Tricia
Client Services Manager
Tricia is an exemplary role model for
women and a treasure to have at Alta California Regional Center.
During her tenure, she has uplifted those around her, providing
support, knowledge and wisdom that has helped 5 of the Service
Coordinators she has worked with move upward to management
positions. She is a passionate supporter of women’s rights and
advocates for educating oneself further.
Megan
Equine Professional
Living on your own and building a
career can be challenging, but Megan has made great strides in
achieving her goals. She is a resilient person with a passion for
horses and their care. She plans to build a business that allows
her to expand on her current skills and responsibilities of
providing care for horses.
Tracy
Honorary Flight Attendant
Andre
Being the Representation
Felicia
Service Coordinator
Felicia began her career 15 years ago, starting with an
Independent Living Services
(ILS) vendor, Lighthouse Living Services. She later transitioned
to Elk Grove Adult Community Training (EGACT) and taught in
classrooms for day programs. After building her experience with
these vendors, she started at Alta California Regional Center
(ACRC) in 2020.
Noe
Service Coordinator
Noe began his career in social work in 2015 working in Supported
Living Service (SLS), Independent
Living Services (ILS) and Day programs. For most of his career,
he has worked in Personal Attendant, SLS, Residential, hospice
settings, Respite, ABA and nursing care homes Intermediate Care
Facility. Noe has been a natural caregiver since he was a child
caring for his infant brother, and he felt compelled to continue
that caregiving as an adult. Now, he works at Alta California
Regional Center as a Service Coordinator.
Mai Gee
Cultural Diversity Specialist
Mai Gee has 10 years of social work experience and initially
started her journey as amental
health counselor. In 2018, she transitioned to Alta California
Regional center and dived into her work as a Service
Coordinator in a children’s unit. Her experience
would continue to grow as she moved into a role as an Intake
Specialist where she helped families navigate and complete
the intake process.
How One Family Navigated a Successful Transition During a Challenging Time
Shared by the Association of Regional Center Agencies
Jimmy, a cheerful and adventurous 15-year-old with autism, had a strong bond with his father, Jim. When Jim, a children’s book author and English as a Second Language teacher, passed away in a tragic car accident in 2021, Jimmy and his mother, Beatriz, were left in a state of uncertainty and hesitation about how to move forward with the developmental disabilities services system to adjust their blend of services to meet Jimmy’s unique needs.
Kenisha
Client Services Manager
Kenisha is a veteran and has 15 years of social work experience.
She first fell in love with
social work when she attended an Individual Education Program
(IEP) meeting for her brother, a client of the regional
center, as a sophomore in college. During the meeting, she
was impressed with the Service Coordinator and how she advocated
for Kenisha’s brother. Her interest was peaked, and she
embarked on entering the service delivery system.
Shamir
Service Coordinator
Shamir has been employed with Alta California Regional Center for
6 months, but has provided
social care throughout his life. Caring for the community is a
big part of his heritage. As a member of the Choctaw tribe,
providing healing both medically and spiritually has been
fundamental in his upbringing.
Abby
Dancer and Model Citizen
Abby is a client of the regional center and an accomplished
dancer. She is very involved in the
Pow Wow arena and performed in the Nutcracker as an angel. Abby
is an enrolled member of the 3 affiliated tribes Mandan,
Hidatsa, and Arikara. She is an ambassador for her people and
will share her culture by taking time to visit her cousins’
schools and educating the students on her heritage. She enjoys
sharing stories, dancing and singing.
Will
Proud Member of the Yurok Tribe
Will is a proud card-carrying Native American of Yurok, a
northern California tribe and
is a client of Alta California Regional Center. He has
visited the reservation and enjoys interacting with his
community. His tribe is known for being experts at fishing and
were the first people to build canoes for both fresh and
salt water. They also are creative basket weavers, some of
which were featured in an exhibit at the Steinhart Aquarium
in San Francisco.
Luis
Service Coordinator
Luis began his career in social work with Passport to Learning in
2019. His experience in hospitality
and sales gave him expert skills in communication and he learned
how to interact with people of different backgrounds and needs.
But he knew he wanted to make a change in his career that would
allow him to help others and make a positive impact. Initially he
dreamed of becoming a probation officer for youth. Luis found the
profession of social work aligned with his goals and led him to a
job with Alta California Regional Center.
Emily
Service Coordinator
Emily is a Service Coordinator for Early Intervention, with 20
years of social work experience. She
has primarily worked with youth, starting off her career with
providing services for emotionally disturbed children. She moved
on to child action, which provided subsidized child care for low
income families. Eventually, she would find her way to Alta
California Regional Center (ACRC) in the Early Intervention unit.
John
Special Olympics Swimmer and Bowler
John is a Special Olympic gold medal winner who takes immense joy and pride in being a swimmer. However, he didn’t learn about his interest in swimming until high school. Before this interest blossomed, he struggled with behavioral issues and had no outlet to allow his personality to flourish.
Ben (also known as Seth)
Living independently!
Ben (also known as Seth) lives a well-rounded life where he
enjoys his work, his hobbies, and
feels pride for his accomplishments. He wanted to live an
independent life and has achieved that with education
and persistence. In addition to his professional life, Ben
is somewhat an adrenaline junkie and enjoys
chasing the thrill rollercoasters provide.