About Us

Our Team

Hank Auza

General Manager

Rusty Shill

Farm Manager

Chris Auza

Field Supervisor

Morgan Taylor

Field Supervisor

Eddie Mendez

Irrigation Foreman

Jose Solorzano

Labor Manager

Janessa Thelander

Food Safety Manager

Janessa serves as our Food Safety Manager, overseeing the farm’s food safety program to ensure products are grown safely and in compliance with industry regulations and customer requirements. In this role, she manages food safety risks, maintains compliance standards, oversees documentation and recordkeeping, provides employee training, and collaborates with departments across the organization to identify potential hazards, implement corrective actions, and continuously strengthen the company’s food safety practices.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and a Bachelor of Science in Plant Science from the University of Arizona. With 30 years of experience within the Barkley family of companies, beginning with Barkley Seed, she brings extensive knowledge and expertise to her role.

What she values most about her position is the opportunity to work alongside a dedicated team that shares a common commitment to food safety and a collective goal of producing safe, wholesome produce for consumers.

Grizelda Carillo

Grower Accounting Specialist

Grizelda has been part of the Barkley Ag team since 2011 and joined BCOA as a Grower Accountant in 2016. As a Grower Accounting Specialist, she oversees budgets, growing cost analysis, cost accounting reconciliations, and management reporting.

A graduate of Arizona Western College, she appreciates working for a family-oriented company that allows her to balance her career with raising her three children. She also enjoys learning about the agricultural industry and the hard work that goes into producing the food we enjoy every day.

Harleigh Auza

Sustainability Manager

Zoey Auza

Executive Assistant

Jesus Gandara

Data Analyst