John Krist retired in 2022 after 14 years as chief executive officer of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County. Before joining Farm Bureau, he was an award-winning reporter, editor and Opinion-page columnist for 25 years at the Ventura County Star, a daily newspaper in Southern California. During that time, his commentaries on land-use policy, natural resources and environmental issues were distributed by Scripps Howard News Service and published in newspapers throughout the United States. A lifelong outdoorsman and native Californian, he travels frequently throughout the West in a camper van with his partner, Leslie Leavens, and publishes a travel journal about their experiences at johnkrist.substack.com. He serves on the Board of Directors of House Farm Workers!, a nonprofit advocacy organization, and on the Board of Trustees of the Ventura Land Trust. When not on the road, he and Leslie split their time between Ojai and Ventura.