Profiles In Leadership

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.”

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.”

Stephens also organized a fundraiser to provide pies to all law enforcement officers and firefighters in the wake of the Oroville Dam crisis and the Camp Fire. Amidst the challenges that law enforcement were facing due to civic unrest, Stephens was able to motivate community members in Yuba, Sutter, Colusa and Butte counties to show their appreciation by donating more than 3,000 pies to the cause.

Stephens and his wife, Cherie, have returned to Cambodia, where he and his classmates went on their international seminar and have spent time at an orphanage providing support and helping with repairs.

Stephens worked to support the Dixie Fire relief efforts in 2021, continues to gather food for those in need through SAYlove and was given the Community Champion Award by the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce in 2020 for volunteering countless hours in hopes of strengthening his community.

“Jeff Stephens puts his mind and heart into fostering community connection and change,” said his nominators.

Stephens was deeply impacted by his time in Ag Leadership, but one experience - meeting a group of parents who had lost children to gang violence in Detroit - has stayed with him.

“These parents had gone on to triumph,” said Stephens. “They put their loss aside, persevered and worked to make the world better. Coming out of their great loss, the work they did to try to bring about change after losing a child always struck me.”

Stephens took action to better his community and encourages other leaders to do the same.

“Anyone can be a leader,” said Stephens. “Wherever there’s a need, all you have to do is take action on it, if the need is real, you will have people who want to follow, because they see the need too, but they haven’t had anybody to step up and address it.”

Jeannine Campos Grech (29)

Region 6, Caruthers Campos Brothers Farms Nominators: Emily Rooney (39), Carson Britz (43) and Tricia Geringer (43)

Jeannine Campos Grech was awarded for her community service work, especially with Valley Children’s Hospital. She currently serves as chair of both Valley Children’s Hospital and Valley Children’s Healthcare boards of trustees, and also served as a Valley Children’s Healthcare Foundation board member.

“I am so incredibly proud and humbled for being given this award,” said Grech. “It is a great honor and one that was completely unexpected.”

Grech has championed the hospital’s work in improving the health of kids to include partnerships with Universal Health Services to construct a 128-bed inpatient psychiatric hospital; the acquisition of land in Bakersfield and Modesto that led to the construction of new centers to serve those communities; and the launch of the Center for Community Health, the first center of its kind in the Central Valley to focus simply on keeping kids well.

“She has left a lasting legacy on the children of the Central Valley,” said her nominators. “Jeannine is a hands-on board member and is directly involved in the strategic planning, financial management and vision setting for the healthcare network.”

Grech is also chair of the Ag Council of California, a supporting member of the Almond Alliance of California, a Member of Nisei Farmers League, an honorary member of Valley Children’s Hospital’s La Visionaria Guild, board member and guild president of the Catholic Charities Diocese of Fresno, a supporting member of the Marjaree Mason Center in Fresno and has served on the Almond Board of California.

“Jeannine works for causes that benefit all people in her region,” said her nominators.

In 2021 Grech was recognized as one of the 2021 Common Threads Fresno recipients. The award recognizes women in agriculture who have chosen to make a difference in their communities through philanthropy and service. It honors individuals whose extraordinary contribution of time, energy and resources enhance the lives of all around them.

Grech says Ag Leadership gave her a new perspective on agriculture’s effect on the world.

“One of the biggest impacts Ag Leadership provided me was the ability to open my eyes to the complexities we face not only as family farming operations, but as agriculture in this state as a whole,” said Grech. “If you think about our world as a tapestry, our agricultural businesses are threads in that tapestry—we intertwine and connect with every corner of the world.”

For leaders who want to make a difference in their communities, Grech suggests they begin by setting their sights high and create a vision.

“Think large and start small,” said Grech. “Rather than get daunted by the enormity of the vision, take incremental steps that move you closer to your goal. This will build momentum and create continuity and eventually you will reach your goal. Start each day like it’s a brand new day and hold on to the hope that you have the ability to change and own your future.”

Tracy Schohr (39)

Region 1, Quincy University of California Cooperative Extension Nominators: Darlene Din (35) and Josh Huntsinger (39)

Tracy Schohr was selected for her community service work during wildfires in her area. She volunteered her time to coordinate transportation and secure a safe place for livestock that were displaced due to the 2021 Dixie Fire. She worked closely with emergency personnel and ranchers to contain and bring to safety loose herds in the area.

“There are so many amazing alumni who give back to their communities and the industry, I am truly honored to be selected as a recipient,” said Schohr.

In 2020 during the North Complex Fire, Schohr worked to create the Ag Pass program for Butte County. The pass allows livestock producers access to provide vital care to their animals during emergency evacuation situations.

“Tracy supports the agricultural industry through education and understanding of the science around natural working lands with the public,” said her nominators. “She is the first to step up to make a difference. California will continue to have natural disasters and Tracy will be there on the front line and we can count on the fact that her crisis leadership will benefit everyone.”

In 2018 during the Camp Fire, Schohr helped to coordinate volunteer efforts with local 4-H and FFA members to build pens and feed and care for livestock that were evacuated from the fire areas. She also organized transportation of supplies from Cal Expo and Cow Palace to the Butte County Fairgrounds to assist in managing and housing the animals. During each of these situations, Schohr learned new ways to support her community during times of crisis and shared her knowledge with others in preparation for similar situations. In 2020 she served on an online panel for the International Leadership Alumni Conference (ILAC) and shared her experiences in crisis leadership with more than 100 agriculture leadership program alumni from around the world.

“The award is well-deserved, and I am excited that Tracy will be recognized for all of her hard work,” said Josh Huntsinger (39).

Schohr also supports the county fairs in Plumas, Sierra, Butte and other counties in her area. She assists 4-H and FFA students with their livestock projects and serves as a judge for fairs and other competitive events.

When thinking about her time in the program, Schohr recalls an impactful moment—spending the night in a shelter for women and children in Sacramento.

“It was a humbling and eye-opening experience,” said Schohr. “I often reflect on a woman I met at the shelter with a master’s degree who had been there over a month trying to get back on her feet, all the while helping others in the shelter get jobs and assisting their kids in completing school assignments. I was moved by her perseverance, determination and generosity. ”

When it comes to crisis situations, Schohr tells leaders to find a role that fits their skillset and to follow their hearts.

“At the livestock shelter during the Camp Fire, I will never forget the construction crew that showed up excited to help build pens, organize supplies and clean stalls,” said Schohr. “They had been previously working at the human shelter and when they arrived, said ‘we are builders, not people-people.’ For them, working at the livestock shelter was a perfect fit!”