The Vantage Point

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources 

During this season for sharing gratitude, I am thankful to live and work in such a beautiful and vibrant state. And while we herald California’s ascension as the world’s fourth largest economy, we also must recognize that the fruits of that prosperity have not been equally shared. I am proud and grateful that so many academics and staff across UC ANR are working to ensure all communities contribute to – and benefit from – our state’s economic prowess.

At the California Economic Summit (Oct. 27-28), I had the pleasure of working with current members of our community and economic development (CED) team, Keith Taylor and Julia Van Soelen Kim, to welcome several new CED Advisors to UC Cooperative Extension: Cindy Chen, Alec Dompka, Haris Gilani, Olivia Henry, Ashley Hooper and Hardeep Singh.

These recent hires, made possible by a historic level of support for UC ANR from the State of California, reaffirm our commitment to applying specialized knowledge – in food systems, wood products, rural and urban capacity-building, and more – that creates jobs, grows opportunity and generates economic vitality. It was energizing to see our team establish crucial contacts at the summit. We started sketching blueprints for programs that will expand broadband access, promote regional industry clusters and nurture small business development.

Building a more equitable California was also a focus of the annual meeting of the California State Association of Counties, or CSAC, on Nov. 14-18. Thank you to Rita Clemons, Susan Ellsworth, Darren Haver and Anne Megaro for representing UC ANR at the event. They connected with supervisors and staff members whose partnership and support are essential to pinpointing needs and delivering programs that drive economic growth and community health in their counties. Special thanks to Randall Oliver of UC IPM for pulling together a compelling booth display on shothole borers and sparking conversations about controlling the invasive beetles.

Pest management is just one area that will get a major lift from the designation of UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz as Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) campuses, alongside UC Berkeley, UC Davis and UC Riverside. During the Nov. 16 UC Regents meeting, President Michael Drake announced that, for the first time in 50 years, new campuses would be joining the AES. Congratulations to our colleagues at Merced and Santa Cruz – including UC Cooperative Extension specialists already at work on those campuses – and we look forward to deeper collaborations that will address the most pressing needs in agriculture.

The many challenges facing our state – drought, wildfire, food insecurity and other environmental and socioeconomic crises – require an “all-hands-on-deck” approach. UC ANR is working every day to forge science-based solutions across California. You can help make them even more effective and accessible by contributing to our programs and projects tomorrow, Giving Tuesday (Nov. 29).

As part of this global day of spurring transformative change, I hope you will consider donating and spreading the word on social media: ucanr.edu/givingtuesday. Thank you for your constant and inspirational support in this and so many of our endeavors. I always count you among my many reasons to be thankful, during this holiday season and throughout the year!