Called innovative, inspiring, and a high-impact leader by colleagues, Dr. Pan saw an opportunity for physicians to train in different ways and founded Communities and Physicians Together (CPT), a partnership between the University of California-Davis Health System and ten Sacramento-area community organizations. The group's mission is to "give all individuals a healthy present and future by teaching physicians, both in training and in practice, how to make a difference through active community partnerships."

Will agriculture be ready and able to respond when some of the state's most productive agricultural regions face renewed pressure for increased housing, regulatory burdens, water usage and other factors in the next decade? The California Department of Food & Agriculture has initiated a visioning process to help answer this important question.

Public health in the Central Valley has been a career-long passion for Ms. Briones. Her primary interest is health care economics and the social, occupational, cultural and gender outcomes that result from disparities. Providing health care infrastructure, leadership training and education programs within the region would influence the health status of the people living and working in Central California.

The San Joaquin / Sacramento River Delta is the Central Valley’s unique liquid asset. With his expertise on the delta, its tributaries and islands, Jeff Mount provides the link between land and water. In the next ten years, the stakes may be higher than people imagine. Levees, irrigation, and politics will all play a role in continuing to shape the geography of this part of our Valley.

Business, government and civil society can work to restore and enhance the both our natural and human capital, and at the same time increase prosperity and quality of life. In partnership with leading thinkers and implementers, NCS creates innovative, practical tools and strategies to enable companies, communities and countries to become more sustainable.

In November 2008, with the passage of high speed rail bonds, the promise of building a bullet train linking all the major urban areas of California became more than just an idea. Over the next 10 years, the train will be on a fast track as planning is replaced by reality as the first leg of the system begins to take shape.