deer Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Chavez is a Republican.
Jerrod Lloyd, 39, of Orland, has been reappointed to the 42nd District Agricultural Association, Glenn County Fair Board of Directors, where he has served since 2012. Lloyd has been a teacher and Future Farmers of America advisor at Orland High School since 2003. He was an environmental health specialist at the Butte County Office of Environmental Health from 2001 to 2002 and a heavy equipment operator at Norman Moore Enterprises from 1998 to 2001. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Lloyd is a Republican.
Dane Nissen, 37, of Willows, has been appointed to the 42nd District Agricultural Association, Glenn County Fair Board of Directors. Nissen has been a warehouse manager at Strain Ranches since 2009. He was a field representative at Connell Rice and Sugar from 2000 to 2008. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Nissen is a Republican.