Who We Are

CAVC Board of Directors

The CAVC Board of Directors is a 15-person board representing the public, private, and low-income sectors across Ventura County. Five Board members represent each Ventura County Supervisorial District, five represent the private sector in diverse industries, and five represent organizations and communities working with low-income populations. The Board is united by a shared drive to eradicate poverty and empower communities to ensure everyone can live with dignity.

Vincent Stewart

Vincent Stewart

Chairperson and Private Sector Representative for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Vincent Stewart

Vincent Stewart is CAVC’s Board Chair. He has a long record of service in the community with emphasis on helping disadvantaged populations.  Since 2010, Vincent has been a member of the Planning Commission for the City of Oxnard.  He currently serves on the Oxnard Police Chief’s Advisory Board; St. Paul Baptist Church Board of Trustees and Deacon Board, Waterproofing Kids board; and is active in the NAACP, BAPAC, and the MLK Jr. Committee of Ventura Co.  Vincent worked as a Police Officer for the Ventura County Community College District from 1990 to 2001. He was the Reserve Commander for the Oxnard Police Department from 1986 to 2001.  He worked as a System Security Engineer for Lockheed Martin from 1982 to 2001.

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Magda Weydt

Magda Weydt

Vice Chairperson, Private Sector Representative, MS, RD, Chef-Owner/Operator, Fresh & Fabulous Café.

Magda Weydt

Magda began her career as a Dietitian focusing on menu development and food safety. She started Fresh & Fabulous Café in 2006 and has continued to grow the business for over 11 years. Magda serves on the Oxnard Salsa Committee and is a board member of the Downtown Oxnard Merchants Association. She has been a member of the Marketing Committee for the Oxnard Downtown Improvement District for eight years. Her business employs workers from the Goodwill ESE program to help them get back into the work force and also mentors interns enrolled in the culinary program at Pacifica High School. Recently she has volunteered her time and skills at the World Central Kitchen Thomas Fire Response kitchen in Ventura serving countless meals to the evacuees and first responders of the Thomas Fire. Magda is also a wife and a mother of two young boys.

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Anson Mar

Anson Mar

Secretary/Treasurer, Private Sector

Anson Mar

Anson Mar has over 15 years’ experience in the financial services industry that includes new business, commercial, industrial, and commercial real estate lending. As the owner of several small businesses, he is a passionate advocate for the business owner and is committed to helping our business members succeed. He is known for his high energy, flexibility with diverse audiences, upbeat style, good sense of humor and intuition.  Anson and his wife have lived in Camarillo since 2004 and have three children.

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OPEN

Low Income Sector Representative

Joe Asebedo

Coming soon.

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James Boyd

James Boyd

Low-Income Sector Representative

James Boyd

James Boyd, an Electrical technician by trade, applies expert knowledge, industry experience, and passion to solving homelessness in Ventura County. He began his career at Human Services Agency in 2008 and transitioned to Ventura County Health Care Agency in 2014. He leads a wide range of programs and services within the county from Healthcare for the Homeless, Transitions Clinic, One Stop Outreach Program, and he also runs several addiction clinics to Backpack Medicine and numerous other programs. James has over 25 years of customer service specializing in serving a variety of demographics throughout the county, specializing on focusing client’s needs to help solve their problems and reach their goals. James resides in Camarillo with his children and his wife of 19 years.

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Betsy Connolly

Dr. Betsy Connolly

D.V.M., Private Sector

Dr. Betsy Connolly

A veterinarian by training, she currently teaches in the Equine Science Department at Pierce College and in the Biology Department at Moorpark College. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University and her Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of Denver. After graduation, she worked for a short time in research followed by 18 years in private equine practice. She has been involved in the Conejo Valley schools and served in leadership roles in the PTA, District Band Boosters and is currently serving on the Conejo Valley Unified School District Board of Education. She is the parent of two CVSD graduates.

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Ramon Flores

Dr. Ramon Flores

Public Sector, District #5

Dr. Ramon Flores

Dr. Ramon Flores came to the United States as a non-English speaker at the age of five. Both his mother and father were factory workers. Dr. Flores is one of five children, and was the first member of his family to graduate from college. Upon receiving his Bachelor’s degree from CSUN in 1989, Dr. Flores entered the aerospace industry as a mechanical engineer for the Rocketdyne Division, Rockwell International. In 1991, Dr. Flores left private industry for a civil service position with Naval Civil Engineering Lab In 2000, Dr. Flores transferred to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, where he served as Training Team Lead for the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System. In 2006, Dr. Flores transferred to the Center for Seabees and Facilities Engineering where he is dual-hatted as the Director of Knowledge Management and the Director of Information Technology.

In November 2008, Dr. Flores was elected as a trustee to the Ventura County Board of Education. Dr. Flores has served as both Vice President once and President of the board three times. Dr. Flores has served as Vice President, President-Elect, and President of the California County Boards of Education (CCBE). CCBE is a state-wide organization which advocates for county boards of education.

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Community Action Ventura County Colored Circular Logo

OPEN

Public Sector, District #2

Cindy Goldberg

Coming soon.

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Lorena Guereca

Lorena P. Güereca

Low-Income Sector Representative

Lorena P. Güereca

Lorena P. Guereca is a first generation college graduate. She received her Bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from UC Irvine.  While at UC Irvine, she promoted higher education through the Early Academic Outreach Program working primarily in low-income areas in Orange County.  After graduation, Lorena joined the City of Oxnard’s Community Development Department as an intern concentrating on improving communication, outreach, and project completion in South Oxnard.  She served on various City Committees bringing to light community concerns and input for improved services.  Lorena continued to advocate for community improvements when she joined downtown Oxnard’s Property-based Improvement District where she served as a liaison between the business community and the City of Oxnard. As Program Director, she oversaw the implementation of the organization’s work plan and budget for downtown revitalization projects.

Most recently, Lorena serves as the Regional Community Liaison for Vista Real Charter High School, a public, non-profit charter school in Ventura County serving at-risk youth working towards their high school diploma. She is committed to helping others be self-sufficient, productive, and contributing members of society. Both Lorena and her husband are big baseball fans. If they are not working, you can find them at a Dodger game.

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Kate Mills

Kate Mills

Low-Income Sector Representative

Kate Mills

A critical care registered nurse by training, Kate has served both the public and private health care industry in the areas of medical case management and health care program administration,

administering the Emergency Medical Service System for the Ventura County Health Care Agency, VCMC’s departments of Utilization Review, Social Services, and Discharge Planning, and established their department of preadmission. 2006 thru 2017, Kate was program administration of the Ventura County Health Care for the Homeless Program and, in 2008, planned, organized, and managed the multi-locational Ventura County One-Stop Program, recognized as a best practice program by the federal Health and Human Services Administration. A former Ventura County Fire Chaplain, Kate currently serves on the board of Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation, is a member of the Ventura Social Service Task Force and Home for All, and currently volunteers at E.P.Foster Library as a liaison to community resources. Kate is a lifelong resident of Ventura County and, together with her husband Ed, serves as Deacon Couple at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church.

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JSP

Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios

Public Sector, District #1

Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios

Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios was appointed to the Ventura City Council in February 2021 to represent District 4. On November 8, 2022, Jeannette was elected to council by
voters in that district and was recently selected by her peers to serve as Deputy Mayor for the City of Ventura.

Jeannette earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in Higher Education Leadership at California Lutheran University.

Pursuing her passion for public service, Jeannette has served as District Director for the California State Assembly, worked with various local community organizations including, but not limited to, the El Concilio Family Services, Ventura Education Partnerships, and the Police Activities League.

Jeannette has lived in Ventura for more than a decade with her husband Otto where they have raised two children, Amanda and Matthew. Jeannette’s family moved to
Ventura’s East End after losing her home in the Thomas Fire. Jeannette enjoys theoutdoors and you will often see her running the beautiful trails of Harmon Canyon, as
well as spending time in her garden.

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Christina Villasenor

Christina Villaseñor

Public Sector District Representative #3

Christina Villaseñor

Christina currently serves as a Councilmember in the City of Fillmore. Born and raised in the Santa Clara Valley, Christina’s family roots in the valley go back 90 years on both sides of her family (mother’s side Fillmore, father’s side Santa Paula) to her grandparents’ work as farmworkers and later in construction.

Christina’s work as a public health and social justice advocate spans two decades. After graduating from U.C. Berkeley, she worked for Latino Issues Forum, a state-wide public policy and advocacy institute on issues of health care access and addressing health disparities. She obtained her Masters in Public Health degree from UCLA and worked for 11 years in the LA County Department of Public Health, leading collaborations between communities and local governments to adopt tobacco control ordinances and enroll families in Medi-Cal and Covered California.

Along with serving on the CAUSE Action Fund Board, Christina is also a Board member of Community Action Ventura County, whose mission is to help our community establish pathways out of poverty through advocacy, partnerships, and services that promote dignity and self-sufficiency. Christina’s also a member of the Santa Clara Valley Democratic Club and has been a vocal advocate for education, testing services and vaccines for Santa Clara Valley residents throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic. She helped organize the first Mental Health Resource Fair in Fillmore in May 2021 and aims to continue these and more efforts to raise awareness about mental health needs, particularly for our youth.

Christina keeps very busy being a stay-at-home mom to her daughter and finding ways to stay involved in issues her community. She is a life-long member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Santa Paula and enjoys baking, traveling, biking and being active with her family around Fillmore and beyond.

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Jayn Walter

Jayn Walter

Low-Income Sector Representative

Jayn Walter

Jayn Walter received a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management from the University of Houston-Downtown. Prior to moving to California, Jayn worked for eight years as a College Counselor at YES Prep Public Schools, a charter school dedicated to helping low-income students in the Houston area enroll and graduate from a 4-year college or university. She and her husband moved to Ojai, California in 2016, where Jayn completed her graduate field study as an intern at HELP of Ojai. Jayn began working for HELP in June 2017 where she currently serves as a Case Manager at the Community Assistance Program. One of Jayn's proudest accomplishments during her time at HELP of Ojai was leading the organization's Thomas Fire relief program. Though a city girl at heart, Jayn loves living in the beautiful town of Ojai with her husband and their two whippets. 

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