Tani Cantil-Sakauye is president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California, where she holds the Walter and Esther Hewlett Chair in Understanding California’s Future. From 2011 to 2022, she served as the 28th Chief Justice of California and led the judiciary as the chair of the Judicial Council—the constitutional policy and rule making body of the judicial branch—the first person of color and the second woman to do so. Before she was elected statewide as the Chief Justice of California, she served more than 20 years on California appellate and trial courts and was appointed or elevated to higher office by three governors. Earlier in her career she served as a deputy district attorney for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and on the senior staff of Governor Deukmejian, first as deputy legal affairs secretary and later as a deputy legislative secretary. She holds a BA and a JD from the University of California, Davis.

Sandra Celedon is president and CEO of Fresno Building Healthy Communities. She is responsible for guiding and supporting multi-sector, diverse stakeholder collaborations to foster and encourage thriving communities where all children and families can live healthy, safe, and productive lives. She adheres to public health principles, which recognize that all people must have access to the resources necessary for health and that people and their physical environment are interdependent; when one is damaged, it will have an adverse effect on the other. Therefore, she dedicates herself to building healthy communities. In 2020, she was elected as the vice-chair for the Fresno Commission on Police Reform—a 37-member commission comprising residents, advocates, and stakeholders developing recommendations to institute reform within the Fresno Police Department. At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, she co-developed the COVID-19 Equity Project, a collaborative effort including over 17 community-based organizations and more than 100 community health workers that provided prevention education, vaccinations, and resources to over 25,000 vulnerable community residents in Fresno County. With her support, the project was replicated in two other counties. In 2022, she joined the Public Policy Institute of California and the Catalyst California boards of directors. She earned a BS in community health from California State University, Fresno, and an MS in public health from San Jose State University.

James Gallagher represents California’s Assembly District 3 and is minority leader of the state assembly. Before his election to the assembly in 2014, he served for six years on the Sutter County Board of Supervisors. Advocating for small businesses and farmers in his legal practice, he is also a partner in his family’s farming operation. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in the passage of over 50 bills, with five signed by the governor in the previous year. Notable legislative achievements include supporting Paradise’s recovery from the 2018 Camp Fire, facilitating safe and affordable drinking water for the City of Willows, and assisting military families in obtaining temporary professional licenses for military spouses. Among his legislative wins are AB 1709 (2016), which modernizes codes related to “deaf or hearing impaired” individuals; AB 255 (2017), ensuring that sexually violent predators released by the Department of State Hospitals cannot be placed in counties without community ties; and AB 430 (2019), providing housing relief for Camp Fire victims through a streamlined ministerial process for housing developments meeting specific criteria in impacted areas. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of California, Berkeley and a law degree at the University of California, Davis.

Shannon Grove represents California’s 12th Senate District, which includes the southern Central Valley and parts of Fresno, Kern, and Tulare Counties. In this role, she continues to advocate for small businesses, farmers, and families. Before her time in state government, she served for three years in the US Army and was stationed in Germany, where she witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Following her military service, she returned to Kern County and established a staffing company, where she currently serves as CEO. She was elected to the state senate in 2018, and in 2019, her colleagues elected her as Senate Republican Leader, a role she filled until 2021. Prior to her election to the state senate, she represented California’s 34th Assembly District from 2010 to 2016, the first woman veteran to be elected to the California Legislature. She served on the Agriculture, Insurance, and Budget Committees. She was re-elected twice to the California State Assembly and was sworn into her third term in 2014.

Chris Lopez represents Monterey County’s Third District on the county’s Board of Supervisors.  He has served on the boards of Youth Orchestra Salinas, Hartnell College Foundation, the Arts Council for Monterey County, the Redevelopment Oversight Boards of the cities of King City, Greenfield, Soledad, and Gonzales among many others. He is passionate about early childhood education; agriculture; safe roads; fair, equitable and accessible housing; and economic development, as well as equitable models of government. He currently serves on the following commissions, amongst others: Natividad Medical Center Board of Trustees, Monterey County Cannabis Committee, Water Resources Agency Joint Boards Leadership Committee, Monterey County Urban Standing Committee, and Budget Committee. He is also a board member of the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, Hartnell College Foundation, First 5 Monterey County, South Salinas Valley Broadband Authority, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, and chair of Rural County Representatives of California.

Ashley Swearengin is president and CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation, a charitable foundation serving the six counties of Central California and helping secure over $600 million in philanthropic and public grant funding to over 950 civic organizations over the last five years. As CEO, she is responsible for supporting the CVCF board, staff, and partners in pursuit of the organization’s vision of a Central Valley with “no barriers; just opportunity; all people.” She has nearly 25 years of experience in community and economic development in California’s Central Valley, including serving as mayor of Fresno from 2009 through 2016, where she focused her efforts on improving distressed neighborhoods, revitalizing the downtown and urban core, promoting local businesses, securing the city’s long-term water supply, addressing chronic homelessness, and stabilizing the city’s financial position. In addition, she has led the Governor’s Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno State’s Office of Community and Economic Development, the Regional Jobs Initiative, and the Central Valley Business Incubator. She was an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow and serves on numerous boards dedicated to inclusive economic growth, promoting democracy and civic engagement, and fulfilling America’s promise, including New America, the Urban Institute, the College Futures Foundation, California Forward, and the James B. McClatchy Foundation, as well as the PPIC Economic Policy Center Advisory Council. She holds MBA and BS degrees from California State University, Fresno.