Rusty Areias

A native of Los Banos, Calif., Rusty Areias served 12 years in the California Assembly; he was director of the California Depart- ment of Parks and Recreation from 1998 to 2001 and served on the California Coastal Commission for four years. He is current- ly a partner at California Strategies, LLC, a public affairs consulting and lobbying firm with 10 offices throughout the state. Before beginning his long career in public service, he managed operations at one of the largest dairy farms in California, Areias Dairy, which was founded by his father. He received the Outstanding Young Farmer in America award in 1982.