Celebrating 40 Years of Business Success!
KCHCC Board of Directors
Executive Board of Directors
Chairman of the Board:
Sal Saavedra, CPA
Daniells, Phillips, Vaughan & Bock
Chair-Elect:
Robin Mangarin-Scott
Dignity Health-Mercy & Memorial Hospitals
Vice-Chair:
Ken Ouellette
Advance Beverage
Treasurer:
Ed Taylor
Business Consultant
Secretary:
David C. Alanis
EDD-Americas Job Center of California
Past-Chairwoman:
Olivia Garcia
Bakersfield College & CSU Bakersfield
Board of Directors
Mario Arenas
Monarch Memorial Funeral Home
Chris Lowe
AltaOne Federal Credit Union
Adriana Coleman
Common Spirit Health
Ariana Joven
The Wonderful Company
Tere Quintana
McMurphy’s Irish Pub
Zachary Rabanal
Walker-Lewis Rents
Norma Rojas Mora
Kern Community College District
Board of Directors
Eva Ramirez
Kaiser Permanente
Matthew Cauthron
Adventist Health
Jose Gonzalez
Northwestern Mutual
Larry Velasquez
Bank of the Sierra
Donna Hermann
American Cancer Society
Dulce Hernandez
Chevron
Chair Appointments
Joseph Lopez
California Resources Corporation
Eric Mora
The Mora Partners, Inc.
Sal Brito
State Farm Insurance
Administrative Staff
Jay Tamsi
President/CEO
2025 New Board Members
Learn more about our newest Board of Directors and their passion for Kern County and the mission of our organization.
Eric Mora
The Mora Partners, Inc.
Professional Bio
Eric Mora is a dedicated entrepreneur and community leader with over 19 years of experience in real estate sales, real estate development, and leadership. As the founder and leader of a highly successful real estate brokerage in Bakersfield, CA, he oversees a dynamic team of 45 agents, guiding them with a commitment to professional excellence and growth.
In 2023, Eric Mora and The Mora Partners, Inc. received prestigious recognition in the real estate industry, ranking as the #12 Mega Team in all of California for real estate sales by Real Trends. Additionally, his team was honored as the #1 Zillow requested team in Kern County, solidifying their reputation for delivering exceptional results and customer satisfaction.
Among Eric’s notable accomplishments is the development of the Mulberry Village Luxury Apartment Homes, a signature project within The New Communities of Del Oro, breaking ground this spring 2025. This master development reflects his group’s vision and dedication to creating high-quality, innovative housing solutions that enhance the local community.
Born and raised in Bakersfield, Eric is the 3rd of 6 siblings in a close-knit family. His parents immigrated to Kern County in the 1970s, searching for a brighter future. They worked tirelessly as field laborers in Kern County, instilling in Eric the values of hard work, resilience, and a commitment to serving others. A proud graduate of Bakersfield High School in 2002, Eric cherishes his roots and remains an active supporter of youth programs, including being a proud member of the Bakersfield Police Activities League (PAL), which played an integral role in his development.
A first-generation Mexican-American, Eric is passionate about empowering his community through business development, mentorship, and civic engagement. He has devoted his career to creating opportunities for others while fostering economic growth and development in Kern County.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Eric is a devoted husband (Cecilia), father of 5 (Erik Jr. 10, Joslyn 8, Gracelyn 6, Abi 4 & Noah 5 months) and an active member of the Catholic faith. He values faith, family, and continuous personal development, and he is currently pursuing his latest pursuit of becoming a private pilot.
Joining the board of the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce represents a significant milestone in Eric’s mission to uplift the Hispanic community. He looks forward to collaborating with fellow leaders to support local businesses, advocate for the underserved, and promote economic prosperity across the region.
Joseph Lopez
California Resources Corporation & Carbon TerraVault
Professional Bio
Joseph Lopez is the Community Outreach Specialist focusing on reaching the Hispanic and Latino communities where we operate. Born and raised in Kern County, his responsibilities are to work directly with Spanish speaking community members to ensure all opinions and voices are heard. Joseph knows that through engagement, communities can gain a sense of ownership and will use their own voices about the decisions being made that impact their lives. He hopes to empower the fence-line communities to advocate for themselves regarding the energy transition and the production that takes place in their communities.
Prior to joining California Resources Corporation, Joseph has 6 years serving the community of Kern through roles in state and federal governmental offices. Joseph then went to work with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as the Community Resource Manager for two years, helping reduce recidivism and donating over one hundred thousand dollars back into the community.
Joseph is a graduate of the Leadership Bakersfield Class of 2020. He has been an active and dedicated member of the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (KCHCC) for several years, contributing as a member of the Latino Task Force, a Chamber Diplomat, and serving a term on the Foundation Board. Currently, Joseph serves as the Vice President of Youth for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Chapter 3272.
Joseph is a proud graduate of South High School and received his bachelor’s degree in psychology at California State University of Monterey Bay (CSUMB).
Norma Rojas-Mora
Kern Community College District
Professional Bio
Norma Rojas-Mora is the Associate Vice Chancellor Public Affairs and
Development for the Kern Community College District. In this role, she collaborates with municipal, state, and federal agencies, educational institutions, and community service organizations to advance workforce development and educational initiatives for some of Kern County’s most underserved and disinvested communities.
Some of the initiatives that have been launched during her tenure include the Rural Health Equity and Learning (HEAL) Collaborative, an eight-county coalition dedicated to addressing healthcare needs in rural areas; the High Road Training
Partnership, a coalition of labor organizations, research institutes, educators and non-profit groups dedicated to diversifying Kern’s economy, reducing
carbon utilization, and providing high-wage jobs with benefits to all residents; as well as the California Renewable Energy Lab’s environmental justice outreach, which aims to establish educational, community benefits and outreach to disinvested communities .
Most recently, she helped establish the Kern Coalition, the co-convening collaborative for Kern County’s Community Economic Resilience Fund.
Norma has over thirty years’ experience in community engagement, partnership development, program administration, grants management and in developing strategies to increase access to workforce training, affordable housing, support services, economic development and leadership development. Prior to joining the Kern Community College District, Norma served in increasing executive leadership positions at the Housing Authority of the County of Kern. There she helped found and became Executive Director of the Housing and Opportunity Foundation of Kern.
Norma is dedicated to her community and supports many nonprofit organizations. She served as President of Latina
Leaders of Kern County for nine years where she worked to obtain 501c3 designation for the organization,
reorganized the Youth Leadership Program and established a curriculum that has resulted in over 1500 young
women completing the program and over 200 adult leaders giving of their time and talent for the development of
young women. Norma serves on the Executive Board for the Bakersfield Women’s Business Conference, the
Bakersfield College Foundation, the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Education Foundation,
and Latina Leaders of Kern County. She is an appointee to the Kern County Workforce Investment Board and currently chairs the Youth Committee.
Norma holds a Master of Science degree in Administration from California State University, Bakersfield, and a Bachelor of Arts in both Sociology and Chicana/Chicano Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.
She is a graduate of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) Leadership Institute and the Latina Global Executive Leadership Program. Norma recognizes that without a personal support network, her investment in the community would be limited.
Family and her Latina sisterhood are extremely important to Norma-their support and encouragement is what keeps
her motivated to be so involved. She is the proud mother of four children-Onyx, Aaron, Erik, and Clarissa.