Speakers

California State University, Bakersfield is a thriving, welcoming community dedicated to progress through education, service, innovation and culture in the heart of the nation’s most populous and diverse state, focused on our singular mission to put the success of students at the core of all we do.

Our university was the dream of thousands of Southern San Joaquin Valley families, who, for generations, were faced with the hardship of sending their children hundreds of miles from home for a college education. Through their perseverance, Cal State Bakersfield opened for classes in October of 1970. And in 2000, we opened CSUB-Antelope Valley, a satellite campus in Los Angeles County.

Fifty-three years later, we are still building on that dream. Today, we are at a pinnacle of excellence that is taking our students into unprecedented realms of opportunity, research and achievement, and we are taking our entire region with us.

In science, we are joining with leading laboratories, government agencies and industry partners to envision a new era for energy here in the Energy Capital of California, creating an atmosphere of research and collaboration that is helping CSUB build a pipeline of STEM professionals for our state.

We also are the single largest supplier of teachers and nurses with advanced degrees in our region, and we our proud that the selfless professionals who fill such critical needs in any community consider CSUB their home.

And our reach extends even farther: Agricultural business, economics, entrepreneurship, prelaw, sociology, psychology, criminal justice, kinesiology and, of course, the humanities and the arts, where we offer a full array of experiential training in theatre, music, the visual arts, communications and so much more.

With a population of about 11,000 students, the size of CSUB’s classes allows for greater opportunities for one-on-one interaction with our outstanding faculty members. And we have wrap-around support services that range from responsive financial aid teams and academic advising sessions to basic needs resources, like trips to the Food Pantry and free student health care and counseling services.

But CSUB also is a lot of fun. A full collegiate experience is not complete without lifelong memories of your time here, making friends, exploring your talents, and attending campus events, including concerts, carnivals, spirit days, stimulating conversations and lectures, and the many NCAA Division I athletic events.

At CSUB, we are working to make a difference in the lives of our students, our region and the world, and our efforts are being noticed. We regularly rank in the top tier in the two most important measures of a university’s success on behalf of students: affordability and social mobility – or how far a student can soar with a CSUB degree.

When students, faculty, staff, community members, and first-time visitors arrive on our campus, we hope that the feeling is the same:

You are welcome. You belong here.

And you are a Roadrunner.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Kern County (CASA) has announced its new executive director is Bakersfield native Ashley Vorhees

Previously, Vorhees was the executive director of the American Heart and Stroke Association and site director for Catholic Charities in Bakersfield for several years.

Most recently, she was Vice President of Fundraising and Communications at Girls Scouts of Central California South.

Vorhees will lead CASA’s efforts in recruiting and training volunteers to act as court appointed special advocates to children who have been removed from their homes and placed in foster care.

Georgia Petropoulos has been unanimously selected by its Regional Council to serve as the organization’s first permanent, full-time President and CEO. Petropoulos’ first day will be Sep. 16, 2024.

Petropoulos joins B3K from the Oakland Business Improvement District (Oakland BID) in Pittsburgh, Penn., where she currently serves as CEO. Petropoulos joined Oakland BID in 2004 as Executive Director and was named CEO in 2021. At Oakland BID, Petropoulos has led transformative initiatives to enhance the district’s economic vitality and quality of life. Her visionary leadership and collaborative approach have earned her a reputation as a dynamic leader with a record of driving sustainable growth and innovation.

“We are thrilled to welcome Georgia Petropoulos as the first full-time CEO of B3K Prosperity,” said Greg Bielli, a member of the B3K Prosperity Regional Council and President and CEO of Tejon Ranch. “Her proven track record in economic development and commitment to inclusive engagement make her the ideal leader to join and lead our organization as we scale up implementation activities. Tejon Ranch has been a proud supporter of B3K and its vision since Day 1, and I’m confident that, under her leadership, B3K will continue to accelerate on our ability to implement strategies that attract investment to our region, helping us achieve our three desired outcomes: growth, prosperity and inclusion.”

“From our initial interviews with Georgia it was clear that she understood our vision to reduce the number of struggling families in the Bakersfield-Kern region, and that she was ready to take on the monumental task of putting our region on a trajectory of inclusive growth,” said Morgan Clayton, a member of the B3K Prosperity Executive Committee and Executive Chairman of Tel-Tec Security Systems. “Georgia’s background working with stakeholders ranging from some of the largest education and medical anchor institutions in the U.S. to small and micro-businesses give her a unique perspective that will be invaluable as we seek to grow our region’s traded sectors and also support diverse entrepreneurs and small business owners.”

Assistant Chief of Police Brent Stratton manages the Field Services Division and Special Operations Division of the Bakersfield Police Department.

Assistant Chief Stratton has worked at the Bakersfield Police Department since 2004 and has worked as an Officer in Patrol, the Directed Policing Unit, the Special Enforcement Unit (Gang Unit), and as a Field Training Officer. In 2011, he promoted to Detective where he was assigned to General Investigations and then Robbery/Homicide. In 2012, he was promoted to Sergeant where he worked in Patrol, the Career Criminal Apprehension Team, Major Crimes, Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, and Internal Affairs.

In 2016, he promoted to Lieutenant where he served as a Watch Commander before being transferred to Internal Affairs, Professional Standards, and finally managing the Records Section, Property Section, and the Communications Center. In 2020, he promoted to Captain over the Special Operations Division.

Assistant Chief Stratton has held a variety of collateral assignments including 12 years on the SWAT Team as an Operator, Supervisor, and Commander. He is actively involved in the Department’s Physical Fitness Committee, Academy Instructor, and he represents the organization annually in the “Baker 2 Vegas” relay race.

Assistant Chief Stratton holds a Bachelor’s Degree from San Diego State University in History and a Master’s Degree from California State University Bakersfield in Public Policy and Administration. He is the president of the California Association of Tactical Officers, President of Youth Connection, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Global Family and is on the Advisory Council for the Mendiburu Magic Foundation.

Mrs. Emily Duran is an experienced health care executive with over 25 years of knowledge in health care and social support services. She has served in the roles of health care leadership, management, and program development. The multi-faceted responsibilities as a leader have included Provider Network Management, Corporate Property Acquisition and Development, Grants Management and Community Resources, Homeless Services, Behavioral Health Programs, and Strategic Administrative programs. Prior to her CEO appointment, Emily was serving as the Kern Health Systems Chief Network Administration Officer.

 

Emily’s passion and commitment for community navigated her career path in the non-profit, community-based health care and social services arena. Emily is a woman who cares deeply about the power of grass-roots community education, advocacy for vulnerable populations, as well as health care access for the underserved communities. She is very passionate about any professional contribution she can make towards the betterment of those interests and strives to create strong collaborative partnerships to improve the lives of those she serves. Emily’s accolades include Executive Leadership with one of the largest Federally Qualified Health Centers, administration of State and Federal programs, and extensive experience with multitudes of Foundations, Boards, and committees within the community. She obtained her Masters of Science in Health Care Management with Honors from California State University, Bakersfield, where she also obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy and Administration.

Nancy Anderson serves as Kern County’s Chief Administrative Officer, and brings with her a wealth of government leadership experience. She previously worked for Kern County for 20 years in a variety of key leadership positions, including Chief Operations Officer, Assistant County Administrative Officer for Budget, Finance and Compliance, Assistant Auditor-Controller, and Special Accounting Division Chief.

She then honed her craft at the County of Santa Barbara for four years, serving as their Chief Assistant County Executive Officer and Assistant County Executive Officer. Born and raised in Bakersfield, CA, Ms. Anderson is thrilled to be returning home to lead her community forward. Ms. Anderson also holds a Bachelor of Science from CSU Bakersfield with a concentration in accounting and is a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Luigi’s and Lemucchi’s Grocery has been at its present location since 1910 and is one of Bakersfield’s oldest continuous family operated businesses. Joe Lemucchi, the founder of the business, came to California from Lucca, Italy and started his original cafe on Sumner Street in 1906. Lemucchi married Emelia Degiuli, also an Italian immigrant, and the couple moved in 1910 to the present location of the business at 725 East 19th Street. The original store had family quarters in the rear where the couple’s 4 children, Louis, Lena, Harry and Helen, were born.

The early business featured a grocery, a cafe, a bakery and a gasoline station. 19th Street was the main thoroughfare between Bakersfield, and the then town of Sumner. The street car line from Bakersfield extended east on 19th Street and terminated at Baker Street.East 19th Street also ended at the Lemucchi Store, merging into Edison Highway which became the main highway exiting and entering Bakersfield on the east side.

The now famous Luigi sandwich originated in the cafe where Joe and Emelia always had fresh stew, pasta sauce and minestrone soup for hungry customers. Small but intimate in the back corner of the grocery, the cafe was always a popular gathering spot.After Joe Lemucchi’s death, Emelia and her son, Louis, continued the business. The bar was added next to the old store, and the restaurant expanded into the building to the east. In the 1920’s and 1930’s the concrete and steel structure now housing the  restaurant, had been rented by Shell Oil Company and was at one time their Kern County Headquarters. The new expanded bar and restaurant were named “Luigi’s.”

Luigi was an incessant collector of photos and sports memorabilia, covering the walls of his business with photos of local athletes spanning more than ten decades. The photos displayed on the walls constitute only a small portion of Luigi’s pictorial collection.The photos of Luigi’s are a constant attraction to multiple generations of Kern County patrons who return frequently to view a favored photo with a friend, relative or member of a new generation.Since the death of Luigi in 1989, Luigi’s has been operated by a new generation of the Lemucchi family. Antonia Valpredo, daughters Monica, Lanette and son Gino are the third and fourth generations of the family to operate the popular East Bakersfield establishment.

Location address: 7301 Old River Rd, Bakersfield