Western Growers Announces Leon Panetta to Deliver Keynote at Salinas Biological Summit; Dennis Donohue Comments
IRVINE, CA - Crucial insights will soon be shared at the Salinas Biological Summit, co-presented by Western Growers and New Zealand-based agrifood tech consultancy Wharf42. It was recently announced that former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, current Chairman of the Panetta Institute of Public Policy, will deliver the keynote address, discussing food security and innovation at the event.
"We are honored and pleased that Secretary Panetta will be joining us as the keynote speaker for the Salinas Biological Summit," said Dennis Donohue, Executive Director of the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology. "His focus on food security, innovation, and the value of global collaboration by the ag sector underscores the importance of the WG biological initiative."
Panetta has had a 50-year career in public service at the highest levels of government, having been unanimously confirmed in 2011 by the U.S. Senate as the 23rd Secretary of Defense.
In this role, he established a new defense strategy and expanded service opportunities for women and others regardless of race, creed, color, or gender, according to a press release.
In 1997, he returned to his hometown of Monterey to establish and co-direct The Panetta Institute for Public Policy, a non-partisan, not-for-profit study center that seeks to inspire men and women to lives of public service.
The 2023 Salinas Biological Summit aims to provide an opportunity for growers to increase their awareness of available biological solutions to address their soil and plant needs. It also serves as an opportunity for agricultural businesses to learn about the disruptive science and start-up activity led by innovators in the crop protection space.
Registration for the event, which will be held June 20–21, 2023 at CSU Monterey Bay's Salinas City Center, is now open. Additional speakers at the summit include Dave Puglia, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western Growers; Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture; Julie Henderson, Director, California Department of Pesticide Regulation; Don Cameron, Vice President and General Manager of Terranova Ranch; Pam Marrone, CEO and Founder, Chestnut Bio Advisors; and Scott Kumar, SVP of Global R&D at Driscoll's.
For more information on Panetta’s extensive career, click here.
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