Fiona Ma, CPA is the 34th State Treasurer of California, elected on November 6, 2018, with a record number of votes for the position. She is the first woman of color and the first Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to hold this office. Ma has been a strong advocate for California’s agricultural sector. She has worked on various initiatives to support farmers and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Her efforts include securing funding for agricultural programs and infrastructure, as well as advocating for policies that benefit the state’s diverse farming communities. Ma’s commitment to agriculture underscores her understanding of its vital role in California’s economy and environmental sustainability.

Gary Soiseth served as the Mayor of Turlock, California, from 2014 to 2018. He is a third-generation family farmer and has been actively involved in water and energy policy as the Regulatory Administrator at the Modesto Irrigation District. During his tenure as mayor, he focused on protecting agricultural land, improving transportation, and enhancing drinking water quality. Before his time as mayor, he worked in Afghanistan on economic growth and agricultural projects

Tyler Lyons was elected Vice President of the San Francisco Farm Bureau in December of 2024.

Bill Mattos is the president of the California Poultry Federation and the Northwest Chicken Council, where he focuses on governmental
relations, public affairs, animal welfare, and marketing. Additionally, Bill has been involved in numerous community and industry organizations, such as the Stanislaus County Fair Board and the Stanislaus State Agricultural Studies Advisory Board. In the past, Mattos
has served in various influential roles, including working for the USDA under Secretary Earl Butz and as a White House intern during the Nixon administration.

Dr. Allison Keaney is a fifth generation San Francisco native. As CEO of the San Francisco Cow Palace, Keaney brings fair industry experience from her time as CEO of the Sonoma-Marin Fair and the Cloverdale Citrus Fair where she specialized in innovative programming for changing communities. Prior to that she served as the Community Education Specialist, 4-H for Marin County University of California Cooperative Extension and several years in the private sector in human resources, training and development, and strategic planning. She also holds a M.B.A. in Organizational Development and a PhD in Non-Profit Management and Leadership.

Jake Winters works with visionary teams tackling the toughest challenges in Ag-Tech, climate, and energy – developing GTM strategy, guiding executive decision-making, and delivering operational efficiency for technical founders and startups. You’ll find me in dynamic, resource constrained environments demanding sharp market insights and innovative problem-solving. I deeply understand a company’s mission, business model, and underlying technology to provide commercialization support that amplifies natural competitive edge and elevates organizations to new markets & investors.

Scott Dignan is currently a U.S. Department of State Senior Investigative Specialist and U.S. Army First Sergeant (Reserves). Scott has over 30 years of experience in domestic and international law enforcement. Scott is a decorated non-commissioned military officer—serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom with distinction—and a former Lieutenant with the Washington Metropolitan Police Department. Scott has been appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie to serve on the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board.

Scott holds both an undergraduate and graduate degree in behavioral sciences and management from Johns Hopkins University. He is also a small business owner in San Francisco’s historic Castro District.  Scott lives in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood with his husband, Gary Soiseth, and rescue dog, Dash. They also farm almonds in Stanislaus and Merced Counties of California.

Jess Brown serves as executive director of the San Mateo/Santa Cruz/ Santa Clara/San Francisco Counties Farm Bureaus and the educational organization, Agri-Culture. Jess’ involvement in the community includes board member of Leadership Santa Cruz County. He is Past-Chair of the Tannery Arts Center and Goodwill Central Coast and past-president of the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, Monterey Museum of Art and Cabrillo College Foundation. Jess was a founder of Ag Against Hunger that distributed, during its 29 years, close to 300 million pounds of donated local produce to people in need. Jess is a graduate of three state and national leadership programs which allowed him to study in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Germany and Denmark. Jess has volunteered five times to teach organizational skills to re-settled farmers in Zimbabwe. He has also taught financial skills to agro-dealers in Mozambique.

Michael Tamony is currently directing communications for the San Francisco Farm Bureau (SFFB). The SFFB was started by California State Treasurer, Fiona Ma. Michael was born in San Francisco and grew up in Mission Delores. He has generations of family that call San Francisco home. He manages all the outreach for the San Francisco Farm Bureau and is helping develop their urban agriculture message.

Most recently, Michael was the Director of Development at The Center for the Arts. He oversaw record-breaking fundraising campaigns, including increases in membership drives of almost 60%.

He was previously the California State Treasurer’s External Affairs Officer and his territory included rural counties throughout California. He partnered with agriculture on a number of programs. He also spent over a decade as a Communications Officer in Southern California.

In Memoriam

Ted Fang passed away September 9th, 2024.

For more about Teddy, please visit The Bay Area Reporter article about him.

Ted Fang represented San Francisco on the USDA Farm Service Agency Urban County for the Bay Area and founded of the Florence Fang Community Farm, the largest community farm in San Francisco. It focuses on producing
fresh, culturally diverse produce and fostering community engagement. The farm has been instrumental in promoting sustainability and providing fresh produce to local communities, especially in areas where access to fresh food is limited.

Ted Fang helped establish the San Francisco Farm Bureau and we are grateful.