Veronica Urzua-Alvero, Chair

Vice President of HR 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.

Veronica joined the UnitedAg Board of Directors in 2015 and was appointed Chair in 2022. Full biography >

Eric Bream, Vice 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 Vice Chair in 2023.

Loretta Brown, Treasurer

Office Manager, Rijk Zwaan USA, Inc.

U.S. Army veteran and Georgia native Loretta Brown boasts over 20 years of experience in the ag industry. She served on UnitedAg’s Business Solution Committee and is an inaugural member of our WomenAg Leadership Academy. Loretta currently serves as Chair of the Agribusiness Education Foundation’s Education Committee.

Loretta joined the UnitedAg Board of Directors in 2019 and was appointed Treasurer in 2023.

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.

Santiago "Chago" Martin, Jr., Director

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.

Daniel Nelson, Director

President & Chief Executive Officer, Latin Berry Plants

California native Daniel Nelson grew up around his family’s cattle ranch and plant breeding operations in the berry and artichoke business. In addition to his role at Latin Berry Plants, he has founded several successful startups including, The California Bee Company, LLC, Veritas Substrates, Inc, Innovative Organic Nursery, LLC, and others. He holds an MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University and a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Daniel joined the UnitedAg Board of Directors in 2017.

Richard Plato, Director

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.

Mack Ramsay, Chair

President/Managing Member, Pacific Commerce Group LLC

Mack Ramsay has served as President/Managing Member at Pacific Commerce Group (PCG) since 2005. Mack is a board member and immediate past President of Centennial Farm Foundation, which supports youth and agriculture programs and exhibits at the OC Fair & Event Center. He is a past board member for the California Strawberry Commission and the Processing Strawberry Advisory Board of California. PCG has been a long-standing member of UnitedAg and its affiliated companies.

A past Chairman of the UnitedAg Board of Directors, Mack was appointed to the UnitedAg Board of Trustees in 1997.

Pat Regan, Vice 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 1971, 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.

Danielle McShane, Treasurer

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.

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.

A.J. Cisney, Trustee

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.

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.

Judy Lundberg, Trustee

Co-founder & President, Babé Farms

Judy Lundberg is co-founder and president of Babé Farms a specialty vegetable grower in Santa Maria. In 2014, Judy stepped down as president and assumed the role of Chairman of the Board. Her son, Jeff Lundberg, currently serves as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Judy previously served on the UnitedAg Board of Directors and was appointed to the UnitedAg Board of Trustees in 2016.

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 $230 million 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!

Alex Chee

Executive Vice President & CFO, UnitedAg

Alex began at UnitedAg as Chief Technology Officer and quickly assumed the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer role. Alex has a great understanding of who UnitedAg is and the unique needs of the community we serve. His extensive healthcare and financial knowledge have helped put processes and procedures in place to streamline operations and better serve our members. Previously, Alex worked in various roles such as Financial Analyst, Manager of Analytics and Provider Network Development, Director of Business Intelligence and Data. Alex has a Bachelor in Computer Science from UC Santa Barbara, a Masters in Economics from SJSU, and an MBA in Finance from USC.

Alex assumed the role of Executive Vice President & CFO in 2021.

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. Read her full bio

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

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.

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.

Sachin Varma

Vice President of Underwriting, 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 assumed the role of Vice President of Underwriting in 2022.

Satish Kurian

Chief Digital & Technology Officer, UnitedAg

Satish Kurian is a highly accomplished technology leader with a remarkable career spanning over two decades. His expertise in driving digital transformation, ensuring information security, and optimizing operations has been evident throughout his professional journey. Holding pivotal roles such as Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), and Chief Operating Officer (COO) demonstrates his versatility and leadership abilities.

As the Chief Digital and Technology Officer at UnitedAg, Satish continues to apply his wealth of experience and knowledge to lead digital initiatives, integrate technology effectively, and contribute to the organization's overall mission. His appointment to this role highlights the organization's commitment to leveraging technology for growth and innovation under his leadership.

Satish joined the UnitedAg team in 2023 as Chief Digital and Technology Officer.