Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1084285
This group is the Almond Leadership Program. Established to build leaders and create community, the program has now accomplished that goal for 10 years running. A decade ago, in 2009, a cohort of almond industry members signed up for a Leadership program that had just found its footing. What started as a class of near strangers became, over the course of a year, friends who learned from each other and their seasoned mentors to increase their leadership skills, gain a wealth of knowledge and expand their network to become more wide- reaching and diverse. Jordan Phippen and Darren Rigg are two of the 14 inaugural Almond Leadership Program members. Phippen, a fourth-generation almond grower and vice president for Pacific Coast Sales, entered an unfamiliar sector in the industry when he landed a job in marketing in 2008. Eager to learn more about the almond industry, Phippen applied for the Almond Leadership Program and became a member of the 2009 Leadership class, an experience he deems invaluable. "The Almond Leadership Program was a way for me to learn more about all aspects of the industry, from growing to marketing to beekeeping," Phippen said. "I grew up around almond growers, but I wanted to be more well-rounded in my knowledge about almonds. The program gave me that." Rigg, a sales representative for Minturn Nut Company, applied for the 2009 Almond Leadership Program for a similar reason. Looking back on his experience, Rigg said he learned more about how broad the industry's reach extends. "The program gives members connections to many people who touch the industry, even those who aren't directly involved in production," Rigg said. "There are more leaders getting involved in the Almond Leadership Program from outside of the industry, bringing to the table their diverse perspectives and experiences." This level of diversity shines bright in the Almond Leadership Program's 10th-anniversary class, which has as varied of backgrounds as ever. Mackenzie Souza, a participant in the 2018 class, is supervisor of Client Relations and Utility Interconnection with JKB Energy. Souza said her job in solar energy — although associated with almonds — doesn't give her a strong, direct connection to the industry. However, the Leadership program exposed her not only to the various aspects of the industry and key research insights, but also to the The Almond Leadership Program's 10th- anniversary class represents a diverse range of jobs within the almond industry. (Photo by Mackenzie Souza) "The program gives members connections to many people who touch the industry, even those who aren't directly involved in production. There are more leaders getting involved in the Almond Leadership Program from outside of the industry, bringing to the table their diverse perspectives and experiences." – Darren Rigg A Community of Pacesetters: The Almond Leadership Program Within the greater almond community exists a smaller network of emerging leaders driven to embrace and tackle challenges facing the industry. 14 ALMOND COMMUNITY