Capping a nearly two-year search, the California Rice Commission’s Board has unanimously approved Eric Holst as the CRC’s next CEO. The decision comes following extensive work by the industry-led Search Committee, Executive Committee, and Consultant Group.
Holst’s career spans several decades working for conservation and environmental nonprofits, building entrepreneurial partnerships across longstanding working lands and flagship environmental organizations. His most recent role was Associate Vice President of Forestry and Working Lands for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), an organization that has worked closely with the rice industry the past several decades on environmental projects.
“Eric has three decades of experience cultivating partnerships, specifically between agricultural producers, landowners, conservation organizations, and government agencies – all with the aim of increasing wildlife conservation and environmental outcomes on working lands,” said CRC Board Chair Josh Sheppard. “I actually met Eric in 2008, when he was with the Environmental Defense Fund. He was working with the CRC as part of a pilot project at our farm. He was hands-on for the practice now known as the Advancing Markets for Producers initiative, one that we plan on applying to this year. It’s really a full circle moment, seeing him take this position.”
Holst graduated from Duke University with a master’s degree in natural resource ecology and a bachelor’s in botany from UC Davis. He lives in Sacramento with his wife, where they raised their children and three dogs.
Holst will begin his new role after Labor Day, working closely through the end of the calendar year with current CEO Tim Johnson.
