Congratulations to the 2025 graduates of the Oxnard Leadership Program!

On Wednesday, November 12, graduation was held for the ninth cohort of the Oxnard Leadership Program. The ceremony took place at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum, thanks to the museum's Executive Director Doug Riffenburgh from the Class of 2024. Friends, family, alumni, County of Ventura Supervisor Vianey Lopez, and Oxnard Leadership Advisory Committee members were on-hand to celebrate the 13 members of the Class of 2025 who completed the 10-session, 10-month program.

Congratulations to:
Esther Anaya, The Arc of Ventura County
Daniel Cervantes, OceanAir Federal Credit Union
Nicholas Cohen, BluSky Restoration Contractors
Michelle Flippo, Visit Oxnard
Roberto Gonzalez, Oxnard College
Kyle Jewell, West Ventura County Business Alliance
Isaac Khalaf, HRL Laboratories
Claudia Lozano, Community Action of Ventura County
Rachel McIver, McIver Consulting
Erin Morhar, Charter Communication / Spectrum Reach
Paola Pomeroy, Bayer Crop Science 
Nichole Susanka, NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Base Ventura County) 
Juan Villasenor, Premier America Credit Union

Leadership participants experience 10 sessions in the 10-month program ranging from government to energy to education, as well as optional bonus sessions. Some of the unique experiences this year included meeting with Mayor Luis A. Mc Arthur just one month into his term; hearing from Roman Pinal, National Vice President of United Farm Workers, just a few weeks after the Glasshouse raids in July; visiting the K9 facility at Naval Base Ventura County; touring the Ormond Beach power plant, which most lifelong residents have never done; and indulging in food and desserts made by students of the culinary programs at Channel Islands High School and Oxnard College.   

Oxnard Leadership Program began in 2016 to educate individuals about local issues and resources, connect them with decision-makers and major players, and better prepare them as leaders within the community. More than 89 people have graduated from the program with many going on to serve their communities, as elected officials, board members, commissioners, neighborhood council members, and other leadership roles.

The Oxnard Leadership Program has been generously supported by the Gene Haas Foundation since 2022. Their support helped provide partial scholarships to five of this year’s graduates!  

The Oxnard Leadership Program is an initiative of the Oxnard Foundation For Education And Economic Development (OFEED) a 501(c)(3) organization. Formed in 2014 by the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce (now WVCBA), OFEED's mission is to support the interaction with and advancement of education and development of our future workforce, and to assure the Oxnard community has an adequate supply of quality jobs.

Applications are closed for the 2025 program and the 2026 cohort will be announced soon. ​