Dear Colleagues:
It is my pleasure to formally announce the launch of the new UC ANR Policy Institute. This institute will be transformative in delivering the UC ANR mission by increasing science-based communications and community engagement to inform policy decisions and implementation.
The new UC ANR Policy Institute will be the one-stop shop for policymakers to find and easily access scientists and cutting-edge research on issues critical to California. Building upon the foundational work of the former UC Agricultural Issues Center, the institute will focus on the “Regulations, Policy and Compliance” challenge identified in the UC ANR Strategic Vision 2040.
The Policy Institute will connect “affiliated researchers” across specialty areas and serve as a resource for UC academics interested in expanding policy-relevant work and communications. It also will conduct original research and real-time economic analyses.
This institute couldn’t come at a more critical time. As policies and regulations increase in complexity, so too does the need for data and science to be at the decision-making table. UC researchers are prime resources for everyone engaged in policymaking – legislators, nonprofits, industry and individual community members – and by increasing capacity to engage in this space, UC ANR will help communities across California craft policies that are practical and produce desired results.
I am also pleased to announce Anne Megaro has been named interim director of the UC ANR Policy Institute. Joining Anne are two interim associate directors: Karen Jetter, research economist with the former UC Agricultural Issues Center, and JoLynn Miller, area director and 4-H youth development advisor in the Central Sierra. All three will serve in part-time interim roles for three years.
Anne has deep knowledge and passion for communicating science with policymakers and brings a unique set of skills and experience to this role. Anne earned a Ph.D. in animal science from Cornell University and a B.S. in animal science and management from UC Davis. She worked in both Congress and the California State Senate before joining UC ANR as government and community relations director in 2017. She is a recent graduate of Class 52 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program.
Anne is based at the ANR building in Davis in Room 178 and can be reached at (530) 750-1218 and ammegaro@ucanr.edu.
“I’m honored to work with a strong team to stand up the UC ANR Policy Institute,” Anne said. “We are building an incredible resource that will have lasting, positive impacts. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together to further science-to-policy communications.”
In this additional role, Anne will expand the capabilities of UC academics to inform the policymaking process beyond the scope of government relations and advocacy. More than providing training about legislative processes and increasing awareness and support for UC ANR in Sacramento and D.C., the UC ANR Policy Institute will empower and collaborate with academics to develop data-driven solutions for today’s critical issues, develop audience-friendly communications and amplify the work of UC academics in the policy arena.
Interim Associate Directors Karen Jetter and JoLynn Miller will serve crucial roles heading up distinct issue areas identified by UC ANR’s Strategic Vision 2040: “Agriculture and Food Systems” (Karen) and “Thriving People and Communities” (JoLynn). A third Interim Associate Director heading the “Natural Ecosystems and Working Landscapes” area will be announced in the coming months.
Karen is committed to collaborative efforts to complete objective, independent research on policy issues related to California’s agriculture, ecosystems and food access. Following a three-year stint as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon advising small farmers on agricultural marketing cooperatives, she received her Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics from UC Davis. Since then, she has worked at the UC Agricultural Issues Center analyzing economic policies.
Karen has conducted research with a broad range of collaborators, including academic, federal and state scientists; policymakers; public health advocates and community organizations. The research has focused on access to healthy foods, invasive exotic-pest economic impacts and policy, bioeconomic modeling to evaluate the costs of different invasive-weed management policies in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, bioeconomic modeling of urban forest management and evaluation of farm-to-school supply chains.
“I am excited to be a part of creating a policy institute that brings people together to address issues of importance to Californians and then share that science with policymakers,” Karen said.
JoLynn has a passion for Cooperative Extension, having earned her B.S. in agricultural education from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and her M.S. in agricultural education and extension from Montana State University, Bozeman. She began her career in Montana delivering the 4-H Mentoring and 4-H Military Club Programs, both grant-funded, before moving back to California in 2013 for her role as a four-county 4-H youth development advisor.
JoLynn is the co-chair of a nationally recognized research study looking at retention in the 4-H Youth Development Program. She also works with youth involved in the juvenile justice system by conducting programming and training volunteers at the Mother Lode Regional Juvenile Detention Facility. In 2018, she added area director to her role and has enjoyed leveraging partnerships and gaining support for UCCE in her counties.
“I love being able to see UC ANR from a 30,000-foot level,” JoLynn said. “I’m excited to see where this Institute takes the organization and am thrilled to be a part of it.”
Please join me in congratulating Anne, Karen and JoLynn on their new roles.
Glenda Humiston
Vice President