Christopher Valadez became President/CEO of GSA in May 2019. He was quickly faced with many challenging issues facing agriculture in our region, including food safety, water quality, labor, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the GSA Board and Chris's leadership, GSA developed innovative programs to support agricultural workers, including the creation of a first-of-its-kind large-scale multi-state quarantine/isolation housing program for farmworkers that served as the model for the State of California's "Housing for the Harvest" program, the development of onsite virus prevention training by health care professionals that reached over 15,000 farmworkers, the establishment of an expedited virus testing program and the implementation of a renown vaccination program for ag employees initiated in February 2021 in partnership with Clinica De Salud Del Valle De Salinas. Throughout 2022, disease pressures of a different sort crippled fresh lettuce production, prompting the creation of a technical task force. Through GSA, this effort launched a disease surveillance/tracking program whose efforts led to the development of new research and the acquisition of public/private funding support to combat the plant and pest disease complex. In 2023, GSA partnered with the University of California, USDA-ARS, and local academic institutions to create a new Food Safety (Applied) Research Program anchored in the Salinas Valley. This innovative initiative focuses on applied research, extension, and education specific to the production region.Chris joins GSA following 11 years at the California Fresh Fruit Association as Director of Environmental & Regulatory Affairs. In October 2016, Valadez helped launch the Central Valley Farmworker Foundation, which has since expanded statewide to become the California Farmworker Foundation. This non-profit organization works at the grassroots level to bring innovative programs and services directly to farmworkers throughout California. In May 2019, Chris was appointed to serve on the California State Board of Food and Agriculture by Governor Gavin Newsom. The Board serves the interest of the state's diverse agricultural community. As an advisory board to the governor and secretary, the board aims to address issues important to California's farmers and ranchers, community stakeholders, and citizens.