Leadership
BKRHC is led by a nine-member Executive Board with fiduciary and legal responsibility for the operations of the organization and managed by a full-time professional staff. The work of the Continuum of Care (CoC) is maintained and conducted by a sixteen-member Governing Board, authorized by the Voting Members of the CoC to conduct the work and structure defined in the CoC Governance Charter. The Executive Board and Governing Board fulfill unique and important roles in managing BKRHC and meeting different corporate and policy requirements.
Executive Board
The Bakersfield Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative (BKRHC) Executive Board is responsible for appointing and overseeing the Executive Director, BKRHC finances, contracts and media relations, with the goal of ending homelessness in Kern County’s communities. The Executive Board was established in 2019. The nine-member Executive Board includes two representatives each from the County of Kern and City of Bakersfield, four subject matter experts and one at-large member appointed by the Governing Board.
Regular Meetings of the Executive Board are held on the first Thursday of the month at 2:00 P.M. They are open to the public to attend.
Executive Board Meeting Agendas, Minutes and Materials are available here
Carlos Baldovinos
Chairman
Executive DirectorThe Mission at Kern County
Traco Matthews
Vice Chairman
Chief Health Equity OfficerKern Health Systems
James Zervis
Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer
County Administrative OfficerCounty of Kern
Anthony Valdez
Secretary
Assistant to the City ManagerCity of Bakersfield
Carol Beecroft
Women's Center High Desert
Christian Clegg
City of Bakersfield
Stacy Kuwahara
Kern Behavior Health Services
Rebecca Moreno
Kern Medical
Deborah Johnson
California Veterans Assistance Foundation
Governing Board
The work of the Bakersfield Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative is maintained and conducted by a twenty-one member Governing Board, authorized by the Voting Members of the collaborative to conduct the work and structure defined in BKRHC’s Governance Charter. The Governing Board directs the work of BKRHC, conducts hands-on work and facilitates committees and task groups necessary for the proper and efficient functioning of BKRHC, the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) program (Bakersfield/Kern County CA-604) and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program support.
The Governing Board meetings monthly (except December) on the last Wednesday of the month at 9:00 AM. Meetings are open to the public.
A full list of Governing Board committees and working groups is available here.
More information regarding Governing Board Meeting Agendas, Minutes and Materials are available here.
Steve Peterson
Chair
Director of ProgramsThe Mission At Kern County
Theo Dues
CO-Chair
Program ManagerMercy House
Heather Kimmel
Secretary
Assistant Executive DirectorHousing Authority of the County of Kern
Michelle Cooley
HMIS Lead Agency
Special Projects ManagerKern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services
Vanessa Webster
Veteran Representative
County Veterans Services OfficerKern County Veterans Services Department
Gennessa Fisher
Youth Advisory Board
Renee Garcia
Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Funding
Shelter DirectorWomen’s Center–High Desert
Curt Williams
Education Representative
DirectorKern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS)
Louis Gil
CES Lead
DirectorCommunity Action Partnership of Kern
Andy Miskiewicz
Lived Experience
Bitwise Industries
Adriana Kessler
At Large Service Provider
Kern County Department of Human Services
Giovanna Fournier Ocampo
At Large Service Provider
Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance
Sergei Shkurkin
At Large Service Provider
CITYSERVE
Ilene Parra
At Large Service Provider
Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault
Diane Contreras
At Large Service Provider
Director of OperationsFlood Ministries Bakersfield
Open
At Large Service Provider
Amanda Ruiz
At Large CoC Non-Funded
Senior Fiscal and Policy AnalystCounty of Kern Administrative Office
Nina Carter
At Large CoC Non-Funded
Homeless Services PrincipalCity of Bakersfield
Mari Perez-Dowling
At Large CoC Non-Funded
United Way of Kern
Angel Galvez
At Large CoC Non-Funded
Bakersfield American Indian Health Center
Staff
Bakersfield Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative is managed by a full-time professional staff, led by an Executive Director who reports to the Executive Board.