CLU CERF Announces New Board Leadership and Members

THOUSAND OAKS, CA, March 07, 2014 (Press-News.org) The Center for Economic Research and Forecasting (CERF) at California Lutheran University (CLU) recently announced the appointment of a new advisory board chair and three new board members. Edgar Terry, president of Terry Farms Inc. and senior lecturer in CLU's School of Management, was elected to lead the group.

New board members include Mary Kaiser, president at California Community Reinvestment Corporation; Don Toussaint, executive vice president and director of Rabobank's Middle Market and Trust Divisions; and Dave Staples, owner of Staples Construction Company, Inc.

As president of Ventura County-based Terry Farms Inc., Terry oversees the 1,400 acre farm, which grows celery, strawberries, and red, green and yellow bell peppers. Terry has been a senior lecturer in the Adult Degree Evening Program and MBA programs at CLU since 1987 and has been on the CERF advisory board since 2009. He also serves on the board of Farm Credit West, an agricultural lending institution that is owned by its member growers, and sits on the company's Enterprise Risk Management Committee. He is chairman of the Ventura County Irrigated Lands Group Steering Committee and vice chairman of the California Strawberry Commission.

"Ed is an influential leader in our local community and has over 26 years of experience as a faculty member here at CLU. He understands CERF's mission and the importance of data analysis in understanding the where our local, regional and global economy is heading," said Bill Watkins, executive director at CERF. "We're also fortunate to have Mary, Don, and Dave, who are valuable resources to our board, as they hold powerful insight into our region's economic vitality."

"I am honored to be the new chair of CERF which has the preeminent economic forecasting team in the United States," said Terry. "Bill Watkins and his group are looked to for providing vital economic analysis and forecasting for the local, state and national economy plus providing specific industry analysis used by many different stakeholders. As economic data analysis becomes more necessary for business decisions, CERF becomes the go-to place to make sense of it all."

Terry succeeds Judy Diaz, risk advisor at Tolman & Wiker Insurance Services, who served as board chair for more than three years.

"On behalf of the CERF advisory board, I would like to thank Judy Diaz for her leadership and guidance in chairing the board," said Terry. "Her tireless work on behalf of the Center and its goals are without equal."

Complete advisory board roster: Stephanie Becerra, Steve Boggs, Sue Chadwick, Marc Charney, Judy Diaz, Tom Esensten, Brian Gabler, Tim Gallagher, Susan Holt, Mary Kaiser, Andrew Kiefer, Joe Kreutz, Linda LeBrock, Chuck Maxey, Nancy Mayerson, Brian Payne, Jerry Pelton, Mike Poutre, John Putnam, Paul Sheehan, Dave Staples, Bruce Stenslie, Douglas Tapking, Ed Terry, Don Toussaint, Tony Trembley, and Gary Wartik.

Launched in 2009, the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting (CERF) at California Lutheran University delivers a popular and accurate annual Ventura County economic forecast as well as quarterly updates on the California, Oregon and U.S. economy. The group is a resource to business members through its forecasts and services as well as through access to CERF's Economists, the School of Management, and California Lutheran University. The CERF is a division of California Lutheran University's School of Management, which offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in business. For more information or to become a member, visit http://www.clucerf.org.