From humble beginnings, growing up in a small farming community in the Central Valley, I learned firsthand the value of hard work, gratitude and determination. No stranger to adversity or the harshness of poverty, I found success with the love and support of family and the kindness and generosity of others who believed in my potential. This upbringing taught me the value of hard work and exposed me to the challenges that immigrant and low-income families face on a daily basis. It also showed me how resilient, hardworking and driven families can succeed in this country and make it their own.
My lived experience has shaped who I am today and why I have made it my life’s work to serve and give back to my community.
For the past 13 years, my wife Christine and I have called Windsor our home and our community. In every way, it has lived up to its expectation of a safe, family oriented and friendly community to raise our four sons and in turn for them to build lasting relationships and strong community ties.
Since moving to Windsor, Christine and I have been active members of the community. When our boys were little, we joined the Cub Scouts and for a while I served as Cubmaster, working with other parents to provide fun and enriching activities for our boys. I served on the Windsor School Board to give a greater voice to our Latino community and working families. Christine became an active member and president of the PTA. We enjoyed supporting our teachers and raising funds to make sure teachers had enough classroom supplies.
I have a long history of public service and community engagement. Upon graduating college with a degree in Political Science, I worked at CSU, Bakersfield to help boost college enrollment for first generation college students and directed a series of pilot initiatives for the Office of Economic and Community Development at Oxnard College. From this experience, my passion was discovered for helping people better themselves, their families and their community.
As Director of Business Support Services for one of the largest non-profit organizations in Kern County with a staff of 850 and an $85-million-dollar budget, I oversaw the organization’s procurement and contracts management, community outreach and engagement, information technology and facility construction; gaining valuable experience working with local state and federal funders and managing large projects.
As executive director of Community Action Partnership Sonoma County, I worked to expand early childhood education opportunities by building new preschool facilities and expanding programs to strengthen child and parent education as well expand workforce development opportunities for youth and microbusiness development programs for women and migrant entrepreneurs.
As Assistant Director of the Sonoma County Human Services Department, I help lead one of the largest County departments with a budget in excess of 350 million and nearly 1,000 employees. I also lead the Department’s planning, research and evaluation functions and will use experience in local government to strengthen Town and County relationships and will bring a data driven approach to how we manage our Town’s finances.
With nearly two decades of senior management and leadership experience, along with my experience as an elected School Board Trustee, I am ready to bring my depth of knowledge, independent thinking and real-world experience to benefit the residents of Windsor.
