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California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom

Meet the Staff

We are a small, but mighty team, with a passion for what we do.

Have a question or comment?

You can reach us at 800-700-AITC (2482).


Judy Culbertson

Judy Culbertson

Executive Director

Judy@LearnAboutAg.org

Favorite Ag Memory

Growing up on my family pear ranch, I started selling lemonade in our packing plant, graduating to pushing boxes around a corner on rollers, and finally, managing the fruit process and distribution.

Loves About Her Job

It is a win-win. The farmers appreciate the good will we bring to ag. Teachers appreciate agriculture's investment in them and their students.

Fun Fact

I enjoy boating, gardening and training in motor cars in my free time!

With Ag in the Classroom

I started with CFBF when Ag in the Classroom was one of its programs, in 1980.


Jenna Bontadelli

Jenna Bontadelli

Administrative Assistant

Jenna@LearnAboutAg.org

Favorite Ag Memory

I grew up in a farm family. I loved going to my dad's Brussels sprouts farm and riding on the big tractors with him as a child. I also loved running in the giant coolers when they were empty and being able to hear my voice echo.

Fun Fact

I love to bake, sew, skateboard and snowboard in my free time.

Why Learn About Ag

Food is everything. Without it we wouldn’t be able to survive. I think it is vital to know where our food comes from and the hard work behind it. Everyone should know the importance and benefits of farm to table.

Projects

Administrative support, database maintenance, project assistance


Mandi Bottoms

Mandi Bottoms

Curriculum Coordinator

Mandi@LearnAboutAg.org

Favorite Ag Memory

Visiting my dad at work. He worked in a timber mill in Humboldt County for over 40 years. I was always amazed at the process of turning trees into useable products. Today, I make memories with my own family. I get to witness the same awe in my daughters' eyes as they ride tractors, watch prunes being shaken from a tree, and pick their own peppers.

Why Learn About Ag?

Agriculture makes learning relevant and interesting. It answers the question all students have asked since the beginning of time--"Why do I need to know this?" Math, science, language, history, art, and nutrition can all be taught using agriculture for context. Agriculture in the Classroom engages students with real-life problems that require students to carefully consider the world around them.

Fun Fact

I'm an avid cyclist and have completed several 100-mile rides.

Projects

Curriculum and resource development


Jennifer Harrison

Jennifer Harrison

Communications Coordinator

Jennifer@LearnAboutAg.org

Favorite Ag Memory

Picking olallieberries. Every summer my mom would take my little brother and myself berry picking at a u-pick farm near our home on the central coast. The goal was to pick enough berries to make pies. Trouble was, we often ate all the berries before they made it into a dessert.

Why Learn About Ag?

Food is life. The more you know about how that California commodity gets from farm to fork the more you are invested in the future of agriculture and the future of our planet.

Loves About Her Job

Storytelling! I have a passion for using words and images to educate, inform and take complex subjects and make them digestible, no pun intended. Communicating about food and farming is the cherry on top!

Fun Fact

I have an Emmy and freelance on some TV shows you may or may not have heard of...

Projects

Annual and Monthly Communication, Imagine this… Story Writing Contest, and Social Media


Lyn Hyatt

Lyn Hyatt

Administrative Coordinator

Lyn@LearnAboutAg.org

Why Learn About Ag?

Since I grew up in the city, it wasn't until I started working for Ag in the Classroom that I realized just how important agriculture is in our daily lives and how much we all benefit from it.

Favorite Ag Memory

The closest I came to ag was hearing stories about the chickens my grandparents kept in the backyard of their home in Rhode Island.

With Ag in the Classroom

Since 1989, just three years after it was founded.

Fun Fact

I love fiber arts—knitting, weaving, crocheting—all of it!

Projects

Grant administration, development assistance, special event assistance


Morgan Nunes

Morgn Nunes

Outreach Coordinator

Morgan@LearnAboutAg.org

Favorite Ag Memory

Learning how to drive a tractor. At a young age, my dad taught me how to drive a tractor so that I could help disc the fields in preparation for corn season at our dairy farm. Today, I still help around the dairy, and it is one of my favorite places to be.

Loves about her job

I love being able to use my passion for agriculture to help others understand and see the importance of knowing where their food comes from!

Fun Fact

Separate from the dairy farm, my family has our own "funny farm" that consists of alpacas, chickens, goats, sheep, rabbits, a pot belly pig, and a miniature horse. They keep us busy!

Projects

Taste and Teach, Literacy for Life Grants, County Farm Bureaus, and Outreach


Meet our Contractor

Jaime Morse

Jaime Morse

Event Planning and Public Relations

Jaime@LearnAboutAg.org