The Yolo County Flood Control & Water Conservation District’s Board of Directors are appointed by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors; one director is appointed by each supervisorial district. The District’s Board of Directors serve on a volunteer basis and receive no compensation for their service to the community. The board members come from a variety of backgrounds including farming, teaching, environmental management, government administration and organizational leadership and truly are public servants.
Members of the community are welcome at the District’s Board of Directors regularly scheduled board meetings held on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 pm in the boardroom at District headquarters at 34274 State Highway 16, Woodland, CA.
To learn more about the District’s board members, please visit the profiles page below.
Board Member Profiles
JIM MAYER – Chair
Jim Mayer and his family established and operate an olive farm and extra virgin olive oil company near Woodland that consistently wins gold medals in state and international competitions. Now in its third decade, Frate Sole Olive Oil is a two-generation, direct-to-market business contributing to the capital region’s heralded farm-to-fork movement.
Jim represents the YCFCWD on the executive board of the Northern California Water Association and chairs NCWA’s Groundwater Management Task Force.
Jim has 40 years of experience in natural resource policy and administration. For nearly a decade he wrote exclusively about water issues for the Sacramento Bee, including in-depth coverage of the state, federal and local urban and agricultural water projects.
As executive director of the state’s Little Hoover Commission, and at the request of Governor Schwarzenegger, he led a two-year analysis of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta that spurred the restructuring of state agencies charged with managing the estuary.
As the CEO of California Forward, he was the managing director of the California Economic Summit, which for more than a decade has convened business, government and civic leaders to align state policies with the needs of farmers, ranchers and local governments managing working landscapes. As a consultant, Jim works with community organizations throughout the forests and headwaters of the North State.
Jim has a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and a master’s in public policy from California State University Sacramento, where his thesis analyzed the development of water projects in the Sacramento River Valley. He was a fellow in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Michigan.
Prior to his appointment to the YCFCWCD board, he was a director of the Yolo County Resource Conservation District.
SHANE TUCKER – Vice Chair
A lifelong interest in farming and community service have been two hallmarks of Shane Tucker’s life. Before establishing his family farm, Shane worked for 20 years in commercial and agricultural real estate investments. He began his farming career in 2007 when he moved to Davis and established Stoma Farms, where he currently grows walnuts and pistachios.
Shane’s life experience provides deep knowledge of the realities of farming and led to a commitment to protecting natural resources. He is dedicated to enhancing and protecting water supplies for agricultural use and using those water resources in the most efficient way possible. He has been an early adopter of technology to monitor field conditions to improve water management and efficiency.
Shane is currently an advisory board member for two family-owned vertically integrated agribusiness operations and is past board chair for Sierra Nevada Journeys. Previously, he served as a commissioner for the California Avocado Commission. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in plant pathology from Mississippi State University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He was appointed to the District’s Board of Directors in 2021 by Supervisor Provenza.
TOM BARTH
Tom Barth is a founding partner of Barth Daly LLP, a Sacramento-based law firm that offers legal representation on a broad range of issues including criminal, civil and government law for private and public sector clients. He began his legal career as a U.S. Army JAG attorney, with more than 75 trials to verdict. He is currently an Associate Justice of the California Military Appeals Panel.
Tom Barth’s interest in water issues stems from his interest in preserving and protecting local and regional agriculture, and the realization that ensuring an adequate water supply is essential to fulfilling that goal. He is inspired by the legacy of his father, Roy Barth, who served on the District Board for 35 years, earning the District’s 2002 Water Stewardship Award for negotiations leading to the purchase of the Clear Lake Water Company, thereby securing water rights to Clear Lake, and for promoting construction of Indian Valley Reservoir. In addition to serving on the District’s Board, Tom serves on the board of the Yolo County Landowners’ Association, which focuses on protecting property rights in rural Yolo County. Tom was appointed to the District’s Board in 2015.
MARY KIMBALL
Mary is the Executive Director of the Center for Land-Based Learning. Mary joined the Center in 1998, and led its growth from a small, 30 student program to an organization with five programs in 15 California counties. Programs include the California Farm Academy, which is the only beginning farmer training program of its kind in Northern California.
Mary was raised on a small farm in Yolo County and is active in local and regional groups including serving as the Co-Chair of the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s “Cap-to-Cap” Ag and Food Team; and has served two terms as the Chair of the Yolo County Planning Commission from 2006-2014, and on the Board of the Yolo Land Trust for eight years.
Mary holds a master’s degree in human and community development from Ohio State University and received a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis in Agriculture Science and Management, with an emphasis in plant science. Mary was appointed to the YCFC&WCD Board in 2015.
ERIK VINK
Erik Vink joined the Delta Protection Commission as its Executive Director in August 2013. The Delta Protection Commission is a state agency that ensures orderly, balanced conservation and development of Delta land resources according to a state plan for the Delta. Prior to that, he spent ten years directing land conservation efforts in the Central Valley for The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national nonprofit land conservation organization. Prior to joining TPL, Vink served as Assistant Director of the California Department of Conservation, overseeing the state’s farmland protection programs, including the Williamson Act and California Farmland Conservancy Program. He also served for more than ten years with American Farmland Trust in a variety of capacities, including California Field Director. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of California at Davis and is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program. Erik was appointed to the YCFC&WCD Board in 2001.
Board Appointments
For more information regarding the tenure of the board members and how to apply to be a member, please see the County of Yolo’s information page for the District: