Board of Directors
Mr. Edwards has served as a director of the Company since 2009. Mr. Edwards has been President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since November 2003. Previously, Mr. Edwards was the president of Puritan Medical Products, a division of Airgas Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Edwards held management positions with Fisher Scientific International, Inc, Cargill, Inc, Agribrands International, The Ralston Purina Company, and Mission Produce, Inc. Mr. Edwards is currently a member of the board of directors of Compass Group Diversified Holdings LLC, a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and Calavo Growers, Inc., a company listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Mr. Edwards is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College and the Thunderbird School of Global management where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree.
As the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Mr. Edwards brings to our Board an intimate understanding of our business and operations. Mr. Edwards provides our Board with company-specific experience and expertise, in addition to his substantial experience as a chief executive officer and senior executive across a variety of industries.
Mr. Slater has served as a director of the Company since 2012. He was named Chairperson of the Board of Directors in July 2022. Mr. Slater is a shareholder with the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck with 40 years of experience representing clients in complex water matters. He serves as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Mr. Slater is an experienced litigator, and he now primarily provides transactional and strategic counseling. He was the lead negotiator of the largest water conservation-based transfer in United States history. The author of California Water Law and Policy, the leading water law treatise in California, he also taught water law at several graduate and law schools in the United States, Australia and China. He was the principal author of strategy to decentralize groundwater sustainability planning for the Republic of Tunisia. He was selected by the California Daily Journal as one of the 100 best lawyers in California. From 2011 until January 1, 2024, he served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of Cadiz, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDZI) . He currently serves as a senior advisor to Cadiz, Inc.
With his significant experience in the water field, Mr. Slater brings vast knowledge to the Board of Directors and the Company to assist them in, among other things, continued stewardship and management of the Company’s water assets.
Ms. Carbone currently serves on the KPMG Retired Partners Council. From 1981 through September 2019, she served in several accounting and auditing-related roles at KPMG LLP, a multinational accounting and advisory firm. Prior to her retirement she served on the KPMG Partnership Audit Committee for six years including three years as the chairperson. Ms. Carbone serves as a member of the board of directors and chairperson of the audit committee of TrueCar, Inc. She serves as a member of the board of directors, a member of the audit committee and chair of the compensation committee of DZS Inc. Ms. Carbone is also a member of the board of directors of Side by Side, a community-based, non-profit organization serving at-risk youth and their families, and the Exploratorium, a museum of science, technology and arts in San Francisco. From September 1998 through December 2019, she served as a member of the board of directors, and chair of the audit committee, of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the largest certifier of women-owned businesses in the United States and a leading advocate for women business owners and entrepreneurs. Ms. Carbone has a B.S. in Business Administration (Accountancy) from California State University at Sacramento.
Mr. Kimball has served as a director of the Company since 1995. Mr. Kimball has been president of Kimball Engineering, Inc., which provides race car design and production services, since 1994. He is also the managing partner of Kimball Ranches, a 150-acre avocado ranch near Santa Paula, California. Prior to that, Mr. Kimball designed Formula One race cars in England and Italy for Mclaren International, Ferrrari and Benetton Racing from 1984 to 1992. From 1976 to 1983, he designed Indianapolis race cars for Parnelli Jones, Chaparral and Patrick racing teams. Mr. Kimball graduated from Stanford University where he earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in mechanical engineering. Mr. Kimball currently serves on the Board of Directors of the United Water Conservation District and the Fillmore and Piru Basins Groundwater Sustainability Agency.
Mr. Kimball’s experience as an entrepreneur and producer of avocados provides our Board of Directors with focused and insightful operational experience and leadership.
During Ms. Mora’s tenure as Chief Administrative Officer at Draper, she was instrumental in expanding the percentage of women and underrepresented minority employees from 10% to 25% of the employee base in six years. In addition, she ensured Draper was a strong supporter of the “Community Compact for a Sustainable Future” signed by Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge was the first city in the US to adopt sustainability guidelines for non-profits and businesses located in the city.
Mr. Terry was elected to the Board in October 2017. Since 1982 Mr. Terry has worked for his family company, Terry Farms, Inc., which produces various vegetable and strawberry crops in Ventura County, California; he currently serves as its President and Chief Financial Officer (1990-Present). Additionally, he serves as President of Willal, Inc. (1990- Present) and as Vice President of Rancho Adobe, Inc. (1990- Present). Mr. Terry also teaches corporate finance at California Lutheran University (1987-Present). In the past, Mr. Terry served as President of the Ventura County Farm Bureau (2001-2003) and as Chief Financial Officer of the District 63 Umpire Association (2006-2013). Mr. Terry currently serves as a director (and on various committees) on a number of companies and other entities, including; Terry Farms Inc.; Farm Credit System Audit Committee; CoBank; Willal, Inc,; Rancho Adobe, Inc,; Ventura County Irrigated Lands Group; Ventura County Fair Foundation and the Center for Economic Forecasting Advisory Board at California Lutheran University. Mr. Terry is a graduate of California Lutheran University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Business Administration degree.
Mr. Terry’s extensive experience in, and knowledge of agribusiness, finance, and the Ventura County community provides the Board with important knowledge and perspective regarding the responsible use of the Company’s land and water resources, technical and financial expertise, and community relations.