Photo by Richard Green | Kirk Gafill, left, and Joe Pezzini
Monterey County, California — The Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) is pleased to announce the addition of Kirk Gafill and Joe Pezzini to their 2020 Board of Directors.
Kirk Gafill, a native of Big Sur, is President/CFO of Nepenthe/Phoenix Corporation, a family business. He worked his way up from dishwashing to the helm of Nepenthe restaurant, founded by his grandparents.
“I am honored to join the Board of Directors of CFMCO to learn more about the challenges communities
throughout Monterey County face and to support the foundation’s mission to engage and address these needs
through philanthropy and community support,” Gafill said.
Gafill graduated from University California, Los Angeles with honors with a degree in economics. He is
president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce, board member of the Monterey County Visitors and
Convention Bureau and is Co-Race Director for the Big Sur River Run. Other board service has included the
Big Sur Land Trust and the Carmel Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Joe Pezzini is from a third-generation Salinas farming family and CEO of Castroville-based Ocean Mist Farms.
He is a Hartnell Community College alum, UC Davis graduate and has an MBA from the University of Santa
Clara. Pezzini began his career with the Ocean Mist Farms group of companies in 1983 as a farm manager for
Boutonnet Farms. He became the Chief Operating Officer of Ocean Mist Farms in 2009 and was appointed to
the CEO role in 2015.
“I am honored to join an organization that works to reach all corners of Monterey County, making it a stronger
community,” Pezzini said.
Pezzini is a leading advocate for produce food safety and was instrumental in forming the California Leafy
Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (LGMA). He has served on many industry boards including
Central California Grower-Shipper Association and Foundation, California LGMA, Ag Against Hunger and
Produce Marketing Association.
The new board members join Birt Johnson Jr. (Board Chair), Teri Belli (Vice Chair), Jan Vanderbilt (Treasurer),
Maija West (Secretary), Betsy Buchalter Adler, José Luis Alvarado, Ph.D., Ida López Chan, Elsa Mendoza
Jimenez, Nolan Kennedy, Giff Lehman, Fred Meurer, Erica Padilla- Chavez, Betsey Pearson, Michael Reid,
Bill Sharpe, Loren Steck, and Abby Taylor-Silva.
About the Community Foundation for Monterey County
The mission of the CFMC, celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020, is “to inspire philanthropy and be a catalyst
for strengthening communities throughout Monterey County.” Thanks to generous individuals, families and
businesses who have created charitable funds, the CFMC has granted more than $200 million to nonprofits
working towards healthy, safe, vibrant communities. The CFMC also supports local nonprofit organizations by
providing capacity building services and leadership development through the Center for Nonprofit Excellence
(CNE). For more information visit www.cfmco.org, call 831.375.9712 or stay connected at
http://www.facebook.com/cfmco or www.twitter.com/cfmco.
