California Agricultural Issues Will Be Focus of CalChamber Virtual Event

 

Karen Ross
Mark Jansen

“A Conversation on Issues Facing California Agriculture” will be presented online by the California Chamber of Commerce on Monday, May 10, from 2 p.m.–3 p.m. (PT).

Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), will be the guest for the virtual program, hosted by Mark Jansen, president and CEO of Blue Diamond Growers and immediate past chair of the CalChamber.

CalChamber President and CEO Allan Zaremberg will welcome attendees to the virtual program.

Ross has served as state secretary of food and agriculture since 2011, when she was first appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Governor Gavin Newsom reappointed her to the post in 2019, citing her leadership experience in agricultural issues nationally, internationally, and here in California, in areas including environmental stewardship, climate change adaptation, and trade.

Since taking the helm at Blue Diamond in 2010, Jansen has transformed the operation into a $1.6 billion global branded manufacturer. He has led brand growth for Haagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker, Totino’s, Pillsbury, Red Baron, Freschetta, Blue Diamond and Almond Breeze.

Registration

To register for the virtual gathering, to be held on Zoom, visit this link.

Susanne T. Stirling
Susanne T. Stirling
Susanne T. Stirling, senior vice president, international affairs, has headed CalChamber international activities for more than four decades. She is an appointee of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the National Export Council, and serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce International Policy Committee, the California International Relations Foundation, and the Chile-California Council. Originally from Denmark, she studied at the University of Copenhagen and holds a B.A. in international relations from the University of the Pacific, where she served as a regent from 2012 to 2021. She earned an M.A. from the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California.

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