2023 KLA Class Schedule
All classes will be conducted at KernTax Conference Room, Kress Building, 1401 19th Street, Suite 204, Bakersfield, 93301 unless indicated otherwise.
August 30, 2023 – Wednesday,
Class 1 – Orientation, Leadership
Faculty in Charge: Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director, Kern County Taxpayers Association
Objectives: Orientation: Opening Remarks; Self-Introductions; Introduction to the Academy; What is effective leadership? Class bonding.
September 6, 2023 – Wednesday
Class 2 – Ethical Leadership
Faculty in Charge: Nate Olson, Ph. D., Associate Professor of Philosophy, Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Interim Director of the Kegley Institute of Ethics at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), Kallee McCullough, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Assistant Director, the Kegley Institute of Ethics, CSUB;
Objective: Ethical leadership emphasizes moral behavior, honest principles, and values. Ethical leaders not only focus on achieving organizational goals but also prioritize doing so in a morally and socially responsible manner. They set a positive example and promote ethical conduct throughout the organization.
September 11, 2023 – Monday
Class 3 – Critical Thinking
Faculty In charge: Steven Gamboa, Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy, CSUB;
Objective: Learning to Think Critically with an Open Mind
Topics: Critical thinking is a valuable skill that involves analyzing and evaluating information, arguments, and situations systematically and logically.
September 14, 2023 – Thursday
Class 4a – Five Pillars
Faculty in Charge: Keith Wolaridge, Trustee, Panama-Buena Vista School District.
Objectives: Every obstacle provides an opportunity to improve one’s circumstances.
Class 4b – Social Capital Theory
Faculty in Charge: Rich Ryan, Ph. D., Assistant Professor of Economics at California State University, Bakersfield
Objective: Social capital theory is a sociological concept that focuses on the value and benefits that arise from social networks, relationships, and social interactions within a community or society. It views social relationships as valuable resources facilitating cooperation, trust, and collective action.
September 18, 2023 – Monday
Class 5 – Homelessness
Location: TBA
Faculty in Charge: Amanda Ruiz, Kern County CAO’s Office, Fiscal and Policy Analyst; Lauren Skidmore, CEO of the Open-Door Network.
Objectives: Who are people experiencing homelessness? Why are they homeless? What is being done to address homelessness? Are there any genuinely effective solutions?
September 20, 2023 – Wednesday
Class 6 – Healthcare: Behavioral Health Challenges
Faculty in Charge: Stacy Kuwahara, Kern County Director, Behavioral Health Services.
Objectives: Understand the Kern Mental Health plan’s scope of services and how it reaches Medi-Cal Beneficiaries, Indigent (non-insurance), and privately insured.
Increase awareness of the large-scale, often unseen influence and costs of mental health and substance use across personal, family/caregivers, and community impacts.
Have a brief overview of the significant changes in behavioral health through the year and the impacts on service delivery for mental health. Understand the current focus of initiatives for mental health, locally and across the state, and what is anticipated for mental health services.
September 25, 2023 – Monday
Class 7a – Equality is not Equity.
Faculty in Charge: Dr. Lisa Gilbert, Kern County Superintendent of Schools
Objectives: Equality treats everyone equally and gives everyone the same opportunities. Equity refers to proportional representation (race, class, gender, etc.). Equality is the “quality or state of being equal,” where equal is defined as having the same quality, nature, or status measurement. Equitable is “dealing fairly and equally with all concerned.”
September 28, 2023 – Thursday
Class 8 – Building a 21st – Century Workforce
Location: Off-Site KHSD Career Training Education Center (CTEC), 7301 Old River Road, Bakersfield, CA 93311 Phone: 661-397-7301
Faculty in Charge: Dr.Bryon Schaefer, Superintendent, Kern High School District
Objectives: Creating a 21st Century Workforce
October 2, 2023 – Monday
Class 9 – “Poverty and Policy in Kern County: Examining the Past and Future Possibilities.”
Faculty in Charge: Jessica Grimes, Ph. D., Dean of Economic and Workforce Development, Kern Community College District,
Objectives: Addressing poverty through public policy requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach.
October 4, 2023 – Wednesday
Class 10 – Addressing Societal Needs
Faculty in Charge: Juan Avila, Garden Pathways.
Objectives: Examining real-world issues not discussed during political campaigns and public meetings.
October 9, 2023 – Monday
Class 11 – Faculty in Charge: Lorelei Oviatt, Director, KC Planning and Natural Resources Department
Objectives: To provide an overview of the issues facing Kern County’s largest and most diverse economic sector
October 11, 2023 – Wednesday
Class 12a – Changing Demographics
Faculty in Charge: Dr. Richard Gearhart, Assistant Professor of Economics, CSUB.
Objectives: To provide an overview of Kern County, its Status, Challenges, and a look at the future.
Class 12b – Kern County 2033
Faculty in Charge: Dr. Nyakundi Michieka, Assistant Professor of Economics, CSUB; Dr. Mark Evans, Professor Emeritus, School of Business and Public Administration (BPA), CSUB.
Objectives: Presentation on what Kern County could look like in 2033.
October 16, 2023 – Monday
Class 13 (1) – State Issues
Faculty in Charge: Assemblyman Vince Fong
Objectives: Provide an overview of our state government, economy, issues, opportunities, and the effects on Kern County. The core issues that affect Kern County
(2) – Ag and Water Issues
Faculty in Charge: Arianna Joven, The Wonderful Company, and Jenny Holtermann, Water Association of Kern County
Objectives: An overview of issues challenging the ag industry, with an emphasis on water
October 18, 2023 – Thursday
MAKEUP DATE
October 23, 2023 – Monday
Class 14 – Financing Local Government
Faculty in Charge: Jim Zervis, Chief Administrative Officer, County of Kern, and Elsa Martinez, Deputy County Administrative Officer at Kern County
Objectives: To provide an overview of the fundamentals of financing local government and Kern County’s financial challenges.
October 26, 2023 – Thursday
Class 15 – Introduction to Local Government
Faculty in Charge: Scott Hurlbert, City Manager Wasco
Objectives: To provide an objective overview of governance at the local level (City/County): State impacts, budget challenges, public safety, and job creation.
October 30, 2023 – Monday
Class 16 – Economic Development: How We Compete and What Are the Customers Saying
Faculty in Charge: Barry Hibbard, ASU Associates
Objectives: Discussion on the Economic future of Kern County and the Central Valley
September 27, 2023 – Wednesday
Class 17 – Kegley Ethics Fall Speaker Series – Safiya Noble
Location: Dore Theater, CSUB
Faculty in Charge: Nate Olson, Ph. D., Associate Professor of Philosophy, Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Interim Director of the Kegley Institute of Ethics at California State University, Bakersfield CSUB.
Objectives: Dr. Safiya U. Noble is an internet studies scholar and Professor of Gender Studies, African American Studies and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she serves as the Faculty Director of the Center on Race & Digital Justice and Co-Director of the Minderoo Initiative on Tech & Power at the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2). She is a Research Associate at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford where she was a Commissioner on the Oxford Commission on AI & Good Governance (OxCAIGG). In 2021, she was recognized as a MacArthur Foundation Fellow for her ground-breaking work on algorithmic discrimination. In 2022, she was recognized as the inaugural NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award recipient. She is a chartering member of the International Panel on the Information Environment and Interim Director of the UCLA DataX Initiative. Her academic research focuses on the internet and its impact on society. Her work is both sociological and interdisciplinary, marking the ways that digital media intersects with issues of race, gender, culture, power, and technology.
November 1, 2023 – Wednesday
Class 18 – Final Thoughts
Faculty in Charge: Nate Olson, Ph. D., Associate Professor of Philosophy, Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Interim Director of the Kegley Institute of Ethics at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), Kallie McCullough, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Assistant Director, the Kegley Institute of Ethics, CSUB; Michael Turnipseed, Kern County Taxpayers Association
Objectives: Bringing it all together; seeing how ethics and character underlie the entire process; reviewing the Academy and making class suggestions for 2024.
November 8, 2023 – Wednesday
Commencement Dinner at Bakersfield Country Club 6:30-9:00