Veronica Valenzuela Williams, MBA, MSN, PHN, RNC-OB, RN relocated to the Coachella Valley 18 years ago from Alaska on a nursing travel assignment and made this beautiful valley her home. She has over 25 years of experience in healthcare with most of those years being in Women’s Health. Veronica worked 17 years at Desert Regional Medical Center, as both a Staff Nurse and Perinatal Manager. Following her years of employment at Desert Regional, Veronica worked one year at JFK Memorial Hospital in the role of Director of Maternity Services before transitioning to Eisenhower Health’s Family Birth Center as the Director of Maternity Services. Here she has been instrumental not only in the reopening of the Family Birth Center, but also in the licensing of the Inland Empire’s first licensed OB Emergency Department. Additionally, Veronica has been involved with organizations to bring awareness to human trafficking, has helped develop the first Maternal Substance Exposure Program in the Coachella Valley, and is a member of Eisenhower Health’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee. As the proud mother of two teenagers, a daughter who is currently completing her first year at UC Irvine and a son who is a sophomore in High School, Veronica remains passionate about making a difference in the community in which she lives and works. 

Frank Figueroa, Ed.D., a native of Coachella and the proud son and grandson of farmworkers, has emerged as a trailblazer in his community. As the first openly OUT elected official in the City of Coachella, Dr. Figueroa has been at the forefront of driving progress and advocating for inclusivity. 

His unwavering commitment to prioritizing the needs of all Coachella residents stems from his extensive experience in public service. Previously, Figueroa served on the Planning Commission, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the city's development. He also served on the Southern Coachella Community Services District Board of Directors, from 2015 to 2022. 

With over a decade of experience in Higher Education Administration, Figueroa recognizes the transformative power of education. His invaluable contributions as a Financial Manager at the University of California, Riverside showcased his profound understanding of education’s critical role in shaping communities. Building upon his personal journey and the opportunities he was fortunate to receive, Figueroa strives to ensure that every individual in Coachella has equal access to educational opportunities. 

A product of the local Coachella schools himself, Figueroa proudly holds a B.A. from the University of California, Riverside. Furthermore, he fortified his educational foundation by earning a Master of Public Administration from California Baptist University and a Doctor of Education from the esteemed University of Massachusetts Global. His pursuit of higher learning serves as a testament to his unwavering commitment to personal growth and continuous improvement. 

As a respected leader, Frank Figueroa, Ed.D. embodies the values of integrity, compassion, and perseverance. Driven by his vision of an inclusive and prosperous Coachella, he continues to serve as a beacon of hope, inspiring others to strive for positive change. 

Bruce W. Finch has spent the past 40 years in the global travel industry, primarily focused on corporate travel and events.  Bruce graduated from Salem State University with a BS in Geography with a concentration in Travel and Tourism.  Bruce has worked on both the supplier and buyer sides of the travel business including such companies as Eastern Airlines, The Gillette Company, Fleet Boston Financial as well as owner/manager of his own travel company in the Boston area.  Most recently, Bruce was the Senior Director of Global Travel and Meeting Services for Autodesk, Inc.

Bruce served as chairperson of the Technology Committee for the New England Business Travel Association, co-chaired the Global Business Travel Association’s Technology and Sustainability committees. Bruce served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives and the Salem State University Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. 

After retiring from Autodesk in 2020, Bruce and his husband Keith moved to Palm Springs full time from Boston. Both are active volunteers for DAP Health and other Palm Springs area non-profits.

Karyl E. Ketchum, Ph.D., is a Professor and the Department Chair of Women, Gender, and Queer Studies at California State University, Fullerton. She is also a Senator representing the Humanities and Social Sciences in the CSUF Academic Senate. Professor Ketchum received both her MA and her Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from the University of California, Davis. She has published internationally in some of the most influential academic journals in her field. Her book, Gender Diversity and LGBTQ Inclusion in K-12 Schools: A Guide to Supporting Students, Changing Lives (Routledge), is a first resource for educators interested in creating schools that are responsive to the needs of women and LGBTQIA+ students.

Her work has, for decades, focused on creating institutions and systems attuned to the needs of minoritized and historically marginalized groups. Toward this end she routinely acts as a pro bono expert witness for women and LGBTQIA+ refugees seeking asylum in the U.S. and created and implemented a national training program for Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers working with these same asylum seekers. In her role as a founding member and President of the Orange County Equality Coalition School Compliance Task Force, she led a class action lawsuit against the California Dept of Education for their mishandling of complaints of discrimination by California public school students. She has also received special commissions and grants from the American Psychological Association and from the California Department of Mental Health.

Professor Ketchum has held multiple community leadership positions, including as an advisor to Chapman University's Center for Global Law and Development - LGBTQ Rights and Feminism Division, on the Executive Board for The Orange County Equality Coalition, and for The LGBT Center of Orange County. Dr. Ketchum is a reviewer for The M. Katherine Baird Darmer Equality Scholarship for law students. Her awards include Planned Parenthood of California's Advocacy Award, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California Vern Bulloughs Social Justice Award, the Rich Cook Community Bridge Award, the Orange County Lavender Bar Association Equality Award, the OCEC Excellence in Leadership Award, and the Women for Orange County Social Justice Award.

Ginny is a nationally known leader who is accomplished in solving complex social challenges at scale and fostering partnerships of great purpose across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Currently, Ginny serves as CEO of Bright Pink, an organization saving lives from breast and ovarian cancer by empowering women to know their risk and manage their health proactively. Prior to that, Ginny served as the CEO at Power to Decide, the campaign to prevent unplanned pregnancy, where she grew the reach of Bedsider, Power to Decide’s signature digital tool, to more than 8 million annual users. Prior to taking the helm at Power to Decide, Ginny directed the childhood obesity prevention portfolio at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and led the Foundation’s $1 billion effort to ensure all children grow up at a healthy weight. Previously, Ginny spent eight years at the Clinton Foundation, where she served as the Founding CEO of the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, focused on reducing preventable health outcomes and closing health inequity gaps across the United States, and the long-time CEO of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. During her tenure at the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Ginny positioned the organization as a national leader on preventing childhood obesity and started what is now the nation’s largest school-based obesity prevention program, active in more than 30,000 schools in all 50 states.