Speakers
Event Speakers
Amy Trask
Chair's Lunch Speaker
Amy Trask
Chair's Lunch Speaker
Amy Trask has had many titles during her career: chief executive, analyst and author.
Trask spent almost 30 years with the Raiders organization, where she became the NFL’s first female front office executive and ultimately its CEO. She was the highest-ranking female executive in the NFL and one of the highest-ranking women in American professional sports.
Since 2013, Trask’s role with football extended to television as a studio analyst for CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports. She is an analyst on “That Other Pregame Show,” a panelist on “We Need To Talk,” the first nationally televised all female sports show, and
she contributes to “The NFL Today” on CBS. In her book, “You Negotiate Like a Girl: Reflections on a Career in the National Football League,” Trask shared her experience as the highest-ranking female executive in the league.
Trask co-hosts a podcast, “What The Football, With Suzy Shuster & Amy Trask.” Trask serves on the advisory board of directors of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission and serves on the East West Shrine Bowl Advisory Team.
Trask received a WISE Woman of the Year Award by Women in Sports and Events, a 2018 Campanile Excellence in Achievement Award by the UC at Berkeley Foundation and the Cal Alumni Association, and a 2020 Top Women in Media Award by Cynopsis
Media. In 2019, as part of the National Football League’s commemoration of its 100-year anniversary, Trask was named as one of the top 100 Greatest Game Changers in NFL history.
She graduated the University of California, Berkeley Phi Beta Kappa and the USC Gould School of Law.
Bari Weiss
PAC Luncheon Speaker
Bari Weiss
PAC Luncheon Speaker
Bari is the founder and editor of The Free Press and host of the podcast Honestly. She is an ardent believer that the free exchange of ideas is central to a democratic society, which ultimately led to her resignation as opinion writer and editor at The New York Times in 2020. Before that, she was an op-ed and book review editor at The Wall Street Journal and a senior editor at Tablet Magazine.
Bari has won several awards, including the LA Press Club's 2021 Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism, the Per Ahlmark award in recognition of her moral courage and Reason Foundation’s 2018 Bastiat Prize, which honors writing that “best demonstrates the importance of freedom with originality, wit, and eloquence.” In 2019, Vanity Fair called Bari the Times's "star opinion writer."
Bari is a proud Pittsburgh native. Her first book, "How to Fight Anti-Semitism," was the winner of a 2019 National Jewish Book Award.
Laura Ling
Kickoff Keynote Speaker
Laura Ling
Kickoff Keynote Speaker
Laura Ling is an award-winning journalist, author and media executive. She most recently hosted the Discovery mini-documentary series, The Power of Kindness that looks at the scientific roots and benefits of being kind. She hosts Everyday Bravery, a podcast about overcoming life’s biggest challenges.
Ling is the Head of Programming for Heart Television’s streaming service, Very Local, where she oversees the development and creation of original streaming content. She served as the Director of Development for Discovery Communications’s digital network, Seeker, which garnered hundreds of millions of views online.
As Vice President of Current TV’s news and documentary division, Ling helped launch the channel and created Vanguard, the network’s weekly investigative documentary series. She reported from dozens of countries on subjects including slave labor in the Amazon, the drug war in Mexico, Internet censorship in China, and women’s rights in Turkey. Under her leadership, Vanguard received numerous prestigious awards including the Alfred I. DuPont Award and several Emmy nominations.
Ling has hosted two documentary series airing on the E! Network: E! Investigates and Society X with Laura Ling. The shows highlighted topics such as teen suicide, the challenges faced by military spouses, and underground youth subcultures in America. As the host of Conquered on Z Living Network, Ling profiled awe-inspiring people who have broken boundaries to achieve their goals.
In March 2009, while reporting on the trafficking of North Korean women, Ling and her colleague Euna Lee were detained by North Korean soldiers along the Chinese-North Korean border. The two journalists were arrested and held captive in North Korea for 140 days before being granted a special pardon and returning to the United States. She documented her experience in the 2010 memoir, Somewhere Inside: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home, that she penned with her sister, Lisa.
As a correspondent for SoCal Connected, the hard-hitting news magazine series airing on KCET, Ling’s work was recognized with both an Emmy and a national Edward R. Murrow award. Ling has served as a producer for Channel One News and co-created Breaking it Down, an MTV documentary series. Her work has also been featured on ABC's Nightline, NBC, and PBS. She has written editorials for the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post and CNN.com.
Ling was named one of Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year in 2009. She is a Service Ambassador for Points of Light, the nonpartisan organization dedicated to solving social problems through voluntary service. She resides in Mill Valley, California with her husband and two children.
Oz Pearlman
Award of Honor Dinner Gala Entertainment
Oz Pearlman
Award of Honor Dinner Gala Entertainment
With nearly 30 years of mesmerizing audiences with his mind-reading abilities, Oz Pearlman has become the most sought-after mentalist in the country. His remarkable talent propelled him into showbiz on America’s Got Talent, where he quickly became a clear fan favorite. Post AGT, Oz joined an elite group of illusionists including David Blaine and David Copperfield and earned his own TV special on a major national network. Oz’s Show aired on NBC to rave reviews, earning him an Emmy Award.
Oz Pearlman has made over 100 television appearances, including the Today Show, Ellen DeGeneres Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Harry Connick Jr. Show, Rachael Ray, Dr. Oz, CNBC Squawk Box, ABC World News, ESPN, CNBC, NFL Network, Brava, Fox Business and many more.
When he’s not entertaining, Oz is still making headline news as an avid marathon and ultra-marathon runner. In 2022, Oz was featured on the cover of the New York Times after breaking the world record for most miles ever run around Central Park in a single day (116), while raising over $100,000 for the Save the Children’s Ukraine Relief Fund. Later that same year, he broke the record for the fastest crossing of Long Island by foot, running from Montauk to Manhattan in 21 hours.
Lynn Jacquez
Navigating the Post-Chevron Landscape Panelist
Lynn Jacquez
Navigating the Post-Chevron Landscape Panelist
Lynn Jacquez’s professional background spans private law practice, government relations, and service in the Federal government. Upon graduation from the University of Notre Dame School of Law, she came to Capitol Hill to serve as counsel for the House Judiciary Committee. In her work for its Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and International Law, she had primary responsibility for the drafting and processing of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) and refugee reauthorization legislation. After her tenure on the Committee, Ms. Jacquez entered private practice with Heron, Burchette, Ruckert & Rothwell, and later with McAuliffe, Kelly & Raffaelli. In 1992, she helped form the government relations firm which became CJ Strategies in 2006 and CJ Lake in 2011. In 2021 she established the law firm of JPH Law, LLC. She serves as Managing Partner and Principal at CJ Lake and as Of Counsel to JPH Law firm. Ms. Jacquez recently began an affiliation with national advocacy firm Husch Blackwell Strategies, with a federal presence and 9 offices located throughout the country.
In her legal practice, Ms. Jacquez represents employers in individual and class action litigation involving MSPA, wage and labor and immigration law. She counsels employer clients on statutory and regulatory compliance with employment laws including I-9 compliance and temporary foreign worker visa program compliance. She represents organizations seeking regulatory and legislative reform to address workforce issues and is actively engaged on behalf of employers in developing immigration program reform legislation. Ms. Jacquez also represents organizations working to develop policy on sustainable agriculture, resiliency and sustainable goods movement.
Ms. Jacquez is a member of the District of Columbia Bar. Ms. Jacquez received her undergraduate degree from L’Université d’Aix-Marseilles and holds a law degree from the University of Notre Dame School of Law.
Daniel Jarcho
Navigating the Post-Chevron Landscape Panelist
Daniel Jarcho
Navigating the Post-Chevron Landscape Panelist
Dan Jarcho, a partner at Alston & Bird, represents clients in litigation involving complex federal regulatory issues. He has extensive experience litigating challenges to regulatory actions by FDA, USDA, and other agencies. Chevron deference has been central to many of his cases. Dan’s regulatory litigation work began at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he represented FDA in federal court. He also has broad experience in the produce industry, representing growers and processors in food safety matters involving FDA. Dan is a graduate of Harvard Law School and is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© in FDA Law.
Damien Schiff
Navigating the Post-Chevron Landscape Panelist
Damien Schiff
Navigating the Post-Chevron Landscape Panelist
Damien Schiff is a senior attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation and leads its environmental practice group. He primarily litigates cases concerning the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act. Damien has litigated several high-profile cases, including Sackett v. EPA, which involved two trips to the Supreme Court, in which the Court upheld the right of landowners to challenge Clean Water Act compliance orders issued by the EPA (2012) and limited the Clean Water Act’s reach to relatively permanent waters and their immediately adjoining wetlands (2023).
Jenét DeCosta
Sustainable Packaging Panelist
Jenét DeCosta
Sustainable Packaging Panelist
Jenét DeCosta is the Sr. Director of Public Affairs at Driscoll’s which includes global responsibility for government relations, public policy, community relations and philanthropy. Driscoll’s is the global market leader for fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. With more than 100 years of farming heritage and hundreds of independent growers around the world, Driscoll’s is passionate about growing berries.
With a proven background in program and change management she held the role of chief of staff at Driscoll’s responsible for the operations of the CEO’s office, global internal communications, and charitable giving. Before joining Driscoll’s in 2012, she worked for the American Red Cross Biomedical Services Penn-Jersey region.
In 2022 she was appointed to the California State Board of Food & Agriculture where she has worked on the vision for agriculture in California’s future.
She received her degree in International Business from Ramapo College in New Jersey. She and her partner Scott reside in Santa Cruz county where she is a member of the Salsipuedes Sanitary district board and is active in her community.
Kevin Kelly
Sustainable Packaging Panelist
Kevin Kelly
Sustainable Packaging Panelist
Kevin Kelly joined Emerald Packaging in 1996, and became Chief Executive Officer in 1999, succeeding his father James P. Kelly who helped found the company. Under his leadership, Emerald has become one of the pre-eminent flexible packaging companies in the West.
Kevin has twice served as president of the Western Plastics Association and is currently on its board. He is a recipient of the WPA’s highest honor, its 2013 Leo Shluker Award.
Kevin graduated from California’s Santa Clara University and the London School of Economics. He worked for nine years as a journalist with BusinessWeek in the magazine’s Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago bureaus. For over 15 years BusinessWeek, the former Fortune Small Business magazine and the Newsweek.com website published Kelly’s perspectives on running a business.
Ron Lemaire
Sustainable Packaging Panelist
Ron Lemaire
Sustainable Packaging Panelist
Ron works in the fast-paced world of perishable products that manoeuvres through global regulatory swings, supply chain disruptions, variable climate, food safety outbreaks, disruptive technology advancements, and ever-changing consumer demands and expectations.
In his role as CPMA President, Ron represents the needs and interests of over 870 Canadian and international member companies that are responsible for over 90% of the fresh fruit and vegetable sales in Canada.
In 2019, Ron launched the CPMA Packaging Working Group to identify a path forward to address the use of plastics within the produce sector. The Group identifies best practices and efforts already undertaken by the industry to develop an industry-supported roadmap that maintains food quality and safety while reducing the environmental impact of plastics. Ron also sits on the board of the Canada Plastics Pact and is a founding partner of the National Agri-Food Sustainability Index Steering Committee which is developing a Canadian sustainability index.
Ron has been engaged in supply chain disruptions throughout the pandemic and participated in federal consultations with Transport Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Through the CPMA North American Trade Working Group, he supported the development of policy direction for the federal government as it relates to the produce sector.
He is also the Chair of the Global Coalition for Fresh Produce which brings together 11 fresh produce associations from around the world to create resilient global value chains for fruits and vegetables and bring a myriad of economic, environmental, and societal benefits. Additionally, Ron is a member of the Grocery Code of Conduct Steering Committee which is developing a Canadian Grocery Code of Conduct to support fair and ethical dealings between trading partners in the food system.
With over 28 years of extensive experience working with not-for-profit organizations, Ron brings a focus on vertically integrated supply chains, sustainability, government relations, advocacy, marketing, public/private partnerships, capacity building, and food systems thinking.
Dave Podesta
Sustainable Packaging Panelist
Dave Podesta
Sustainable Packaging Panelist
Dave Podesta has been with Sysco for over 24 years in the Food Safety Quality Assurance Department. A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Crop Science and a minor in Ag Business, he now serves as the Regional Director of FreshPoint FSQA for the Western Region at Sysco, where he represents a total territory from Minneapolis to Hawaii. He is responsible for ensuring the day-to-day FSQA requirements and responsibilities within each of the FreshPoint locations within the Western Region. Dave is also a member of the CPS technical committee.
