COVER STORY
CALF Announces Interim Co-Directors of Education BY ABBY TAYLOR-SILVA (45), CALF EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND LIZA ROBERTSON We are pleased to announce that Dr. Peggy Perry (9) and Dr. Robert Flores have been named interim co-directors of education for the California Ag Leadership Foundation (CALF). With more than 50 years combined engagement on the CALF Education Team (Ed Team), Perry and Flores bring substantial experience, program awareness and mentoring skills to the positions. Their new roles began on May 1, 2021 to coincide with the departure of former Director of Education Shelli Hendricks. Perry will also continue her role as coach to all program fellows. During this interim period, which is expected to last until Feb. 28, 2023 to coincide with the commencement of Class 51, Programs Manager Judy Sparacino and I will also take on additional roles. I will oversee development of the national and international seminars, with the guidance and support of the Ed Team. Sparacino will build upon her current role related to selection and program support. As part of their roles, Perry and Flores will eventually help to guide the selection of a new director of education. “We are very fortunate to have Peggy and Bob join our team in these new roles during such a critical and transformative time for the foundation,” said CALF President and CEO Dwight Ferguson. “We are on the cusp of finalizing a strategic plan that will help sustain our fellowship program well into the future, so we may continue to grow leaders who make a difference. Peggy and Bob have the unique skill sets needed to ensure our program, the most critical component of the foundation, is nurtured and given what it needs to achieve excellence.” Perry is a professor emeritus at Cal Poly Pomona, and has spent her career teaching in the fields of plant science and leadership. Her teaching specialties have included California native plant materials, culinary produce, women in agriculture, leadership development and various issues related to agricultural literacy. Her research has focused on faculty vitality, institutional leadership and adult development. Perry is a Class 9 alum and has been a member of the Ed Team since 1986. She has also led the coaching element of the program for the past 10 years.
6 HORIZONS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2021
Flores recently retired from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo after a 37-year career in higher education. He joined Cal Poly in 1983 after teaching high school for five years. At Cal Poly, he served as a department head and professor in the Agricultural Education and Communication Department. Flores has been a member of the Ed Team for nearly 25 years and served as director of education from 1997 to 2000. He has also served as a presenter on the topics of preferential behavior, learning styles and values programming. In retirement, Flores continues in his role as a member of the Ed Team. Additionally, he is a member of the San Luis Obispo County Medical Service Corp and a co-advisor to the Latinos in Agriculture student organization at Cal Poly. Reflections and Looking Ahead: Q&A With Ag Leadership’s Co-Directors of Education Q: How has the program evolved? Dr. Perry: The most significant change over the years, from my perspective, is the shift from a curriculum that was primarily about broadening perspectives and teaching skills to one that focuses on the self. While there are still many pieces that encourage an expanded view and there are skills developed, such as public speaking and managing difficult conversations, there is much more time spent on developing selfawareness in the individual, as well as support to make positive changes and increase influence. This makes for an experience that is potentially transformative, rather than only broadening. Dr. Flores: The evolution from my perspective began with Class 28. A deep dive into the curriculum took place as I was beginning my association with the organization. Tim LaSalle (6), the foundation’s president and CEO at the time, also served in the capacity of director of education. He brought core faculty from the partner institutions as well as other influencers together to do a “deep dive” into the curriculum and try to coordinate the various segments. As I understand it, it was the first time the faculty representatives from each of the universities devoted uninterrupted time together in fitting the various pieces together, almost as if it was a puzzle. The result was a much more coordinated curriculum.
