Dave Puglia

Dave Puglia was selected President and CEO of Western Growers in 2019. Since joining the organization in 2005, he has focused on leading public policy initiatives affecting the agriculture industry in California and other western states.

Puglia has been at the forefront of major legislative and regulatory issues involving water supply, water quality, energy, air quality and labor. His work has included negotiating statewide water bond provisions to enhance storage capacity, advocating for a comprehensive safe drinking water solution in partnership with environmental justice leaders, and negotiating the nation’s first state regulatory standard for prevention of heat illness in agricultural settings.

Before joining Western Growers, Puglia served for seven years in the California Attorney General’s Office, first as Press Secretary and then as Director of Public Affairs and Communications. He has also worked as a public affairs consultant to numerous corporations and industry groups in addition to serving in senior roles on several statewide political campaigns.

Puglia is currently Vice Chair of the Public Policy Institute of California’s Water Policy Center Advisory Council and has served on several industry-related boards and advisory councils.

A Sacramento native, Puglia earned a bachelor’s degree in Government-Journalism from Sacramento State University and resides with his wife Lezlie in Orange County, California.