About

President

Darcy F. Villere
Dvillere@jjfarms.com

Director Villere was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, moving to California in 1987 where his mother’s family has farmed since 1949. J&J Farms has farmed in Firebaugh Canal Water District since that time where they currently farm 1,491 acres of pomegranates, almonds, tomatoes, cotton and pistachios. J&J farms an additional 1,197 acres in Westlands Water district that adds wine grapes to their overall mix. Mr. Villere has been working for his family farm starting in 2011, where he manages new projects, water management and other finance related issues. Mr. Villere is the 3^rd member of his family to sit on the FCWD board, following his grandfather CW Jones and his uncle Ron Jones.

Mr. Villere is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a BA in Theater Arts and a Master in Business from the University of San Francisco. He lives on the family property with his partner Angelica and their infant son Nicolas.

Natasha Crivelli
natashacrivelli@gmail.com

Natasha is a third-generation farmer in the San Joaquin Valley. She and her husband Chris own and operate Chris and Natasha Crivelli Farms where they grow cotton, corn, alfalfa, wheat, and almonds. They also grow, pack, and ship melons across the United States and Canada through their produce company, Golden C Natural Foods, which they formed in 2009. Their operation also provides custom farming services to over twenty neighboring farms.

In addition to their farm, Natasha is a Speech-Language Pathologist within her local school district. She earned a Bachelors of Science in Communicative Disorders from California State University, Fresno, a Masters of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of the Pacific, Stockton, as well as a Certificate of Clinical Competence. Natasha serves as President of the Merced County Spring Fair Board and sits on the Merced County Heritage Foundation Board.

Natasha is currently a member of California Ag Leadership Class 50.

Chris White
chris.eng@comcast.net

Since September of 2018, Chris White has served as the Executive Director for the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority. As Executive Director, Chris is responsible for representing at the local, state and federal level in protecting some of the most senior water rights in California.

Prior to his position at the Exchange Contractors, Chris was District Engineer with the Central California Irrigation District (CCID) in 1993 developing and implementing the District’s ambitious Water Conservation Plan. He became CCID’s General Manager in 2000, responsible for implementing Board policy direction and remained in that position until July 24, 2019.

Chris was Vice-President of Stoddard and Associates, an engineering and land surveying consulting firm in Los Banos, California. The company specialized in water resources planning and construction, civil engineering services, and land surveying services, for many local cities, irrigation districts and landowners in the San Joaquin Valley. He obtained his California Land Surveyors License in 1983, and his Registration as a Professional Civil Engineer in 1991. Chris is also a California Agricultural Leadership Foundation graduate of Class 43.

John A. Wiersma
johnawiersma@hotmail.com

Mr. Wiersma is the General Manager of San Luis Canal Company and Henry Miller Reclamation District.  Prior to this role, he was employed at Merced Irrigation District (MID) since 2011. During his time there, he served as Senior Engineer and Planning Analyst. He moved his way up to the position of Manager of Water Operations, prior to leaving MID.  John is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum and serves on numerous committees for various water agencies.

John and his wife Amanda have four children. In his spare time, John enjoys roping and spending time with his family.

John, his wife Amanda, and their three children make their home in Turlock California.