CalFlowers Team

Steve Dionne
Executive Director
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Steve Dionne has served on the CalFlowers Board of Directors for over 16 years, and has twice served as President of the association.  He has been involved in the California floral industry for over 26 years, and is the owner of Wafex USA in partnership with Wafex Australia.

Steve holds a B.A. from University of San Diego.  His industry achievements include SAF’s Floral Marketer of the Year (1998), and induction into The American Academy of Floriculture (2010).

Chris Johnson
Director of Transportation
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Chris Johnson has 20 plus years at CalFowers and is well-known to the membership as a liaison between members and our floral shipping carriers.  Chris develops, administers, manages and actively promotes CalFlowers transportation programs to members and potential members through the association's for-profit subsidiary. 

Chris holds a B.A. from University of San Diego, serves on various planning committees, and actively participates in the execution of the biennial Fun N’ Sun Floral Convention, and CalFlowers Member Meetings. 

Monnaie Pepin
Director of Communications, Events and Administration
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Monnaie Pepin has been serving the Calflowers’ membership for well over 22 years.  She manages the Association's external and internal communications as well as assists in the development of marketing and communications programs to support the membership and the association's initiatives.

Monnaie plans, manages and executes all member events, especially the biennial Fun ‘N Sun Floral Convention, and the biennial CalFlowers Member Appreciation Meetings.  She also coordinates the association's participation in all floral industry events.  Monnaie is also responsible for the day-to-day administration needs of the Association and currently holds an active seat on the California State Floral Association’s Board as Vice President.

Don Alwer
Sr. Staff Accountant
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Don Alwer recently joined the CalFlowers' team to oversee the accounting function. Don has over 17 years’ experience in corporate Accounting & Finance and worked in various industries such as hospitality, floral imports, E-commerce, and retail. Don handles the day-to-day accounting tasks in addition to providing HR and other admin support to the team.

Don holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Cal State Fullerton. His industry achievements include enhancing efficiency, productivity, and process automation in addition to a having a solid technical background with IT and system implementation.

Jordan Richardson
Member Relations and Services Coordinator
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Jordan Richardson joined the CalFlowers' team in early 2023. As the Member Relations and Services Coordinator, Jordan provides support to new and existing CalFlowers’ members by addressing membership related inquiries about benefits, applications, and services.

Jordan has over 10 years’ experience building relationships and developing systems that strengthen member-based organizations, as well as a B.S. in Dietetics from James Madison University.

Vanessa Leite
Community Engagement & Development Specialist
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Vanessa Leite joined the CalFlowers/That Flower Feeling team in May 2023, as the Community Engagement & Development Specialist. In her role, Vanessa will support the That Flower Feeling endeavor growing the network, funders, and campaign. Vanessa has over 20 years of nonprofit management, stakeholder engagement, and fundraising experience with national, regional, and local not for profit organizations.  

She is a four-year certified graduate of the Institute of Organizational Management, holds an Associate’s of Applied Science in Medical Assisting and is presently working on a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Bay Path University. She has held local and national leadership positions for several organizations and has been recognized in various ways for her contributions to community.