Ventura County Leadership Academy

Today we acknowledged VCLA's 30 years of community leadership at the County of Ventura - Government Board of Supervisors meeting. Thank you to all of our alumni for coming out to celebrate with us.

It's happpppennning... 👋 County of Ventura - Government, we'll see you on September 10th.
https://www.ventura.org/government/meetings-and-broadcasts/

Join us as we examine the 2024 Ballot Measures at our Leader Lunch on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at 11:30am. Hosted at The Colleges of Law in Ventura, Dr. Herb Gooch, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at CA Lutheran University will be talking through many of the statewide ballot measures, including Prop. 5, which will allow local bonds for affordable housing and infrastructure, Prop 33, which expands local governments’ authority to enact rent control, and Prop 36, which increases felony charges and increases sentences for certain crimes.
Get your ticket at https://vcleadership.org/llregister/

Congratulations to OceanAir FCU (formerly CBC Federal Credit Union) on your name change announcement party! We know you're dedicated to remain an active member of the Ventura County community, especially incoming VCLA Cohort member Daniel Bednar, and OceanAir FCU Board Member and VCLA alum Robert Cabral.

The Camarillo Top 10 Community Awards was held early last month and our own Cohort XXIX Al Lowe was one of the honorees! Hosted at Spanish Hills in Camarillo, with MANY VCLA alumni in attendance (including pictured VCLA Board member Melissa Eckhout Miller (Cohort XXVI), Natalie Pavia (Cohort XXIX), Jaime Doniaz (Cohort XXIX), Heather Williams (Cohort # # #) Susan Santangelo (Cohort XXVI), Kevin Brannon (Cohort XX), Natalie Yanez (Cohort XIX), Raul Ramirez (Cohort XXIX), Megs Cipolla (Cohort XXIX), Carrie Hughes (Cohort XX), and VCLA Board President and Cohort XXIII member Jennifer Caldwell), as Al received the Stan Daily Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of volunteerism and commitment to the Camarillo Community. Congratulations Al!

WELCOME COHORT # # #!
Our alumni network welcomed the incoming members of Cohort # # #, beginning their journey September 13th.
Be sure you're getting our emails, so you can follow their journey at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/FPx4on4

Building a better, more connected community is what VCLA is all about. Thank you to our alumni Mike Sanders with American Medical Response and Tammie Helmuth with Girl Scouts of California's Central Coast for connecting in an innovative (and yummy!) way.

Congratulations to two VCLA alumni on being honored at the recent Pacific Coast Business Times Latino in Business awards. Oscar Cobian, the outgoing interim president of Oxnard College, was acknowledged for strengthening and creating new bonds in and around the college. And recently retired Rudy Gonzales, the outgoing principal manager of government relations at Southern California Edison, was celebrated for his 40 years keeping the lights on for everyone.

Santa Paula PD Commander and VCLA alumni Eric Starna bumped into a few of his fellow Cohort XXVII members at the recent Santa Paula California Chamber of Commerce business roundtable, hosted at The Glen Tavern Inn.
Pictured are Eric Starna, Gloria E Martinez, Susy Lopez Garcia, and Atticus Reyes.

Cohort XXIX's Comedy Night was a HUGE success, raising almost $20,000 for Ventura County Family Justice Center!
Thank you to all of the and community partners who supported us.

NO JOKE! 😆 Ventura County Leadership Academy hosted a comedy night benefitting the Family Justice Center and Camp HOPE. They raised $19,973.65!!! 🎉
VCLA Cohort 29 presented the check to DA Nasarenko and Chief Deputy Michael Jump.

Thank you, VCLA!!! 💜💜💜

Ventura County Leadership Academy
Ventura County Family Justice Center
Ventura County Family Justice Center Foundation

Congrats to VCLA Alumni Eric Knight, the new Executive Director at the Conejo Free Clinic. The clinic is housed at Community Conscience, who's Executive Director is ALSO a VCLA alum, Robin Britt! Both are graduates of Cohort XXIV.

Meet the members of VCLA's 30th Cohort!
From Simi Valley to Ojai, our cohort represents the best of the business, education, non-profit, and public sectors. View the full list of participants at https://vcleadership.org/current-cohort/

After 16 years California Lutheran University, our own Robin Fielding (VCLA Cohort XXII) is retiring! After a brief break and vacation, Robin plans on staying engaged in the Ventura County community. Enjoy your retirement, Robin!

You don't know who you'll bump into when lunching! VCLA Cohort XXVII members Linda Jordan, Dan Hulst, and Kirk Lagerquist all reconnected unexpectedly in downtown Ojai last weekend.

Members of our alumni were out in force, welcoming new Interim President for California Lutheran University John Arthur Nunes to our community. The Rev. Dr. Nunes hosted two community welcome events last month, attended by VCLA alum Mary Noor, Robin Fielding, Rachel Lindgren, Nathan Hickling, Rondi Guthrie, Brittney Elhard, and VCLA board members Melissa Miller and Dr. Julius Sokenu, among many others.

Welcome to Ventura County, President Nunes!

Many VCLA alumni came out to support the Humane Society of Ventura County at their 92nd birthday celebration, including Gopi J. Nadella (Cohort XXIX) who spoke on behalf of his newest family member and rescue, Bug. Held at the Ojai animal shelter and adoption center, the event was emceed by Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff and actor & former Ojai mayoral candidate Anson Williams.

Welcome to the board, Tim!

The Pacific Coast Business Times celebrated the honorees of their annual "Best Places to Work" report, which included many based companies with VCLA graduates.

Our Ventura County community came out in force for our most recent Leader Lunch, featuring Oxnard staple Dr. Irene Pinkard, who shared her leadership journey from the early 80's to her advocacy now. Hosted at Oxnard College, attendees included not only many from our alumni network, and community members, including Port Hueneme Mayor Pro-Tem Martha R. McQueen-Legohn and County of Ventura CEO, Dr. Sevet Johnson. Moorpark College President and VCLA Board Member Dr. Julius Sokenu (Cohort XXVI) was also there and pictured here with Dr. Pinkard.

Interested in hosting a Leader Lunch at your organization? Reach out to Pattie Braga at [email protected] to learn more

Welcome, Melissa Eckhout Miller!

Our alumni are awesome! Congratulations Danielle Keys (Cohort XXIV) on your recent appointment.

The County of Ventura has appointed Danielle Keys as Human Resources Director for the County. Keys assumes the position following the retirement of prior Human Resources Director, Shawn Atin, who retired in March. Keys was selected following an extensive recruitment process, which included both internal and external candidates.

“Danielle’s extensive experience brings a wealth of strategic insight and leadership to our County government” said Dr. Sevet Johnson, County Executive Officer. “With a proven track record in fostering organizational excellence, advancing workforce initiatives, focusing on relationship building and enhancement of leadership skills, Danielle’s skillset will invest in supporting and growing our County workforce.”

Keys joins the County of Ventura after serving as the Human Resources Director for the City of Ventura, and prior to that, as the Human Resources Director for the Ventura County Fire Department. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and has worked in public sector management for over 15 years. Her background includes experience in labor negotiations, recruitment and retention, and training and development. Keys has served in a variety of human resources positions with local municipalities, the County of Ventura, and in education.

View the full announcement here: https://news.ventura.org/en/20240701-county-new-hr-director/

Thank you Robert Harrell, our outgoing board president who was honored at our recent board meeting for two incredible years of service.
Jennifer Caldwell takes over as president, Steve Elson as president elect, Dhruv Pandya as treasurer, and Crystal Stratton will serve as secretary of the board.
VCLA's board directors also include Brick Conners, Dr Julius Sokenu, Tim Gallagher, and Melissa Eckhout Miller.

Not only was VCLA represented at at the recent VC Board of Supervisors meeting, acknowledging the celebration and importance of Juneteenth (including Derrick Wilson (Cohort XIX) and Vincent Stewart (Cohort XXVII), but many more attended the recent Juneteenth Celebration last month at Plaza Park in Oxnard, including Terri Anderson (Cohort XXVI), Robert O'Riley (Cohort XXVII) and Selfa Saucedo (Cohort XX).

Join us Wednesday, July 17th, for our Leader Lunch, hosted at Aera Energy in Ventura. Our panel will be discussing the “Future of Energy”, and how conventional oil and gas is working alongside with renewables and carbon capture & storage initiatives. Plus, we’ll learn what’s coming down the federal and state regulation pipeline for these industries. Optional tour to follow!
Get your ticket at https://vcleadership.org/upcoming-events/

🎉 Cohort XXIX of the Ventura County Leadership Academy is thrilled to share that our Comedy for Camp Hope event was a huge success, raising an incredible $20,000!! Thanks to this generosity, 10 deserving kids will get to experience the joy of Camp Hope!

The night kicked off with an inspiring speech by District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, followed by a touching video showcasing the impact of Camp Hope. Our very own Cohort XXIX member, Jocelyn Skelton, kept the energy high as our emcee for the evening.

Huge shoutout to our amazing comedians – , Jarret Barenstein, Carmen Morales, and Dwayne Perkins – for delivering laughs all night long! Special thanks also go to our event sponsors: Al Lowe Construction, Athens Services, Thrivent, Southern California Edison, and everyone who participated in our silent auction. Together, we celebrated the incredible work of Camp Hope. 🌟

As a part of our recent session, Cohort XXIX was able to take a trip on one of the 19 routes Gold Coast Transit District operates in the cities of Ojai, Ventura, Oxnard, and Port Hueneme.
Not only did we take the bus, but thanks to Cynthia Duque (VCLA Cohort XXI) Director of Planning and Marketing at GCTD, we learned about their Late Night Safe Rides program, GO Access Zones, and other accessibility programs they provide.