Delta Leadership Program – Delta Protection Commission

Photo Gallery: Delta Leadership Program in Rio Vista

Participants of the 2026 Delta Leadership Program met in Rio Vista on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, for their third seminar of the year, a lively day of discussion featuring:

A discussion of the Delta environment with Cory Overton, Science Director for California Waterfowl; Kimberly Evans, researcher for the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences; and Jerred Dixon, director of Staten Island (Conservation Farms and Ranches). Dixon is a 2023 alum of the program and a member of the Delta Protection Advisory Committee.
A visit to the Dutra Group to learn from company Vice President Ryan Abood about levee repairs and dredging in the Delta.
Lunch at Foster’s Bighorn, legendary for its densely packed taxidermy collection.

A man at a conference table smiles as a man seated next to him laughs

A woman at a restaurant table full of people smiles; on the wall behind them is a wall of taxidermied bighorn sheep heads.

Delta Happenings – Feb. 10, 2026

Delta Jobs, Bridge Work, W. Sac Tourism, DPAC openings, DLP Alum to Head CDFW

Read this issue

Events

NEWS

ONGOING

Delta Agency Meetings

Harmful Algal Blooms

2026 Delta Leadership Program Kicks Off

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Jan. 9, 2026) –Fifteen Delta leaders arrived at Sacramento’s Nature Conservancy on Friday to kickstart their entry into the Delta Leadership Program.

Group photo of adults posing in front of a mural of plant life

The 2026 Delta Leadership class. Back row L-R: Erin Mullen Brosnan, Rachel Vanderwerff, Jason Culberston, Jack Johnson, Alli Hauger, Nicole Cuellar-Nelson, Bret Bartholomew. Front row L-R: Bhajleen Khalsa, Lisa Kirchhoff, Sabrina Snyder, Gustavo Cruz, Jenni Shaw, Emily Groth, Ashley Castaneda, Minh Nguyen (Photo by Delta Protection Commission/Jada Portillo)

Managed by the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation, the program aims to identify potential and emerging leaders in the Delta from an assortment of backgrounds. Over the span of five seminars, participants learn leadership skills and tools to improve and foster community within the Delta.

The first seminar covered an introduction to the Delta, Delta legislation, experiences from alumni of the program, and a panel featuring the three Delta agencies.

This year’s participants are:

Bret Bartholomew, Owner, Bartholomew Solutions, Elk Grove
Ashley Castaneda, Restore the Delta, Stockton
Gustavo Cruz, Assoc. Water Resources Engineer, Solano County Water Agency, West Sacramento
Nicole Cuellar-Nelson, District Representative, State Senator Christopher Cabaldon, Sacramento
Jason Culberston, Farmer/Rancher and Trustee, Reclamation District No. 3, Walnut Grove
Emily Groth, Planner, Contra Costa County Dept. of Conservation and Development, Martinez
Alli Hauger, Delta Levee Engineer, MBK Engineers, Sacramento
Jack Johnson, Assistant Deputy, Yolo County Supervisor Oscar Villegas, West Sacramento
Bhajleen Khalsa, Executive Assistant, State Senator Jerry McNerney, Lathrop
Lisa Kirchhoff, Co-Owner, Kirchhoff Family Wines, Courtland
Erin Mullen Brosnan, Board Member and Volunteer, Crockett Historical Society & Museum, Crockett
Minh Nguyen, Residential Mortgage Lender, F&M Bank, Oakley
Jenni Shaw, Curator of Education and Visitor Engagement, Lindsay Wildlife Experience. Walnut Creek
Sabrina Snyder, Senior Management Analyst, Yolo County Administrator’s Office, Woodland
Rachel Vanderwerff, Senior Environmental Planner, Delta Protection Commission, West Sacramento

Apply for the 2026 Delta Leadership Program (Deadline: extended to Nov. 24)

Montage of adults interacting in panel discussion settings Applications are open for the 2026 Delta Leadership Program, a joint effort of the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation.

The program targets potential or emerging leaders in the Delta from all walks of life – agriculture, law enforcement, local government, non-profit organizations, local business, and the tourism and hospitality sectors, among others. It puts participants through an intensive curriculum to expand their knowledge of key issues and challenges in the Delta, teach them leadership skills and tools, build relationships and trust, and foster community.

The ultimate goal of the program, which has been operating since 2016, is to build a cadre of dedicated leaders to protect and improve the Delta. Alumni can be seen in leadership positions throughout the Delta and often appear in the news.

What’s Involved

Interested participants can apply through 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, participants are announced the week of Dec. 8, and the curriculum – five day-long seminars held on Fridays – runs January through April. Applicants must commit to 100% attendance on these dates to be considered for participation in the program:

Seminar 1: Jan. 9, 2026, in Sacramento
Seminar 2: Jan. 30, 2026, in Stockton
Seminar 3: Feb. 20, 2026, in Rio Vista
Seminar 4: March 20, 2026, in Oakley
Seminar 5: April 17, 2026, in Clarksburg

In addition to attending seminars, participants work on team projects designed to benefit the Delta, with some of the work occurring during seminars and some on their own time – about two hours per month. Participants also can take an air and water tour of the Delta in March or April, date to be determined.

The program concludes with a graduation at the Delta Protection Commission meeting tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. May 21 at a location in the Delta. The exact date will be determined in November, when Commission sets its 2026 meeting schedule.

Applying

The application form can be completed online. The deadline is 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.

The quality and content of the application is critical to the applicant’s success. Try to include specific examples and make sure you have included all of your civic and leadership experience and service.

People accepted into the program will be notified by the week of December 8, 2025.

Submission Checklist

REQUIRED: Complete the Delta Leadership Program 2026 application form online by 5 p.m. Nov. 24.
REQUIRED: Upload at least one and up to two substantial letters of recommendation. You will upload these during the online application process.
OPTIONAL: You may upload your resume during the application process.

QUESTIONS?

If you have questions, please contact Program Coordinator Erik Vink at erik.vink@delta.ca.gov or (530) 650-6327.

Delta Protection Advisory Committee Members Appointed, Reappointed

OAKLEY, Calif. (May 15, 2025) – The Delta Protection Commission appointed two new members and re-appointed three incumbents to the Delta Protection Advisory Committee (DPAC) on Thursday.

The new appointees are Jerred Dixon for the Delta Conservation/Habitat NGO seat and Jeffrey Twitchell to the Delta Flood Entity seat.

Dixon is the director of Staten Island, a Nature Conservancy farm managed for wildlife-friendly agriculture. He is a graduate of the Delta Leadership Program.

Twitchell is a flood protection engineering consultant and advisor to eight Delta Legacy Communities.

The incumbents who were reappointed Thursday are:

Arron Pellarin, Delta Business (Seat 1)
Anna Swenson, Delta General Public (Seat 1)
Russell Ryan, Delta Water Exporter

All five will serve three-year terms.

Three photos, two of men and one of a woman, in meetings

L-R: Arron Pellarin, Russ Ryan, Anna Swenson

DPAC provides recommendations to the Delta Protection Commission on diverse interests within the Delta, including the Delta’s socioeconomic sustainability, recreation, agriculture, flood control, environment, utility infrastructure, and other Delta issues. The Committee was created by the Delta Protection Act, Public Resources Code Section 29753(a).

Delta Leadership Program: Getting to ‘Yes’ (Photo Gallery)

OAKLEY, Calif. (March 28, 2025) – The 2025 Delta Leadership Program spent a beautiful spring afternoon Friday learning the fine art of negotiating mutually beneficial solutions at Big Break Regional Shoreline.

Man and woman seated at a conference table reach with shock to a faux pas they're hearing from someone unseen — Sometimes the art of negotiating is knowing what not to say. Gregg McMillon and Amber McDowell react with dismay to speaker Elizabeth Patterson (not shown) sharing a negotiating faux pas.

The program, a joint effort of the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation, is designed to support sustained leadership development in the region.

Elizabeth Patterson – vice chair of the Delta National Heritage Area Advisory Committee, former Delta Protection Commission member, and former mayor of Benicia – shared a wealth of knowledge before participants were split up into teams that had to negotiate to come up with the highest bid for fictional “Ugli oranges.” The key to success was transforming ostensibly adversarial relationships to ones focused on better outcomes for both parties.

Participants are also working on team projects to benefit the Delta, which they are scheduled to present at the May 15 Delta Protection Commission meeting.

Photo Gallery

Click on individual photos to see full-size.

Woman holding a handout gestures to a group she's addressing — Elizabeth Patterson, Vice Chair of the NHA Advisory Committee

Five adults standing on concrete in front of a flagpole staring at pieces of paper in their hands — Elizabeth Patterson, Vice Chair of the NHA Advisory Committee

Delta Leadership Program Visits Port of Stockton

The 2025 Class of the Delta Leadership Program at the Port of Stockton on Feb. 7, 2025

STOCKTON, Calif. (Feb. 9, 2025) – The 2025 Class of the Delta Leadership Program spent Friday at the Port of Stockton interacting with state and regional water policy leaders and touring the port.

The tour included a sighting of agricultural wood waste being unloaded from big rigs, not the kind of thing most people see every day, or ever at all, with the entire trucks raised on hydraulics to let material fall out the back (video on Facebook). The port tour was led by Jeff Wingfield, himself an alumni of the first class of the DLP (2016).

The program is a joint effort by the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation to support sustained leadership development in the region.

A man at a conference table laughs and gestures — DLP participant Josh McMillon of Walnut Grove

A woman smiles as she looks at a fellow panelist — DLP participant Josh McMillon of Walnut Grove

2025 Delta Leadership Program Kicks Off

A group of men and women standing in front of a mural posing for the camera — The 2025 Class of the Delta Leadership Program. Back row, L-R: Gerry Goodie Jr., Gregg McMillon, Ashley Seufzer, Megan Harrison, Amber McDowell, Ahmad Majid, Jack Cronin, Lea Emmons II, Lacy Berry, Misty Kaltreider, Heather Swinney, and Gerald Strootman. Front row, L-R: Josh McMillon, Kathleen Schaefer, Esther Mburu, Beatriz Portillo, Yuen Lenh, Kirsten Pringle, and LeighAnn Davis.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Jan. 10, 2025) – Nineteen emerging Delta leaders convened Friday at the Nature Conservancy in Sacramento for the kickoff of the 2025 Delta Leadership Program.

Run by the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation, the program is designed to build and support leadership within the Delta community. “We’re making you stronger leaders so the Delta is stronger,” Leadership Foundation President Mike Campbell told the group.

The group will gather four more times between now and April for daylong seminars that will provide deep dives into the Delta’s ecology, economy, heritage, regulatory framework, and more. Seminars will also hone participants’ leadership skills and serve as workshops for team projects that will be presented to the Delta Protection Commission on May 15.

This year’s participants are (a text-only list follows the photo gallery):

Lacy Berry (Clarksburg) – Community Volunteer, Town of Clarksburg

Jack Cronin (Rio Vista) – Assistant Engineer, Metropolitan Water District

LeighAnn Davis (Brentwood) – Executive Director, Contra Costa Co. Historical Society

Lea Emmons II (Tracy) – Water Operations Superintendent, City of Tracy

Gerry Goodie Jr. (Walnut Grove) – Manager/Owner, Wimpy’s Marina

Megan Harrison (Livermore) – District Planner, California Department of Parks and Recreation

Misty Kaltreider (Fairfield) – Water & Natural Resources Manager, County of Solano

Yuen Lenh (Sacramento) – Water Rights Engineer, MBK Engineers

Ahmad Majid (Stockton) – Watershed Protection Advocate, Stockton-area community organizations

Esther Mburu (Stockton) – Carbon Policy Analyst, Restore the Delta

Amber McDowell (Walnut Grove) – Executive Director, Sacramento County Farm Bureau

Gregg McMillon (Sacramento) – Water Resources Engineer, California Department of Water Resources

Josh McMillon (Walnut Grove) – Community Volunteer, Town of Walnut Grove

Beatriz Portillo (Martinez) – Senior Emergency Planning Coordinator, Contra Costa County Office of Emergency Services

Kirsten Pringle (Sacramento) – Project Manager, MBK Engineers

Kathleen Schaefer (San Anselmo) – Clerk, Delta Region Geologic Hazard Abatement District

Ashley Seufzer (Sacramento) – Program Manager, Audubon California

Gerald Strootman (Acampo) – Ag and Commercial Lender, F&M Bank

Heather Swinney (Sacramento) – Deputy Project Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ex officio member of the Delta Protection Advisory Committee

NHA Advisory Committee Members Appointed

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Sept. 19, 2024) – The Delta Protection Commission appointed 12 members and 4 alternates Thursday to the Commission’s new National Heritage Area Advisory Committee.

The Committee will recommend policies, processes, and governance as the Commission implements the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area Management Plan. Committee members will also act as ambassadors to the diverse partners and communities in the NHA.

The appointees are:

Mike Campbell, president of the Delta Leadership Foundation, board member of Friends of the 1883 Clarksburg Schoolhouse, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
Colin Coffey, an elected member of the Board of Directors of the East Bay Regional Park District
Lisa Craig, Mayor of Lodi, President of The Craig Group Partners, a Lodi-based preservation and planning consulting firm
Dwayne Eubanks, President Antioch Historical Society from 2019 to 2023
Carol Jensen, author, active in Delta historical societies, works in finance, accounting & information systems consulting, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
Morris Lum, has served as president of the Sacramento Historical Society and board member of the Sacramento River Delta Historical Society and Sacramento History alliance, an elected director of Recreational Boaters of California, member of Delta Protection Advisory Committee, alum of the Delta Leadership Program (2022)
Don Nottoli, former Sacramento County Supervisor, former chair of Delta Protection Commission
Elizabeth Patterson, former mayor of Benicia, lead project manager for the State Lands Commission’s initiative leading to the adoption of the Delta Protection Act; was vice chair of NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
David Stuart, archeologist, Director of Sacramento Science Center (now MoSAC), Sacramento History Museum, and San Joaquin County Historical Museum, Sacramento River Delta Historical Society board member, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
Stuart Walthall, chairman of non-profits including the Locke Foundation, chair of the Locke Management Association, professional musician
Dan Whaley, chairman of Delta Legacy Communities, operator of the Willow Ballroom and Event Center, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
Katie Wiley, owner/operator of K. Wiley Marketing Design, member of Delta Protection Advisory Committee, alumna of the Delta Leadership Program (2024)

The alternates are:

Paulette Hennum, former Tribal Affairs Program Manager, California State Parks; has worked in museums as an officer, board member, program advisor, peer reviewer, collections care assessor and grant reviewer; served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
Douglas Hsia, secretary of Locke Foundation and materials broker for shoes and leather goods production, member of Delta Protection Advisory Committee, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee, alum of the Delta Leadership Program (2022)
Janet Lake, board member of Freeport Citizens Community Council, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
Gia Moreno, secretary of Hood Community Council, member of Pear Fair Planning Committee, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee

Ex officio (non-voting) members are:

Amanda Blosser, a cultural resource specialist at the Diablo Range District of California State Parks, worked on the National Heritage Area interpretive plan for State Parks
Chris Lim, Executive Director of the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, an alum of Delta Leadership Program (2022)

Other entities that may be represented by ex officio members in the future may include the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, the Delta Stewardship Council, the East Bay Regional Park District, the National Park Service, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, and the Suisun Resource Conservation District.

In addition to the above, two members of the Delta Protection Commission – Chair Diane Burgis of Contra Costa County and Commissioner Oscar Villegas of Yolo County – sit on the Committee. The group will be chaired by the Delta Protection Commission Executive Director Bruce Blodgett or his designee.

The Committee, which is governed by this charter (PDF), succeeds the NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee, whose work is done now that the Management Plan has been submitted to the Secretary of the Interior, via the National Park Service.

The Committee’s first meeting will be Oct. 31 in Oakley. The agenda for the meeting will be posted at least 10 days in advance.

DPC Creates Memorial Seat Honoring Gerry Goodie

A group of adults poses for a group photo

Gerry Goodie, shown here in the front row on the right side at his first DPAC meeting in February

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Sept. 19, 2024) – The Delta Protection Commission on Thursday named one seat on the Delta Protection Advisory Committee in honor of Gerry Goodie, who served on DPAC briefly this year before passing away.

The Gerry Goodie Memorial Seat is Delta General Public Seat 2, currently occupied by Goodie protege Katie Wiley, who was appointed to the committee in May.

DPAC Chair Anna Swenson spearheaded the action. “He was so active, a great communicator, and a valued member of the Delta public,” she said of Goodie.

Goodie was the co-owner, with his wife, of Wimpy’s Marina Restaurant & Bar in Walnut Grove, as well as a 2023 alum of the Delta Leadership Program, a joint program of the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation. He was appointed to DPAC in January, and passed away in late February.

DPAC provides recommendations to the Delta Protection Commission on diverse interests within the Delta, including the Delta’s ecosystem, water supply, socioeconomic sustainability, recreation, agriculture, flood control, environment, water resources, utility infrastructure, and other Delta issues.