Class of 2022
Adriana Andrade-Vasquez
Ecology Action (Volunteer Coordinator)
Adriana Andrade is originally from Watsonville, California but moved to Salinas in 2018. Adriana graduated from California State University, Sacramento in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies. Her passions are centered around education, public health, agriculture, and sustainability. Adriana aspires to create valuable change in her community through local climate action work. Her biggest inspiration is her family because of their continuous support and encouragement to follow her dreams. She enjoys spending time with her family and going on hiking trips. Her adventurous nature and resilient character make her who she is today. Adriana’s favorite quote is “They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds” by Dinos Christianopoulos.
Alora Daunt
The Pearl Works (Co-Founder)
Alora is a co-founder of The Pearl Works (link to website - thepearlworks.com), a family owned collaborative coworking and meeting room space in downtown Monterey. Alora loves creating spaces for people to come together to connect, learn, and grow. In addition to running The Pearl Works, she supports politicians, activists, and mission aligned individuals in creating ease and joy in their contribution as a life and leadership coach. Alora returned to the Monterey Peninsula at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic to build her businesses and contribute her passions and skills to her home town.
Andrew Easterling
City of Salinas ( Traffic Engineer)
Andrew Easterling is the Traffic Engineer for the City of Salinas, who oversees the Transportation and Traffic Division of the Public Works Department. He participates in the planning, design, operations, and maintenance of the City’s transportation system. He has recently completed capital improvement projects as part of the City’s Downtown Vibrancy Plan and lead the effort to adopt the City’s Vision Zero Policy. He is a traffic engineer who strives to provide a safe, efficient, healthy, and sustainable transportation system for the City of Salinas. When not nerding out on transportation and city planning Andrew enjoys spending time with family and friends, biking, hiking, and enjoying the local amenities.
Angie Phillips
Montage Health, CHOMP ( Clinical Nutrition Manager)
Angelica “Angie” Phillips is the Clinical Nutrition Manager for the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Angie was born and raised on the Monterey Peninsula and attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo where she studied clinical nutrition. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree at Cal Poly, she relocated to the East Coast to complete her dietetic internship in Allentown, Pennsylvania where she was one of two students accepted to intern with Sodexo Health Care Services, with an emphasis in clinical nutrition and diabetes management. Angie now has her Master’s degree in Public Health from San Jose State University, is a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and is adapting to her new role as manager for all Montage clinical dietitians. In her free time, Angie loves to be outdoors and near the ocean with her husband, 1 year old son, and 2 dogs. She can often be spotted on the Rec Trail in Monterey and is a faithful San Francisco 49er fan.
Arnulfo Delgado
Salinas Valley Memorial Health (Senior Administrative Director)
Arnulfo Delgado is an accomplished healthcare professional with over 25 years of progressive leadership and management experience. Currently, he is the Senior Administrative Director overseeing essential service lines at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital (SVMH). Arnulfo has been in the Monterey Bay area going on three years now. Previously to coming to Salinas, he was Vice President, Operations for ACM Global Laboratories with labs in the U.S., Singapore, China, U.K. and India. Arnulfo was born in small town in Chihuahua, Mexico and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. Arnulfo has a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from University of Texas, Arlington and a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Arizona State University. Arnulfo’s family still lives in North Carolina and will soon join him after a long delay as a result of the pandemic. Arnulfo is a huge football fan and continues to pray for a good season for one of his favorite teams – Arizona Cardinals or ASU Sundevils!
Brad Levang
Fenton & Keller (Attorney)
Brad Levang is an attorney at Fenton & Keller. He counsels employers on employment-related policies and practices, such as wage and hour, leaves, and employee handbooks. He also advises and represents employers regarding employment litigation, including wage and hour class actions, discrimination, retaliation, and harassment claims. Prior to joining Fenton & Keller, he worked for a Central Valley law firm representing agricultural, manufacturing and hospitality employers. He received his J.D. from Santa Clara University, School of Law, and his undergraduate degree from Cornell University.
Camac Serna
Bay Federal Credit Union (Home Loan Consultant)
Camac Serna first joined Bay Federal in 1999 as a teller in the Santa Cruz branch before leaving to pursue a career in mortgages and other financial services. He strongly believes that Bay Federal is different than other financial institutions, and is happy to be back with the BayFed team.
“I am excited to provide the best service for our members and match them with the best solutions for their home lending needs. I’m also thrilled to be back with Bay Federal and support the Salinas community!”
Camac lives in Salinas with his wife.
Cat Mineo
JRG Attorneys at Law (Attorney)
Cat Mineo was born and raised in New Jersey. She moved to San Diego, California to attend law school at California Western School of Law. Cat was admitted to the California State Bar in June of 2019 and has happily relocated to the Central Coast to join JRG Attorneys At Law. Cat focuses on business transactions, land use, licensing, and compliance matters, and assists with the firm’s trademark practice. Cat is also a Board member for Legal Services for Seniors, a volunteer driver and Board Member with the Independent Transportation Network and serves as the Grant Director for a non-profit based in San Diego that works with homeless youth. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and looks forward to exploring more of California!
Cheryl Moore
Montage Health, CHOMP (Director, Laboratory Services)
Cheryl Gindhart Moore is currently the Director of Laboratory Services at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, a 220-bed community hospital with robust laboratory and pathology services. Cheryl grew up in Northern New Jersey and received her degree in Biology and Math from the State University of New York (SUNY) on an Army ROTC scholarship. She served nine years in the Army including rotations in Egypt, Bosnia, South Korea, and several stateside assignments. Cheryl received her training as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and completed her military service as a Laboratory Officer in Washington, DC. Following a brief break from science to be a full time mom, she went back to work as the laboratory director at the Blood Bank of Alaska in Anchorage. Her most recent move brought her to Pacific Grove, California where she and her four children have resided for the past nine years. Cheryl spends her spare time raising teenagers, staying active, reading with her book club and saying yes to invitations for fun.
Chuck Jehle
Monterey Bay Procurement Technical Assistance Center (Procurement Counselor)
Chuck Jehle has over 12 years non-profit experience including as director for the MCSC Women’s Business Center, and small business consultant for the SBDC and the Women’s Business Center. His direct government contracting experience includes researching, writing and winning contracts for a nationwide privately owned service company.
Ciera Kephart
US Foods (Field Food Safety Quality Manager)
For the past 5 years I have been the Food Safety Manager for PRO*ACT LLC, where it is my responsibility to ensure that the fresh food and produce that flows through the supply chain remains safe and wholesome to consume. However, I am excited to have the opportunity to explore other sectors, outside of produce, that play crucial roles in the Monterey County. Outside of my professional life, I enjoy CrossFit, all things Disney related and spending time with my husband and dog.
Corinne Kappeler
Digital NEST (Chief Growth Officer)
Originally from Salinas, CA, Corinne is passionate about empowering underrepresented communities through technology education. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Sociology and Film & Digital Media, she began her career at WHYY, Philadelphia’s NPR station, which led her to helping develop a startup tech news organization, and eventually leading a national nonprofit as Executive Director called Girl, Develop It! (GDI), an organization focused on creating welcoming, supportive opportunities for adult women to learn software development skills in 60 cities across the US. She currently serves as the Chief Growth Officer at Digital NEST, an organization that supports young people in agricultural towns in California to build technology skills and get access to a supportive network of professionals to help launch their careers. .
Erin Harwayne
Denise Duffy & Associates (Project Manager)
Erin Harwayne, AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners), is a Senior Project Manager/Environmental Planner/Scientist with Denise Duffy & Associates, Inc. (DD&A), a land-use planning and environmental consulting firm located in the City of Monterey. Ms. Harwayne works with local, regional, state, and federal government entities, in addition to private landowners and developers, to guide them through the entitlement and environmental regulatory process. She has over 21 years of experience preparing all types of environmental documentation in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for a wide variety of natural resource, residential/commercial/mixed-use, educational/institutional, public works, water facility, and transportation projects. Her areas of emphasis include land use planning, natural resource analysis and permitting, and compliance with federal and state Endangered Species Acts. Ms. Harwayne is a graduate of California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Systems Science & Policy, concentrating in Marine and Coastal Ecology. She guest lectures at CSUMB on environmental regulation and policy and local natural resources.
Gina Bianchi
MPC Foundation (Director of Development)
Gina Bianchi is the Director of Development at Monterey Peninsula College Foundation and has been serving MPC Foundation's vision of creating universal access to extraordinary higher education since 2011. She originates from New Jersey, but has resided in California, and primarily Monterey County since 1991. Gina graduated from California State University in 2007 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and an emphasis in Entrepreneurial Studies. She also had the privilege to study Business Management at École Supérieure de Commerce et de Management in Paris, France in 2007. Gina has served in various volunteer roles including the following: President of Creekside Property Owners' Association (Aug 2019 - Present), Committee Member of EOPS/CARE Advisory Committee at MPC (Oct. 2015 - Present), Secretary of WUSD School District School Site Council (Oct. 2015 - Oct. 2016), Parent Representative of WUSD School District Strategic Planning Committee (Nov. 2015 - Nov. 2016), Member at Large of Washington Union Educational Foundation (Aug 2016 - May 2017). Gina is a mother first to her three daughters, and in her spare time she loves hiking, weight lifting, travelling and cooking.
Glen Nelson
CSUMB (VP of Administration & Finance)
Dr. Glen Nelson is the Vice President for Administration and Finance/CFO at California State University Monterey Bay and has worked in higher education for twenty-five years holding senior leadership positions at the system, university and college levels. These institutions include Arizona State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Wisconsin System, the Oregon University System, and the Arizona Board of Regents where he served as the Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration. Glen has successfully led higher education initiatives generating over $100 million of new resources through the implementation of process improvements, improved asset utilization, management of debt instruments, and the creation of new lines of revenue through collaborations with community partners. He began his career working in a variety of management positions within finance, accounting, and IT for several Fortune 500 companies and is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA). Dr. Nelson earned a Ph.D. in educational studies with a specialization in educational leadership and higher education from the University of Nebraska, holds an MBA from the Arizona State University Thunderbird School of Global Management, and an undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Jaclyn Aiello
Scholl & Company, LLP (Director of Practice Development)
Jaclyn was born and raised in Monterey County and has been an active member of the community since childhood. She graduated in 2015 from Chico State’s College of Business where she studied business management. After college Jaclyn then tried her hand at various industries within Monterey County including wine, agriculture, and hospitality before landing her dream job with Scholl & Company, a local CPA and business consulting firm. There she works as the firm's Director of Practice Development where she is responsible for implementing business development initiatives both internally and externally.
Coming from a long line of local business owners, Jaclyn has the personal motivation that drives her to ensure Monterey County has the longevity to support future generations. She plans on using everything she learns in the leadership program to directly help local businesses and the community grow their success.
Jocelyn Curran
Downtown Streets Team (Director of Monterey & Santa Cruz Counties)
Jocelyn Curran is a philanthropy professional with expertise in social entrepreneurship, project management, grantee-centric philanthropy, and heart-led leadership. She currently serves as the Director of Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties for Downtown Streets Team. Before this, she worked for the Peery Foundation for seven years in several different roles. Jocelyn started her career with The Pew Charitable Trusts, in Washington, D.C. on their International Ocean Conservation Team. Jocelyn holds a B.A. in Political Science and History, with a Minor in Women’s Studies from Denison University. She holds an M.A. in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies as well as a certificate in International Conflict Management from Johns Hopkins SAIS. Jocelyn is a proud Washington, DC native and currently lives in Monterey, CA with her husband, son, and Rosa, their goofy dog.
John Murray
Police Service of Salinas (Commander)
John Murray has been with the Salinas Police Department for 25 years and is currently a Commander assigned to the Field Operations Division. John is originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and immigrated with his family to the United States in 1981. He graduated from North Monterey County High School and is a U.S. Air Force veteran. During his time with Salinas PD, John served in the Violence Suppression Unit, Narcotics Unit, Detective Bureau, and spent 16 years on the SWAT team with 8 years as the Team Leader and an additional 4 years as the SWAT Commander. He has a BA in Management from St. Mary’s College of California and an MA in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security.
Laura Williamson
KSBW (President & General Manager)
Laura Williamson is president and general manager of KSBW NBC, Central Coast ABC and Estrella Costa Central, serving the Monterey-Salinas, California, television market. Before being promoted to KSBW in 2020, she served for nearly 25 years a senior sales executive at KCRA-TV and KQCA-TV, serving the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, California, television market. A Bay Area native, Williamson previously served as general sales manager of KCRA-TV. She joined Hearst Television in 1996 as an account executive at KCRA sister station KQCA-TV and was promoted to local sales manager in 2000. She began her sales career in the hotel industry, initially in her hometown of San Francisco at that city’s prestigious Fairmont Hotel. She later held positions at the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Hyatt Regency Sacramento, where she was sales manager.
Lindsay Horton
Social Monterey (Owner)
Lindsay is a social media manager, mentor, and marketing strategist for her company, Social Monterey. Her mission is simple - to support small & support local. She is passionate about helping business owners grow a community around their brand through authentic and proven social media & marketing strategies. Lindsay was a first-place winner in the 2021 Startup Monterey Bay Challenge and nominated for "Best New Business" in Monterey County Weekly's "Best Of Monterey County 2021".
![Lindsay Horton [Headshot].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5088b3_1c2c74b155d34eb78471bbb04aa26da6~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_33,y_40,w_727,h_876/fill/w_186,h_224,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Lindsay%20Horton%20%5BHeadshot%5D.png)
LisAnne Sawhney
Monterey Regional Airport (Board Member & Director)
LisAnne Sawhney is a local business owner and has a varied and extensive career in Human Resources, Program and Project Management and Organizational Change Management (OCM). Mrs. Sawhney is a life-long learner, holding a Master’s Certificate in Human Resources from the University of CA, Irvine, studied International Relations abroad in Vienna, Austria and Project Management at George Washington University and holds a Bachelor’s in Science in Business (BSB-Management Information Systems & Organizational Design) from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Mrs. Sawhney is currently the Vice Chair, Board Member and Lease Committee Member for the Monterey Regional Airport District. Amidst other community involvement, LisAnne is the former Secretary and Board member for Seaside Rotary and is a previous Roteract and youth exchange host family; For more than 20 years she has had the pleasure of hosting Rotary exchange daughters (now family) from New Zealand, Ecuador, Mexico, Belgium, France and Sweden. LisAnne and her husband Mitchel are currently establishing TWC Monterey in downtown on Alvarado Street. The Sawhney’s have lived in California for almost a decade and are grateful to call Monterey County home since 2016.
Marta Sandoval
Dole Food Company (Plant Director)
Business Leader with over 20 years in the consumer goods industry. Operations leader adept at increasing profits, improving productivity and reducing cost margins by implementing corporate strategies, introducing new technologies, processes and procedures. Results-oriented creative leader with experience managing teams at all levels to meet challenging projects and finance goals. Professional with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Cal State Los Angeles and MBA from Loyola Marymount, Los Angeles. Member of the Latina Leadership Network in college.
Remleh Scherzinger
Marina Coast Water District (General Manager)
Rem is a US Navy veteran having served on submarines in the early 1990s. After his service, he attended the California Polytechnic University Pomona majoring in Civil/Environmental Engineering. He is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer with over 20 years of service in the public utilities sector here in California. He received his Master of Business Administration in 2011 from Sonoma State University in finance at which time he entered the senior management track of his profession. Further, he is one of a handful of general managers in the state who are certified as a Special District Manager by the California Special District Association. It is clear that pursuing his dedication to the public is a common thread in his varied career path. He recently joined the Marina Coast Water District as their General Manager bringing his wealth of knowledge and experience to the greater Marina-Ord community and Monterey County. When not in the office he and his family farm olives and produce olive oil for family and friends.
Richard Vaughn
County of Monterey (Economic Development Manager)
Richard specializes in economic development for Monterey County where he oversees a number of economic development efforts. He has extensive experience in business retention, attraction, expansion, marketing, foreign direct investment and international trade efforts. With more than 8 years of experience, he works closely with public and private industry to bring capital investment, job creation and greater economic opportunities to Monterey County. Mr. Vaughn received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and his Masters in Public Administration from California State University San Bernardino.
Robert Freiri
Gateway Center of Monterey County (Executive Director)
Robert Freiri is the Executive Director of Gateway Center of Monterey County. Robert has been a nonprofit Executive Director for 23 years including seven years as a Habitat for Humanity Executive Director and a Nonprofit Manager for 35 years. He has been involved in many community boards and committees including Loma Prieta Community Foundation, Loma Prieta School Oversight Committee, the Role Model Program, and Santa Clara County Housing Collaborative. Robert was a member of Leadership San Benito County Class of 2010.
Sloan Campi
Monterey-Salinas Transit (Planning Manager)
Sloan has a multitude of experience in his career with municipal and regional governments, beginning as a firefighter for the Roaring Fork Fire Authority (formerly Snowmass-Wildcat Fire Protection District) in Snowmass Village, Colorado. While working part-time as a first responder, Sloan focused on his primary career as a part-time Town Planner for the Town of Snowmass Village, following his Bachelor of Science degree program from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Sloan then moved to Denver to pursue a Masters of Urban Design from the University of Colorado Denver, where he supplemented his expertise in human-centered urbanism in Copenhagen, Denmark. To maximize the lessons learned in this experience, he went on to become a campus planner for the Auraria Higher Education Center in Denver. However, he soon returned home to the Central Coast of California, where he worked as a Capital Planner and Fire Marshal for UC Santa Cruz. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sloan moved back to San Luis Obispo, where he was beckoned to help teach Geographic Information Systems and Sustainable Projects Initiatives at his alma mater, Cal Poly, while still working in the urban planning realm. Now, Sloan has returned north to Monterey to fulfill his career as Planning Manager for Monterey-Salinas Transit.
Steven Macias
Blind & Visually Impaired Center (Executive Director)
Steven Macias serves as the Executive Director at The Blind and Visually Impaired Center of Monterey County. He is the Founder of HelpMyResume, the Founder of the Monterey County Camaros Car Club, a two-year Director of the Missions Trails Lions Club, Vice-Chair of the Monterey-Salinas Transit Mobility Advisory Committee, a member of the Monterey County Elections Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee, and a member of the Measure Q Oversight Committee. He is a former member of the Board of Directors for California State University, Monterey Bay’s Alumni Association. Mr. Macias has over ten years of combined experience in high-level administrative operations in city government and non-profit industries with an additional nine years’ experience in social media marketing. Mr. Macias possesses an Associate in Arts and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Management and International Business.
Trevin Barber
City of Seaside (Assistant City Manager)
Trevin is currently serving in the role of Assistant City Manager and Economic Development Director for the City of Seaside—helping create a prosperous and equitable economy.
Trevin has a deep wealth of hands-on knowledge in the fields of public administration and economic development. Most notably Trevin helped attract North America’s first Chinese vehicle manufacturer to California, integrated cannabis legalization into the City of Lancaster’s municipal code, introduced a 50-year Smart Growth strategy, and supported a municipal, predictive analytics program in partnership with Google X/Alphabet Inc.
William H. Tienken lll
Salinas Valley Memorial Health (Patient Experience Coordinator)
I have always been a people person and spent many years in Retail Management. Five years in Population Health in the nonprofit sector and am currently working as a Patient Experience Coordinator at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital. We listen to the patients to understand their needs and surpass them. There is no better feeling than the one you get when you're helping others. I received my degree in Business Administration and Marketing from CSUMB, and in the upcoming month, I will start an MBA program through Western Governors University.
