Kat Gonzales
Kat Gonzales is the Community Well-Being Manager at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial. Kat’s past work experience includes work in human resources and education. Her passion to serve God and others is what led her to earn an MPH at Loma Linda University. In her current role, Kat is able to align both her professional and personal passions by focusing on efforts around homelessness, mental health, and economic security (with a focus on education and workforce development). Kat loves spending time with her family, and if she could be anywhere in the world it would be with all of her family members on a beach in her native country, the Dominican Republic.
Eric Horton
Eric joined Collins Electrical Co., Inc. in April 2018 as a Research & Development associate, specializing in Prefabrication. While he maintains that role, Eric as taken on the Business Development role for the Central Valley.
Prior to this, Eric was self-employed for 15 years. He focused his efforts in bulk materials management, materials recycling and regulatory compliance & government affairs.
Eric has spent nearly 30 years working in the Central Valley and East Bay area. A number of those were spent with a large family owned company in Stockton. Then 10 years working from Fresno to the East Bay for a large international materials management company. During those 10 years Eric routinely managed construction projects, field operations for multiple operating locations, regulatory compliance and governmental affairs and back office support.
Carol J. Ornelas
Carol J. Ornelas is a visionary and advocate for providing quality affordable housing for families within the Central Valley – Fresno, San Andreas, San Joaquin, Sacramento, and Stanislaus. For over 30 years, she has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Visionary Home Builders of California, Inc. (VHB), formerly ACLC, Inc.; a non-profit residential development company headquartered in Stockton, California.
Carol is highly recognized as a leader within the community. Her strength is in building and creating partnerships with citizens of the community and collaborating with local city, state officials, and other agencies to provide quality affordable housing for the communities she serves. Under Carol’s direct leadership, VHB has built and rehabilitated more than 1,400 units of rental housing and more than 900 residential homes for first time homebuyers within San Joaquin, Sacramento, Stanislaus and Merced Counties. Presently, there are over 300 additional units in construction or scheduled to begin construction, as well as additional projects in the planning/preconstruction phase.
Through the VHB Homeownership and Rental Center, educational opportunities are available to members of the community seeking guidance on purchasing a home, with special emphasis on financial responsibility, understanding mortgage and lending, as well as general education for sustaining a healthy home and lifestyle.
The VHB Homeownership and Rental Center has also assisted thousands of families through the foreclosure or loan modification process with HUD certified counselors. VHB received funding to implement the Neighborhood Stabilization Program for the City of Stockton and the County of San Joaquin.
Carol is one of 49 leaders nationwide selected for the NeighborWorks® Achieving Excellence in Community Development program in collaboration with Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She completed this course in the fall of 2012.
Carol is passionate about her work and the work that her staff accomplishes on a daily basis. She takes pride in knowing that her organization has the resources to provide quality housing for the underserved. This allows her to continue VHB’s mission, which is to focus on a clear vision of providing balanced communities that incorporate housing and child development services for its residents. A perfect example of VHB is its work with the County of San Joaquin in the development of a community of 76 units of housing for farmworker families who live in the area year round. The community includes childcare with an emphasis on early development, social services and a medical clinic. The project was awarded ‘Best Affordable Housing Project’ in its category in the nation by Affordable Housing Finance magazine. Through her leadership, Carol has been able to bring over $700 million dollars in grants and private dollars to develop affordable housing in the San Joaquin Valley.
Carol Ornelas is one of the original founding members of the Reinvent South Stockton Coalition and current member of the Steering Committee. Carol has worked in the Reinvent South Stockton service area since the inception of the organization.
Jane Butterfield
Jane Butterfield was born, raised and is still residing in Stockton, CA, and have worked in the area for 30 years in senior management positions with local banks; most recently as CEO of Community Bank of San Joaquin. She is currently the CEO/President of the Business Council of San Joaquin, a nonprofit organization representing local businesses in addressing social and economic issues impacting our community. We partner with local governments and nonprofits to ensure the success of identified initiatives.
On a personal note, she has received several awards over her career, including the Chamber of Commerce Athena award that recognizes successful women in business and the Stocktonian of the Year award.