Speakers
Liz Carlisle, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies, UC Santa Barbara
Liz Carlisle is an Associate Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara, where she teaches courses on food and farming. Born and raised in Montana, she got hooked on agriculture while working as an aide to organic farmer and U.S. Senator Jon Tester, which led to a decade of research and writing collaborations with farmers in her home state. She has written three books about regenerative farming and agroecology: Lentil Underground (2015), Grain by Grain (2019, with co-author Bob Quinn), and most recently, Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming (2022). She is also a frequent contributor to both academic journals and popular media outlets, focusing on food and farm policy, incentivizing soil health practices, and supporting new entry farmers. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography, from UC Berkeley, and a B.A. in Folklore and Mythology, from Harvard University. Prior to her career as a writer and academic, she spent several years touring rural America as a country singer.
Ana Smith, Director of Programs + Engagement for White Buffalo Land Trust
Ana is the Director of Programs and Engagement working at the nexus of business development and community dynamics. Her background in program development, event planning and production, project management, and creative direction play a key role in the experience our community has with White Buffalo Land Trust, whether online or in person.
White Buffalo Land Trust is a Santa Barbara based 501(c)3 non-profit organization that practices, promotes, and develops systems of regenerative agriculture for local, regional, and global impact. They are committed to the evolution of land stewardship and the redesign of our food system to directly address the climate, biodiversity, public health, and food security challenges that we face today.
Lucas Zucker, Co-Executive Director, CAUSE
He was raised in Oakland and Ventura, CA and graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in Political Economy. First volunteering for CAUSE at 13 years old, Lucas joined the CAUSE staff in 2012 as a youth organizer and researcher, and went on to serve as the organization's Policy Director. At CAUSE he has worked on community organizing campaigns and policy advocacy around voting rights, healthy food access, public transit, environmental justice, education equity, immigrants’ rights, housing affordability, and workers' rights. Lucas was the lead staff member on CAUSE's efforts to stop the Puente power plant from being built in Oxnard, respond to the Thomas Fire disaster, and create the Ventura County Farmworker Resource Program. Lucas serves on the board of Powerswitch Action, California Calls, the Community Advisory Committee for Clean Power Alliance, and the Planning Commission of the City of Ventura.
Genevieve Flores-Haro, Associate Director, Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP)
Genevieve Flores-Haro is the Associate Director for the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project(MICOP), a nonprofit serving the indigenous migrant community on California’s Central Coast. In this capacity, she oversees the organization’s policy priorities, special events, communications and is a founding member of the 805 UndocuFund. She also supervises MICOP programs specific to health access & advocacy, families with children ages 0-5, unaccompanied minors, mental health, and domestic violence.
In 2021, she was appointed to the Ventura County Behavioral Health Advisory Board by Supervisor Matt LaVere and represents MICOP on the Ventura County Public Safety Racial Equity Advisory Group. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, her focus has been advocating for farmworker labor rights, mask distributions (for healthcare workers and farmworkers), language access, and safety net programs for undocumented Californians.
In 2022, Genevieve was elected to the Oxnard Union High School District Board of Trustees, representing Area 4, and serves as Vice Chair.
Genevieve received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She is the immediate past Board President for Ventura County’s local LGBTQ organization Diversity Collective, Board President of the 805 UndocuFund, and Board Member for the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund.
In 2018 she was awarded a Women of the Year Award by State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson and Assemblymember Monique Limón for her work during the Thomas Fire. In addition, she was named part of the 40 Under 40 Class of 2021 by the Pacific Coast Business Times. In 2022, she was awarded Woman of the Year by Assemblymember Steve Bennett. In 2023, she received the Carmen Ramirez Achievement Award at Diversity Collective Ventura County’s Diversity Gala.
Irene De Barraicua, Director of Policy & Communications, Líderes Campesinas
Irene De Barraicua is Director of Policy & Communications at Líderes Campesinas, a statewide advocacy organization that supports and coordinates campesinas (women farmworkers) to become agents of change and be a more effective unified voice. Irene also served on the advisory board for a land access study in Sonoma County, which works to assess the needs and desires of farmworkers regarding workforce development. Irene has contributed to various research studies regarding farmworkers and documented firsthand testimonies to better understand farmworker needs. Irene’s work focuses on representing and advocating for policies that address inequities and gaps such as food insecurity, low quality foods, food deserts, and lack of access to various resources, including funding. She currently forms a part of the California Agricultural Land Equity Taskforce.