Cohort Reflections
Meditation Mount
Sheila Norman Community Education Administrator – Ventura County Fire Department The driving force behind me applying to Ventura County Leadership Academy (VCLA) was to get out of my comfort zone and expand my personal effectiveness. However, this opportunity comes with anxiety and feelings of unworthiness– not knowing what to expect or what would be expected…
Read MoreFreska International Immersion
Dr. Jesus Vaca Superintendent – Somis Unified School District It was a pleasure joining Jesus “Chuy” Loza, CEO of FRESKA Produce International located in Oxnard, CA for my recent VCLA immersion activity. My biggest “aha moment” was realizing the amount of revenue made by a small, local company. Established in 2004, they made over 100…
Read MoreImmersion in the Law
Waheed Akberzie Clinical Project Manager – SetPoint Medical I know nothing about the law and didn’t study to become a lawyer. So why was I in the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office? As an incoming member of Ventura County Leadership Academy ‘s Cohort XXIX, we’re required to complete an immersion activity that challenges myself and…
Read MoreFirst-Aid for Mental Illness
Michelle Rogers Community Outreach and Education Manager – Camarillo Health Care District Last fall, a friend I had known since I moved to Ventura County in 2016 was displaying signs of what I thought might be early dementia. She was forgetful, confused at times, the stories and information she shared were inconsistent and oftentimes didn’t…
Read MoreCommunity Engagement in Public Safety
Marleen Canniff Human Services Agency, Communications Manager – County of Ventura I have no doubt that Cohort XXVIII’s recent session visiting the Todd Road Jail facility and the City of Ventura Police Department left positive impressions and maybe even gave us all a new perspective on public safety and policing in Ventura County. All too…
Read MoreDaring Fearlessly
Deanna Weik Human Services Agency, HR Director – County of Ventura “High stakes. Political powerbrokers. Government insiders. Public affairs. There were multiple prominent and substantive speakers at our Sacramento session, but Jennifer Fearing’s presentation stood out the most to me. Not because she’s a fellow UC Davis alumnus, but because of why she launched Fearless…
Read MoreWe All Have One Mission
Reina Bejerano Director/Chief Technology Officer – Oxnard Union High School District As an educator I am always in awe of how effortless it is for us to come together as an education community to support our students and families. Whether you work in K-12, Higher Education or for the Ventura County Office of Education, we…
Read MoreAn Encouraging Day
Nick Sondergoth Sr. VP – Investments, Wells Fargo Advisors During our most recent VCLA session, we had the opportunity to hear from a fantastic lineup of speakers that each held an impressive breadth of knowledge within their respective disciplines. In particular, the front half of the day was particularly impactful, as the focus turned towards…
Read MoreThe Economy and Transportation
Nelson Buss Realtor – Aviara Real Estate We opened our session at the Port of Hueneme with a report on the local economy from Bruce Stenslie, CEO of the Economic Development Collaborative. Key takeaways for me included Ventura County being the #1 ranked county in the nation amenities index and ranked near the top in…
Read MoreKeeping Our County Running
Erin Larner Manager of Operations – Ventura, Aera Energy LLC At our most recent VCLA session, I learned so much about the breadth and depth of what the Public Works Agency does to keep the County running. A huge thank you goes out to David Fleisch and the Ventura County Water & Sanitation Department in…
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