Isa Avanceña Manager of Research and Policy

Isa joined Valley Vision in 2019. She serves as Manager of Research and Policy supporting the Board of Directors; the Innovation & Infrastructure and Leadership & Civic Engagement impact areas; as well as Valley Vision’s research and policy work. Prior to joining Valley Vision, she earned her Juris Doctor degree in the Philippines, where she […]

Caitlin Blockus Project Manager

Caitlin joined Valley Vision in 2021 as Project Associate, supporting the 21st Century Workforce Impact Area, and now works as a Project Manager overseeing Workforce programs Professional Experience During her undergraduate career, Caitlin served as an intern in UC Riverside’s Office of Sustainability, working alongside the university to track and improve the usage of green […]

Natalie Garcia Project Associate

Natalie joined Valley Vision in April 2021. She is a Project Associate supporting the Innovation & Infrastructure and 21st Century Workforce Impact Areas. Prior to joining Valley Vision, she worked with the San Joaquin Community Data Co-Op working on a variety of data research reports. Assisting with Assembly Bill 109 Recidivism Studies from 2015 to 2020 […]

Renee John Director of Workforce

Renee joined Valley Vision in March of 2020 to support efforts in the 21st Century Workforce Impact Area. Prior to Valley Vision, Renee led workforce development projects for ten years as a director with a community based nonprofit. Her work has included Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act projects, administering community block grants, youth employment, refugee […]

Brittnii Johnson Executive Associate

Brittnii joined Valley Vision in June of 2021 as an Executive Associate supporting the CEO, Evan Schmidt and office staff administratively.  Professional Experience Brittnii comes with a diverse set of skills and experience.  Her first career was in early childhood education working with children in a preschool setting. She has also assisted prospective college students […]

Grace Kaufman Project Manager

Grace started as Project Manager at Valley Vision in 2020. She works in the Food and Ag and Clean Economy impact areas by managing the Yolo Food Hub project, the Coordinated Rural Opportunities Program, and the Zero Emission Hydrogen Locomotive Project. At Valley Vision, Grace has supported the 2021 Sacramento Region Food System Action Plan, […]

Trish Kelly Managing Director

Trish joined Valley Vision in 2014 as managing director after several years as a consultant to the organization. She oversees Valley Vision’s food and ag economy, 21st century workforce, and broadband strategies.  Professional Experience Trish’s vast regional and statewide networks greatly contribute to the growth and vitality of the region. An effective grant writer, Trish helped […]

Alan Lange Managing Director

I want the Sacramento region to be a place of proactive planning. Let’s address the upstream challenges so that we don’t spend the next several decades living with the consequences.

Kari MacDonald Senior Director of Business Operations

Kari started at Valley Vision in 2020. She manages the business and finance operations of the organization, including ensuring organizational productivity and efficiency, implementing strategies, and optimizing organizational performance. Professional Experience Before joining Valley Vision, Kari worked in nonprofit, for-profit and governmental organizations, which exposed her to multiple perspectives and approaches to community issues. She […]

Nghia Nguyen Project Associate

Nghia joined Valley Vision in 2022 as a Project Associate, supporting the 21st Century Workforce Impact Area. Professional Experience Prior to joining Valley Vision, Nghia served as a Community Advocacy and Mobilization Coordinator at the Gender Health Center where she provided direct service advocacy – supporting healthcare and mental health advocacy, community events, and training […]

Angelina Olweny Project Associate

Angelina joined Valley Vision in 2021 as a Project Associate in the 21st Century Workforce Impact Area. She previously served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in the Sacramento Promise Zone, a Federal place-based initiative that seeks to address inequities in the most distressed areas in urban and rural areas across the nation. Professional Experience Angelina promoted […]

Adrian Rehn Project Leader

Adrian joined Valley Vision in 2014 as an intern, supporting projects to deploy broadband to the underserved, advance an equitable food system, and bring people of different political views together in dialogue. Today he manages the Cleaner Air Partnership, a regional initiative to protect health and promote economic growth, and is helping to facilitate community-led […]