Nita Vail is Chief Executive Officer of the California Rangeland Trust, a position she has held since September 2001. Nita, also a founding Board member of the Rangeland Trust, has a background in agribusiness, policy and environmental consulting. Nita, a fourth-generation rancher, was brought up in the Vail & Vickers ranching tradition on Santa Rosa Island. She was appointed by Governor Wilson in 1994 to serve as Assistant Secretary of Agricultural and Environmental Policy for the California Department of Food and Agriculture under Secretary Ann Veneman. She has worked with diverse agribusinesses, including Foster Farms, Idetek and Cattle-Fax, a Denver-based cattle market information service. Nita received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Agricultural Business Management from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA and her MBA from University of Santa Clara, Institute of Agribusiness in Santa Clara, CA. Nita is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, Class XXI, currently a fellow in the American Leadership Forum Mid-Valley Chapter, and a 2010 recipient of the Irvine Foundation Leadership Award. She serves on numerous Advisory Boards including California State Fair Ag Advisory Board, Cal Poly SLO Animal Science Advisory Board, Santa Cruz Island Foundation Advisory Board and Ag Sustainability Institute at UC Davis External Advisory Board.
