SHERIFF'S COMMUNITY ROUNDTABLE FOR EQUITY, ENGAGEMENT, AND DIVERSITY (CREED)
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CREED Mission Statement
The Sheriff's Community Roundtable for Equity, Engagement, and Diversity works together to create greater opportunities for community engagement, to foster respectful relationships between the Sheriff's Office and the community, and to advance justice in a fair and equitable manner with community members representing all aspects and corners of Sonoma County.
About the Roundtable
The Roundtable consists of up to 12 members, all of whom live in Sonoma County. Membership includes a balance of residents in unincorporated areas and cities, all with their own diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. There is at least one member from each patrol zone. The Roundtable’s objectives are to:
Provide a seat at the table for underrepresented groups.
Improve community understanding of SCSO operations.
Improve relationships between the SCSO and community.
Be a sounding board for SCSO programs, policies, and community issues.
Provide feedback, concerns, and thoughts from various aspects of our community.
Member Bios
You may contact any CREED member at sococreed@gmail.com.
Ana Maria Alvarez-Padilla
Ana Maria Gabriela Alvarez-Padilla was born in San Francisco and raised in the Bernal Heights district. Ana comes from a variety of nationalities, a German grandmother who was part Jewish, a Salvadorian grandfather, a Salvadorian mother who came to the U.S at the age of four, and a father who is from Mexico.
On February 15, 1998, Ana met her husband and then moved to Sonoma County to live with her parents. Ana and her husband who works in construction have been married since January 21, 1999 and have four beautiful children.
In 2008, she became a volunteer for Catholic Restorative Justice Ministries, offering religious services to the inmates at the Sonoma County Main Detention Facility. In May 2009, Ana became a part-time employee for the Diocese of Santa Rosa as an Executive Assistant and was finally able to work while parenting.
In 2017, Ana joined the Latino Advisory Committee, working with former Sheriff Steve Freitas and later with Sheriff Mark Essick. Ana is eager to continue to work with Sheriff Essick in this new collaboration as a member of the Community Roundtable for Equity, Engagement and Diversity (CREED).
In 2013, Ana moved to the town of Guerneville where she currently resides. She and her family grow their own fruits and vegetables as well as raise goats, bulls, and roosters. Since her children are all grown up, Ana and her husband spend quality time together.
Manny Baldenegro Jr.
Born in the Central Valley and raised in Sonoma County, Manny is a fourth-generation Mexican American and the first in his family to attend a four-year university. He attended St. Eugene’s and Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa.
His family moved to Sonoma County in 1974 and the Rincon Valley area has always been “home” to him. Manny is the proud doting father of his eight-year-old son Nico, who was named for his Tejana maternal grandmother Nicomedes.
Manny has spent more than 20 years as a stage and theater performer and a writer in various forms, and led a local break-dance group called “Chain Reaction” in the mid-1980’s.
Algeo “Che” Casul
Algeo "Che" Casul is a 7th generation rancher in Bodega, CA born and raised on the same ranch his great-great-great-great- grandfather settled in 1850 on his mother's side, and is a first generation on the mainland Puerto Rican on his father's side. After receiving his BA in History, Che started working in public service in 2008 managing dual diagnosis rehabilitation housing for troubled youth. In 2013, Che received his MPA with a focus in nonprofit management. Che went on to manage vocational programs for the most severe and persistently mentally ill in his community and then managed programs for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Most recently, Che has led Circuit Rider Community Services whose main programs consist of juvenile justice programming and hands on, paid vocational rehabilitation programs for at-risk youth.
In his free time, Che sits on the Sonoma County Coast Municipal Advisory Council, Board of Safer West County, and Board of New Ways to Work, maintains his family’s livestock and vineyard infrastructure, and pursues his passions of spearfishing, sea kayak angling, and mushroom hunting.
Bryan Clement
As a former teacher, principal, and, most recently, as a lead trainer and consultant for social-emotional learning and resilience, Bryan’s passion is creating trauma-informed, healing-centered schools. Growing up in a mixed-race family and attending privileged private schools while living in the apartments his family managed was formative in his understanding of the multiple perspectives of the human condition. As a cisgender husband and father of three, being a contributing author of We Are Resilient is fundamental to the legacy of social justice, healing, and joy he wishes to leave for his children and others in the community.
Locally, Bryan serves the Equity in Education Initiative, PACES Connection Steering Committee, and is on the Gravenstein Health Action Coalition Board. Nationally, he is co-facilitating a think tank
for the National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health. Through it all, he has pushed for systems reform and eliminating barriers to opportunity. Bryan’s path to true connection is through telling a good story and lots of laughter.
Veronica Cruz
Verónica is currently serving as the Executive Director of Restorative Resources. She is also a retired Business Systems Analyst and is immensely proud of her 32 years of civil service working in the Superior Court of California, Sonoma County, and the Office of the District Attorney. Starting at the bottom as a clerk-typist, Verónica earned promotions as a legal clerk, courtroom clerk, supervisor, and analyst, working hard to provide exceptional service and to improve the criminal business process. She earned Certificates in Supervision, Santa Rosa Junior College; Court Management, the National Center for State Courts, West Virginia; and Data Analysis, Villa Nova University.
Verónica is a true California girl. She was born in San Diego, raised in Lake County, and has lived in Sonoma County for 42 years. She is a mother of three children all born, raised, and educated in Santa Rosa, and a NaNa to four beautiful grandchildren. Having been a foster child from age 6 to 18, she is passionate about ensuring that those who were not born with a silver spoon, or any spoon, are heard, seen, and represented. It is Verónica’s desire to bring those underrepresented voices to the roundtable, as justice, equality, and inclusion have always been a central theme throughout her life.
Lillian Fonseca
As a longtime Sonoma County resident, Lillian is honored to have been selected to serve as a member of CREED. Her experiences as a bilingual/bicultural educator, single mother, cancer survivor and active community member will assist in providing meaningful input as the group begins conversations. Lillian recently retired from Healdsburg Unified School District after 37 years of service to the students and community. Her time at HUSD were spent working with all grade levels, as a bilingual instructor in the Spanish Immersion program in its early years, then later as an English/ History teacher in the junior high. She served on countless committees, was a mentor teacher, English Department Chair and was also involved in various community groups. Working with CORAZON, a group of community members, which included teachers, parents, and others, began a group to explore issues and concerns dealing with equity at local schools. This led to a committee formed by the school district that she was part of, to open dialogue and have conversations with all stakeholders. Lillian is pleased to see that the concerns raised were taken seriously. She has great hope that CREED will have a positive impact and open avenues of communication for members of our community, especially those who often are not heard. She is a proud Latina who cares about our community. And she is ready to get to work!!
Dr. Jerlena Griffin-Desta
Dr. Jerlena Griffin-Desta is Chief of Staff to President Judy K. Sakaki, Ph.D. and Vice President for Special Initiatives & Diversity at Sonoma State University. She oversees all programs, initiatives, and operations within the Office of the President, and serves as campus lead in the development and implementation of campus diversity, equity, and inclusion, serving as SSU’s first Chief Diversity Officer. She also oversees federal and state relations, strategic marketing and communications, and the Title IX-Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination.
Prior to joining Sonoma State in 2019, Dr. Griffin-Desta was the Associate Vice President and Deputy to the Vice President of Student Affairs at the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), where she provided strategic direction and leadership for a broad array of areas, including presidential initiatives, student civic engagement, diversity & inclusion, student mental health and wellness, student leadership, and support to campus Student Affairs leadership.
Dr. Griffin-Desta earned her Bachelor’s degree from Mercer University, where she studied Communications and English. She later earned her Master’s and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in Education Policy.
Matt Heath
Matt Heath was born and raised in New Jersey and graduated from a Liberal Arts College in Pennsylvania with a BA in Political Science in 1998. Matt moved to California in 1999 and currently resides in Santa Rosa with his wife and their teenage son.
Matt served on the Gravenstein Union School Board from 2009 until 2011. After moving to Santa Rosa, Matt served as a member of the Jack London Elementary School Site Council from 2012 until 2016.
Matt was a candidate for the California State Assembly (AD2 – North Coast) in 2014 and 2018. He is the current Chairman of the Sonoma County Republican Party and is an elected member of the Board of Directors of the California Republican Party. As a contributor on KSRO Sonoma County FM News Talk Show “The Drive with Steve Jaxon,” Matt participates in weekly discussions on the local and national political news stories of the day.
Professionally, Matt works as an educator at a local charter school that includes a diverse student body and personally, Matt comes from a multi-racial family. Matt’s life experiences have given him the sensitivity to the challenges that underrepresented groups encounter.
Natalie Henry
Born and raised in Sonoma County, Natalie Lynn Henry has always given back to our community. Throughout her youth, Natalie helped organize food and clothing drives, participated in youth citizen academies, and was a Police Explorer. As a lifelong learner and SRJC alum, Natalie has continually challenged herself academically by earning her EMT certification and graduating from the basic Police Academy. Recently, she has earned her fifth degree in nursing and is preparing to take the certification exam.
As an EMT, Natalie experienced the 2017 wildfires from behind the lines and cried with her community and fellow first responders as the disaster unfolded. Desperate to assist with recovery, she turned to the American Red Cross and continued to be involved with every major local disaster since. As the Disaster Preparedness & Community Education Coordinator, Natalie developed award winning preparedness programs for Napa and Sonoma Counties that focused on building resiliency for the most vulnerable. Natalie has since transitioned to the External Relations Leadership Team as a Government Liaison and Community Partnerships & Engagement Coordinator.
In 2019, Natalie received The President's Volunteer Service Award from The White House in recognition of her commitment to strengthen our nation through volunteer service.
Nance Jones
Nance is a retired Registered Nurse with 38 years in health care. She worked at the bedside and as a Woman and Children’s Nurse Practitioner, although most of her adult career was in Hospital Leadership.
Now retired, Nance enjoys traveling and working on projects in our community. She was a board member for five years and President of the Russian River Fire District before the consolidation occurred.
She is a current member of the Sonoma County Oversight Board and a small 501(c)(3) group called Friends and Residents of Guerneville, whose mission is to advocate for the health and safety of the community. They have accomplished multiple projects and have received several grants to help serve our community. They have had the opportunity to work closely with the Sheriff Station in Guerneville to achieve several goals. The group has sponsored a fire safety education day, neighborhood watch programs, and is working on a security camera project to brightening up the lighting in her community. Nance worked the COVID hotline last year a Medical Reserve Core Member giving vaccines. She has also volunteered several years as the Municipal Advisory Clerk for the Russian River and Coastal Macs. Nance loves the freedom retirement as it allows the flexibility for new projects and challenges. Nance is very excited to join CREED to support and learn about the larger community of Sonoma County.
John Mountain
John Mountain was born in Oregon and has been a resident of the Bay Area & Sonoma County for 35 years. As a construction inspector for TRC Companies, he conducts the public works inspections for the City of Larkspur and the Town of San Anselmo.
As the co-founder of Knights of Sonoma County a, local grassroots nonprofit based out of Santa Rosa, CA, owner and President of Mountain General Engineering LLC., John is passionate about serving the community and particularly those less fortunate. The Knights of Sonoma County nonprofit has operated a safe and sober living environment, a 12-step recovery based program for alcoholics & addicts. For the past four years, the Knights of Sonoma County has worked side by side with the Sheriff’s Office and its Deputy Sheriff’s Assoc. to build bicycles and give them away at the back to school Roseland district Mochilada event. When the fires devastated our community in 2017, they stepped up and helped over 100 families with Target gift cards, hotel vouchers, gas cards, vehicle repairs, and much more. The Knights have also given away cars to low income single mothers in need.
Besides the non-profit work, John is active in city league sports. He enjoys bowling, golfing and playing softball. John’s greatest achievement is having over 10 years of sobriety.
Shawntel Reece
Shawntel Reece is a Piner High School graduate with a BA from California State University Sacramento. Shawntel has worked for the County of Sonoma for 17 years, starting in Probation and transitioning into Human Services. Her passion is helping people, all people, specifically the marginalized and disenfranchised. As an African-American female, Shawntel has endured a lot of discrimination in this area. Shawntel has worked hard to contradict the stereotypes that are associated with African-Americans. She is raising her daughters in this area and feels it is very important to change the narrative presented about African-Americans. She believes it is extremely important to take care of your spiritual, emotional, and physical health. Shawntel is actively involved in her church, Greater Powerhouse, church of God in Christ and works out 7 days a week. She is a Board member for Bridge to the Future Rights of Passage program and enjoys participating in culturally responsive and racially equitable spaces in the community. Shawntel is involved in the C-CAT, NAACP, Equity core team, Multicultural roots program, and Blacks United. Shawntel would like to leave the CREED members with one of her favorite quotes by Angela Davis, “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
Wayne Skala
Wayne Skala retired from the corporate world and moved to Guerneville 30 years ago. Wayne had lost many close friends to AIDS. Wayne retired in order to become more active in helping others fighting for their lives and human rights during the AIDS pandemic. Before moving to Guerneville, Wayne volunteered as a Hospice care giver, AIDS food drives, AIDS education-testing etc. in Long Beach CA, Dallas TX, and Phoenix AZ.
During his ‘retirement’ he ran a gift and antique shop in Guerneville for 18 years. It doubled as a place where people would stop by to discuss/ask about problems they were experiencing - from housing to dealing with State, County or Federal agencies. They all helped educate one another as to who to contact and how to solve various problems. This resulted in an extensive list of contacts that he still uses today. He was one of the founders of the Guerneville Gay/Lesbian Business Association. He helped Guerneville become designated a "Hate Free" Community. He is the V.P. of Friends & Residents of Guerneville, a local 501c3 community action group. They have accomplished several projects and solved problems by working closely with the Sheriff, CHP, PRMD, Fire Department, West County Community Services, Lynda Hopkins, etc.
He is honored to be chosen to join CREED. He is from a diverse ethnic background - Pan Europe, Middle East, Asia, and North Africa. He is the father of 3, grandfather of 10. His oldest grandson is gay. Him and his husband Bill Jackson live in Guerneville.
Ye Wang
Ye Wang, is a first-generation Chinese immigrant who moved to Sonoma County in 2007 where she met her husband and settled to raise a family. Ye has extensive experience in the technology industry and insight into the local technology scene, having worked with local technology companies since moving to the area. She is currently a Senior Manager in Engineering at General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems in Healdsburg, CA and has experience with diverse engineering products and services including consumer electronics, industrial and aerospace applications. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and certified in True Lean™ (Toyota Production System) from the University of Kentucky.
Ye attended school in China until she completed bachelor’s degree. She moved to the United States and received a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. As an immigrant, Ye gained appreciation for the experiences of assimilating to a new country, a new educational system, and language. She hopes to bring this perspective into her community engagement. Ye is bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese. In her free time, Ye is learning Spanish. She loves to travel and spend time with her husband and children.
Declaración de la misión de CREED
El Grupo Comunitario del Sheriff para la Equidad, la Involucración y la Diversidad trabaja en conjunto para mejorar oportunidades de participación comunitaria, para fomentar relaciones respetuosas entre la Oficina del Sheriff y la comunidad, y para promover la justicia de una manera justa y equitativa con miembros de la comunidad que representan todos los aspectos y rincones del Condado de Sonoma.
Sobre el grupo
El grupo está formado por 12 miembros que viven en el Condado de Sonoma. La membresía incluirá una mezcla de residentes de ciudades y áreas no incorporadas. Hay al menos un miembro de cada zona de patrulla. La membresía consiste en un equilibrio de miembros de la comunidad con diversas perspectivas y experiencias de vida.
Los objetivos del grupo son:
Proporcione un asiento en la mesa para los grupos subrepresentados.
Mejorar la comprensión de la comunidad de las operaciones de la Oficina del Sheriff.
Mejorar las relaciones entre la Oficina del Sheriff y la comunidad.
Evaluar los programas y las políticas de la Oficina del Sheriff y también los problemas comunitarios.
Dar comentarios y expresar inquietudes y pensamientos de varios aspectos de nuestra comunidad.
