November 8, 9 & 10
8:00 am - 3:00 pm daily
Yountville Community Center
Free for all Napa County Farmworkers
8:00 am - 3:00 pm daily
Yountville Community Center
Free for all Napa County Farmworkers
2023 Cultivar Speakers
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Cecilia Agüero, UC Davis and Santa Rosa JC
Cecilia Agüero is a viticulturist. She studied Agronomy and Biology in Mendoza, Argentina and received her PhD in Plant Biology from UC Davis. She has taught viticulture and plant physiology at Univ. Nac. de Cuyo and Santa Rosa Junior College and was a Specialist in the Dept of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis. José Álvarez, Redwood Credit Union José Álvarez a Regional VP of Member Experience and has many years of experience at RCU. He was formerly a branch manager at the Sonoma Branch and knows the Napa/Sonoma area very well. He has close ties to the Vineyard Management field as his father was a Vineyard worker/manager for many years. Angelina Ceja, AgSafe Angelina is Vice President and Chief Education Officer at AgSafe. She has over twenty years of non-profit professional experience dedicated to improving the lives of farmworkers throughout the Central Valley and beyond. Leticia Chacón - Rodríguez, UC Davis Leticia Chacon-Rodríguez is the winemaker/winery manager for the Viticulture and Enology Department at UC Davis. With more than 20 years of wine production and management experience in the California wine industry, Chacon-Rodriguez is enchanted by the winemaking process and the science behind it. Steve Faggiolly, Strategic Retirement Partners
Steve is a Registered Representative with LPL Financial and an Investment Advisor Representative with Global Retirement Partners. Steve is a Managing Director for Strategic Retirement Partners in the Northern California office. He is responsible for developing retirement plan consulting services for new and existing clients in the areas of fiduciary guidance, employee education and overall program satisfaction.A graduate of the California State University, Chico Steve earned a B.S. in Business Administration – Strategic Management. He has completed the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® program at Wharton West in 2012. He is an investment advisor representative and has passed the FINRA Series 7 (General Securities Representative), Series 66 (Uniform Combined State Law Examination) and Series 24 (General Securities Principal). Maclovia García, Napa County
Maclovia García has been employed with the Napa County for 23 years, her current position is with the Department of Housing and Homeless Service. She has been in her current position for now 3 years assisting individuals with either DPA from the Proximity Program and with Season of Sharing assistant clients with their immediate needs. Miguel García, Napa County RCD Before joining the Napa County RCD, Miguel worked for the Coachella Valley and the Inland Empire RCDs developing and implementing diverse sustainable agriculture programs. He has a PhD in Environmental Sciences and a B.S. in Chemistry from UC Riverside. Miguel provides on-farm technical assistance and planning related to soil health, erosion control, and irrigation management. He also designs educational programs aiming at providing local growers with valuable information on various topics related to sustainable agriculture. Miguel believes the future well-being of our local water resources and the world’s food security lies heavily on the implementation of adequate sustainable agriculture practices today. Enrique Herrero, Inglenook Enrique Herrero was born in the province of Mendoza, Argentina, and spent his childhood in a vineyard near his hometown, San Rafael. Enrique obtained a B.S. in Agronomy in 1988 from the Universidad de Cuyo in Mendoza and moved to California in 1997 to obtain a master’s degree in Agronomy and Ag Economics. In 2003, he joined Niebaum-Coppola Winery as their Viticulturist. In 2005 Enrique decided to move back to Argentina to work as the Vineyard Manager for Finca Decero, an Estate Winery in Mendoza. Enrique returned to California in 2008 to work as Vineyard Manager for Inglenook. From 2017 Enrique is Inglenook’s Director of Vineyard and Cellar Operations. |
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Alfredo Jauregui, Pan American Insurance
Alredo has been a Senior Loss Control Consultant at Pan American Insurance Services for eight years, as well as at Ascension Insurance for eight years before that. He is a graduate of Yuba College.
Custodio López, California Highway Patrol Known as El Protector, Officer Lopez is dedicating to providing the highest level of safety, service and security to the Bay Area. He is dedicated to enhancing public safety both on the freeways and within our communities. Hilda Moreno, Duarte Nursery Hilda Moreno has been with the Duarte Nursery team since 1996 and has over 26 years’ experience working in the grapevine program. During her time at the nursery, Hilda has led several departments, including inventory management. She is currently the Quality Assurance / Farming Analyst, where she works extensively with the CDFA regulations and certification testing. She also works closely with customers and consultants as part Duarte’s Clean Plant Program. Andre Napolitano, Napa County Agricultural Office Andre Napolitano graduated from a Federal College in Brazil as Forester Engineer and worked for Napa County Agricultural Office for almost 10 years, where he spent most of my time working with Pesticide Use Enforcement Program and, recently, helping the Pest Detection Program. Veronica Rivera, Napa County Agricultural Office Veronica started with Napa County in 2017 at the Planning, Building and Environmental Services. In January of 2022, she started her new role as a Bilingual Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector for the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. She has a Bachelor’s in Human Biology from Cal State East Bay and a passion for bringing awareness to the safety of field workers and the farming community. Ruby Stahel, Napa County RCD Ruby Stahel has been working in environmental conservation since 2009. She has a M.S. in Conservation Biology from Antioch University New England and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Prescott College. In the past, Ruby has worked with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, USDA Forest Service and the California Land Stewardship Institute. Her most recent work focuses on sustainable viticulture management practices and their effect on the environment. She has helped many farmers complete farm conservation plans and improve erosion control management. Ruby also assists with water resource monitoring projects and biological stream surveys. Ruby is passionate about working with growers to implement best management practices to improve water quality and soil health. She also has a deep interest in conserving biodiversity and ecosystem function |
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Jeff Vargas, Nicola Health & Safety
Jeff has spent half his career working in Costa Rica’s Tourism Industry and the other half in California’s Wine Industry. He graduated from Costa Rica’s Universidad Técnica Nacional and went on to work as a Travel Agent specializing in customized Adventure Travel Vacations. In 2010, Jeff moved back to California and worked harvest as a cellar worker, then as an FLC Regional Manager, and to working for Treasury Wine Estates as Vineyard Operations Coordinator for Northern California. Passionate about safety, Jeff enjoys working with California’s diverse Spanish Speaking Community. Also, trained and mentored in safety by Robin Nicola for over 10 years in California and Costa Rica. |
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Erika Velázquez, Pan American
Erika Velázqueaz has17 years’ experience working in the Agriculture industry. For 10 years she held both Human Resources and Safety roles throughout the Napa Valley primarily for Farm Labor Contractors and Wineries. For the past 8 years, she worked for Zenith Insurance as a Senior Safety Consultant servicing all industries throughout California and Oregon. Erika currently hold a AFIS designation is a member of ASSP. Erika holds a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and minor in Communication Studies and is currently working on her Master’s of Science in Occupational Health & Safety (Columbia Southern University). She hold an HR Certificate from Sonoma State University. I am also a certified Worker Protection Standard trainer. |
