Meet our new alumni board members

By California State University, Bakersfield

June 22^nd, 2020

They are helping laid-off workers get back into the job market. They are carrying on their family’s farming legacy. They are bringing you the news.

They also include an accountant, a small business owner and petroleum regulatory affairs specialist.

They are the six new directors on the CSUB Alumni Association board, advising the Office of Alumni Engagement on how to connect CSUB grads with the university, its students and each other through events, scholarships and mentoring, Their terms begin July 1 and span two years.

The new directors are coming on board at an exciting time for the association and the university. During the 2020-2021 academic year, CSUB will celebrate its 50th anniversary, Roadrunner athletes will begin competing in the Big West Conference, and the association will launch an online networking and mentoring platform that will connect CSUB alumni, faculty, staff and students no matter where they are in the world.

The Alumni Association will be led by new President Nancy Solis, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from CSUB and co-led the launch of the association’s `Runner Alumni Mentor Program.

“I’m thrilled to see such a wonderful group of alumni joining our Board of Directors, especially at this pivotal time for CSUB,” said Past President Justin Salters, who led board recruitment efforts. “They represent the diversity of our alumni and bring a strong commitment to strengthening our community and advancing our university and Alumni Association.”

Here’s more on each of our six new directors:

Neil Bhatti

CSUB degree(s) BA Public Administration 2016, MPA 2019

Who he is: Bhatti is a department analyst with Kern County Employers’ Training Resource. He primarily writes grants seeking state and federal money to help people find employment as well as crafts contracts and builds partnerships with other organizations with the goal of linking employees and employers.

His work has never been more important; Kern County’s unemployment rate stands at 18 percent, driven up by COVID-19. Bhatti has been busy helping place people in jobs or transition them into new fields as pandemic-related restrictions have loosened.

What he’s done: Bhatti previously worked for the CSUB Police Department as a parking officer and community service officer. He’s volunteered with First United Methodist Church and the Bakersfield Police Explorer Program.

Quote:

The best part of going to CSUB was: “Staying home and going to school here was really beneficial for me. I was comfortable being at Cal State Bakersfield. Cal State’s environment was very friendly, very family oriented. I really enjoyed that part of it.”

Tyler Moyer

CSUB degree(s) earned: BA Political Science 2015, MPA 2019

Who he is: Moyer, 27, is the digital executive producer at KBAK/KBFX Eyewitness News in Bakersfield. That involves managing all digital media for the CBS affiliate’s platforms including getting breaking news on the website and social media platforms quickly, monitoring developments and disseminating updates.

What he’s done: During his undergrad years, Moyer was a Maddy legislative scholar and interned for then-Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, and later then-state Sen. Andy Vidak, R-Hanford. He worked at CSUB for nearly 3 ½ years as an administrative assistant.

Moyer realized he had a knack for social media marketing and did that and other government and PR work for Common Sense Consulting in Bakersfield before joining the Kern County Fire Department in 2017 to be its marketing specialist and social media manager. He’s been at KBAK for a little more than a year.

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CSUB is about to turn 50. His hope for CSUB’s next 50 years is: “I would hope it continues to grow and continues to be an educational leader in Kern County.”

Ty Ohanneson

CSUB degree(s): BS Business Administration 2006

Who he is: Ohanneson, 36, is a fifth-generation San Joaquin Valley farmer who runs Ohanneson Enterprises, which has been in his family for four of those generations. The company farms 680 acres five miles west of Shafter, primarily growing pistachios and almonds but also olives to make olive oil.

What he’s done: Before joining the company to help his grandfather in 2010, Ohanneson was an accountant at Aera Energy for five years.

Since 2013, Ohanneson has also been a Kern County court appointed special advocate. CASAs build relationships with abused and neglected children in the juvenile dependency system so they can effectively advocate for them in the courts. He has represented five children, primarily high school boys, including two he’s working with now and one he’s worked with for four years.

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The faculty member who had the biggest impact on him was:Michael Flanagan, who taught him a business management course. “There was so much writing and self-reflection in that class that a lot of students didn’t do well. For me, he did a good job of getting me to realize what work-life balance should look like and how to stay happy. That was a really important class.”

Lucy Palacios

CSUB degree(s): BS Business Administration 2004

Who she is: Palacios, is an accountant at Aera Energy, a leading oil producer in California, where she protects the company's value by helping identify, analyze and take precautionary steps to mitigate business risks. Understanding and controlling these risks enables Area to feel more confident in its business decisions.

What she’s done: She started her post-CSUB career as an accountant at Bolthouse Farms before moving on to Aera 14 years ago. Her first CSUB accounting teacher, Leonard Bacon, inspired, encouraged and challenged her to pursue an accounting career.

Palacios has volunteered at the Jamison Children’s Center, Guild House and education and community support programs at Aera as well as served on the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board.

Quote:

The best thing about going to CSUB was: “It’s just a smaller campus, and you feel like you’re a student, not a statistic. You matter. You have that connection with your professors and there’s more collaboration, there’s more opportunities for one-on-one. …Seeing familiar faces every day was a big thing for me.”

Leticia Velasquez

CSUB degree(s): BA English 2003

Who she is: Velasquez, 48, worked her way through CSUB styling hair and for the last three years has owned and operated Mix Salon and Touchup Bar, a beauty salon in downtown Bakersfield specializing in hair coloring.

What she’s done: Before starting her own business, Velasquez was a manager at Western Beauty Institute in Lancaster as well as Sephora and Glow Medical Aesthetics in Bakersfield. She’s working to launch Mix Pro Beauty, a line of hair extension and hair styling tools.

Velasquez was named Businesswoman of the Year by the CSUB Small Business Development Center in 2018 and is a Nine Zero One-certified beauty coach.

Quote:

The faculty member who had the biggest impact on her was: “Dr. Lorna Clymer because she is brilliant and passionate. She raised the bar and challenged my critical thinking.”

Christine Luther Zimmerman

CSUB degree(s): BS Geology 1994

Who she is: Zimmerman is a Taft native who works as senior coordinator for technical and regulatory affairs at the Western States Petroleum Association, the oldest petroleum trade group in the United States. She examines how air and water policy issues affect the operations of WSPA members.

What she’s done: Before going to work for WSPA 2 1/2 years ago, Zimmerman was for many years a consultant for, primarily, energy sector companies on permitting and compliance issues. That was her life’s work after earning a master’s degree in geological engineering from the University of Nevada at Reno on a full-ride scholarship offered by the U.S. Department of Energy in 1997.

Zimmerman is a first-generation college student who worked nearly full-time for Chevron and Occidental Petroleum while attending CSUB. Her expertise is in geology and water science.

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CSUB is about to turn 50. Her hope for CSUB’s next 50 years is: “To see it become a center of excellence in engineering and geology,” said Zimmerman, who couldn’t get an engineering degree from CSUB when she was an undergraduate. “To know that the students starting there now will actually be able to get their engineering degree in Bakersfield is just about the coolest thing in the world.”