Restore The Delta Steering Committee

Joy Baker, President

Delta resident, rancher and former Delta School District Board President.

John Herrick, Vice President

Attorney for South Delta Water Agency.

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Vice President

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla is the Campaign Director for Restore the Delta. Prior to joining the campaign, Ms. Barrigan-Parrilla served as the Business Development Manager for the Planning and Conservation League in Sacramento. Ms. Barrigan-Parrilla has also taught English in the California community college system, served as a field representative for the Oakland local of the California Federation of Teachers, worked in marketing and customer service for The Disney Channel, and served as Executive Director for Manifest Press and Literary Arts Center also in Oakland.

A Stockton resident of several years, Ms. Barrigan-Parrilla developed a love and appreciation of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta years prior to becoming a resident while observing its changing landscape during the 1996-97 floods, which she chronicled in a manuscript of poems published in various literary publications throughout the United States. Ms. Barrigan-Parrilla is enthralled with bird watching and enjoys taking walks with her eight-year old daughter in various locations throughout the Delta simply to observe its wildlife.

Bill Jennings, Executive Committee at Large

Fighting to protect fisheries and water quality for over 25 years, Bill is the Executive Director and Chairman of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and a Board Member of the California Water Impact Network.  Between 1995 and 2005 he served as Deltakeeper.  He was a founder and Chairman of the Committee to Save the Mokelumne.  Bill has received numerous acknowledgments including the International Conservation Award from the Federation of Fly Fishers, the Director’s Achievement Award from the Department of Fish and Game, the Conservation Achievement Award from the California-Nevada Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, the Quality of Life Award from the Land Utilization Alliance and the Delta Advocate Award from Restore the Delta.  The Outdoor Writers Association of California recognized him as Outdoor Californian of the Year and the Delta Fly Fishers selected him as Fly Fisherman of the Year.  His efforts in obtaining an historic cleanup of Penn Mine on the Banks of the Mokelumne River led to awards to both the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and Committee to Save the Mokelumne by the California Water Policy IX Conference.

Bob Gutierrez, Executive Committee at Large

Government Affairs, Food 4 Less

Dino Cortopassi, Executive Committee at Large

Dean A. Cortopassi founded San Tomo Group and serves as Co-Owner of Stanislaus Food Products Company.

David (Chicken) Nesmith, Board Member

David (Chicken) Nesmith was born in Chicago, and grew up in Santa Maria, California. He studied Agriculture at Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo. After two years of service in Vietnam, Mr. Nesmith came home to a life of political activity and advocacy. He was a local Sierra Club conservation staff person for 17 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has also been a water person, leading ocean kayak trips for people challenging cancer, and he has been a white water rafting guide for 20 years, and leads rafting trips for inner city outings. He currently facilitates communications for almost 30 environmental and fishing groups, and a native American tribe, all of which advocate for California water policies that lead to sustainable water use and ecosystem restoration

Emily Pappalardo, Board Member

Emily Papplardo is Project Manager at DCC Engineering in Walnut Grove.  She works on projects related to levee repair and improvement. She also has a special love for the Delta, as she grew up on Steamboat Slough.

Heather Robinson Tanaka, Board Member

Mark Croce, Treasurer

 Mark J. Croce, CPA, is a shareholder with Croce & Company and works both with business entities and with individuals to assist them in any way he can with their income tax or financial accounting/financial reporting needs. Mark graduated from Santa Clara University in 1990, received his CPA certification in 1993 while working for an international public accounting firm in the Bay Area and joined Croce & Company in 1994. Mark enjoys the time he spends working with clients, getting to know the people and understanding the individual needs in each relationship.

In addition to the above, Mark works with a number of governmental and not-for-profit entities in connection with their annual financial statement attestation needs as well as tax compliance. Again, his focus is on the individual needs of each organization and on working with both the board of directors and staff in improving systems and internal controls and on education relative to the constantly evolving regulatory requirements.

Mark is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, where he is a Past-President of the San Joaquin chapter and is a member of the Accounting Principles and Audit Services state committee. He is also active in the local community and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities for the Stockton Diocese and the Children’s Home of Stockton Foundation. In addition, Mark serves as an officer of the Downtown Stockton Enterprise Loan Fund.

Mike Robinson, Board Member

Mike Robinson is president of Robinson Farms Feed Co., and diversified farming and feed manufacturing business in the south Delta.  The farm has been in the family for over 120 years raising alfalfa, wheat, safflower, oat hay and triticale.  The feed manufacturing business makes alfalfa meal products, principally for the pleasure horse industry.  Mike has been active in farming industry organizations, and active in water issues since the last ‘peripheral canal’ attempted water grab in 1982.  A graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and member of the RD17 governing board of directors.

Natalia Orfanos, Executive Committee at Large

Director of Public Relations, A.G. Spanos Companies.

Robert K. Ferguson, Executive Committee at Large

Robert Ferguson is President of Ferguson Farms Inc., a family owned and operated farming operation on Union Island in the South Delta. The Ferguson Family has farmed on Union Island for more than 102 years, growing asparagus, alfalfa, corn, tomatoes and wheat. As a trustee of the island’s reclamation district, Mr. Ferguson is familiar with levee maintenance, restoration and flood watch. In addition, he is actively involved with the South Delta Water Agency and the Delta Protection Commission.

Rogene Reynolds, Board Member

Rogene Reynolds is a Real estate broker by trade.  She is currently a student at Sacramento State University studying Humanities and is a lifelong resident of Roberts Island in the South Delta.  Rogene is a descendant of 1800′s farming family and is an active opponent of the Peripheral Canal since 1979.  Husband, Bill, says:  “I just follow along behind with the bail money!”

Roger S. Mammon, Secretary

Roger Mammon was born in San Francisco and grew up in the East Bay.  He has resided in Oakley since 1983.  A former police officer and manager in the automobile finance industry, Mr. Mammon has fished all his life and took up hunting as a young adult. Mr. Mammon loves both sports as they allow him to be outside and on the water. He is serving in his third two year term as President of the Lower Sherman Island Duck Hunters Association — a group of local sportsmen and women who enjoy hunting in State Wildlife Management Areas. He is also a Board Member of the West Delta Chapter of the California Striped Bass Association, and is a member of the Committee to Save Our Shoreline in Oakley. The City of Oakley has appointed him their unofficial liaison on Delta matters. He has seen a number of changes in the Delta over the past two and a half decades that are disturbing, and he looks forward to helping restore the Delta.

Steve Evans, Board Member

Steve Evans manages Friends of the River’s conservation staff and provides overall direction for its conservation programs. Mr. Evans was hired by Friends of the River in 1988 and has served as its Conservation Director since 1990. He has more than 30 years of conservation policy experience in public lands and resource issues. He successfully encouraged federal agencies to identify more than 3,000 miles potential Wild & Scenic Rivers and has played a key role in the legislative expansion of the federal and state Wild & Scenic Rivers Systems in California. In 1988, he coordinated the environmental coalition that successfully opposed the Bureau of Reclamation’s proposal to sell additional Central Valley Project water and lobbied in 1994 for the passage of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. He served on the CALFED Ecosystem Restoration Committee and has also been the lead person in Friends of the River on California water policy issues. Mr. Evans co-founded and has served on the steering committees of many of the coalitions administered by Friends of the River, including the Environmental Water Caucus, California Wild Heritage Campaign, Sierra Nevada Forest Protection Campaign, and the California Hydropower Reform Coalition. He previously was Executive Director of the Butte Environmental Council in Chico.

Tim Neuharth, Board Member

Tim and Laura Neuharth run Steamboat Acres, which encompasses 300 acres of pear trees.  Cherries, grapes, alfalfa and triticale are also grown on the farm which is situated on Sutter Island near Courtland, home to the annual Pear Fair.  The orchards were certified organic in 2001.  Tim has a connection to Delta agriculture that goes back to 1848, and has hosted events amidst his pear trees for Slow Food Sacramento.  The Neuharths strive to provide aspects of tourism, education and entertainment through agriculture in the historic Delta region in order to reconnect urban dwellers with a rich sense of where food is grown.

Virginia Hemly Chabra, Board Member

Virginia is the packing house manager for Greene and Hemly, a grower, packer and shipper of pears, apples, cherries and kiwi in the Sacramento River Delta.  She and her brother, Matthew, are the sixth generation of the family to run the business. 

We work more closely with Virginia’s parents Doug and Cathy Hemly than we do with Virginia.  Board standing notice has been sent.

Wendy Stokes, Board Member

Wendy Buckley-Stokes is a 3rd generation California farmer that grew up on a pear ranch in the heart of the Sacramento River Delta. Her love for agriculture started at a young age and continues to this day. In high school, Wendy got involved in Future Farmers of America (FFA) where her love, knowledge and appreciation for agriculture grew to benefit her and those around her. In recognition of her personal commitment to Ag and the leadership qualities she displayed along the way she received the American Farmer Degree- the highest form of recognition from the organization. Wendy continued her education at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture Science and Education with a concentration in Animal Science. After completing her formal education Wendy began a career in the produce industry focusing on sales and marketing, and has been doing so successfully for the past 20 years.  During this time, she served on the Marketing Board for the California Pear Advisory Board.  Today, she continues to be involved in marketing her family’s cherries and apples.  Wendy is married to 4th generation Wine Grape Grower, Mike Stokes and they have 2 children that carry on their family’s passion for agriculture. Their daughter Elainee is a member of Lodi High School FFA and plans to take her first animal to the fair this year.  Their son Jake keeps a watchful eye on his father as they spend summers together working on the ranch.

Besides Agriculture, Philanthropy is another major area of focus in the Stokes Family way of life.  Wendy is a member of the Junior League of Sacramento and has served on their Board of Directors.  She also is involved in the Lodi Boys and Girls Club.

“Restore the Delta is such an important part of continuing Agriculture in Northern California.  The products grown in this area are shipped to all parts of the world.  From Pears to Wine Grapes, the farmers in our region help to feed the world.  It is critical that as a state we distribute our resources in an equitable manner- especially water, and that does not mean subsidizing or sustaining one region at the expense or complete detriment of another.   We need farms in California.  We need Agriculture to survive.”