Meet the team

Austin Herzog

Austin is a fifth-generation Fresno County resident who attended Fairmont elementary and Sanger High School, Class of 2000. He has two young sons who attend Fairmont. After completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration and City Planning from San Diego State University, he began his career in real estate development and finance, specializing in multi-family and affordable housing communities across California. Austin has participated in multiple large non-profit capital campaigns including the recent Poverello House $2.3M food warehouse and distribution center rebuilding and developing the Village of Hope homeless temporary housing campus. He is also passionate about the outdoors and the local food movement and is motivated to help make the link between farmers and consumers more direct and accessible to reduce consumer costs, support healthy communities and improve broader access to some of the best produce in the world.

David Powers

David is the President and founder of Powers Construction & Engineering, Inc. and the Treasurer of Holt Lumber, Inc.- both certified small businesses operating locally in Fresno County. Collectively, these companies employ over 100 people and David represents the fourth generation of ownership in Holt Lumber. David is a San Joaquin Memorial graduate, class of 1998 and attended Fresno State majoring in Civil Engineering. His passion for outdoor adventures and snowboarding led him Fort Collins, Colorado where he continued college and would meet his future wife. Today, he and Amy live in Sanger with their three children: Abby, Jack and Penny, all of which are proud and involved Fairmont Elementary Spartans.

Jason D. Johnson

Jason is Senior Vice President and Market Manager for Banc of California’s real estate and commercial banking group covering Central and Northern California. Jason earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, Fresno, and his Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) with an emphasis in Real Estate Finance & Investment from Florida State. Jason is a Sanger High Graduate (Class of 2000) and was on the 1998 Football Valley Championship team. His family has farmed in California since the late 19th century. He and his wife have 4 children who attend Sanger Schools.

Pat Biddy

Pat is a lifetime Sanger resident, whose children are the 3rd generation to attend Fairmont Elementary School. He has a decade of experience in the irrigation industry and is currently the Senior Manager New Business Development for Vanguard Ag based in Tulare, California. He leads a team to bring irrigation technology to the Western and Mid-Western United States and Mexico, helping customers efficiently and effectively schedule water applications in the Agriculture and Landscape markets.

Charlene J. Griesner

Charlene is Fairmont Elementary School’s Career Technical Education (CTE) Coordinator, junior high Engineering Teacher, MESA Club Advisor, Certificated Femineer Teacher, and SUSD TK-5th grade Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Launch Lead Teacher. With over 15 years of experience as an educator she has been recognized as Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement (MESA) Advisor of the year by CSU Fresno, Innovator in the Classroom awarded by California Education Research Association (CERA), and Innovation and Excellence Teaching awarded for STEM and Ag integration by Voya Unsung Heroes, and PLTW Outstanding Teacher Award Recognition. Charlene’s professional preparation include Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies, Multiple Subject, Special Education, and Industrial Technology teaching credentials, as well as Master of Arts in Education and Special Education. She is not only a Fairmont teacher, but a Fairmont parent as well. It is her passion to give students real world experience by exposing them to tech innovations at the industry level with a focus on Ag.

Christine Torosian-Klistoff

Christine is Fairmont's Agriculture Science Teacher with over 30 years of teaching experience a lifetime of hands-on farming and ranching background. At a young age, she was in charge of running a cattle ranch and growing grapes to raisins. She self-financed her college education growing, cutting, raking and baling alfalfa hay. Christine’s teaching achievements have been nationally recognized, most recent are California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC) 2020 Outstanding Educator Award and 2021 National Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award. Her passion is in educating others about Agriculture and its paramount importance in the growth and development of our community and economy, locally and globally. She believes that students must know they are fed, clothed, and housed with products grown right around them, on our farms, in our fields and within our forest. She has successfully developed Fairmont's TK-8th grade Ag curriculum aligned with state science standards, including daily field experiments, engineering projects, and the study of plant and animal science. She wants to give students a head start, providing pathways to future Ag careers, innovation and leadership, and has a long-term goal of sharing her established elementary Ag science education curriculum across the State of California.

Jared Savage

Jared has close to two decades in education serving as head football and track coach, Guidance Learning Specialist, Assistant Principal and currently as Principal of Fairmont Elementary School. He has smashed barriers of traditional mindsets and educational limitations while building championship school cultures centered around high-energy leadership and expectation. He received his BA in Psychology, Pupil Personnel Services Credential, and MA in Education from California State University, Fresno. Jared uses an innovative coaching philosophy to address all facets of the education system that stands apart from traditional schools. Jared’s winning approach has resulted in multiple honors including: Fresno County Administrator of the Year Finalist, CSBA Golden Bell Award for School Innovation, CA Gold Ribbon, CA Distinguished School, Fresno County PBIS Platinum Level Award, and National Forum Schools to Watch Re-Designation multiple times. His vision for education is rooted in empowering people, building internal processes that feed purposeful actions, and high performance standards that produce results.

Lisa Johnson

Lisa is Fairmont Elementary School’s Curriculum Support Provider. Nearly 20 years in education she has taught English Language Development, English Language Arts, journalism, and photography. Lisa has presented at state and national Schools to Watch conferences. Lisa’s professional preparation include Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Journalism, a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and is currently working on her administration credential. Sanger community ties run deep, she is a Sanger High School Alum, her children are second generation Fairmont students, and her family has made Sanger their home for over a century.