If you’ve lived in Bakersfield for any length of time, you’ve probably heard someone say, “Oh, I was in Leadership Bakersfield – Class of 2000!” Or 1998. Or 2012. It’s one of those programs that people remember with pride. 

 

For decades, this long-standing program created and managed by the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, has brought together local professionals for a year-long deep dive into the industries, institutions, challenges, and opportunities that shape our city. 

 

This isn’t a lecture series. It’s an immersion into Bakersfield – how it works, who makes it work, and where we can step in to serve. 

 

And this year, I’m honored to be part of it. 

 

Each month, our class gathers for a full day focused on a different sector of our community: leadership, health and human services, energy, arts and culture, media and communications, government, education, law enforcement, and agriculture. 

 

We hear from top-tier leaders. We tour facilities most people never see. We ask hard questions. We learn what’s working – and what needs help. 

 

Our very first session in February focused on Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement. It was eye-opening. 

 

We learned how our local justice system functions and spent time understanding the many facets of the Bakersfield Police Department – from officer wellness programs to community engagement to the incredible work happening at the Police Activities League facility. 

 

Then came the live demonstrations: drone units, K9 teams, SWAT, even the bomb squad. 

 

But the unexpected highlight? The BPD AI simulator at the Police Department’s Main Precinct office on Truxtun.  I was handed a very real handgun – it fired laser rounds at a large screen depicting a rapidly unfolding criminal scenario. The sounds, the recoil, the pace – it all felt real. The scene escalated in seconds. I had to react. I had to decide. And yes … I had to fire. 

 

Even in a simulator, your adrenaline surges. You walk away with a deep appreciation for what our officers face every single day – split-second decisions that can mean life or death. 

 

And that was just Day One. 

 

Leadership Bakersfield brings together professionals from across our city – business owners, nonprofit leaders, medical professionals, energy executives, government representatives, educators, and more. 

 

What unites them isn’t job title. It’s heart. 

 

Every participant has made a personal commitment to serve Bakersfield better – to understand it more deeply and to give back more intentionally. 

 

Many alumni of this program have gone on to lead major companies, serve on boards, run nonprofits, and shape the future of this community. It’s exciting to imagine looking back in ten years and seeing what this year’s class will be doing. 

 

This year’s class was divided into four teams after an application and interview process. Each team was intentionally formed based on DiSC personality styles to create balance and strength. 

 

Our Team 2 consists of: 

 

Four incredibly bright and driven young women, and three of us guys who’ve spent decades in business and community life. From day one, everyone has stepped up. No ego. No coasting. Just commitment. 

 

Because Leadership Bakersfield isn’t just about learning, it’s about doing. 

 

Every LB team is tasked with designing and executing a community impact project. Each year, these projects funnel thousands of dollars back into Bakersfield and touch hundreds of lives. 

 

But they’re not just fundraising campaigns.  They’re labors of love. 

 

Each team pours in ideas, sweat equity, expertise, and heart. You build something tangible. You leave something lasting. 

 

After bringing multiple ideas to the table and conducting two in-person site visits, our team chose an ambitious project: Casa Esperanza. 

 

If you haven’t heard of Casa Esperanza, I hadn’t fully understood it either – until we walked through the doors. 

 

Casa Esperanza provides safe housing, education, and essential resources to women and children transitioning from homelessness toward economic stability and permanent housing. 

 

But that simple sentence doesn’t begin to tell the story. 

 

This is a fully immersive, two-year program. The women who enter must choose to be there. They commit to the process. They live in the home near Bakersfield College and attend classes across the street to earn a certification or degree. 

 

Each week, they function as a household – planning meals, cooking together, cleaning together. They attend occupational training. They must earn income, maintain a positive budget, build credit, purchase a vehicle, and prepare for independent living. 

 

By the time they graduate, they are equipped not just to rent – but in some cases to purchase a home. 

 

This isn’t a revolving-door shelter model.  This is generational change. 

 

Children in the home watch their mothers pursue education, build discipline, and reshape their future. That example alone can alter the trajectory of an entire family line. 

 

The program thrives because of the leadership and heart of Executive Director Diane Contreras, Program Manager Susan Harrison (lovingly known as “house mother”), Assistant Program Manager Erin Ortega, and an incredibly dedicated board. 

 

Two of your neighbors serve on that board: Dave Packer of Dave Packer Custom Homes, whose time, expertise, and financial backing have helped transform the property; and Darlene Mohlke of Castle & Cooke, who has helped cultivate a caring and committed leadership structure. 

 

While the women focus on education and economic advancement, their children need enrichment and structure of their own. 

 

That’s where Team 2 comes in. 

 

One of Diane’s dreams has been to convert a room in the house into an activity and learning center for the kids, providing educational guidance and strong futures for the next generation, as well as their mothers.

 

So, Team 2 is planning to build a custom computer “wall” with four to five laptops mounted on a fold-up shelving system so the space can convert back into an open activity room when needed. We’ll create a mural, install art, provide additional furnishings, and convert a standard closet into organized activity storage.  And after months of work, we will reveal and dedicate our project later this year. 

 

Thankfully, Fred Walkover is a gifted woodworker and has already volunteered his garage – and his sweat equity (and yes, ours too) – to build the structure before we install it onsite. 

 

If fundraising exceeds our goal, we plan to build raised garden beds so the children can learn to grow vegetables – maybe even some fresh ingredients for the kitchen – and spend time outside in the sunshine. 

 

I’ll be honest – it feels a little unusual to ask my neighbors for support in these pages. 

But I believe deeply in the power of a caring community. 

 

Greet Seven Oaks will spearhead support from our neighborhood with an initial $500 donation, along with my hours working alongside Fred and the team. 

 

One of our very own community-focused advertising partners, ARRC Technology, has generously committed to providing five laptops, software, and five years of technical support at a substantial discount – dramatically helping us control costs. 

 

Now we need to finish strong. 

 

If you are a local business owner who believes in meaningful, measurable impact – we would love to include you. Sponsors will be recognized with a permanent plaque at the home honoring your commitment to these women and children. 

 

If you’re simply a neighbor with a generous heart, any gift matters. Truly. Every dollar goes directly toward the project through the secure Greater Giving platform and is allocated specifically to our Team 2 account. 

 

This is not overhead. This is impact.

 

Let’s show Casa Esperanza – and these incredible families – what the love of this community can do.  Because leadership isn’t just learned in a classroom.  It’s lived.

 

 

To donate by check, please make them may be payable to Greater Bakersfield Vision 2020. Don't forget to put Team 2 in the memo!