Eric Bream, Chair

President, Bream Family Farms, Inc.

Eric Bream is a third-generation family farmer in Tulare County. Before returning to the family farm in 2014, Eric had a long career with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He is an alumnus of the California Agricultural Leadership Program – Class 48, a board member at Tulare County Farm Bureau and administrator for My Job Depends on Ag.

Eric joined the UnitedAg Board of Directors in 2019 and was appointed Chair in 2024.

Richard Plato, Vice Chair

Human Resources Director, Christopher Ranch

Born and raised in Gilroy, CA. The “Garlic Capital of the World”, Richard is proud and humbled to serve the agriculture community in which he grew up in. He joined the Christopher Ranch family in 2007 and now has over 24 years of HR experience. Richard is responsible for providing strategic guidance and leadership for all aspects of the human resources function and establishing a vision of inclusion and diversity. He holds a MS in Psychology from SJSU and a BS in Theology and BA in Philosophy from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, MI.

Richard joined the UnitedAg Board of Directors in 2022 and was appointed Vice Chair in 2024.

Santiago "Chago" Martin, Jr., Treasurer

President, Trilogy Personnel & Land Management, Inc.

Santiago "Chago" Martin, Jr. is the President of Trilogy Personnel & Land Management, Inc. He grew up in Bakersfield and spent most of his childhood working on the farms of Kern and Tulare Counties. In 2009, Chago founded Cal Ag Resources, Inc. a single-source partner for comprehensive personnel management and compliance solutions for agriculture. He holds a BS in Management Science from UC San Diego.

Chago joined the Board of Directors in 2023 and was appointed Treasurer in 2024.

Sarah Gargan, Director

Vice President, Kaweah Pump

Sarah is the Vice President of a 3rd generation water resource management company that serves family businesses in the Central Valley with offices in Visalia and Merced. Sarah is an alumnus of the WomenAg Leadership Academy – class of 2019 and 2020, has a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Science, and a Master of Science in Education Leadership.

Sarah joined the UnitedAg Board of Directors in 2022.

Matt Bastone, Director

CFO, Plantel Nurseries

Matt is the CFO of Plantel Nurseries, a large vegetable transplant nursery in Santa Maria, CA. Matt is a CPA with over 18 years of diverse experience in finance, accounting, and operations. He began his career with Deloitte in Los Angeles, performing audit work for clients in a variety of industries. Prior to joining Plantel, Matt had most recently worked with DAOU Vineyards as the VP of Finance & Accounting, as well as Walker Zanger as the Managing Director of their ceramic tile factory in Mexico.

Matt joined the Board of Directors in 2024.

Marylu Ramirez, Director

HR Manager, GoodFarms

Marylu joined the GoodFarms team to oversee human resource compliance with a focus on improving data quality from the field to the office. With a career spanning 29 years in the agricultural sector, including a dedicated nine-year tenure at GoodFarms. Marylu holds an Associates of Science in Accounting from Heald Business College and Human Resources certifications from various industry institutions.

Marylu joined the UnitedAg Board of Directors in 2024.

Gary Thiara, Director

President & CEO, Empire Farming Company, LLC

Gary Thiara is President & CEO, Empire Farming Company, LLC, responsible for the management of a diversified farming operation engaged in growing prunes, walnuts, almonds, peaches and raisins in the northern and central valleys of California. He has served as Chairman of the Board, Sunsweet Growers Inc. and is currently a member of the California Prune Board. Gary has a Master of Business Administration from Santa Clara University and a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University Fresno.

Gary joined the UnitedAg Board of Directors in 2024.

Pat Regan, Chair

Managing Partner, Regan Distributors, Inc.

Pat Regan is the Managing Partner of Regan Distributors Inc. a privately held company located in Santa Ana, CA. Founded in 1956, Regan Distributors Inc. provides wholesale for fruits and vegetables.

A past Chairman of the UnitedAg Board of Directors, Pat was appointed to the UnitedAg Board of Trustees in 2014 and appointed to board Chair in 2024.

Danielle McShane, Vice Chair

Chief Administrative Officer, Merrill Farms, LLC

Danielle McShane serves as Chief Administrative Officer for Salinas Valley-based Merrill Farms LLC, a grower of fresh produce, including lettuce, romaine, broccoli, cauliflower and strawberries. She also is a graduate of the California Agriculture Leadership Program, Class 43.

Danielle was appointed to the UnitedAg Board of Trustees in 2017 and was appointed Vice Chair in 2024.

A.J. Cisney, Treasurer

General Manager, Rancho Guadalupe, LLC

Aaron “A.J.” Cisney is General Manager for Rancho Guadalupe, LLC and Managing Partner of Blair Crop Services. He is Chair Emeritus of the AgSafe Board of Directors and Chairman of the Board of the Grower-Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.

A past Chairman of the UnitedAg Board of Directors, A.J. was appointed to the UnitedAg Board of Trustees in 2022 and was appointed Treasurer in 2024.

Steve Church, Trustee

Co-Chairman, Church Brothers Farms

Steve Church has been a part of the produce industry for more than 50 years. In 1999, he and his brother Tom formed what is now known as Church Brothers Farms, a vertically-integrated family owned and operated company from seed to salad bowl. Steve holds a BS in agricultural business from from Arizona State University.

Steve was appointed to the UnitedAg Board of Trustees in 2023.

Michael Heisinger, Trustee

CFO, Ippolito International, LP

Michael is the CFO of Ippolito International, LP, a full line vertically integrated grower, packer and shipper headquartered in Salinas California. Michael is a Central Coast native and has over 15 years of experience in the fresh produce sector.

Michael previously served on the UnitedAg Board of Directors and was appointed to the UnitedAg Board of Trustees in 2023.

Veronica Urzua-Alvero, Trustee

Vice President of Human Resources Operations, Church Brothers Farms

A native of Salinas Valley, Veronica Urzua-Alvero is a passionate leader who takes pride in fostering the next generation of ag leaders and making a positive impact in the industry. With more than 25 years of combined human resources, insurance, risk management, and safety experience, Urzua-Alvero is responsible for establishing the HR structure for Church Brothers Farms. She ensures organizational effectiveness from operations to workforce planning to day-to-day management of all corporate functions while reducing risk and limiting exposure of all affiliated companies in California, Arizona, and Mexico.

A past Chairwoman of the UnitedAg Board of Directors, Veronica was appointed to the UnitedAg Board of Trustees in 2025.

Craig Waite, Trustee

President & Founder, Growers Container

Craig Waite is President and Founder of Salinas, Calif.-based Growers Container Co., which, since 1990, has provided and distributed packaging to the produce industry. A 30-year veteran in the packaging field, Craig’s expertise in marketing management, operational efficiencies and forming strategic partnerships has helped establish Growers Container as a leader in packaging solutions on the West Coast.

A past Chairman of the UnitedAg Board of Directors, Craig was appointed to the UnitedAg Board of Trustees in 2013.

Allan Teixeira, Chair Emeritus

President, Teixeira Farms

Allan Teixeira is President of Santa Maria, Calif.-based Teixeira Farms a family owned, and operated producer of fresh vegetables and Partner in Teixeira Cattle Company. Allan is active in the community and is currently a member of Western Growers, Growers and Shippers, California Cattlemen, San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau, Angus Association, and the Coalition for Labor and Agriculture Business, among other agricultural organizations.

Allan was appointed to the UnitedAg Board of Trustees in 1984.

Kirti Mutatkar

President & CEO, UnitedAg

Kirti Mutatkar is a forward-thinking leader passionate about making high quality, innovative, and affordable health care accessible to the agricultural community of California and Arizona. Under Kirti’s leadership, UnitedAg, a quarter-billion dollar association health plan, is empowering its members and employer groups to take a unique, empathetic, and collaborative approach in working together to provide innovative and cost-effective approaches to health care.

Kirti currently serves as Vice Chair on Health Care Administrators Association (HCAA)’s Board of Directors, and as the Director at Large for AgSafe, an Agricultural Trade Association. She is the host of the podcast, This is Ag!

Full Biography

Jayson Welter

General Counsel, UnitedAg

Jayson has over 20 years of legal and healthcare experience both in the private and public sectors. Throughout his career, he has honed his skills from understanding health plans from A-Z, combining this with a deep and broad understanding of healthcare operations, and finally adding the legal and compliance aspects to his vast set of skills. All his experience has made him ideally suited for UnitedAg’s role as General Counsel. Jayson recently worked at BeneSys, as their Compliance Officer, and prior to that, he worked at Employee Health Insurance Management, a TPA, where he served as the Business Administration Officer. Jayson obtained a Bachelor of Science in Physiology and a Master of Health Communication from Michigan State, and a Juris Doctorate with a concentration in Health Law from Michigan State College of Law.

Jayson assumed the role of General Counsel in 2021.

Rosemary Ku

Chief Medical Officer, UnitedAg

Rosemary is a practicing physician with dual-board certification in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine. She majored in Molecular Biology with a Certificate in Neuroscience at Princeton University and went on to obtain her MD/MBA from Columbia University and Masters in Public Health in Health Policy and Management from UC Berkeley.

Rosemary joined the UnitedAg team as Chief Medical Officer in 2019.

Sachin Varma

Chief Underwriting & Product Officer, UnitedAg

Sachin comes to UnitedAg with over 20 years of Underwriting experience in the healthcare space. He possesses strong underwriting, analytical, risk management and pricing skills, understands developing strong relationships with our members and service reps, and deeply understands all that underwriting requires. His educational background includes a BA in Health Policy from the University of Michigan and holds an MBA in Leadership and Management from Northwood University. He also completed Executive Certification focused in Program on Negotiation from Harvard Law School. Sachin also served in the United States Marine Corp.

Sachin joined UnitedAg in 2021 and currently serves as Chief Underwriting & Product Officer.

Chana Hauben

Vice President of Human Resources, UnitedAg

Chana is responsible for establishing UnitedAg’s HR structure, best practices and processes, as well as talent acquisition, management and development. She also leads the regional HR Roundtable sessions, which are provided as a service for UnitedAg members. With more than 20 years of experience in human resources management and related fields, including extensive experience in compensation management, recruiting and retention, she is extremely well-suited for the role of stewarding UnitedAg’s talent.

Chana joined UnitedAg as Vice President of Human Resources in 2014.

Hoda Afshari

Controller, UnitedAg

Hoda joined UnitedAg in early 2020 as part of the accounting department, bringing over a decade of expertise in the accounting field. She earned her CPA license in 2020 and has since played a pivotal role in overseeing the organization’s financial operations. Her responsibilities include managing accounting functions, financial reporting, budgeting, and maintaining internal controls, while ensuring compliance with accounting standards and regulations.

In 2025, Hoda assumed the role of Controller in the accounting and finance department, further solidifying her commitment to UnitedAg’s financial integrity and operational excellence.

Peggy Plair

Senior Director of Claims, UnitedAg

Peggy joined UnitedAg in 2021 and has over 30 years of experience in the health care industry. She has direct leadership experience with Claims, Member Services, Appeals, Clinical Review, and Front-end operations. Her educational background includes a BA in Business with a focus in Management. She is certified in Six Sigma and focuses on Process Development and Improvement.

In 2024, Peggy assumed the role of Senior Director of Claims.

Alex Drollinger

Regional Vice President of Sales, Northern California, UnitedAg

Alex is chiefly responsible for regional health plan representative relations and sales growth for Northern California. Alex has a proven ability to provide member-centric health products and high-level services based on customer needs, user-experience research and market analysis.

Alex joined the UnitedAg team in 2002 and serves as the Regional Vice President of Sales, Northern California.

Mike Davidson

Regional Vice President of Sales, Southern California, UnitedAg

Mike is chiefly responsible for regional health plan representative relations and sales growth. With more than 22 years of insurance industry sales, management and customer-service experience, Mike has a proven ability to provide member-centric health products and high-level services based on customer needs, user-experience research and market analysis.

Mike joined the UnitedAg team in 2017 and serves as the Regional Vice President of Sales, Southern California.

Donna Bares

Vice President of Client Services, UnitedAg

Donna joined the UnitedAg Team in 2002 and currently serves as Vice President of Client Services. She has served in various leadership roles, including sales and account management. She is responsible for providing UnitedAg members the highest service levels using her expertise in sales and administrative processes.

Donna assumed the role of Vice President of Client Services in 2011.