Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the current Chairman of the Panetta Institute of Public Policy, will deliver the keynote address at the Salinas Biological Summit, speaking on the topic of food security and innovation, according to a news release.
“We are honored and pleased that Secretary Panetta will be joining us as the keynote speaker for the Salinas Biological Summit,” Dennis Donohue, executive director of the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology, said in the release. “His focus on food security, innovation and the value of global collaboration by the ag sector underscores the importance of the WG biological initiative.”
Co-presented by Western Growers and New Zealand-based agrifood tech consultancy Wharf42, the 2023 Salinas Biological Summit’s mission is to provide an opportunity for growers to increase their awareness of available biological solutions to address soil and plant needs, as well as a chance for agricultural businesses to learn about the disruptive science and start-up activity led by innovators in the crop protection space, according to the release. Registration is now open to attend the event, which will be held June 20-21 at the Salinas City Center of California State University, Monterey Bay, according to the release.
Additional speakers at the Salinas Biological Summit include Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers; Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture; Julie Henderson, director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation; Don Cameron, vice president and general manager of Terranova Ranch; Pam Marrone, CEO and founder of Chestnut Bio Advisors; and Scott Kumar, senior vice president of global research and development at Driscoll’s.
Panetta’s legacy of service
Unanimously confirmed in 2011 by the U.S. Senate as the 23rd secretary of the Department of Defense, Panetta has had a 50-year career in public service at the highest levels of government. As Defense secretary, he established a new defense strategy and expanded service opportunities for women and others regardless of race, creed, color or gender; as CIA director, he successfully led the operation that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, according to the release.
Panetta began his public service career in 1964 as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, receiving the Army Commendation Medal, and then served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Tom Kuchel. In 1969 he was appointed director of the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, where he was responsible for enforcing equal education laws.
Elected to Congress in 1976, Panetta represented the California central coast district for 16 years and created the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. In 1993 he was sworn in as director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for the Bill Clinton administration and later was appointed White House chief of staff, working to achieve a balanced federal budget.
In 1997 Panetta returned to his hometown of Monterey to establish and co-direct The Panetta Institute for Public Policy, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit study center that seeks to inspire men and women to lives of public service, according to the release.
