hari Higashi, a native of Salinas, earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of California at Davis in 1982, and a master’s in business administration from the University of Washington in 1987. She returned to Salinas to work with her family in their farming business. She has served as a board member of the Salinas Valley chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League since 2000. Shari is a resident of Carmel Valley.