Oxnard Leadership Program's 2025 Agriculture Day on Friday, July 25, was a powerful reminder of how essential the industry is to the region's vitality as are the hard-working people who drive it forward. Coordinated by 2023 OLP Alumnus Jordan Cruz (Customer Quality Coordinator at Bayer Crop Science), the session featured speakers from SEEAG (Students for Eco-Education & Agriculture), Petty Ranch, Farm Bureau of Ventura County, and Bayer Crop Science, and a riveting panel discussion about recent immigration raids and the impact on farmworkers. 

​Turning its attention to energy and the environment for its sixth session, the 2025 Oxnard Leadership Program (OLP) met local leaders to gain a better understanding about key issues impacting residents and businesses throughout the city and region. The day was coordinated by 2018 OLP alumni Justin Campbell, Director of Remediation & Environmental Compliance Services for Catalyst Environmental Solutions, and bookended by two incredibly unique experiences -- visiting one of Ventura’s largest, oldest operating oil fields and an exclusive tour of the power plant at Ormond Beach. 

On Friday, May 30, Oxnard Leadership Program's Class of 2025 donned their most comfortable walking shoes for "Downtown Oxnard History, Arts & Culture Day" cohosted by Class of 2022 OLP alumna Carolyn Mullin, Executive Director of Oxnard Performing Arts Center Corporation, and Gary Blum, Superintendent of Heritage Square. History, art, and culture have the power to connect diverse communities and can be used to drive positive change and economic development. ​During the fun and educational daylong walking tour, the cohort explored the heart of Oxnard and the creative economy's impact while connecting with local leaders, business owners, artists, musicians, and more.  

On April 25, Oxnard Leadership Program's 2025 cohort experienced Education Day, to better understand how Oxnard’s education system creates learning environments for students (our future leaders and workforce) to understand their potential, achieve their goals, and succeed in careers that are, hopefully, in the community. Thanks to the generosity of Pegasus Transit, sponsor of Education Day, the group traveled by charter bus for visits to Rio Del Sol K-8 STEAM School, Channel Islands High School, and Oxnard College. 

​On March 21, Oxnard Leadership Program's 2025 cohort gathered for their third session, Transportation & Commerce Day, to better understand how each play a vital role in the city's economic growth. They met with leaders from the Ventura County Department of Airports, Gold Coast Transit District, Ventura County Transportation Commission, and The Collection at Riverpark. "It was fascinating seeing how each of the three institutions fit into the community, balancing relationships and constraints (government, financial, etc)," said one cohort member.

For its second session, the 2025 Oxnard Leadership Program met with public safety officials to better understand the ongoing efforts to protect our communities. Public Safety Day also highlights the ​collaboration between agencies to keep residents and the community safe. The group visited Oxnard Police Department, Oxnard SWAT headquarters, a county jail, and the District Attorney's office. The entire day was coordinated by WVCBA Board Member Tom Cady, retired Oxnard Assistant Chief of Police and Owner of TKC Enterprises, a security services consulting firm.

With a focus on local government, the 2025 Oxnard Leadership Program held its first session on January 24. "Government Day" sets the stage for many of the topics the cohort will explore over the remaining nine months like transportation, public safety, the Channel Islands Harbor, agriculture, and more. This year's cohort has participants representing an array of businesses, agencies and nonprofits in the county, and is once again generously sponsored by the Gene Haas Foundation. ​

A big welcome to the ninth class of the Oxnard Leadership Program! The Class of 2025 connected for the first time at a welcome reception on January 15 held at Copper Blues Cantina at The Collection. With 17 participants representing an array of businesses, agencies and nonprofits in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, this is the largest cohort since the program started in 2016. Since 2022, the Oxnard Leadership Program has been generously supported by the Gene Haas Foundation. 

On November 21, the WVCBA celebrated the eighth graduating class of the Oxnard Leadership Program since it began in 2016.  The ceremony took place at Channel Islands Maritime Museum, thanks to the museum's Executive Director Doug Riffenburgh, a member of of the graduating class. Friends, family, session coordinators, and Oxnard Leadership Steering Committee members were on-hand to cheer on the 12 members of the Class of 2024 who completed the 10-session, 10-month program. ​

For its final session, the 2024 Oxnard Leadership Program cohort went behind-the-scenes to meet key players from some of the organizations that help care for and feed the community. "Health and Human Services Day" was coordinated once again by Susy Lopez-Garcia, Executive Director of Community Action of Ventura County and a 2020-21 OLP alumna. The day featured conversations about immigration, community health, food insecurity, healthcare, and the unhoused. ​

​For its eighth session, the 2024 Oxnard Leadership Program (OLP) cohort got private tours of Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), the Port of Hueneme, and the Channel Islands Maritime Museum where they also discussed the future of the Channel Islands Harbor with Director Michael Tripp. 

The 2024 Oxnard Leadership Program (OLP) headed to farms, fields and storehouses last month to see first-hand the rich agriculture economy of Oxnard and Ventura County for Agriculture Day. The day was coordinated by Jordan Cruz of Bayer Crop Science and member of the 2023 OLP class.

​The 2024 Oxnard Leadership Program officially crossed the halfway mark this past Friday with the conclusion of the jam-packed History, Arts & Culture Day, which was held all in Downtown Oxnard. There is never enough time in a single day to hit everything, especially in a city with such a rich and diverse history and culture like Oxnard, but they made the most of it. This day was made possible by the incredible efforts and dedication of Carolyn Mullin, Executive Director of the Oxnard Performing Arts Center (OPAC) and Class of 2022 alum, and Gary Blum, Superintendent of Heritage Square and local historian, who were critical in planning and leading the day.

​Last month, the Oxnard Leadership Class of 2024 spent the day learning first-hand about the intricacies and complexities of transportation and land use within the City of Oxnard. The incredibly insightful day started off in the board room at Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD) with presentations from Dave Nafie and Jannette Jauregui from the Ventura County Department of Airports Administration, Martin Erikson, Executive Director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), and Cynthia Duque, Director of Planning & Marketing for GCTD, as well as a tour of the GCTD facilities from Planning Manager Austin Novstrup. ​In the afternoon, the program moved across town to the Oxnard City Council Chambers where both City of Oxnard Housing Director Emilio Ramirez and Planning & Environmental Services Manager Joe Pearson II went into detail about their worlds in relation to land use, with the day ending on a tour of upcoming development projects around Downtown Oxnard. 

​Last week for Public Safety Day, the Oxnard Leadership Class of 2024 got a giant peak behind the curtain of the incredible men and women who work tirelessly to operate the public services which keeps this city and county safe. The jam-packed day included presentations from Oxnard Chief of Police Jason Benites, Public Defender Claudia Bautista, Sheriff's Commander Garo Kuredjian and Emergency Services Director Patrick Maynard, as well as tours of the Oxnard Police Department, OPD's Sturgis Annex, Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility and Office of Emergency Services. The highly insightful day was made possible by the masterful coordination of Tom Cady, WVCBA Board Member and Former Assistant Chief of Police of Oxnard.

Repeating high school isn't on many people's wish lists, but that was a sentiment often heard on Oxnard Leadership '23's Education Day in April. The day began at Oxnard Union High School District (OHUSD) headquarters with Superintendent Tom McCoy and visits to Hueneme High School, Oxnard College, Local 805 Carpenters Union, and Del Sol High School. The day was coordinated by Leadership '22 alum Teodoro Lopez, OUHSD's Web & Multimedia Coordinator, who wanted to highlight the career-focused learning opportunities available from K-12 and beyond. 

​Last month, the Oxnard Leadership Class of 2023 experienced Public Safety Day, which included lunch with County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko and meetings with Oxnard Police Department, Oxnard Fire Department, Ventura County Probation Agency, and Ventura County Sheriff's Department. The jam-packed day was coordinated by Tom Cady, WVCBA Board Member and Former Assistant Chief of Police of Oxnard.

For its second session, the 15 members of the 2023 Oxnard Leadership Program met with leaders to learn about important conversations happening around local housing, redevelopment, and transportation, and their impact on communities (and vice versa). Land Use and Transportation Day was first introduced in 2022 and is coordinated by Oxnard Planning Commissioner Daniel Chavez Jr, a Leadership '19 graduate. 

​A big welcome to the seventh class of the Oxnard Leadership Program! The Class of 2023's first session on January 27 was focused on government and set the stage for many of the topics they will explore over the remaining nine months. This year's class includes 15 participants who represent an array of businesses, agencies and nonprofits in the county (scroll down for the class roster).  

On December 7, the WVCBA celebrated the sixth and largest graduating class of the Oxnard Leadership Program since it began in 2016.  The ceremony took place at Heritage Square Chapel with alumni, friends, family and employers cheering on the 15 graduates who completed the 10-session program in just nine months (condensed due to the COVID surge in early 2022). 

With questions about the ongoing drought, new food waste rules, and Measure E updates, Oxnard Leadership 2022 got answers directly from the city's Public Works department. This was the 10th and final session for the Class of 2022, which is the largest cohort since the program began in 2016. 

As the 2022 Oxnard Leadership program winds down, participants experienced two eye-opening sessions in late September and mid-October. From SWAT demonstrations to packing food for the homeless, Public Safety Day and Health & Human Services Day highlighted two different - yet in many ways connected - aspects of our community. 

On September 30, Leadership participants got a firsthand look at the people and agencies protecting the community with session coordinator Tom Cady, former Assistant Chief of Police for the City of Oxnard and the Chair of the Oxnard Leadership Steering Committee. Public Safety Day began at Oxnard Police Department (OPD) with an overview from Community Affairs Manager Paul Carganilla and a presentation on body cameras from Corina Gardner. At OPD's Sturgis Annex, the group met with Chief Jason Benites, who delivered the keynote address later that day for Ventura County Criminal Justice Training Center’s Academy graduation. They also got an up-close look at SWAT equipment and training exercises. To understand safety services county wide, the group went inside the county's Juvenile Justice Center and the county's jail facility at the Government Center. The day ended by meeting with Sheriff Bill Ayub and Chief Parole Officer Mark Varela for an open Q&A session. 

The 2022 Oxnard Leadership Program has entered the home stretch with only three sessions remaining for the current cohort. In August, participants received an insider's view of three economic engines: Naval Base Ventura County, the Port of Hueneme, and the Channel Islands Harbor. And in the first of two September sessions, participants explored Oxnard's education system and how it is preparing youth for the future.

On July 15, participants of the Oxnard Leadership Program explored the present and future of farming for its fifth session of the year. The day focused on providing an understanding of the current state of local agriculture, innovations in farming, packing and distribution, and how the next generation is learning about an industry that's critical to Oxnard and all of Ventura County.