Meet the Board & Staff

Julie Adams is Vice President, Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs of the Almond Board of California. Julie joined the Board in 2000. Her responsibilities include monitoring and developing strategies to address international trade policy and technical issues such as food safety, market access, Codex standards, phytosanitary requirements, regulatory changes and other areas which impact worldwide production and shipment of California almonds. She oversees the Almond Board’s industry services activities, which is responsible for compliance and food safety programs. Julie has been responsible for coordinating government affairs efforts with State and Federal authorities, including consultations with USDA and global authorities related to import controls and certification programs.

Julie chairs the Nut Processors Working Group of the European Snacks Association, as well as serving as vice chair of the International Tree Nut Council’s (INC) Scientific Committee. She has served for several years on the U.S. Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee for Fruits & Vegetables.   

Prior to joining the Board, Julie spent over 15 years with the American Peanut Council, based in Washington, DC and London. 

Skylar Becvar joined ABC in December of 2021 as the senior coordinator for Industry Relations and Communications. Her responsibilities include creating and customizing industry outreach materials, and executing communications, programs, and events to industry audience groups. Skylar has a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing from Fresno State University. She has experience in graphic design, web design, and social media marketing. Prior to the Almond Board, Skylar has worked in the real estate and finance industry managing over 30 different marketing groups. While new to the almond industry, she comes from an agricultural background. Growing up, she spent every summer on her late grandfather’s ranch where she took care of livestock. In her free time, Skylar likes to run, play tennis, and spend time with her dog, Olive.

Rebecca Bailey joined the Almond Board of California in 2014 as an intern for Industry Relations. Following her summer internship, she was hired on as a full-time member of the Industry Relations team. Today, she is a specialist in Industry Relations. Her efforts are focused on the various industry-related programs and events. Rebecca is responsible for helping to oversee the planning and execution of the annual Almond Conference, as well as other industry events aimed toward growers and processors. She co-leads the Almond Leadership Program and Ag in the Classroom. She also travels throughout the growing regions representing ABC at trade shows and California Almond Sustainability (CASP) workshops. Rebecca graduated from Oklahoma State University (Go Pokes!) with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications in 2012, followed by a master’s degree in agricultural communications from OSU in 2014. She was raised on her family’s farm in Turlock, CA, where she resides today. Rebecca enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and live music.

Tim Birmingham joined the Almond Board of California in 2007 as the Associate Director of Industry Relations/Food Quality and Safety. His efforts are focused on actions that will continue to help address emerging and existing food safety issues, as well as ensure the ability to effectively address and identify issues that impact almond quality. Tim serves as the staff liaison for the Almond Quality and Food Safety Committee and is integral in execution of the food quality and safety program. He manages research efforts in these areas helping to ensure confidence in almonds as a safe, healthy, quality food product. He was integral in the implementation of the 2007 program for mandatory pasteurization of almonds and continues to be at the forefront of evaluation of technologies which may be of use for almond pasteurization. His professional career includes over fifteen years of experience in food processing, product and process quality, process validation, food safety and microbiology. Tim is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, having served in Operation Desert Storm.

Connie Calhoun is the Director, Human Resources and Organizational Development where she heads up our people processes and strategies including total rewards, recruiting, staff relations, performance development and legal compliance. Connie joined the Almond Board of California in 2018. 

Prior to joining ABC, Connie spent over 20 years leading Human Resources teams in both the private and public sectors. She has successfully started HR departments from the ground up at multiple organizations and led the global expansion at one of those companies as they made the Inc 500’s list of fastest growing companies on two consecutive years. Connie greatly enjoys the challenge of servicing such a diverse workforce and helping each person achieve their full potential while driving the organization forward. 

A native of Michigan, Connie holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University as well as a Senior Professional of Human Resources certification. 

Courtney has worked for the Almond Board of California since July 2022 as a Data Analyst. She is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to the almond industry and ABC initiatives.  Analyses performed but not limited to shipments/sales, economic feasibility of new initiatives, competitors, pricing, marketing programs, existing and potential customer preferences, economic conditions, advertising, distribution, and other factors that may influence future sales or new markets.

Prior to joining the ABC, Courtney worked with in and around the Federal government. She worked as an analyst and advisor for Air Force Athletic Department for US Air Force Academy, where she specialized in designing and implementing processes to advance the Air Force’s data management, analytics, and reporting. While living in Germany, Courtney worked as a lead government liaison for international contracts for the Department of Finance and Accounting.  In 2013, Courtney graduated from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administrations with concentration in Accountancy and minor in Management.

Courtney is Northern California native. She and her family moved back to California to live in Sacramento near loved ones after living all over the US and Europe as a military family. Courtney enjoys traveling and experience new things with her family. On the weekends, Courtney and her family are out and about exploring all the beautiful things California has to offer.

Brock Densel is the Senior Analyst for Government Affairs. He joined the Almond Board in October 2021. His responsibilities include monitoring federal legislative and regulatory developments that affect the industry, educating and informing federal authorities on the almond industry, and representing the industry in various stakeholder and specialty crop trade organizations.

Brock has a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Ohio Northern University and a Master’s in Political Management from The George Washington University. Prior to joining the Almond Board, he served in various roles at USDA including as Chief of Staff for the Agricultural Marketing Service, Senior Policy Advisor for the Research, Education, & Economics Mission Area, and Congressional and Policy Advisor in the Office of Congressional Relations.

Tom has long been one of the industry’s most forward-looking and outspoken advocates for the use of technology in agriculture. Starting off in agriculture as an irrigation designer with growers in the north state, Tom found a passion for field monitoring and ag technologies. For over a decade he worked with farming operations across the country leveraging plant, soil and weather sensing tools enabling growers to monitor and control their irrigations more effectively producing more crop per drop with limited resources.

Tom is driven to provide ongoing education to tackle the challenges of understanding and applying technologies as part of the daily practice in a farming operation. Joining the Almond Board in the summer of 2019 has been a perfect fit, with a community of growers he knows well and is excited to help each day.

Prior to coming on staff he was honored to serve as a mentor to the Almond Board of California's Almond Leadership Program and was a member on the Global Communications Committee.

James Fillmore is the information technology manager for the Almond Board of California managing the entire Information Technology, DevOps and security infrastructure.

Prior to joining the Almond Board, James spent seven years as a business manager, IT director, and part owner, with Charter Solutions and H-Wire Technology Solutions where he helped several schools implement new technology infrastructure and policies to ensure the safety of employees and students.

James moved to the San Francisco Bay area just before middle school and has called California home ever since, growing up in the Bay Area during the silicon revolution of the 1990’s. He started working in technology at 16 years old and has been in IT ever since. He holds two Microsoft Certified System Engineer certificates, as well as Pro Audio certificates and several other industry specific certificates.

James moved to Modesto after meeting his wife, Tara, there. They continue to live there with their two dogs, Macey and Riley.

Emily is the Senior Director Global Marketing at the Almond Board of California, where she leads the strategy and implementation of the Board’s global marketing investment including both consumer and trade activities. She joined the Almond Board of California in 2016, after 12 years in Brand Management at food companies. First, at Kraft Foods working on the Oscar Mayer and Lunchables brands followed by California-based Foster Farms managing the company’s Prepared Foods business.

Prior to her career in marketing, she worked in accounting and finance.  She honed her analytic and general business skills in roles at one of the Big 5 accounting firms and global finance with Nike and InFocus Systems.  

Emily graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a BA in Accounting and the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler School of Business with an MBA in Brand Management. She relocated to California’s Central Valley in 2016 and resides in Turlock, CA along with her husband, son, and daughter.  Emily enjoys spending time with her family and embracing all the beautiful outdoor activities California has to offer.

Ann joined the Almond Board of California in 2017 to support the Global Market Development team along with Karen Montgomery. In addition, she serves as the Staff Coordinator for the Global Market Development Committee and the Global Communications Committee. 

After spending a year as an exchange student in Belgium, Ann earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in International Management at Santa Clara University and Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She worked in the Bay Area and Portland in market research and product development. She took a career break to raise her five children. As the fourth generation of a California farming family, Ann is excited to be back in the valley, supporting an industry near to her heart. She enjoys cycling, traveling, tasting local craft beers, and grilling pizzas.
 

Sara Geer joined the Almond Board in November 2016 as a Senior Accountant.  Today, she leads the team overseeing the day-to-day accounting, administration and logistics functions at the Almond Board of California as the Senior Manager, Finance and Administration.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from CSU Stanislaus in 2005 in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting.  Sara has received a vast overall accounting experience while working in local governmental and public accounting specializing in political reporting, general and fund accounting, tax and auditing. 

Sara grew up in Escalon among grape vineyards, however, has been a fan of almonds since birth as her grandfather was an almond grower in Ripon.  She now resides in Manteca with her husband, son and daughter who you can find either on the baseball or soccer fields. 

Charice Grace, Manager, Trade Marketing and Stewardship is new to the ABC team.   She is responsible for leading the execution of all food professional public relations and advertising tactics for North America.

Charice has over 20 years CPG experience in brand marketing and business development including roles at top manufacturers such as Bimbo Bakeries and ARYZTA.  She is a proud HBCU graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Morgan State University and an MBA in International Business from the University of Miami.

Guangwei has worked at the Almond Board of California since 2001 in various roles, most recently as Associate Director, Food Research and Technology. He directs and manages research in almond quality, safety and processing technology, co-product utilization, harvesting technologies, etc., and he conducts trade education events and food professional outreach activities. Guangwei had played an instrumental role in development of the almond mandatory pasteurization rule. The thermal lethality and surrogate microbial challenge validation guidelines that he developed for existing almond processes and new pasteurization processes based on the findings from extensive research are now widely followed by other nut and low moisture food industries. Presently, he is spending more time in finding more value-added options for almond coproducts including almond hulls, shells, and woody biomass, and better solutions to reduce dust during almond harvest.

Before joining ABC in 2001, Guangwei worked for companies in business of dried fruits and nuts, Mexico frozen foods, organic baby foods and almond processing in California. He had also spent about seven years with the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment to develop national methods and standards for pesticide residues and contaminants in foods before coming to California in 1990. 

Guangwei obtained a B.S. degree in sanitary inspection and technology in 1983 from Sichuan University, and M.S. degree in Food Science from University of California, Davis in 1993.

Guangwei is a member of IFT, IAFP and AACC, an Executive Board of Director for Subcommittee of China Snack Foods. He had also served as a secretary and president for CAFS, and Board of Director for CIFST.

Becky Jeffers, Manager, North America Marketing joined the ABC in April 2007. During her time at the ABC, she has managed multiple export-oriented programs in China, South Korea, India, and Japan to build demand for California Almonds in Asia. In August 2016 Becky joined the North America marketing team.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in International and Regional Studies and French Studies from the University of the Pacific, and a Master of Arts degree in French from Middlebury College.  She completed extended study abroad programs in France as part of both her undergraduate and graduate education, as well as an internship program at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

Elisa is the Administrative Support Technician who is a contributor in the day-to-day Human Resources team while providing administrative support to various departments.

Prior to joining ABC, Elisa worked within the wine industry where she gained a knowledge in the agricultural community and a strong appreciation to the work it takes to develop a sustainable productive product from farming.  Shortly after having her youngest child Elisa entered the world of property management, where she was able to work closely with members of the community and the housing industry.

Elisa, a Bay Area native who calls Modesto home; is currently pursuing her education in Business Administration, enjoys entertaining, reading, crafts and cheering at her son’s high school games. 

Murielle Kim has represented the Almond Board of California in Japan and Korea as a market development consultant since 2017. She offers her professional market services including trade program management, communications marketing and advertisement management, consumer campaign development, media outreach management, health professional outreach, digital and social channel management, and nutrition regulatory counsel. 

She has over 10 years of experience in food and nutrition related communications marketing, consumer promotion, and international trade. Prior to joining ABC, she was the food and beverage sector lead of Edelman Korea, a global public relations agency, where she oversaw the ABC’s communications marketing and trade activities; She has an international trade experience from working at CJ CheilJedang as a global B2B raw materials sales and marketing specialist. She earned her expertise in media from working at a PR agency and working as a nutritionist columnist for health and cooking magazines.

Murielle is an USA Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) certified Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, and completed her clinical and community dietetics education and internship from Columbia University, New York City, USA.

She completed her Ph.D courses in Food Marketing at Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea; Earned M.S. degree in Nutrition Education and Public Health from Columbia University, NYC, USA; Double majored in B.A. Behavioral Psychology and Sports Science at Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA. 

Abhijeet (Abhi) Kulkarni is Principal, Technical & Trade Issues and his responsibilities include monitoring international trade and technical issues that could affect the almond industry exports, providing assistance to industry members in resolving regulatory compliance issues, and representing the industry in various stakeholder forums.

Prior to joining the Almond board, he spent almost 10 years at the California Walnut Board & Commission as an Assistant Director of Regulatory & Industry Affairs. And having started his career at Blue Diamond Growers in early 2000s, he brings a wealth of tree nut industry experience.

Being a travel and photography enthusiast, Abhi and along with his wife, Veronica, often travel, hike and camp around California.  Among his favorite areas to photograph are the redwood forests in Northern California. He has visited every continent.

Rahima joined the Almond Board of California in October 2018 to take on the new position of Finance and Administration Specialist. Her position allows to take responsibility for the Unified Export Strategy (UES) program expense claims, credit back reimbursement claims, industry conference revenue management, petty cash management, and accounts receivable management. 

Prior to joining ABC, Rahima worked on various accounting projects for large companies such as Foster Farms, Savemart and Hancock Financial Services.   

Rahima graduated from California State University, Stanislaus with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Master of Business Administration. 

Rick Kushman is the manager of media relations for global communications at the Almond Board of California, assisting all media – including agriculture-focused, trade, California and global outlets – in their connections to the almond industry and the Almond Board. He also oversees the Almond Board’s media outreach to help share the almond industry’s latest developments and wide range of positive stories.

Rick is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist and does on-air wine segments for Capital Public Radio, Sacramento’s NPR affiliate. He is also the creator and co-host of the popular podcast “Bottle Talk with Rick and Paul.” He has years of journalistic experience covering agriculture, wine, food, entertainment, business and politics from local to national. His writing has appeared in newspapers across the country and in publications ranging from Time Magazine to Sommelier Journal to Daily Variety.

Before joining the Almond Board, he worked as a columnist and reporter at The Sacramento Bee, in the wine industry as a consultant and as a communications strategist for E. & J. Gallo Winery, and as a public affairs senior writer and executive communications expert at UC Davis Health. He is the author of two books, and the second, “The Barefoot Spirit,” a business book set in the wine world, spent two months on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Rick is also an accomplished competitive runner and a professional wine judge. He lives in Sacramento with his wife, Deborah Meltvedt, a high school teacher, and with their rescued cat, Anchovy Jack, who they think used to be a pirate.

Dr. Josette Lewis has worked in agriculture for more than twenty-five years, spanning government, industry, university and non-governmental organizations. Most recently, she led the Environmental Defense Fund’s collaborations with grower organizations, food companies, and policy makers to promote sustainable agriculture practices. Josette led the launch of the World Food Center at UC Davis, and worked in international business development with Arcadia Biosciences. Prior to that, Josette spent 16 years at the US Agency for International Development. As Director of the Office of Agriculture at USAID, she worked with senior levels of the U.S. government to develop a $1 billion per year global food security initiative. She has served on the US Secretary of Agriculture’s advisory committee on Agricultural Biotechnology in the 21^st Century, the Foundation for Agricultural Research’s Food Systems Innovation Advisory Committee, the James Beard Foundation Impact Program Advisory Committee, and is a member of the board of directors for the International Life Sciences Institute Research Foundation.

Dr. Gabriele Ludwig has been working for the Almond Board of California for more than 10 years. Gabriele combines her passion for agriculture and the environment with research and policy. As Director for Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, she was instrumental in the development of the California Almond Sustainability Program and continues to encourage a diverse range of research on almonds and environmental issues.  

She is currently a participant of the California Roundtable for Ag and the Environment, Board chair for the non-profit Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship and serves on several government agencies’ advisory committees.  Prior to joining the Almond Board, she worked for the consulting firm Schramm, Williams & Associates in Washington, DC.  She received her Ph.D. in plant physiology from the University of California, Davis and her B.A. in Biology from Wellesley College.

Harbinder joined ABC in July 2005 as Manager, Food Service and Industrial Marketing. In her position, she is responsible for developing and implementing the Almond Board’s foodservice and industrial marketing programs, including agency management and tradeshow supervision. Her last position allowed her to spend three years working in the non-profit sector for MedicAlert Foundation in Turlock, California, where, in her role as Marketing Manager, she was responsible for developing and executing targeted disease group marketing campaigns. Prior to arriving in the United States from the United Kingdom, she held management positions in brand marketing and business development for United Business Media, Boo.Com Group, Ltd., and Alfred Dunhill. In addition to an engineering degree from the University of Huddersfield, Harbinder holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge. Harbinder is fluent in Punjabi.

Working alongside Dariela Roffe-Rackind, Kath oversees and manages the delivery of marketing campaigns in the UK, France, Germany and Italy to promote the health and sustainability credentials of almonds to consumers and food manufacturers. Kath joined the ABC team in June 2018, after leading the European PR programmes for ABC since 2015 while working at Porter Novelli, London, where she was Director of Food and Nutrition.

Kath has close to two decades of brand communications experience, with a strong background in  and passion for food and sustainability. She has worked with several global FMCG companies including Nestlé, Unilever and Mars, running consumer-facing and food professional campaigns, and she also has experience in managing complex issues and crises.

Before becoming an almond marketeer, Kath’s most recent work included running PR programs for UK industry bodies, the British Soft Drinks Association and the British Fruit Juice Association, campaigning to set the record straight about the health benefits of sweeteners in soft drinks, and educating consumers, health professionals and retailers about the natural goodness of 100% fruit juices. She also worked with UK grocery store, Sainsbury's on a campaign to increase awareness of the retailer's sustainability credentials, through the launch of its Waste Less, Save More campaign.

Kath has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Modern Languages from the University of Bristol and a Postgraduate Degree in Public & Media Relations from Cardiff School of Journalism. She is a qualified yoga instructor, all round health and wellness enthusiast and cat mother to nine-year-old Persian, (Prince) William.

Melissa Mautz joined the Almond Board in 2007 and since joining the board she has served in various marketing roles including managing the consumer work in the U.S., Canada and South Korea. Currently, Melissa is the associate director for shared services for both global market development and global communications at the Almond Board. In this role, Melissa specializes in the maintenance and quality of Almonds.com (globally) and manages various cross-department initiatives. Additionally, Melissa oversees the Credit Back program for the Board. Prior to joining ABC, Melissa worked for Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Dallas, Texas.  

Melissa lives in Ohio with her husband, Brody and their two children.

Sudarshan is responsible for driving the strategy, execution and the growth of the almond industry in India. In this capacity, he is entrusted with the job of drawing out the marketing strategy for India; and leading the advertising, communication and trade stewardship programs.

With over 30 years of experience in strategy, management and brand building, Sudarshan has been working towards establishing the importance of including almonds as an integral part of a healthy diet in India by consistently demonstrating their multiple health benefits through international nutrition research and a network of credible nutritionists, experts and media.

His experience spans across the spectrum of marketing industry, having worked with leading consumer marketing and advertising agencies in the country. He has a deep understanding of consumer research, advertising, Public Relations, trade management. Since 1984, Sudarshan has played key roles in various industries ranging from consumer products, automotive industry and consumer healthcare.

Prior to his association with the Almond Board of California, Sudarshan was the Director for Marketing and Corporate Communications at Fortis Healthcare Ltd. His previous employers also include GlaxoSmithKline, Rasna, J. Walter Thomson (JWT), FCB Ulka and Lowe Lintas. Sudarshan has completed his Masters in Business Administration from Faculty of Management Studies (FMS Delhi), one of the top business schools in India; and also holds a Masters degree in Physics from St. Stephens’ College, University of Delhi.

Karen Montgomery joined the Almond Board of California in 2007 as the department Administrator/Secretary for Global Marketing & Communications. Her responsibilities included accounting and financial-related matters for both North American and International Programs, the compliance side of the Almond Board MAP & EMP programs and serving as the Staff Coordinator for both the International and PR & Advertising committees.

Today, Karen is a Senior Administrator for the Global Marketing and Global Communications departments, supporting 25 staff with a second Senior Administrator, Ann Friedrich. Karen’s responsibilities include accounting and financial-related matters for both Global Marketing and Global Communications departments, logistic support for meetings and events and assisting with travel needs including visas, passports and known traveler programs.

After a year as an AFS exchange student in Germany, she started college and graduated from California State University, Stanislaus with Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, a concentration in Human Resource Management and a minor in German.  Prior to joining the Almond Board, Karen served as Executive Assistant for Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Modesto and previously enjoyed a distinguished career with Bank of America in branch operations and customer service. 

Native born, Karen was raised in Stanislaus County north of Modesto, California, where she resides today on the family land surrounded by a small almond orchard. Karen enjoys spending time with her family and friends, baking, dinner parties and Pokémon.

Jenny Nicolau is the senior manager of industry relations and communications and oversees all of ABC’s industry outreach efforts, working directly with the Industry Communications & Relations and Field Outreach & Education teams to serve California’s almond growers and processors. She guides all industry communications from growers’ guides to How-To videos and electronic newsletters, and she oversees special projects and events, including The Almond Conference – the largest gathering of almond professionals in the world.

Recent achievements include leading the Almonds.com website relaunch in 2020, creating a suite of identification tools for almond growers and elevating the prominence and quality of the Almond Leadership Program.

As a Central Valley native and current resident who grew up in the agriculture industry, she prides herself on creating useful tools that help growers’ bottom line and that guide the industry in the journey to remain profitable and sustainable.

She lives in Patterson with her husband, Tim, and their two young daughters, and any free moment between playing with Play Dough and Barbies, she enjoys baking.

Dariela joined the Almond Board of California in September 2008. She is responsible for oversight and implementation of market development program activities in the European Region and globally for consumer public relations (PR). Her European responsibilities include planning and managing trade development and marketing programs in Western Europe. 

Dariela also oversees global consumer PR program planning for ABC, cross-region coordination, identification of efficiencies and measurement and reporting standards across all regions.

Before joining ABC, Dariela was the Director of the Food Practice at Talk PR/Saatchi & Saatchi and prior to that the Account Director at Porter Novelli UK for ABC's European consumer, trade and health professional PR programs. 

During her 20+ year career in both London and New York City, she developed and implemented public relations programs for an array of consumer clients including Absolut Vodka, Masterfoods (M&M’s, Uncle Ben’s, Starburst, Skittles), UNICEF, The Dannon Company, Twinings and Kellogg’s. 

Dariela’s work has won a number of awards including the PRCA Evaluation award, O’Dwyers best international campaign and two Scorissimi advertising awards for the Almond Board of California; the ABC European program was also a finalist in the European Excellence Awards. The Global M&M’s campaign she led received a Sabre award for best consumer campaign, and was awarded first prize in the International Galaxy awards for best international public relations campaign, also being named one the "10 product launches you couldn't miss" by PR Week.

Dariela was born in Chile and has lived in Geneva (Switzerland) and New York (USA).  She now lives in St. Albans, UK with her husband and daughter.  She is fluent in English, French and Spanish. 

Michael joined the Almond Board in January of 2021 with the Field Outreach and Education team, covering the Central Region of the Valley. In his position, he works with growers to disseminate resources, like the California Almond Sustainability Program, as well as working to solve any issues they have in their fields. He enjoys interacting with growers and looks forward to helping them in any way that he can.

In his previous role, he worked as a farm manager for 5 years after graduating college. He directly managed 3,000 acres of almonds, as well as other tree nut crops, in Madera, Stanislaus, and Sacramento counties. He experienced the day-to-day farming operations as well as overseeing the budgets of farming and capital improvement project costs.

Michael was born, raised, and currently lives in Modesto. He graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Systems Management. He enjoys walks, hiking, and road trips to the coast with his dog Bella, as well as exploring and supporting local businesses and events in the area.

Jesse is a Policy Analyst in Environmental and Regulatory Affairs and joined ABC in 2016. In his role he touches a wide range of topics and issues, including pesticide use, water supply, water quality and air quality regulations impacting almond production. A primary responsibility is addressing impacts from the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act on the almond industry. He also leads development of GIS projects -such as the annual acreage estimates with Land IQ, a Sacramento-based consulting firm. Other current projects include expanding on-farm groundwater recharge, developing Integrated Pest Management solutions through research, and driving grower adoption of sustainable solutions through incentive programs.

Jesse is the staff liaison for the Ag Regulatory Subcommittee and Pest Management Workgroup, and a staff collaborator for the Technical & Regulatory Affairs Committee.

In his previous position as Project Director for The Nature Conservancy, he managed wildlands, farms and rangeland for wildlife benefits and sustainability, and developed large scale, process based, restoration projects.

He received dual Bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz, and dual Master’s degrees in Landscape Architecture and City Planning from UC Berkeley, with a focus in environmental planning. Living in Modesto, when not in the office, he can often be found playing music locally, or exploring the central valley’s beautiful river systems.

Dr. Sebastian Saa focuses his time developing and implementing strategic research plans for the Almond Board of California (ABC). He serves as a staff liaison for the Almond Production Stewardship Workgroup, where he analyzes priorities around sustainability, harvest, pest management, irrigation, pomology, and nutrients. Before joining ABC, Sebastian was a professor of deciduous fruit trees at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso in Chile and a Project Scientist at UC Davis. Sebastian obtained his Ph.D. in Horticulture and Agronomy at UC Davis, where he developed guidelines for best nitrogen management practices in almonds that allow growers to be more sustainable, provide adequate nutrients to their trees, and adhere to current California regulations. Sebastian has also done significant work to understand better the main horticultural factors that affect the productivity of almonds, walnuts, and cherry trees.

Sebastian’s unique background, blended with his farming experience (he is a third-generation table grape grower in Chile) and technical expertise, allows ABC to build a natural bridge between the California almond industry’s needs and the talent of our scientific researchers.  

Keith recently joined the Almond Board after spending the last two years with the US Trade Representative’s office in Washington, DC, assisting in the negotiation and implementation of the agricultural chapter of the U.S.-China Phase One agreement.  Keith grew up on a farm in northeastern Colorado and when on to spend 20 years with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.  Much of his time included assignments in Vienna, Guangzhou, Taiwan, and Shanghai.  He has worked with groups like ABC over the years, to address market access issues, implement market development strategies, and helped to serve as a bridge between industry and government authorities.  

Keith earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Colorado State University and a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of London at Wye College after receiving an International Rotary Scholarship.  Keith and his wife have a son and daughter who are both in college.  Keith enjoys traveling, singing and most outdoor sports.  Keith will be working remotely from his home in Fargo, ND. 

Kiku joined the Almond Board in 2019. Prior to that, Kiku studied at California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, earning a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Environmental Plant Science with a concentration in crop and fruit science.

Kiku is a fourth-generation almond farmer, her family farm is in Turlock, CA. Along with her technical education background and her on-farm experience, she brings her passion for the almond community and sustainability to work with her each day.

At the Almond Board, Kiku specializes in sustainability communications with specific attention in honeybee health and water. Her goal at the Almond Board is to communicate the efforts of the almond community’s commitment to grow almonds in a responsible, sustainable manner. 

Bryce is the Manager of Marketing Order Services at the Almond Board of California and has been with ABC since 2011. His focus is on being an entry point at ABC for industry stakeholders and providing timely service concerning topics which affect California almond handlers/processors. Bryce is responsible for industry compliance with Marketing Order provisions, shipment statistics, handler outreach, and other marketing order operational activities. He also serves as the staff liaison for the Organic Advisory Panel and helps support various other committees and workgroups. 

Bryce is a graduate of the University of California, Davis with a BS in Agricultural Managerial Economics and is proud to have grown up in the Central Valley on an almond farm like many he works with daily. Bryce and his wife have three children and enjoy spending time adventuring across California and seeing new sights with his family. On any given weekend you might find Bryce and his family at the beach, exploring a new city, or on a hike in a National Park.

Melissa is a Modesto native who joined the Almond Board of California in 2019 as the Senior Coordinator of Human Resources.  She works on a wide variety of areas in the HR department, with a focus on payroll, benefits, and recruitment.

Prior to the Almond Board, Melissa worked in the staffing world where she gained valuable human resources experience, and a love for working with people.

Melissa graduated from California State University, Stanislaus in 2015 where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management.

Miranda Thomas joined the Almond Board of California in October 2020. Her work includes supporting industry engagement through the working groups of the Strategic Ag Innovation Committee and elevates research outreach efforts in collaboration with the communications department by coordinating ABC’s Training Tuesdays. She is also involved with the creation and design of the research knowledge center.

Miranda graduated from the University of Colorado with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a minor in Chemistry. Miranda lives in Turlock and in her free time enjoys riding horses, snow skiing, and camping with her family and friends. 

Danielle joined the organization in 2013. Prior to that, Danielle studied at San Francisco State University earning a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management and a Bachelor of Art in Geography.

The third generation of a family almond farm in San Joaquin County, Danielle combines her almond industry background with knowledge of natural resource management to provide a unique perspective to the Almond Board. Raised on the family farm, Danielle knows firsthand what it takes to grow almonds and brings that understanding and passion to her work each day.

At the Almond Board, Danielle specializes in production and environmental issues, research, and extension with particular attention to water and honeybees. Her efforts are focused on ensuring that the almond community continues to grow almonds responsibly and sustainably as well as communicating that commitment to the world over.

The Almond Board of California’s President and CEO, Richard Waycott, joined the organization in 2002. Prior to heading up the ABC, Mr. Waycott worked for over 20 years, mostly in Latin America, in the food manufacturing and agribusiness industries, with extensive experience in the consumer products and B-to-B grains and oilseeds market segments.

Richard’s experience complements the other professionals at the Almond Board by bringing strategic leadership to the global development of the California almond industry. Almond production and worldwide almond shipments, as well as the activities of the ABC, have grown tremendously over the past two decades, with Almond Board programs now touching every aspect of the industry’s interests.