Bree Comstock
Bree Comstock joined Ashwood Companies as Director of Administration in January of 2005.  Her responsibilities span a wide range, including project development, staff management, business development, relationship management, human resources, marketing, contract review, project modeling, etc.  Bree received her Bachelor’s of Arts in English Literature Studies from Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga, CA.  She has volunteered and held committee positions for many organizations and non-profit fundraisers  and currently serves on the Board of the United Way of Fresno.  Bree is married and resides in the Sunnyside area of Fresno.

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Geraldine Core
Geraldine Core was raised in St. Petersburg, Florida.  She came to California by way of the United States Air Force.  She served four years at Mathen Air Force Base as a Dental and Medical Technician and two years in the Air Force Reserves as an Administrative Specialist.  She is currently employed by Sacramento County and has worked in various departments within Sacramento County for the past twenty-two years.  Geraldine is a Human Services Specialist in Employment Services for the Cal Works program.  She was the Team Leader for a Teen Pregnancy Prevention program for five years and is currently a mentor for the Opportunity Knock program which helps high-risk high school students stay in school.  She enjoys travel, working out at the gym, music and good food.

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Susan Douglas
Susan Douglas is a program coordinator, mentor and artist.  She grew up in New England.  Susan completed her B. A. at Goddard College and received teaching certification in Waldorf Education.  After running an inn in VT for nine years, she and her family moved to Hawaii to grow macadamia nuts.  After moving to Oregon, Susan joined with students and community members to design, create and assemble a clay pathway for a community park.  In 2004, she moved to CA where she continues to coordinate hands-on learning through the Center for Land-Based Learning’s SLEWS and FARMS Leadership programs in San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties.  High school students, landowners and community partners do habitat restoration and explore the concerns of their community as relates to agriculture and natural resources.  Susan also brings together teens from across Stockton to address their concerns and create projects, and learn about career opportunities.

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Jorge Fernandez
Jorge Fernandez was born and raised in Bogota, Columbia, South America.  He graduated from high school and attended La Universidad Nacional de Colombia where he received his B. A. in Mechanical Engineering.  He worked as an engineer and export manager for almost a decade when the opportunity to move to the United States to pursue other dreams became a reality.  Since then, he has worked as an engineer and slowly transitioned into working in the insurance and home loan industry.  Jorge’s family life is very important to him and the time that he spends with them is very precious.  He is married and has two beautiful children, a nine-year-old boy and an eighteen-month baby girl.  He also enjoys serving and being an active member of the Knights of Columbus at Saint Frances of Rome Catholic Church in Riverbank because it is part of his family.

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David Guzman
David Guzman grew up in the rural area of Westley and Vernalis.  He graduated from Patterson High School in 2004 and moved on to CSU Stanislaus, where he is currently earning a Bachelor of the Arts degree in History.  He is the Community Executive for the Chi Delta Beta fraternity and also serves in the Americorps program as a Community Developer at the Westside Community Alliance in Patterson.  David enjoys coaching youth sports and attending sporting events.

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Celeste Harrell
Celeste Harrell is originally from Cincinnati and now lives in Fresno. She is a mother of five children and currently working for a marketing company recruiting for focus groups. Doing skin care and nails, professionally, Celeste is a dual licensed esthetician.  First, licensed in Ohio and now working towards becoming licensed here in California.  Her community involvement spans 20 years with a passion is to see progress made in the grassroots and leadership efforts. Celeste is involved volunteering in the schools to working on committees for a non-profit organizations.

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Sabrina Hernandez
Born in Alabama and raised on both the east and the west coasts, Sabrina Hernandez is coming home to the Central Valley.  She grew up in Huron, is a Coalinga High School graduate and obtained her B. A. in Liberal Studies at Fresno State  She is looking forward to consulting on a part-time basis while she transitions into the master’s program at Fresno State.  Sabrina is currently a board member of the Coalron Lyceum, which supports the Coalinga-Huron-Avenal House for middle and high school students.  This program allows rural students to explore the university environment of UC Berkeley while completing classes for high school and college credit.  The program, founded by Nancy Mellor  will commence this summer.  Sabrina will serve as a counselor during this six-week program.  Her passion is education and she is driven to encourage and motivate those in need.

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Steven Lopez
Steven Lopez is a native of Exeter, a graduate of Stanford University.  Steven received a Public Policy Fellowship through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in Washington, D. C. and served on the legislative staff of U. S. Representative Hilda L. Solis.  After a few years in D. C., Steven returned to California to pursue graduate studies and is in his second year of the Master’s in Public Policy program at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.  Steven is currently a graduate intern at the California Program on Access to Care, which examines issues related to access to health care for low-income populations.  Steven’s family, particularly his parents, continues to serve as a source of inspiration to him; he is the youngest of four children and an uncle to six nieces and nephews.

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Melissa Mendonca
Melissa Mendonca returned to the North State in 2001 after years away, including service in the US Peace Corps in Micronesia and Zambia and achieving a Masters in Public Health from Tulane University. She was raised on an almond farm in Chico. She currently coordinates the Tehama County Mentoring Program for the office of Prevention at the Tehama County Department of Education. She is active on the Tehama County Public Health Advisory Board and Community Action Agency and is a founding board member of the Tehama Alliance for Women and Girls. Melissa is an avid quilter, photographer and collage artist and mentors two young women through the program she coordinates.

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Mellissa Meng
Mellissa Meng was raised on the great plains of Canada before moving to the San Francisco bay area as a teenager.  She graduated from UC Santa Cruz and with a B.A. in Environmental Studies, Policy and Planning in 1998.  Professionally, Mellissa has worked with non-profit organizations on a variety of programs including, implementing recycling and composting programs in a variety of settings, promoting bicycling and walking, resource preservation and most recently, promoting nutrition and physical activity in California’s youth.  Mellissa has been a part of the Sacramento community since 2003 and is a member is the Sacramento Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Oak Park Redevelopment Advisory Committee.

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Javier Palafox Jr.
Javier Palafox Jr. was born in Mexico whose parents were Migrant farm workers. He is the eldest in a family of 5 and grew up in Patterson, California.  Javier’s parents both insisted he to go on to college and pursue a professional career.  He earned his B.S. in Business from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo along with a minor in Economics.  Soon after receiving his degree Javier returned to his roots in the valley and is presently working as a Business Development Rep for Alliance Title in Turlock.  He wishes to return to school in the not too distant future to pursue a M.B.A.  He currently lives in Modesto and enjoys reading and playing basketball.

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Patricia M. Ramirez
Patricia M. Ramirez was raised in Arvin, CA.  She graduated from California State University, Bakersfield with a B. A. in Sociology.  She is currently working on her Master’s in School Counseling with a concentration in College Student Affairs.  After she completed her undergraduate studies, she interned for the National Science Foundation in Arlington, VA and upon her return began working for a Research and Evaluation company as a Research Assistant.  Patricia also serves as a mentor for troubled youth and an active church youth leader.

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Pablo Rodriguez
Pablo Rodriguez directs the Dolores Huerta Community Organizing Institute, which is dedicated to preserving and teaching the community organizing methods developed by Fred Ross, Sr., Cesar E. Chavez and Dolores Huerta.  The Institute is dedicated to the development of community leaders through the pursuit of non-violent ideals to create stronger, healthier and more politically active members of historically underrepresented groups.  Pablo Rodriguez is also a nationally recognized spoken-word artist, and has worked to develop the powerful intersection between art and community organizing.  His poetry and performance have been featured by the Smithsonian Institutions Traveling Exhibition Service: Americanos: Latino Life in the U. S.  In 2004, Berkley’s La Pena Cultural Center named Pablo among twenty of the “Next Generation” of emerging Latino artists on the West Coast.

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