10 people to watch
10 people to watch
By: Dana Martin
Ten names on a sheet of paper seem ordinary. There is nothing spectacular about 10 names.
Behind each name, though, is a person with an uncommon dete... Ten names on a sheet of paper seem ordinary. There is nothing spectacular about 10 names.
Behind each name, though, is a person with an uncommon determination to give back to this community. Each has arrived on the community stage as a leader who feels a responsibility to his or her fellow man and a loyalty to Bakersfield that compares only to the passion of a devoted sports fan.
What began as an article commending local “movers and shakers” on their professional successes and future aspirations turned into a celebration of 10 extraordinary human beings.
Without exception, none of the 10 think what they do is special. Some work in the public eye, some don’t, but they all share the same unflinching, unapologetic positive opinion of a town known more for its poor air than for the singular compassion of its residents.
Bakersfield Life would like to highlight these 10 outstanding individuals, who not only make a difference in their chosen field, but also stand out in their love for their hometown and the people living in it.
Kimberly Mullins
Field Representative for Kern County Supervisor Jon McQuiston
Kim Mullins has a passion, and it isn’t a passion in the same sense that people feel passionate about reading, fine wine or the Dodgers. Her passion is for public service, and she takes it to Olympic levels.
As a field representative for Supervisor Jon McQuiston, Mullins’ role is to be his “eyes and ears,” helping constituents in a 2,100-square-mile area in Kern County work through challenges.
“I am a coordinator of logistics when constituents face challenges and just can’t seem to get around the system,” said Mullins.
Getting around the system might be as easy as learning who to call about code enforcement or whether a property is located in the city or the county.
Some issues, though, are weightier, like when a neighborhood rallied for stop signs after a child was killed riding a skateboard. Mullins coordinated various agencies and worked with the neighborhood watch group to approve and install the 13 signs.
Mullins is a public servant—and not in name only.
Mullins, 40, started her career as a California Highway Patrol officer where she enjoyed having her “boots on the ground,” working each incident alongside the community she served. After an injury forced an early retirement, she later worked for the Kern County Fire Department, where she says she helped more people (in a different capacity) as a community liaison.
“It helped tie everything together for me,” she said.
When the opportunity to work for McQuiston’s office presented itself, she jumped at the chance to help even more people.
As a field representative, Mullins plans to stay as long as McQuiston is in office. After that, she hopes to venture back to her roots in emergency services and assist in the disaster-preparedness system already in place so she can, not surprisingly, help more people.
“We have an excellent system in Kern County. I’d like to play a larger part in assisting in that.”
Mullins says she cherishes every day she can get up and make someone’s life easier and claims the outlook is paramount to all public servants.
“Our No. 1 job is to provide service to the public. And if you aren’t in it to serve the public, don’t get in this line of work,” said Mullins. “These are very challenging times. It’s going to take a lot of listening, understanding and hard work to provide the same level of service with less funding.
“If I have to take a furlough day so that one senior citizen gets a Meals on Wheels, then that’s what I’ll do.”
That’s a public servant. Olympic style.
Bryan Burrow
Vice president and senior client manager for Bank of America
Most native Bakersfieldians have a certain affinity for the city’s quaintness and quirks, and they accept the bad air, heat and fog in trade for neighborly quality of life. Yet, sometimes it takes a transplant to recognize characteristics of the city that go unnoticed by longtime residents.
Bryan Burrow, 38, grew up in Texas, but a series of jobs — and his wife — brought him to Bakersfield about 10 years ago. As vice president and senior client manager of Bank of America, Burrow works in business banking, where he has gotten to know many people in the ag industry and marvels at how far-reaching Kern County’s agricultural impact is.
“We get spoiled here, but I am reminded when I travel back to Texas and elsewhere,” said Burrow. “I’ll go back to Texas and see grapes (grown by) one of my customers!”
Besides thriving as an agricultural mecca, Bakersfield impresses Burrow with its sense of volunteerism.
And Burrow knows volunteerism. He could be its king.
Burrow didn’t transfer to Bakersfield and become idle in unfamiliar territory. He is an active community participant and sits on at least seven boards — he thinks.
After naming seven, he lost track, and it’s no wonder. From CSUB’s alumni board to serving as a deacon at the Westside Church of Christ, Burrow, a father of two boys, says he donates at least 30 hours a month outside of work to volunteering.
In one organization, he is able to combine work with his passion to serve the community. The Bank of America Foundation provides grants to nonprofits, such as the Diabetes Foundation, making sure funds stay here in the community.
To Burrow, all little things build up to be big things, and providing grants and being a major voice for the Bank of America Foundation feels like his role in the big picture.
“It is a joy to be able to give a grant, a check, to the Boys & Girls Club of Kern County. You just know you are doing good. Or to CASA — those funds are going to help people, not just organizations,” he said.
Burrow hopes Bakersfield continues the heritage of a hometown, where people are important, and he plans to continue his role in maintaining his adopted city’s heritage by constantly exploring different leadership roles.
Bakersfield, he says, has the full package.
“Other communities have a hometown feel, but maybe I’m just biased. There is a strong sense of volunteerism here in Bakersfield, too,” said Burrow.
And, to the heart of a volunteer, that is “Life as it should be.”
Lyle Martin
Assistant police chief for the Bakersfield Police Department
A 21-year veteran of the Bakersfield Police Department, Lyle Martin, 42, was promoted in September to assistant police chief. In his current role, he is in charge of operations — all of the uniform patrol, including the K-9 units, SWAT, traffic division, gang and graffiti units and animal control.
Big job, but Martin thinks big.
The Bakersfield native and graduate of South High School, Martin is more than one of the two men in line to succeed Chief Bill Rector. He’s a father of four and a customer service representative — who also happens to carry a gun.
“My job is to make sure the community expectations and goals, as far as personal service, are met through the operations division,” said Martin. He likes to think he brings a customer service aggressiveness and professionalism to the job.
Making customer service a priority is part of Martin’s big philosophy. He expects officers to behave as pillars of the community.
“The suspect’s mom should be thanking us. If you treat people the way they should be treated, there won’t be issues later.”
The buck doesn’t stop with the officers. Martin feels that no job is beneath him and recently braved traffic to pick up trash along the Truxtun Avenue islands.
“I’m just a hardworking guy trying to make a difference,” he said openly.
Part of the difference he makes is through projects dear to his heart. The Police Activities League (PAL) is Martin’s pet project. Targeting at-risk youth, PAL provides a safe haven after school and on weekends, helping kids stay on the right path and do the right thing. Pairing cops with kids helps them see law enforcement positively.
PAL’s board of directors cannot sit idly and watch others work, however. Unlike in some nonprofits, PAL board members must actively participate in the program.
“I believe in being involved. My drive serves as a model for those who will follow in my footsteps.”
Those are big shoes to fill.
Martin’s hope for the future is bigger yet. “We tell kids to go to school, be lifelong learners, live within their means. We tell them we are holding them accountable. Let’s practice what we preach.
“A lack of honor in government means the morals of the people are poisoned,” said Martin, and then added with a laugh, “I stole that from Herbert Hoover.”
Larceny never looked so good.
Doug Greener
Deputy fire chief for the Bakersfield City Fire Department
In an economy beset by budgetary nightmares and layoffs that leave few professions unscathed, the Bakersfield community struggles to stretch diminishing funds across the most important services and facilities. As families search for second jobs, live with fewer luxuries and, in some cases, try to save the home from foreclosure, how must the emergency services feel the pinch?
For the Bakersfield City Fire Department, less painfully— thanks to one man’s efforts.
A third-generation firefighter, Doug Greener, 45, has been with the Bakersfield City Fire Department for 21 years, almost two of those as deputy fire chief. His area of responsibility is in operations, where he devotes a considerable amount of time to improving the department’s capability to respond to major emergencies and disasters.
There is another less heralded job Greener undertakes for the Fire Department that is, in some respects, even more important. He writes grants.
What could be more important than saving lives, than ensuring firefighter safety and improving response times?
How about generating the funds to pay for it.
“We just know that to get things done, we need to go to alternate funding streams, because the funding is just not there,” said Greener, about the steady cutbacks emergency services in California are experiencing.
Over the years, Greener has written and received grants in excess of $500,000 to fund special programs designed to improve the safety and functionality of the BFD. Of the six federal grants Greener has submitted, five of them were awarded to Bakersfield. The sixth is still out.
If this were baseball, Greener would be batting .833 against all-star pitchers.
The opponents in this game, though, are other fire departments in California vying for the same grant money. Greener says that the last five years have been very competitive because of declining budget dollars across the state.
“The city of Bakersfield is fairly well staffed and has newer apparatus. It’s difficult to make a good argument for funding when you’re competing against departments with no turnouts,” said Greener.
Yet, he manages to argue successfully. With the funding Greener has helped secure, the BFD has used the money on programs the agency could not otherwise afford, such as a limited paramedic program and the Department Operations Center (a hub for handling major emergencies).
In the future, Greener hopes to secure more funding as he keeps an eye on the city’s steady growth. He says he’ll keep looking for more grants, even as the competition gets tougher.
Chad Hathaway
Chief operating officer of Hathaway Group
If you’re considering going into business, you may need a blueprint of how a successful operation runs. Years ago, you could have called Harry and Esther Snyder, the founders of In-N-Out Burger, who believed equally in ethics, simplicity and in the worth of their employees.
Today, you can just watch Chad Hathaway.
Hathaway, 33, is in the oil business. And before biases toward big oil make you turn the page, let him explain.
Chad Hathaway grew up modestly just six blocks from East High. He was Bakersfield College football team’s kicker and transferred to Fresno State. He did not earn his college degree because cancer got to him first.
After one year in a Seattle hospital and a bone marrow transplant, Hathaway found himself on a mission to help others.
For three years, Hathaway was the chairman for Light the Night, a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. When the oil company he started from scratch took off, though, he discovered that he had less time to volunteer. So, Hathaway found another way to help.
“I am a big believer in supporting where you came from. With the growth of my business, I don’t have time to dedicate, so it’s important that I dedicate the capital,” said Hathaway.
The busy husband and father donates aplenty, but Hathaway also feels obligated to take care of his partners and his employees.
“Every dollar taken in by this business, I have a personal responsibility to know where that money is going. The most important things are keeping my employees busy and seeing them succeed. A lot of guys go out and buy toys, but we invest it back into the business,” he said.
And his business is oil, providing a product people need. Hathaway says that even though Kern County benefits from the tax revenue generated locally by oil companies, common perception is negative.
“Big oil isn’t me, but big oil isn’t bad, either. A significant number of the county’s public programs’ revenue is generated by the oil and ag industry. Oil is financially one of the biggest givers in the community,” he said.
.
Giving suits him, and he believes in community. The blueprint for Hathaway’s business model is transparent, indeed: It’s Golden, and it’s a Rule.
Carol Sorrell
Chief executive officer and president of Kern Health Systems
Carol Sorrell is decisive. Ask her husband of 26 years. She met Jeff at 15 and never looked back. She graduated from high school at 16 and decided to become a nurse. She did that, too, and received her nursing license at 20 years old.
Sorrell graduated from Bakersfield College’s nursing program and decided that the only place she wanted to work was Kern Medical Center, so she made that happen.
“During my training, I worked at all the hospitals, but I felt at home at KMC,” she said. Sorrell had discovered a proclivity for working with low-income patients, a passion that would turn into a career with Kern Health Systems. The public agency is an HMO like Kaiser or Blue Cross, with one major exception.
“We provide access and quality care to the most vulnerable citizens of our county,” she said. “Those without medical insurance.”
Kern Health Systems contracts exclusively with the state of California and currently serves 110,000 people. Sorrell works as the program’s CEO and president, but is more “hands on” than her titles imply. Her heart is one for service.
. Some people hate going to work. Carol Sorrell is not one of those people.
Along with her regular duties as CEO, which include managing 160 employees and the headaches primarily associated with handling $15 million a month, Sorrell gets to grant worthy organizations the funds they need to operate during this tough economy.
“This community is very civically minded. It makes it difficult when people are worrying about their own incomes to worry about others. I think we are doing a good job. And in this economy, we are doing as good as can be done.”
Kern Health Systems, with the blessing of its board, gives yearly grants. “You just don’t realize what $25,000 means to (an organization) until you see reactions of people you are able to help,” she said.
Among those receiving grants in 2009 were the Alliance Against Family Violence, the Bakersfield Homeless Shelter and the Bakersfield Food Bank, which received $100,000 (their food budget for the entire year).
“This year we focused on organizations hurt by the economy — organizations that provide services to our most vulnerable community members,” said Sorrell.
Long-term plans include collaborating with KMC to provide more specialists so that patients don’t need to leave town for services they need. Making patients’ lives easier makes Sorrell happy.
So does the thought of retiring — someday. “It’s good to come to work,” said Sorrell.
See, Sorrell had planned to retire at 50, but at 49, she can’t.
She simply hasn’t decided to yet.
Andrae Gonzales
Executive director of Faith in Action – Kern County
Generating enthusiasm for community involvement is tiresome work, but Andrae Gonzales has infused new life into the concept. In fact, he has given it a brain, heart, and courage, too.
The Wizard of Oz he isn’t, but Gonzales’ city is just as beautiful and troubled. Layoffs, foreclosures and violence are burdens most cities must shoulder, but Gonzales is using his faith to find grass-roots solutions to community issues.
Gonzales, 27, is the dynamic executive director of Faith in Action, a network of 12 churches that have committed to improving the quality of life of all people living in Kern County.
After graduating from East High, Gonzales earned his college degree at UC Berkeley. Unlike many young graduates, who choose fairer weather or higher paying jobs over life in the valley, Gonzales felt a calling to return home to a community he wanted to repay for his success.
In 2006, his commitment to Faith in Action was born. Using his passion for the city and his desire to unite different religions for a common goal, Gonzales and local clergy members started the organization to help train congregations to become engaged in their communities and help their neighbors.
“We promote civic participation. We want to bring new voices. We want people to recognize their local church as somewhere to negotiate positive living, bring concerns and find solutions,” said Gonzales.
A major concern in 2009 has been the housing foreclosure crisis. Faith in Action organized a community meeting where 700 people, including grass-roots leaders, shared the impact the crisis was having in their communities.
That meeting sparked real change.
“We were able to recruit HOPE NOW (an alliance between HUD-approved counseling agents and mortgage companies) to come to Bakersfield,” said Gonzales. “We held an all-day workshop at Rabobank Arena on June 13, where loss mitigation specialists from across the United States met face to face with troubled homeowners.”
Gonzales said that while there is still much work to do, the workshop netted positive results for many homeowners, some received reduced rates or saved as much as $1,500 a month on mortgage payments.
Gonzales expects the number of churches involved in Faith in Action to double next year, as more people appreciate the value of building bridges across different ethnic communities and different denominations.
“I am so deeply indebted to this community for making me the person I am. My local church, my community, all my experiences, people and teachers I interacted with had a profound effect on how I see the world,” said Gonzales.
And for other college graduates looking for direction, he has a message: There’s no place like home.
Martin Croad
President of Croad Electric and owner of Croad Vineyards
Bakersfield needs an ambassador. The city suffers its share of bad jokes, bad air and bad press, but compared to other California burgs, perhaps Bakersfield has been misjudged.
Maybe all it needs is an encouraging voice.
Enter a New Zealander by the name of Martin Croad. Sure, he sounds a little different, but perhaps Croad’s delightful accent adds legitimacy to his opinion.
In other words, if a New Zealander loves Bakersfield so much, how bad could it be?
After graduating from high school in New Zealand and completing an electrical apprenticeship program, Croad traveled the world for four years before landing in Bakersfield in 1985 to visit a friend. It took no time for him to realize he wanted to stay.
“The people here are great. The business climate was good, so was the community involvement and support. I really just enjoyed everybody,” said Croad.
So, he started Croad Electric, married Patti, and settled in for life.
Croad Electric has just eight employees because its owner believes in plodding down the road at an even pace.
“You don’t need to be the biggest out there. You just need to do it well,” said Croad.
His theory worked so well that in 2005 he purchased his own vineyard in Paso Robles. Croad Vineyards is where he says he does the most cheerleading.
“Being in the wine industry and seeing people come in the tasting room, Bakersfield always comes up,” he said.
Croad finds that folks don’t usually know the positives about Bakersfield.
“When they have that impression, and once I tell them about it, they almost always understand my point of view and walk away with a different view of Bakersfield.”
Who better to judge a city than an adventure traveler?
In two years, Croad traveled to Vietnam, Borneo, and India and hopes to travel to either Nepal or Sri Lanka soon. The more foreign the location, the more he likes it.
“A lot of times I’ll just spin the globe around and throw a dart,” he said.
Croad plans to continue traveling, spend weekends at his winery on the coast, and resume his work changing Bakersfield’s reputation.
“When people move away, they have such high expectations, and then they realize that Bakersfield has a lot more positive points than what they realized or what people have said about it,” said Croad. “It’s all about educating people to that end.
“A slogan we have at Croad Vineyards is: ‘Vines in Paso Robles, Roots in Bakersfield.’”
Ambassador Croad, the podium is yours.
Christine Frazier
Kern County superintendent of schools
Considering the state of the State of California, particularly the budgetary belt that has cinched the life from education, why would anyone agree to manage all 47 school districts in a county as large as Kern?
“Because I think this organization is stupendous!” said Christine Frazier, newly appointed and energetic Kern County superintendent of schools. “People ask why you’d take this job with finances so bad,” she said, but noted that she’s been dealing with districts on the brink of bankruptcy for years.
She’s the Suze Orman of the school site. Money troubles are her forte.
Frazier, 57, served on the state Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, where she worked with major urban inner city school districts drowning beneath tides of fiscal and organizational mismanagement, helping them reorganize and regain fiscal solvency.
Besides her money-managing skills, Frazier has been a classroom teacher, a migrant resource teacher, a principal and the superintendent of Kernville Union School District.
Qualifications aside, Frazier has the fortitude to keep the school districts in Kern County operating successfully during the economic slump.
“The state is dysfunctional right now, and we don’t know how far they’re going to cut our schools. Our districts need accurate information and guidance from us on how to maintain fiscal stability and at the same time meet academic needs of the kids,” said Frazier.
She is prepared to offer that leadership.
Looking at painful program cuts to after school and counseling programs, Frazier utilizes smaller budget methods to focus on long-term student success.
Frazier wants more Web-accessible resources available to students, like U-Planit, a Web based career planning resource for middle school students.
U-Planit will allow students to access videos of interesting jobs in Kern County. Hosted by high school students and designed to entertain “tweens,” Frazier says that the videos will introduce kids to a multitude of jobs and give them the coursework steps they need to prepare for that career, while they are still young enough to “plan it.”
“We will also be able to take them on virtual tours of universities — but not the library!” joked Frazier, who said their virtual college tours will focus on the entertaining side of college, like the recreational facilities. Generating excitement about college is the goal.
If excitement alone could ensure success, then KCSOS would be awash with funds and services under the enthusiastic guidance of Christine Frazier.
“I feel so blessed,” she said. “It’s nice to be in a career where you love going to work everyday.”
Nice for the students, too, who benefit from her optimism and passion.
Kimberly Salas
Special Assistant for Kern County Supervisor Michael J. Rubio
Kim Salas works for Supervisor Michael Rubio as his special assistant. She likes the job. She knows the job.
She’s about to leave the job.
Well, maybe — but not quite.
Ten years ago, Salas, 37, helped her husband’s aunt run for Assembly and immediately caught the political bug. The adrenaline rush, Salas says, was so addictive that she sought a career in politics.
Between 2003 and 2004, Salas worked on Rubio’s campaign for supervisor. When he won in March 2004, Salas began working full time as his assistant.
Her duties now range from watching special issues and reporting to Rubio, to helping with campaign details and being his community liaison.
“If he can’t make it to an event, I go in his stead,” said Salas.
She’s passionate about encouraging people to serve their community.
“As a mother, my kids are always in the line of my work, always with me, picking up trash or just seeing that there are needs in the community,” said Salas. “I like using my job to get people the resources and services that they might need.”
Her desk phone rings, but she often isn’t there because the community needs her. Besides picking up trash, Salas resolves Fifth District issues, like when double parking became a problem at Sierra Middle School.
Salas arranged a meeting between the Roads Department, law enforcement, the principal and parents to help resolve the safety problem. Today, the CHP patrols the area, “no parking” signs are prevalent, and a red stripe prohibits stopping.
Salas is pleased. “Those are the things you look at and you know you made a difference in community. We can’t do everything, but what we get done is good.”
The district covers Arvin, Lamont and parts of Bakersfield. Its dense population means scattered management for Salas. “It’s different every day. I have the freedom to be in the community and touch base with people,” said Salas, and she loves it.
So why the possible job change?
“My boss is running for state Senate,” she said with a grin. “Michael has decided to make the jump from supervisor to senator.”
If Rubio wins the election at midterm, the supervisor’s seat would become vacant, and the governor would need to appoint Rubio’s successor. Salas hopes to get that appointment so she can continue her work in the district she loves.
If she doesn’t, that’s OK, too, she says.
“If I don’t get the governor’s appointment, then I would go with Michael.”
But if she does, everyone wins. “Supervisor Salas” could continue making progress right where Rubio left off.
Copyright 2011 The Bakersfield Californian