The Latest Dirt - July 2024
Welcome to New & Returning ELT Members: Planting the Seeds of Success
Laura Brainin-Rodriguez (2nd Year)
Laura graduated with the class of 2018 and became a UC Master Gardener after 37 years in Clinical and Community Nutrition. Laura has a Master’s in Public Health and a Master’s in Science of Nutrition from UC Berkeley. She's been a co-lead of the Ask a Master Gardener Project since 2018 and has been part of the Jardineros team since 2020. Laura has used nutrition and exercise to care for her own well-used body.
Lisa Bramblet (2nd Year)
Lisa, a 2008 UC Master Gardener graduate, is a co-lead at the Rivertown Demonstration Garden. She’s enjoyed gardening since she was young and was a member of the East County Delta Informal Gardeners club, ‘DIG’ for short. In 2007, she read a notice that the Contra Costa County UC Master Gardeners New Volunteer Training would be held that year in Antioch. Since then, she has run the Pittsburg Farmers Market Ask A Master Gardener booth until 2018 and is still active in the School Gardens.
David George (1st Year)
David graduated with the Class of 2020 — the Class with Perfect Vision! David writes a monthly gardening column for the Diablo Gazette, has published short stories and poems, and is past president of the California Writers Club. His debut book, “Granddad’s Garden – Stories of the Natural World,” is a children’s book for all reading ages. David has been active in the CoCoMG program as the VMS and Collaborative Tools Administrator since 2021 (now co-administrator), in Communications as a contributing writer for both The Latest Dirt and News to Grow By, and recently the co-lead of Central County schools for the School Gardens project. David has been honored to join the New Volunteer Training team in Tech Support for the past two years.
Anne Sutherland (2nd Year)
Anne volunteers with the UC Master Gardener Program from the Class of 2020. She began gardening with her husband, George, while both were medical residents at UC Davis Medical Center. It was then that she met her first tomato hornworm and discovered that rice hulls take longer than her residency to turn into compost. Her fascination with watching plants grow began in her Kansas grandmother’s garden, digging for peanuts in the rich, dark soil. Now that Anne has retired from Medicine, she gets to take care of plants. They never ask for the prescription pad. Anne is involved with the Help Desk and the Executive Leadership Team and fills in at the Great Tomato Plant Sale. Her greatest joy has been forming outreach programs for Spanish-speaking residents of our county. She is grateful for her wonderful new friends and their support after losing George.
Terri Takasugawa (1st Year)
After a 40-year career in IT technology and management roles for a major global bank, Terri retired and joined the UC Master Gardener program in 2017. Her interest and educational background in entomology provides an excellent foundation for client interactions as a Master Gardener. Terri has enjoyed leadership and critical roles in various projects, including Continuing Education, New Volunteer Training, and Ask a Master Gardener, in addition to volunteer roles in Volunteer Support-Hospitality, Plant Sales, and Help Desk. Terri enjoys the friendships and community in the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa!