Foundation Board Members
Rudy Acosta
Rudy Acosta is Assistant City Manager/Redevelopment Director of the City of Desert Hot Springs. A resident of Bermuda Dunes, Rudy is a past-President of the Dr. Carreon Foundation. Rudy grew up in the Coachella Valley and is passionate about helping students accomplish their dreams.
Mr. Acosta earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture and Environmental Design from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo in 1982. Upon graduation he worked at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Facility in Avila Beach as a Design Engineer for three years. In 1985, Mr. Acosta returned to the Coachella Valley to practice as an Architect for Landmark Land Company in the Design and Planning Department on such projects as Mission Hills, PGA West, Oak Valley and Moreno Valley Golf Resorts and the La Quinta Hotel. In 1990, Mr. Acosta joined the city of Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency where, for 9 years, he managed the development and construction of multiple civil, landscape and park capital projects and most notably was the Project lead on the City’s award winning Desert Willow Golf Resort. Mr. Acosta’s career resume also includes serving as a former Director of Redevelopment at the city of Indio and former Vice President of Community Development for Lennar Homes of California.
Mr. Acosta is also a current member of the Board of Directors for the Desert Recreation District a California Special District elected position he has held for 7 years and 4 of those as the Board President. Other community involvement activities include service as a Board member on both the Community Recreation Foundation and the International Golf Museum Boards, a former Associate member of the American Institute of Architects and, former member of the Riverside County District 4 CETAP Committee.
"Serving on the Dr. Carreon Foundation Board is a fulfilling, worthy and joyful cause. Our yearlong effort culminates at the annual award banquet where the Board has the opportunity to acknowledge and reward the student's accomplishments, witness their pride and that of their parents, and anticipate the scholastic adventure that lies ahead of them. It is a positive emotional experience for our Coachella Valley Hispanic students made possible because of the generosity and vision of Dr. and Mrs. Carreon."
Carlos L. Campos
Carlos L. Campos is an attorney in the Municipal & Redevelopment Law practice group of Best Best & Krieger LLP's Indian Wells office. Mr. Campos specializes in municipal law, land use and planning. His practice focuses on the representation of local governmental entities and special districts. Mr. Campos currently represents the cities of Coachella, Palm Desert and Indian Wells in various capacities as well as the Salton Community Services District and College of the Desert.
Prior to joining Best Best & Krieger, Mr. Campos assisted in the researching and preparation of published articles and a book on International Human Rights Law, worked at a Non-Governmental Organization in The Hague, Netherlands, working with individuals seeking refugee status under the 1951 Geneva Convention, and co-taught legal seminars at the Catholic Superior School of Law, Jeremie, Haiti.
Mr. Campos has also been a research assistant at the Interlaw Foundation in San Jose, Costa Rica, where he worked on Central American legal and policy issues and on cases before the Organization of American States (OAS) Inter-American Court of Human Rights, as well as at the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute.
Mr. Campos speaks fluent Spanish and is a member of the State Bar of California, the Desert Bar Association and the Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Association. Mr. Campos is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Dr. Carreon Foundation and a Trustee of the Desert Bar Association. He is a former Board Member of the Coachella Valley Mexican American Chamber of Commerce and the Coachella Chamber of Commerce and the is former chair of the Coachella Valley City Attorney Association.
Mr. Campos earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he was a founding member of the Race and Poverty Law Journal. He graduated with honors from Pitzer College, with a double major in Political and Labor Studies.
Chris Escobedo
From a Dr. Carreon Foundation scholarship recipient to now serving as the Foundation's President, Chris Escobedo strongly believes that education is the pathway to empowerment. Mr. Escobedo graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in political science and earned his Masters in Public Administration from California State University, San Bernardino.
He is active in enhancing opportunities for people as he works in local government administration. Chris Escobedo has served on the board of directors for the Cal Alumni Association, policy committees for the League of California Cities, and is active in various volunteer organizations throughout the Coachella Valley.
Mr. Escobedo is married to his wonderful wife Lilia. They live in Indio, California - love to travel and have two dogs and a cat.
Alberto Franz
Al Franz is a Police Chief of the Palm Springs Police Department. Hepreviously served as Captain and oversaw the Investigations Division, the Crime Lab, and the Property and Evidence Unit. Captain Franz is also the Commander of the PSPD ~ Cathedral City Consolidated SWAT Team. Chief Franz sits on the board of directors for the Coachella Valley Crimestoppersand is a member of the Palm Springs Homeless Task Force. Chief Franz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Workforce Education and Training from Southern Illinois University. He and his wife, Camille have three children. When Al isn’t working, he is golfing, and spending time with his family.
Martha Mendez
Martha Mendez is the Single Family Director of the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC). She graduated from Indio High School and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Redlands in California, magna cum laude and honors in Economics, Business Administration and Spanish and obtained a Masters Degree in Development Economics at Sussex University in the United Kingdom. As SingleFamily Director for CVHC, a non-profit affordable housing developer in Indio, she is responsible for managing and supervising the work of the single family staff, and oversees pre-development, financing and construction phases of singlefamily projects. Ms. Mendez is also responsible for the subdivision development process, and works with various lenders to secure financing for administration, land acquisition, development, construction, and permanent financing. She is also a Past-President and active member of Indio Rotary.
“As a former Dr. Carreon Foundation scholarship recipient, I'm forever grateful to Dr. Carreon and Mrs. Carreon for having the foresight and generosity to establish the foundation and to Martin Martinez for being the engine of the foundation for so many years. Thank you for helping so many of us pursue our college education."
Bradley S. Ramos
Brad Ramos, Police Chief for the City of Indio, was born in Whittier, California and raised in Southern California. He is married to Irene, with two children, Anisha 28, and Ashley 20, and has two grand-daughters. His entire family lives in Indio. Chief Ramos received his A.A. Degree from Imperial Valley College in Imperial, California and his B.A. Degree from The Union Institute at San Diego. He has completed the Senior Management Institute of Police by the Police Executive Research Forum, Graduate of California POST Command College Class #36. He is a 1998 graduate of the FBI- Southwest Command College. He received his Basic Academy Training at Rio Hondo Police Academy in Whittier, California, then served as Police Officer for the City of Brea Police Department, and the Calexico Police Department working his way to the rank of Commander. Chief Ramos joined the Indio Police Department as Commander in February of 2001, and promoted to Chief of Police in June of 2002. Chief Ramos is adjunct faculty for College of Desert, and Imperial Valley College, where he has taught semester courses in Criminal Law, Criminal Investigation, Patrol Procedures, and currently teaches Criminal Law, and Introduction to Criminal Justice at College of the Desert.
Chief Ramos is a member of Police Executive Research Forum, California Police Chiefs Association, Chairman of Coachella Valley Police Chiefs Association, President of Association of Riverside County Chief's of Police, Member of Riverside County Law Enforcement Administrators Association, Board Member Coachella Valley Narcotics Task Force, Chairman Coachella Valley Violent Crime Task Force, Board Member DEA Majors Drug Task Force Coachella Valley, and Board Member Family Justice Centers of Riverside County.
Chief Ramos' community activities have included Executive Director Indio Youth Task Force, Indio Image Task Force, Indio Sunrise Rotary, and College of the Desert Foundation, Member of IID Energy Consumers Advisory Committee, Lower Valley Girls Softball Association, Board Member of Imperial Federal Credit Union, Former Board of Trustee Imperial Unified School District, and Imperial County ROP Board Member. Chief Ramos has received the Indio Chamber of Commerce "Sprit of Indio" Award 2002, and in 2007 was recognized again by the Chamber of Commerce for his Distinguished Service to the Community.
Anna Rodriguez
Anna E. Rodriguez is 4th District Regional Manager for Riverside County Economic Development Agency. She has a Master's Degree in Public Administration from California State University, San Bernardino and a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from California State University, San Bernardino. She works as a project manager on Riverside County capital projects, primarily in the unincorporated communities of the Coachella Valley. Major past and current projects include: Coroner's Forensic Center – East, in Indio; Art Samson Community Library in Thousand Palms; Mecca Family Service Center and Community Health Clinic in Mecca; Palm Springs Family Care Center in Palm Springs; Thermal Sheriff Station and Aviation Facility (currently under construction in Thermal); Mesa Verde Blythe Airport Water Improvement Project (project to bid out in April 2010); and Mecca Boys & Girls Club (construction to begin in April 2010). Anna was born and raised in Blythe, California. Last year, along with her sisters, she established a scholarship in their mother's name, for Palo Verde High School seniors.
Dr. Raul Ruiz
Dr. Raul Ruiz graduated from Coachella Valley High School and grew up in Coachella, California with farm-worker parents. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California at Los Angeles, magna cum laude, before acquiring a Medical Doctorate at Harvard Medical School and a Masters in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He specialized in emergency medicine at the University of
Pittsburgh Affiliated Residency in Emergency Medicine before completing a fellowship in International Emergency Medicine with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative where he also obtained a Masters in Public Health at Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Ruiz is the first Latino to receive three graduate degrees at Harvard University.
Dr. Raul Ruiz currently works as an emergency physician at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. He is the Senior Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Partnerships and an Assistant Clinical Professor for Clinical Sciences for the new University of California at Riverside, School of Medicine. He focuses his skills in developing policy to improve public health and healthcare access in the Coachella Valley as the founder and director of the Coachella Valley Healthcare Initiative. He also airs on Univision Notivalle Vive Mas, a health segment every Wednesdays informing Spanish-speaking communities about important health topics. He also started a pre-med mentorship program for students from underserved communities who want to be physicians and serve their communities.
He recently received the Person of the Year 2011 award from the The Desert Sun Newspaper's Desert Magazine and the Influential Latino of the Year Award from the Inland Empire Hispanic Image Awards in 2009. He was an early humanitarian responder for the victims of the Haiti earthquake as the founding medical director for the Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization with actor Sean Penn. His efforts and performance was
recognized with the Commander's Award for Public Service, a medal given by the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne. He was also awarded the Humanitarian of the Year in 2010 by the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce and the San Gorgonio Pass Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce. Dr. Ruiz was featured nationally and internationally on CNN and Univision's Don Francisco Presenta for his accomplishments and selfless dedication to serving vulnerable populations.
Martha Saldana
Born in Cuernavaca Morelos, Mexico, Martha Saldaña emigrated to the U.S. about 10 years ago. Here in the states, she had the opportunity join Noticias Univision Notivalle (Univision KVER). Martha has worked on about 300 reports and interviewed major political figures, including former California First Lady, Sharon Davis, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Golden State’s former Lieutenant Governor, Abel Maldonado. In 2003, Martha was transferred to Santa Barbara’s Noticias Univision Costa Central as lead anchor. Martha has reported on a wide variety of topics and confesses the ones that have left her with the most satisfaction are those that have to do with problems afflicting the Hispanic community. Her goal is to work alongside her colleagues investigating issues concerning Latinos: education, housing, health, immigration, economics and provide their viewers with options to assist them in making their own decisions.
"I would like to open more doors for those within the Hispanic community and help as much as I can, because I think we're a community with many challenges but also a community without limits," Saldana said.
Martha had the opportunity to work for KMEX Univision Los Angeles and worked on the special series, "15% of the U.S.," winning one of the most important awards in electronic communications, the PEABODY. In 2006 Martha Saldaña returned to the Coachella Valley where she works as news director and anchor of the most watched newscast in the valley, Noticias Univision Notivalle.
In 2010, Martha was honored with the prestigious Emmy Award, for her work as a producer of the special series "Deadly Waters: Do Not Die Trying," which is now used by some Mexican Consulates in the United States to prevent immigrants from risking their lives attempting to cross the border into this country.
Benjamin Vasquez
Benjamin Vasquez is Vice President/Manager of California Bank & Trust in Indio. Benjamin serves as Treasurer for the Dr. Carreon Foundation. He grew up in the Coachella Valley and was a past recipient of the Dr. Carreon Foundation Scholarship. Benjamin graduated from the University of California Riverside with a bachelor's of science in business administration.
Wendy Willson
Wendy Willson, MA, has a promise: self-expression is unleashed through the arts honoring the human spirit. She believes education and exposure to the arts are key to this promise becoming a reality.
Ms Willson has taught theatre arts courses and directed numerous plays and musicals as an adjunct faculty at College of the Desert and for the Los Angeles Repertory Theatre. Her international theatre work includes venues in Venezuela, England and Italy. She co-created and served as artistic director for two non-profit theatre companies for young people and served as artistic director for both companies.
Currently, she volunteers as a mediator for the Dispute Resolution Center for Riverside County. Her recent and ongoing board participation includes the Coachella Valley Arts Alliance, Cultures and The Pinnacle Fund. If you ask her, she will tell you she has a fabulous family – four daughters and twelve grandchildren and, yes, when they are together as a group they play in the arts.
Gloria Margarita Rodriguez
Executive Director
Gloria Margarita Rodriguez is the Executive Director of the Reynaldo J. Carreon M.D. Foundation. She is a former recipient of the scholarship herself. After graduatingfrom Cathedral City High School, she received bachelor's degrees in political science and journalism from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in broadcast journalism from Columbia University in New York. Gloria also teaches mass media and public relations at College of the Desert and runs a youth media startup in Coachella, "Coachella Unincorporated." A native of Cathedral City, Gloria served as Weekend Anchor/Reporter of KMIR 6-TV in Palm Desert for nearly four years, until November of 2009. She most enjoyed reporting stories that raised awareness of issues in the community and could bring about change. Previously, Gloria was a reporter for KNWA, the NBC affiliate in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Gloria also has a print background, having written articles for The New York Times, The Boston Globe, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and The Desert Sun. She covered the New York Yankees baseball team and the USC football team for her school newspaper, The Daily Trojan.
