Session 1

Jarred Mello

Session 1

On May 22, the WUD California Dairy Leaders class met in San Francisco to kick off the program. Session 1 started with Dr. Neil Koenig and the very important topic of leadership. This meeting served a dual purpose for the class. It was an orientation which served as an ice breaker between the class mates and helped lay down the foundation for the leadership program and also was a discussion about the role of leadership.  We broke into groups and discussed what we did as leaders and what it meant to be a leader.

Immediately following our first discussion, we met John and Martha Vlahos at the North Beach Restaurant in North Beach, SF. The food was great, the atmosphere was awesome, and our company was honorable. It was very nice meeting and talking with Mr. & Mrs. Vlahos.

The following morning we met at the CMAB office for media training. This was the most interesting and exciting part of session 1. It’s not normal for any of us class mates to be on T.V.. So participating in what it takes to give a successful interview was a lot of fun and very educational. I realize how important it is to have some level of media training in our profession.

Soon after arriving back at the hotel, we departed for the dock to embark on our sunset cruise around the bay. This served as our evening activity. This is where we met Mark Looker and Dino Giacomazzi; our guest presenters the following morning.

Thursday morning we headed back to the CMAB office to sit in on our final presentations of the trip. Maureen Bligh from the Dairy Council of California supplied us with important information about what the Dairy Council has to offer for the dairy industry. Before this, I didn’t realize all the avenues Maureen and staff of the Dairy Council, had available to the consumer!

Along with the Dairy council presentation; Kevin Vogt of Hilmar Cheese, Mark Looker communication director WUD, Dino Giacomazzi, and Kris Costa of CMAB all presented and brought up interesting and exciting discussions about different segments of the dairy industry. All of which are helping the California dairy industry head in a positive direction.

To summarize in short, session 1 of the WUD Dairy Leader Program covered a substantial amount of information. We covered many areas of the dairy industry that I am not familiar with, which is why this session was a success.  All presentation, discussions, and contacts were important. This 3 day session in San Francisco set a solid foundation for what’s to come in the following sessions. I’m excited!