Local community and business leaders work together to advance our mission to ensure public Ƶ are places all students can thrive.
Dr. Frederick Meyers is the Director of the Center for Precision Medicine and Data Sciences and distinguished professor of internal medicine/hematology-oncology at UC Davis School of Medicine. He has a long-standing interest in cancer biology, clinical trials, and palliative care. In the 1980s, he founded one of the first Palliative Care centers in the country. His service to the University has included 12 years as Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, followed by 7 years as Executive Associate Dean and Vice Dean of the UC Davis Medical School.
UC Davis Center for Precision Medicine and Data Sciences is a leader in precision medicine. Finding precise, targeted, and individualized cures for cancer and all diseases, and improving population health, is his enduring passion. Dr. Meyers is strongly committed to the career development of junior scholars. His appointment as Associate Director for Education, Training and Career Development of the UC Davis’ Comprehensive Cancer Center extends cancer research career development from high school to early faculty career development and to the community. In 2018, he founded the UC Davis School of Medicine Academic Research Careers for Medical Doctors (ARC-MD) program. The goal of this program is to develop the careers of medical students destined to be the next generations of diverse, team science, community-oriented physician scientists. He serves as president of CARES Foundation Board, in Sacramento. The CARES Foundation provides over $1 million a year to community-based organizations to control and eradicate AIDS and STDs from our region. He is a proud member of the City Year Sacramento Board.
Beth Portman is a finance and technology leader with 35+ years of experience improving financial operations for state agencies. She specializes in ERP systems, financial process optimization, and resolving complex audit findings, with major projects for multiple states including California. Her work has strengthened data integrity, streamlined reconciliation, and improved yearend close performance across statewide systems.
Chelsea Acuña is a Vice President at State Street Bank & Trust supporting Middle Office clients with Portfolio Services and Governance. In this role she is focused on providing operational oversight for State Street Alpha clients and helps oversee a team of over 60 employees spanning several service specialties including investment accounting, account services, trade management, and complex operations. Chelsea is located in Sacramento, CA and has been with State Street for 10 years. Prior to this role, she held positions within Relationship Management, Derivatives Operations, and Securities Valuation.
Chelsea holds an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from California State University, Sacramento. Chelsea is the chair of the Corporate Citizenship Council, is a committee member of the Professional Women’s Network, and is a member of the State Street Sacramento Management Committee at State Street.
An organizational development consultant with a proven track record managing complex transformations programs, facilitating communications along with designing digital media and instructional materials. He has facilitated cross-functional planning with senior leaders to align learning strategies and targets with business outcomes. He received recognition for facilitating impactful executive coaching, innovation, and fostering inclusive cultures. Prior to consulting, Christopher built and managed alumni engagement and leadership development programs in the nonprofit sector.
Mackensie Priley was born and raised in Roseville, CA and served as a Team Leader at City Year Sacramento from 2018-2019. She earned a degree in Sociology and double minors in Psychology and Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies at Occidental College. Mackensie joined the board because City Year changed her life. Her service year launched her career and introduced her to lifelong friends along the way. Currently, Mackensie is the Associate Director of Development for the School of Medicine at UC Davis Health where she raises money for medical school priorities. She is also an active member of the UC Davis Development DEI committee.
Assistant City Manager Michael Jasso joined the City on April 25, 2018. His most recent adventure was in Chicago, serving as Chief for the Bureau of Economic Development of Cook County, IL (Cook County is the second most populous county in the United States.) There he oversaw three County departments along with a cross‐cutting office of economic development. Among other successes, he led the creation and implementation of Cook County's strategic economic development plan.
Michael has also served as Managing Deputy Commissioner for Chicago’s Department of Housing and Economic Development, specifically overseeing the Bureau of Economic Development, Chief Development Officer for the Chicago Housing Authority helping to manage the third largest public housing authority in the nation, and led the Tax Increment Finance Program on behalf of the Mayor for the District of Columbia Government. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from Princeton University, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin. Michael Jasso is a native Chicagoan, he was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Yemen from 1987-1989.
Monica counsels clients on all aspects of labor and employment law including Affirmative Action, obligations related to the interactive process and reasonable accommodations, sexual harassment prevention and anti-harassment training, wage disputes, independent contractor and employment agreements, discipline and termination, workplace investigations, wage and hour audits, workplace violence, employment policies, the preservation of trade secrets and the Affordable Care Act. When a claim is filed despite comprehensive preventive advice and activity, she steps in to defend employers against individual and class actions initiated in federal and state courts throughout California.
Monica also represents clients in general business litigation, including director and officer liability and constitutional law. She regularly mediates, arbitrates, and litigates business disputes over contractual obligations, breach of fiduciary duty claims, and shareholder disputes. Outside the traditional employment and business arenas, Monica’s practice focuses on ADA accessibility counseling and litigation, including physical barriers, reasonable accommodation obligations related to student disabilities, and auxiliary aids and service animal requirements in the healthcare industry. In addition to her legal practice, Monica provides firmwide leadership while remaining actively engaged in the Sacramento community. She serves on the City Year Sacramento Advisory Board and the American River Parkway Foundation Summer Solstice Committee and is a founding member of MetroEDGE, a program of the Sacramento Metro Chamber. She is also a graduate of Leadership Sacramento, served as Chair of Inspire Giving, and was a former President of the Barristers’ Club of Sacramento.
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Symia Stigler attended public Ƶ in Spokane, Washington. As a child, she loved riding her bike, turning sticks and mud into imaginary meals, and reading books from her curated collection of Scholastic Book Fair finds.
After graduating from Washington State University, Symia moved to Sacramento, California, to accept her first salaried position at the Greater Sacramento Urban League. Looking back, the role as an education case manager was a formative experience, illuminating how community-based organizations can advance positive outcomes for youth. Symia transitioned from the Urban League to join School Innovations & Advocacy, where she developed her leadership style, collaborating with K-12 school leaders to create and implement attendance improvement plans. In 2012, Sacramento's Mayor welcomed Symia to lead Sacramento READS!, a regional initiative focused on grade-level reading by the end of third grade. Progress towards this bold goal included launching citywide tutoring sites and aligning cross-sector champions to secure capacity-building funds for districts and non-profit organizations. In 2016, Symia was recruited to City Year Sacramento as the Managing Director of Impact. In that role, she served and learned alongside a phenomenal impact staff and 66 AmeriCorps, who implemented research-based strategies to coach students in academics and interpersonal skill development. Symia currently serves as the SVP of Program Design & Development at City Year Headquarters. Away from work, you will find Symia asking her three kids "too many questions" about their high school and college experiences, traveling with her Sorors, and planning the next set of family adventures with her husband Tracy.
