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DAVIS – Dr. Glenda Humiston has been appointed state director of US Department of Agriculture Rural Development in California.
Humiston, appointed by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, will be located in the Davis state office.
“Glenda will be an important advocate on behalf of rural communities in California and help administer the valuable programs and services provided by the USDA that can enhance their economic success,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Humiston has spent over 25 years working on public policy development and program implementation that supports sustainability.
She served from 1998 – 2001 as Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment at USDA. While there she received national honor awards from USDA and EPA as well as two “Hammer” Awards from Vice President Gore for outstanding government programs.
“I am excited to return to USDA and look forward to working with the great team at Rural Development,” said Humiston. “Many of our rural communities are struggling during these economic times, but at Rural Development we have the resources available to help families, businesses and communities succeed and thrive. I am proud to help lead this charge.”
Humiston resides in Novato with her wife, Grace Flannery.
She holds a bachelor of science from Colorado State University in animal science and a master’s degree from the University of California at Davis in International Agricultural Development.
She has also completed professional certification in environmental and land use planning and a two-year fellowship with the California Agricultural Leadership program.
Most recently, Humiston completed her Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley, within the Division of Society and Environment. Her research and dissertation, “Sustainable Agriculture as U.S. Farm Policy: Opportunities and Threats to Reform” was funded by a prestigious EPA STAR Fellowship and graduate fellowships from U.C. Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources.
USDA Rural Development's mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for rural residents. Rural Development fosters growth in homeownership, finances business development, and supports creation of critical community and technology infrastructure.
Further information on rural programs is available at one of California’s 18 local USDA Rural Development offices or by visiting http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/ca .
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The meeting will be held at the Live Oak Senior Center, 12502 Foothill Blvd., Clearlake Oaks.
The speaker will be Kevin Garvey of Hospice Services of Lake County.
The gourmet meals served this month are Italian veal parmesan or vegetable lasagna, your choice for $10 each.
Everyone is welcome to attend. Please make your reservations by calling 707-998-1744 as soon as possible.
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The social networking emphasis will be in the form of a social media presentation.
The presentation will be limited to 12 people to maximize the educational impact. Suzanne La Faver, professor of public relations for Golden State University, will be on hand for the initial brunch.
Today’s challenging economic climate demands innovative solutions for small business promotion. Within the social media space on the Internet there are tremendous cost-effective opportunities through resources like Skype, Yugma, Twitter, Squidoo, Facebook and Aardvark, among others.
Free Wi-Fi hot spots where mobile devices like laptops, Internet tablets and cell phones are used play a very important role in lowering promotional expenses for people on-the-go. Even digital photo frames are being used for cost-effective promotion in much the same fashion as TV and radio.
However, it is not just the physical tools and the online resources that are important. It is also the strategies that accompany them – such as game theory and netweaving. Those strategies will be discussed during the presentation.
“Movers and shakers” from throughout the Lake County area are being selected to attend these brunches.
One major goal of these brunches is the establishment is the establishment “cluster” groups – four-person small business groups dedicated to mutually collaborative efforts. Another goal is to assist Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in creating a major buzz for the upcoming second annual Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference. This conference was initially scheduled for Nov. 19th in San Jose, but may be postponed until the first quarter of next year.
The cost of the brunch is $25. Those interested in attending are encouraged to contact CDMM – Synergistic Business Marketing at 707-709-8605.
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The championship is returning to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico October 2-4 to carve for the Make-a-Wish Foundation of New Mexico. And there's a new twist. This year the Championship pits the highly competitive ECHO Carving Team against the clock and each other.
Mark Colp of Lakeport will compete along with Mike Bihlmaier of Marengo, Ill., Jason Emmons of Branchville, Ind., and Bob King of Edgewood, Wash. have appeared as members of ECHO's national carving team since 2005 when ECHO first formed the team. The company started the ECHO Carving Series and Championship the same year.
This year's championship showcases the ECHO team members to see who will be judged as the superior carver. The four professional carvers will compete for cash prizes and the prestigious ECHO Carving Cup. They have 22 hours to produce masterpiece sculptures under the theme: “The Great American Southwest.”
On Sunday, Oct. 4, the sculptures will be judged and then auctioned, with proceeds benefiting the Make-a-Wish Foundation of New Mexico. The foundation grants "wishes" to children who have a life threatening medical condition. Last year's auction raised $34,700 for the foundation, granting wishes to seven children.
The competition in Albuquerque should be tense. King has won the championship three years in a row. Colp has competed in all four prior Championships, while Mike Bihlmaier has competed in two championships and Jason Emmons two. You can follow the team as the tension ramps up at www.echo-usa.com/carvingcontest or on the team's Facebook page. You may reach their page via the Championship link on the ECHO web site.
ECHO INCORPORATED is a leading manufacturer of professional-grade, high performance hand-held outdoor power equipment for commercial and residential use.
MEET THE TEAM
MARK COLP
Mark is also a member of ECHO's Chain Saw Carving Team and has participated in every ECHO Carving Series Championship. He has been carving for 31 years and has been a professional chain saw carver since high school. He jokes that he has never filled out a job application. You could say chain saw carving runs in his blood. Mark's father is a pro chain saw carver and was one of the pioneers in the trade. "I grew up with chain saw carving," says Mark. "And I still learn a lot from my Dad." Mark lives in Lakeport. His favorite wood is redwood and his favorite subject is nautical, especially carving dolphins. He considers his best work to date three jumping dolphins, which won first place at a Washington competition in 2005.
BOB KING
Bob is a three time winner of the ECHO Carving Series Championship. He won the Championship in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and is a member of ECHO's Chain Saw Carving Team. He is a professional carver and has been carving for almost fourteen years and works at his trade five to seven days a week depending on the weather. Bob lives in Edgewood, WA. His favorite wood is western red cedar and his favorite subject is realistic wildlife. He considers his best work to date the piece he carved at the 2008 ECHO Carving Series qualifying event in Chetwynd, British Columbia, Canada.
JASON EMMONS
Originally from Indianapolis, Jason is a full-time carver now based out of his studio, Bear Hollow, in St. Croix, IN and a member of the ECHO Carving Team. He has been carving for about ten years and credits his wife Cindy, whose family operates a saw mill and lumber yard, as the inspiration to become a chain saw carver. Emmons' most challenging carving project to date is also the one he's most proud of. "I carved a dog memorial for a customer in New York," he recalls. "The project took about 10 hours from start to finish. Because the dog had passed away, it was a very personal, emotional and sentimental project for the customer and so the pressure was really on." He competed in the 2006 and 2007 ECHO Championships.
MIKE BIHLMAIER
Mike, an ECHO Carving Team member, does all his carving and finishing work at his home in Marengo, IL, and considers chain saw carving a labor of love, not a job. Mike, who started out competing in snow sculpting, was inspired to become a professional chain saw carver after seeing carvers at various county fairs. To Bihlmaier, carving is more of an art form than a skill and likens the craft more towards classical sculpture than traditional wood carving. Mike asserts that he hasn't carved his hardest piece yet, but one of his most challenging projects so far was 22-foot red-tailed hawk on a 3-sided pillar that he carved out of white oak for a country club. Mike has competed in 2005 and 2007 ECHO Chain Saw Carving Championships.