Nicole Montna Van Vleck is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Montna Farms, a vertically integrated, family-owned agricultural enterprise based in Yuba City, California. Montna Farms is a leading producer of Japanese short-grain specialty rice and is widely recognized for its leadership in working-lands conservation and sustainable agricultural practices.
Nicole is a respected advocate for California agriculture, with particular expertise in rice production, water policy, and sustainability. She currently serves as Chair of the California Rice Industry Association and has held numerous leadership roles within the California Rice Commission and USA Rice, including Chair of the USA Rice Farmers Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Sustainability Competitiveness Task Force. She continues to serve on the USA Rice Board and several national committees focused on policy, communications, and sustainability. In addition, she is an officer and board member of American Commodity Company, a rice milling and marketing company headquartered in Williams, California.
Her leadership in water governance spans more than two decades. Nicole serves as President of her local water company and as a board member of the Northern California Water Association, where she has held multiple executive and committee leadership roles. She also serves as Vice Chair and founding board member of River Valley Community Bank, reflecting her commitment to strong regional institutions that support rural economies and long-term stewardship.
Nicole’s contributions to agriculture, water stewardship, and business leadership have been widely recognized. She received the Common Threads Award in 2017 for exemplary community leadership; was named a Women Who Mean Business honoree by the Sacramento Business Journal in 2015; and was recognized as one of Sacramento’s Inspiring CEOs in 2025. In 2021, she received the USA Rice Farmer of the Year Award for her national advocacy on behalf of U.S. rice farmers. Most recently, in 2026, she was named Businesswoman of the Year by the Metro Chamber of Commerce, representing six counties in the greater Sacramento region.
A third-generation rice farmer, Nicole was born and raised in Sutter County. She holds a degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a graduate of Class XXVI of the California Agricultural Leadership Program as well as the 2011–2012 USA Rice Leadership Program. Early in her career, she worked as a legislative analyst with Morrison & Foerster in its Land Use, Environmental, and Agricultural practice group before returning to her family’s farming operation.
Nicole and her husband, Stan, a cattle rancher, have two adult children.