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A Special Welcome to the Roots of Change Community!
By Larry Yee
March 20,2008

On behalf of the ROC Stewardship Council, I want welcome you to the Leadership Network.  It is exciting to see how the network has grown since its recent launch.  I see this as indicative of the multitude of important projects underway throughout California – all helping us move toward a sustainable food system for our entire state.  United and together, all of our efforts and hard work are building momentum. I commend all of you for your important work!

I’ve been honored to sit on the Stewardship Council for since its inception.  I was with Roots of Change when we conceived of, and created the work of the Vivid Picture Project, first leveraged the county-based Ag Futures Alliances, and supported the creation of the California Roundtable on Agriculture and the Environment.  Now we are moving away from the visioning phase and into the complex challenge of implementation.   I will soon retire from my position as Director of UC Cooperative Extension in Ventura County – but I intend to stay fully engaged and committed to the work of ROC. I find it hopeful to be part of such a tallented and inspired network.


And this network continues to expand on many levels- last month Roots of Change formally welcomed three new members of the ROC Stewardship Council: Peter Liu, Maricela Morales, and Evan Kleiman.  As ROC Council co-chair, I am delighted to welcome these dynamic food systems leaders to our team.

A bit about each new member:  

Evan Kleiman is the Owner and Executive Chef at Angeli Caffé in Los Angeles, which opened in December of 1984.  A contemporary Italian restaurant on Melrose Avenue designed to serve "simple rustic food in a modern environment," Angeli Caffé offers light and simple food that is both stylish and affordable.  Over the past two decades, Evan has written several best-selling cookbooks, including Cucina Fresca, Cucina Rustica, and Cucina del Mare.  Evan is host of the weekly radio food show "Good Food" which is heard each Saturday morning at 11am on KCRW 89.9fm, the second largest NPR station in the country. Evan has recently started a series of video podcasts in which she demonstrates cooking with ingredients from the Santa Monica Farmers Market.  She was the founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Slow Food and continues her commitment to educating the public on food sustainability issues through her appearances and her radio show.

Peter Liu is the Initial Founder and Vice Chairman, New Resource Bank.  In November 2006, Peter helped found New Resource Bank, an innovative community bank in San Francisco that focuses on financing sustainable and efficient resources. Peter also serves on the Clean Technology Investment Advisory Boards of the California Public Employees Retirement System and the California Teachers’ Retirement System and is a member of San Francisco’s Mayor’s Green Building Task Force. Peter has also been an engineer for the Chevron Corporation and the California Air Resources Board.  Peter did his undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering & Materials Science at UC Berkeley and graduate studies in Public Affairs at Princeton.

Maricela P. Morales is the Mayor of City of Port Hueneme, and Associate Executive Director, Central Coast Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy (CAUSE). Maricela oversees CAUSE’s Health Coverage Expansion and Women’s Economic Justice Projects, as part of the nonprofit’s dedications to collaboratively realizing a healthy, just, prosperous and environmentally sound reality for all people on the California Central Coast.  In response to the need for diversity among elected public decision makers and as a voice for economic, environmental and social equity, she was the youngest and first Latina elected to the Port Hueneme City Council and the first Chicana to serve as Mayor in the Central Coast Tri-Counties region. As Mayor and Council Member, she has prioritized the issues of violence prevention, family strengthening, and civic engagement.

Each of these new Council members brings in new connections and expertise from their on-the-ground work within the CA food system.  As our network continues to expand, it grows in its systems knowledge and perspective.  It is only through such collaboration that a change of this scale can take place – I am proud to be part of such a historic effort. I look forward to working with these dynamic new Council members, and the entire Roots of Change community.  

For a full list of the ROC Stewardship Council, click here .  
 
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