Home to our country's largest agricultural economy, California employs an estimated 500,000-800,000 farmworkers, many of them immigrants. As federal immigration policy shifts, this key sector of California's economy faces a massive and fundamental challenge to maintain its seasonal workforce.
Join Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture; the Goldman School of Public Policy; and the Berkeley Food Institute for a discussion on immigration and the future of agriculture in California.
Schedule:
5:30pm - Public Reception
Toll Room, Alumni House
6:00pm - Public Lecture
Toll Room, Alumni House
About the Speaker:
Karen Ross was appointed Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in 2011 by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Prior to joining CDFA, Secretary Ross was chief of staff for U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (2009-2011), President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers (1996- 2009), and Vice-President of the Agricultural Council of California (1989-1996). Before moving to California, Secretary Ross served as Director of Government Relations for the Nebraska Rural Electric Association and as Field Representative for U.S. Senator Edward Zorinsky.
Secretary Ross is passionate about reconnecting consumers to the land and the people who produce their food, and to improving the access of all California citizens to healthy, nutritious California-grown agricultural products, celebrated for their diversity and abundance in serving local, national and global markets.
During Secretary Ross's tenure, the Department has protected and promoted California agriculture in a time of significant budget reductions, and has emphasized change-management to position the agency to more effectively and efficiently serve its stakeholders in meeting the challenges of the 21st Century.
For more information, contact hannahty@berkeley.edu
Persons who wish to request disability-related accommodations, including sign-language interpreters, should call (510) 642-5032. Please request accommodations as early as possible to assure the best possible arrangement.
This event is free and open to the public.