Workforce Development Board Members

Contra Costa County

Current Board Members

Michael Aidan
Senior Union Representative
Medical Professionals & Optometry Units, ESC
Mr. Aidan is one of the Contra Costa Central Labor Council appointees, representing Engineers and Scientists of California. ESC represents professional workers in healthcare, utilities, government and airline. Mr. Aidan earned his education at Ruskin College, Oxford, and the National Labor College, Maryland.

Lily Aman
Center Manager
California Human Development (CHD)
Ms. Aman manages the CHD’s Anthony Soto Employment Training (ASET) Center in Stockton. The ASET is a vocational training center that serves farm workers, and offers truck driving training, welding, building maintenance and forklift operation courses.

Martin Aufhauser
Chairman of the Board
Senior Vice President
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Mr. Aufhauser is an active community leader whose involvement includes the Town of Moraga, the San Francisco World Affairs Council and the American Jewish Committee, among many others. Mr. Aufhauser is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and The Wharton School Account Executive program. He is currently the Senior Vice President and Wealth Advisor for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.

Linda Backens
Advisor, Policy and Operational Excellence
Chevron Corporation
Ms. Backens has held several Human Resources positions with Chevron over the past 33 years. She raised two sons in Contra Costa County, and her family enjoys outdoor activities. Ms. Backens received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University, and moved to California when she started working for Chevron.

Helen Benjamin
Chancellor
Contra Costa Community College District
Dr. Benjamin began her career at the district in 1990, and held progressively higher level positions before her appointment to Chancellor. She is a member of the Contra Costa Council, the National Council on Black American Affairs, the Presidents’ Round Table and the Congressional Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. Dr. Benjamin has a B.S. degree in English and Spanish from Bishop College in Texas. She earned master’s and doctoral degrees from Texas Woman's University.

Bob Brewer
Vice President, Workforce Development
Goodwill Industries of the Greater Bay Area

Robert Brewer joined Goodwill Industries of the Greater East Bay in September 200 as the agency's Vice President of Workforce Development. Mr. Brewer brings 30 years of employment and training experience to this position. Mr. Brewer currently sits on the Workforce Investment Boards in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano Counties. He is also a member of the Solano County Re-Entry Council.

Emily Brizendine
Executive Director
California State University, East Bay Concord Campus
An educator for 38 years, Dr. Brizendine began her career in the public schools, serving as a high school teacher, a middle school vice principal and as the district coordinator for Multicultural Education in Long Beach Unified School District (CA). She received her B.A., M.A., and Ed.D. from University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Brizendine has served on a number of review boards of journals in the area of educational leadership and policy implementation and impact.

Chuck Carpenter
Contra Costa Central Labor Council
Mr. Carpenter is an executive board member of the Central Labor Council. He has worked for the Economic Development Dept. of Contra Costa College. Mr Carpenter was the Safety Coordinator for Richmond Build Green Training Academy . He has worked as a construction project superintendent for twenty five years and is a member of the Carpenters Union. Mr Carpenter is the County Chairman of the Democratic Party.

Robert Calkins
Program Manager
CDBG of Contra Costa County
Mr. Calkins administers the County’s $3.6 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. He has worked in the community development, economic development, and planning fields in the Bay Area for almost 30 years and has extensive knowledge of the challenges facing lower income families.

Joanne Durkee
Director of Adult and Career Education
Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Ms. Durkee represents Contra Costa Adult Schools on the Workforce Development Board. Under her leadership, Mt. Diablo Adult Education has been a long time partner with the WDB and One-Stop Career Centers. She has collaborated with numerous organizations, including all those represented on the One Stop Operator Consortium, to support adult learners, job seekers, and local business and industry.

Laurie Fox
Past Chair
Consultant
Laurie Fox Consulting Company
Ms. Fox has over 30 years of experience in human resources management in several different industries including biotechnology, financial services and newspaper publishing. Her last position was Vice President of Human Resources for the Bay Area News Group, before she retired and began her own consulting business. Laurie received a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Davis and an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.

Mary Harms
Community Service Director
United Way of the Bay Area

Ms. Harms is the labor liaison between the United Way and The Contra Costa Central labor council. She has been a member of UHW for eight years as a home care worker.

Norman K. Hattich
Principal
Norman Hattich Consultant
Mr. Hattich has more than 45 years of experience in the electrical, petrochemical, beverage and alternate energy fields. Among his many partnership and collaborations, he has served with Associated Builders and Contractors, Solano County Economic Development Corporation, California Contractors, Alliance Western States Petroleum Association and Solano County General Plan Steering Committee.

Jeffery L. Hudson

Mr. Hudson has been a registered nurse for over 20 years. His nursing background has been emergency and flght nursing until 2004, when he became a nurse executive and began serving as a senior leader in the daily operations of acute care hospitals. Mr. Hudson has held the roles of Chief Nursing Officer and currently, Chief Operating Officer (COO). Mr. Hudson serves as the COO of Kaiser Foundation Hospital Walnut Creek. Mr. Hudson has been involved in WorkForce Development since 2007. He served on the Florida Crown Workforce Board. He was appointed to the Contra Costa County WorkForce Development Board in 2011.
Chief Hospital Operating Officer
Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Inc.

Jan Hunter
Director of Workforce Planning and Development
John Muir Health
In her role at John Muir Health, Ms. Hunter analyzes workforce needs and sets strategy and designs solutions to ensure that John Muir Health has a skilled and trained workforce. Ms. Hunter earned a B.S. in Marketing at Ball State University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Carol Hyland
District Administrator
California State Department of Rehabilitation

Brenda King-Randle
Coordinator of K-12 Operations
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Ms. King-Randle manages the School to College and Career programs for WCCUSD. Her school administration experience includes roles as Principal, Instructional Specialist, and Assistant Principal. She previously worked for Crown Zellerbach and Xerox Corporations before starting her career in education. Ms. King-Randle earned a B.S. in Sociology from Southern University and an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University.

Maureen Mack
Business Owner and Consultant
HR Principal, LLC
Ms. Mack has twenty years in human resources and recruiting for businesses of all sizes. She has supported management in high tech, manufacturing, financial services, retail and construction-related companies. She is a graduate of Michigan State University.

Michael McGill
President/Principal Engineer
MMS Design Associates
Mr. McGill has designed and managed a variety of public works and private land development projects. He has specific expertise in the areas of environmental assessments, flood control, hydraulics and hydrology, grading, drainage, and erosion control and has overseen infrastructure projects totaling in excess of $1 billion. He has a B.S. in Civil Engineering, an M.S. in Civil Engineering, and an M.S. in Water Resources Engineering, all from the University of Michigan.

Joe McCormack
Manager, Human Resources
Tesoro Refinery
Mr. McCormack has over 20 years of experience in Human Resources Management. He has been active in supporting local employment and workforce development initiatives in the state of Montana and now in Contra Costa County. Mr. McCormack earned a B.A. from Kettering University, an M.S. from Central Michigan University, and a J.D. from Cooley Law School.

Gretchen Medel
President
Office Tech Staffing

John Montagh
Redevelopment & Housing Manager
City of Concord

Anne D. Quick
Vice President of Education
Associated Builders & Contractors

Tom Quinn

Business Representative
Carpenters Local 152

Camille Rose
Consultant
http://www.pinkpurse.org
Ms. Rose is the founder of Pink Purse Ventures, a company providing innovative incubator services for women entrepreneurs. She is also the author of "Your Business Plan is LIKE A BRA...it supports your every move." Her entrepreneurial experience is spread across several areas of practice: Knowledge Management, Social Media, Web Development, Business Model Generation, and Brand Building. A serial entrepreneur, Camille has started six of her own businesses over the past 15 years. She is now focused on helping women start successful businesses.

Will Sanford
Executive Director
Futures Explored, Inc.

Jim Smith
Superintendent of Water Treatment
East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)
Mr. Smith is responsible for six water treatment plants in his current position at EBMUD. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Solano Community College. Mr. Smith has a B.S. degree in Environmental Resource Management from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.S. in Environmental Science from Drexel University.

Anthony Sordini
Project Coordinator
Swords to Plowshares
Mr. Sordini works directly with veterans and employers at Swords to Plowshares. His work includes developing employment and training opportunities for veterans and managing grants from the DOL and WIA. Mr. Sordini works to ensure veterans are qualified for jobs in the "Green Industry". Mr. Sordini is a member of the Contra Costa Veterans Employment Committee (VEC), He earned his B.A. degree in Sociology and Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Scott Stephan
Assistant Business Manager
International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers, Local Union 302
Mr. Stephan graduated from De La Salle High School in 1984 and went on to serve in the U.S. Navy. In 1995 he joined the IBEW and began his electrical career. Mr. Stephan is now responsible for the Sound & Communication Unit in Contra Costa County. He received an A.A. from Diablo Valley College.

April Treece
Director
Contra Costa Economic Partnership’s Workforce Initiative
Ms. Treece works as an intermediary between public education and industry to support effective long-term workforce development strategies. She has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Contra Costa Council since 1996, and served twice as the chair of its Workforce Development/Education Task Force.

Joe Valentine
Director
Employment and Human Services Department - Contra Costa County
Mr. Valentine has over 30 years of experience in managing public human service programs at the city, county, and state level. He received a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Washington, and is an adjunct instructor for Western Washington University and San Francisco State University.

Yolanda Vega
Performance & Learning Consultant
Bay Area Rapid Transit District
Ms. Vega is passionate about serving workers and helping them gain the skills necessary to succeed. Her career has provided her the opportunity to live and work all over the world, thereby learning the business and social cultures of different countries. Ms. Vega earned a B.A. in Political Science from City College of New York, and an M.B.A. from St. Mary’s College of California. She is a Gold Star Mom.

Barbara Vineyard
Workforce Services Manager
Employment Development Department

Tom Waller
Vice Chair
Business Consultant
Business Growth Solutions
Mr. Waller specializes in strategy, innovation and marketing for small businesses. He has a management background in large and small companies, including manufacturing operations, strategic planning, sales, marketing, and international business development. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a postgraduate degree from Georgia Tech.

Glen Zamanian
Business Consultant
Glen Zamanian Consulting
Mr. Zamanian is a senior sales executive with over 20 years of successful global experience in building sales and field service teams. He received a B.A. in Business Administration from Sonoma State University, and completed California Institute of Technology’s Engineering Management Certificate Program.