Peter Van Dyke, Board of Director's President.

Peter Van Dyke, along with his mother and brothers, took over the farm from Grandpa in 1975. Now Van Dyke Organics consists of organic fresh and dried Blenheim apricots, organic fresh and dried Bing cherries, organic dried nectarines, organic dried peaches, organic dried pears, organic dried plums and organic dried persimmons. Peter Van Dyke has been on the board of Loma Prieta Resource Conservation District for many years and now serves as President.

David Robledo, Director. 

David has been a LPRCD board member since 2008 after retiring from the USDA NRCS. During his time at NRCS he was a Project Engineer, Field Engineer and Area Engineer. Prior to to working for the NRCS, David worked for the Dept of Interior in the Bureau of Reclamation. David graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering.   David learned the Conservation Movement professionally and personally during his time at the NRCS.

Sandra L. Petersen, Board of Director's Secretary.

Sandy has been a LPRCD board member since 2006. For over 50 years Sandy and her husband have bred, raised, trained and showed quarter horses. Sandy also serves as a commissioner on the Santa Clara County Animal Advisory Commission. Sandy attended San Jose State Univeristy where she majored in Science and Education.  Sandy and her late husband have lived in Gilroy for over 40 years and have 3 grown children. 

Sam Thorp, Director.

Sam is Co-owner and Farmer at Spade & Plow Organics, a certified organic farm in Gilroy California. As a Santa Clara County resident and farmer he sees the critical role that agriculture plays in resource conservation and connecting our local communities.

Danielle Davenport, Board of Director's Vice President.

Danielle Davenport is a Rural Estate, Land, Ranch & Agribusiness expert and has been in Agricultural Real Estate and the Ag-Tech Business for over 30 years. She is managing partner of the D3 Group and the Director for the LAND & AG Division in Keller Williams California. She is an active member of Realtors Land Institute  and maintains an expert knowledge of factors affecting land use, production and  pricing of land, agriculture, and rural real estate. She owns multiple farms, is a cattle rancher and quarter horse enthusiast and believes that proper land stewardship is critical for our future. Danielle holds a BS in Economics and a MS in Ag Science from Texas A&M University and is a  published author along with holding multiple related Board Seats and Memberships.

Jared Mandrell, Associate Director.

Jared serves as an advocate for agriculture statewide through his work in regulatory policy. In June of 2023, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Communication from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with minors in Political Science and Law & Society. Since graduation, Jared continues to seek opportunities that allow him to grow and learn.