COVER STORY
Profiles in Leadership Awardees Recognized for Service in Their Communities BY LIZA ROBERTSON
THE CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION (CALF) AND THE AG LEADERSHIP ALUMNI COUNCIL PRESENTED THE 2021 AG LEADERSHIP AWARDS TO THREE OUTSTANDING LEADERS—JEFF STEPHENS (24), JEANNINE CAMPOS GRECH (29) AND TRACY SCHOHR (39). THE AWARD CEREMONY WAS HELD IN CLOVIS IN OCTOBER IN CONJUNCTION WITH CLASS 51’S INAUGURATION. THE PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP (PIL) AWARD RECOGNIZES AG LEADERSHIP PROGRAM ALUMNI FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP ACTIONS RESULTING IN THE BETTERMENT OF INDUSTRY, COMMUNITY, BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT, EDUCATION AND/OR THE ENVIRONMENT. “Ag leadership is focused on growing leaders who make a difference,” said CALF President and CEO Dwight Ferguson. “We are delighted to see our alumni positively influence their industries, communities and families. This couldn’t be more evident with Jeannine, Tracy and Jeff and this award is a wonderful opportunity to showcase their leadership-inpractice.”
14 HORIZONS MAGAZINE FALL 2021
Jeff Stephens (24)
Yuba City, Region 1 Stephens Farmhouse and SAYlove Nominators: Holly King (24), Robin Flournoy (29), Christine Ivory (41) and Megan Grima (50) Jeff Stephens was chosen for his work with homelessness and community cleanup. In 2019 he founded SAYlove—a grassroots citizen organization formed to address dumping in rural areas and to provide care and support in the Yuba City area and surrounding community. Jeff brought businesses and the community together to cleanup more than 1.5 million pounds of dumped material in just one year. “Receiving Ag Leadership’s Profiles in Leadership Award is truly one of the highest honors that I’ve received in my lifetime,” said Stephens. The organization has a reputation for solving community problems and supporting community needs. SAYlove is now called on to help move cancer patients, assist the elderly, cleanup buildings and graffiti, work with the homeless community and organize community fundraisers to support community heroes as well as aiding the COVID task force with food bank and food delivery services. “I saw a need and the community needed action taken and what resulted has totally changed my life and benefited our community,” said Stephens. “We took people who were feeling hopeless and gave them something to feel hopeful about within the community.”
