News and Notes - Spring 2025
New Dean: Brian Horgan
Brian Horgan will join the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences as dean on July 1. Horgan currently serves as a professor and associate dean for faculty affairs and development in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University (MSU). He brings a wealth of experience and innovative leadership to the college. His past positions include chair of the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at MSU, as well as several leadership roles in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota (UMN), including interim head and extension program leader. An expert in urban green space conservation, Horgan’s academic work focuses on developing systems-based metrics for resource sustainability. During his tenure at UMN, he led the Science of the Green Initiative, which raised funds for infrastructure and endowed graduate fellowships. “I am honored to join Cal Poly and contribute to the continued growth and success of one of the nation’s leading institutions for agricultural and environmental education,” Horgan said. “I look forward to working alongside the college’s students, faculty and staff to build on its strong foundation of hands-on learning and impactful research.”
Honored Alumni
Tracy Pezzini (Agricultural Business, ’86), sixth from the left in the above photo, was named the 2024 Honored Alumni of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. She is the director of livestock operations for Bengard Ranch, a multi-generational farm that has been a premier grower in the Salinas Valley since the 1850s and is one of the region’s larger grower-shippers with operations in California, Arizona, Florida and Mexico. Both of her children, Haley Pezzini (Agricultural Business, ’17), pictured second from the right, and Wesley Pezzini (Animal Science, ’19), graduated from Cal Poly, and she has served on the college's Dean's Advisory Council since 2017. Pezzini is extremely proud of her Cal Poly heritage and has provided the college with invaluable counsel on numerous issues.
Aspire to Grow
The seventh-annual student-led Aspire to Grow Conference exploring innovation in the food, agriculture and natural resource sectors was held Feb. 5. Student committee chairs Averie Konefat and Angeli Morales, both agricultural science majors, organized the event. Featured speakers included Joe Del Bosque, owner of Del Bosque Farms; Bailey Pankratz, college recruiter at Land O’Lakes, Anna Leigh Peek, North America talent programs manager at Nutrien Ag Solutions, Maeve Pesquera, chief marketing officer and executive vice president of luxury at O'Neill Vintners & Distillers and Edgar Torres, owner and winemaker of Bodega de Edgar and Hug Cellars. The event was sponsored by Nutrien.
Unified Wine and Grape Symposium
The college hosted an Alumni and Friends Reception at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento, with students staffing a tradeshow booth during the two-day event in January.
World Ag Expo
A group of CAFES Ambassadors hosted an information booth at the World Ag Expo in Tulare in February, meeting with prospective students and their families. In addition, more than 200 alumni and friends joined the college for a reception sponsored by Dust Bowl Brewing.
Visit Cultivate Spring 2025 to read more stories.