College of Business

Vanya Quiñones

President, Cal State Monterey Bay

Andrew Lawson

Provost, Cal State Monterey Bay

Dennis Donohue

Director, Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology

As Director of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT), Dennis Donohue drives agtech initiatives, bolsters innovation programming and spearheads business development at the WGCIT in Salinas, Calif. Donohue has been lauded for his leadership in agriculture where he has played a key role in creating innovative business models, identifying new technologies and developing initiatives that integrate agtech and innovation into the business structure at organizations such as Cultiva Global, European Vegetable Specialties/Royal Rose, River Ranch Fresh Foods, Fresh Express Farms and Fresh Western Marketing. His dedication to the community and region is unmatched. Donohue’s strong civic commitment includes his leadership as Salinas’ Mayor from 2006 to 2012 and serving on governing boards at the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California, Salinas Chamber of Commerce, Steinbeck Innovation Foundation and he is the Former Chairperson of the Grower-Shipper Foundation.

Brandi DeCarli

Founding Partner & CEO, Farm from a Box

Brandi DeCarli is a pioneering entrepreneur and the Founding Partner, and CEO of Farm from
a Box. Farm from a Box's modular farm system strengthens local food systems, enhancing the
competitiveness of small- and medium-sized producers through clean technology and
improved market access. Brandi currently serves on the Board of Directors for Heifer
International, advancing smallholder farmers' incomes globally, and advises the Climate
Resolute Coalition to drive climate and gender goals at the corporate level. A respected global
speaker, Brandi has addressed topics like technology's role in climate resilience, economic
empowerment, and women's leadership at COP, TEDx, and the Explorer's Club Annual
Summit. She advocates for collaboration and innovation, believing compassion and connection
are vital for sustainable change.

Nikki Cossio, CEO and Founder of Measure to Improve, LLC

Nikki Cossio, CEO and Founder of Measure to Improve, LLC, a B-Corp certified, women-owned sustainability consulting firm, is renowned for creating successful sustainability programs and fostering supply-chain collaboration in the fresh produce industry. With deep roots in a multi-generational California farming family, Nikki brings a generational understanding of sustainability to her work. Beyond her company, she has served on the Board of Directors of the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), chaired its inaugural Sustainability Council, and is a member of the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops Coordinating Council. Recently, she joined the Board of Directors for the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, which focuses on leadership development in agriculture. Her contributions were recognized in 2019 when she was featured in the Packer 25 Profiles in Leadership for the agricultural industry.

Katie Chiapuzio, Director of Environmental Science and Resources for Braga Fresh

Katie Chiapuzio holds a degree in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy from California State Monterey Bay. While obtaining her degree she worked in habitat restoration and environmental education as well as farmers market management. Before beginning her career at Braga, she learned the ins and outs of apiculture in congruence with eco-tourism. With a strong desire to expand her skillset, she started working for Braga in 2019 to handle all ESG data aggregation, analysis and reporting to retailers and regulators for the vertically integrated company. Over the years, she’s expanded her role to encompass management of on-farm trials, grants and any additional on-farm sustainability efforts.

Wyatt Maysey, Director of Sustainability at Taylor Farms

Wyatt Maysey has been in sustainability for nearly a decade. He now serves as the Director of Sustainability at Taylor Farms, managing and implementing the company’s corporate sustainability strategy. He works on various sustainability projects, including material management, water and energy use efficiency, GHG emissions inventory, sustainable packaging, regen ag, EHS, and social accountability. He is a certified TRUE Advisor through Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and has participated in training from SCS Global Services and Cradle to Cradle. Wyatt has helped several zero-waste programs achieve TRUE certification and implement large-scale sustainability data management systems. He firmly believes that you cannot manage what you don’t measure and that a good sustainability program is built on good data. Wyatt is a fellow Otter alum of CSUMB with a degree from the College of Business.

Jeana Cadby, Environment & Climate Director, Western Growers

Jeana Cadby is the Environment and Climate Director at Western Growers. She serves on the board of her local Resource Conservation District and has a B.S. and M.S. in Plant and Soil Sciences and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Development Studies. With a background in specialty agriculture, farmer advocacy, and collaborative environmental program management, she brings expertise in sustainable agriculture and resource conservation to her role, as well as her passion for building strategic partnerships and supporting our farmers. In her previous work, she worked alongside growers, including enterprise, government, and NPO partners, on issues surrounding soil health, crop inputs, biologicals, and developing innovative solutions to bolster climate resilience. 

Eric Brennan Ph.D., Research horticulturist and lead scientist at USDA Agricultural Research Service, Salinas

Eric is the research horticulturist and lead scientist focused on organic production and climate-smart farming research at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Salinas, CA where he has worked since 2001.  His current research is in vegetable and strawberry production and is focused on cover crops, weed and soil fertility/nutrient management, and biological control of insect pests.  This occurs on collaborating farms and at the 25 acres of certified organic that he manages at the USDA-ARS.  Eric is passionate about sustainable agriculture, long-term agricultural research, and effective communication of practical research results to farmers and others.  Follow this link to learn more about his research and access his publications and YouTube videos. Prior to USDA-ARS, Eric worked as a farm advisor (Thailand) and did research on tree propagation, plant breeding, and plant-insect interactions.  Education:  B.S. Agronomy & Soil Science, U. of Hawaii; M.S. Horticulture, Cornell U.; Ph.D. Plant Biology, UC Davis.

Jeff Anderson, CEO, AllMade Materials

With more than a decade of entrepreneurial expertise in the biomaterials space, Jeff has introduced innovative, bio-derived products to global markets. He established the largest in-house network of advanced biomanufacturing in the Americas and scaled deep tech from academic labs to mass market commercialization. Jeff has degrees from USC & MIT.

Steve McIntyre, Founder of McIntyre Vineyards and Monterey Pacific, Inc.

Steve McIntyre, founder of McIntyre Vineyards and Monterey Pacific, Inc., earned his master’s degree in enology from California State University, Fresno, in 1982. After moving to Carmel Valley with his wife Kimberly, he helped develop Galante Vineyards before joining Smith & Hook Winery as an assistant winemaker in 1983 and later becoming a viticulturist. In 1992, Steve and Kimberly founded Monterey Pacific, Inc., which grew to manage over 17,000 acres, becoming the 5th largest vineyard management company in the U.S. In 2002, Steve co-founded the Monterey Wine Company, known for its cutting-edge technology and customer service, including introducing Flash détente to the U.S. wine industry. In 1998, the couple also established McIntyre Vineyards, producing small-lot wines in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. Steve has received multiple accolades, including the 2013 Wine Grape Grower of the Year award, and is actively involved in various industry boards and community organizations. He and Kimberly live in Salinas, California, with their three children.

Lorri Koster

President, Grower-Shipper Foundation