Meet Our Community Advisory Board!
Manuel Alvarado
United Way Merced
A Californian native, Manuel Alvarado was born and raised in Sanger, California. He earned a B.A. from California State University, Fresno. He helped open the Good Company Players Music Hall and performed in dozens of productions there. After twenty years in the hospitality and advertising industries [including the California Dancing Raisins campaign] he returned to his roots in the Central Valley.
Manuel has served as the Community Relations Manager for the Sierra Health Foundation’s Center for Health Program Management in the San Joaquin Valley and as President of the GLEE Foundation of California that serves the LGBT community access to higher educational opportunities.
Previously he was Director of Tourism for the City of Reedley where he oversaw the Historic Reedley Opera House. He works closely with the production company that performs professional theatre while on their Board of Directors. He also served as Vice President of the Central Valley Visitors Association. Manuel has organized and is a Past-President of a nonprofit organization, the Kings River Arts Council with a gallery showcasing the work of local artists in Reedley.
Ann Anderson
University Friends Circle, Merced Symphony Association; Merced Performing Arts Coalition, League of Women Voters
"ReCESS is important because working together we improve the livability of our communities!"
Ann is a native of the valley and a graduate of U.C. Santa Barbara who moved to Merced in 1978 with husband Lee and their two children.
She retired from Merced Community College after 9 years as the first Director – Office of Relations with Schools (Articulation Officer, Career and Transfer Center Director, Matriculation Coordinator, and K-16 Outreach). She has been a grant writer and consultant for a variety of state and local entities to develop projects that improve service delivery systems for special populations, interagency collaboration, development of a Hmong ethnomusicology project, and field coordination for a Central Valley writers-in-conversation humanities programming series.
Her current community involvement includes President, University Friends Circle, Interim Chair, Merced Performing Arts Coalition (MPAC), Vice President, Merced Symphony Association, and active member, League of Women Voters.
Nancy Young-Bergman
Make Someone Happy
"ReCCES is critically important to improving the future of our community since it ensures that the research performed at UC Merced is not only relevant, but that it addresses the true needs and concerns of our residents. It is very exciting to be a participant in an organization which is truly working to make a positive difference in the health and well-being of our community."
Nancy Young-Bergman holds a Masters’ in Public Administration from the University of Kansas and a Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences from the University of Texas. Nancy is an independent management consultant who has over 30 years of experience in health care administration. She is an organizational development specialist who focuses on team-building and systems improvement. She developed multidisciplinary teams that worked together to identify and resolve complex interdepartment system issues in several major hospitals, including MD Anderson Cancer Center and Cedars-Sinai Hospital. As a management consultant at Johns Hopkins Hospital, she was responsible for streamlining utilization management. In 2012, she and her husband formed Make Someone Happy, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization which operates Produce on the Go, a 23 foot semi-truck and trailer that delivers fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables to residents who reside in the food deserts of Merced County. In 2014 and 2015, Nancy assisted the Merced County Human Services Agency in developing the first Volunteer Program for the Merced County Human Services Agency which is now addressing the needs of isolated and homebound seniors throughout Merced County.
Dennis Haines
Merced County Office of Education
"When I first was introduced to the concept of ReCCES I knew this was an opportunity for community members and agencies to work with the students at UC Merced. Several years later, it is still the best program in Merced and the region."
Dennis has worked as the Operations Supervisor for the Family Resource Council for over 18 years. In this capacity, Dennis has worked throughout Merced County supporting local non-profit organizations. He is the President of the local nonprofit CORE (Community Organization Resources for Everyone) Connection. Dennis is a member of the original steering committee that founded the Community Foundation of Merced County.
John Magneson
Interim Assistant Superintendent Curriculum & Instruction, Merced County Office of Education
"The importance of using well thought out research and the collection of data to inform public policy can not be overstated. The partnership between ReCCES and the community at large helps to address critical community issues."
John Magneson has worked in education for the last 20 years in Merced county schools at the K-12, college and university levels. His educational training is in English, technology, administration and libraries. His focus has been on language acquisition and the use of technology to enhance learning. As a former river guide on the Grand Canyon, he enjoys the outdoors and opportunities to discover the flow of nature.
Tatiana Vizcaino
National Alliance for Mental Illness, Merced County
"I am deeply committed to support activities that facilitate social and political change in my community. I am excited about the opportunity to be part of the ReCEES Advisory Board. I hope to assist in deepening the collaboration and partnerships between UC Merced community-engaged scholars, who are addressing complex issues locally and around the world, and community members and others outside of the academy. I want to fully support and be part of the connection between university and community partners to generate and apply knowledge to improve my community in tangible ways. I am eager to be part of a community where researchers and community members learn, understand and respect each other as they work together to transform Merced County into a better place."
Tatiana Vizcaíno-Stewart was born and raised in México City until the age of eighteen when she moved to the U.S. with her family. She received a B.A. Degree in International Relations and a Comparative Literature Minor (English/Spanish) from UC Davis (1993) and an M.A. in English/TESOL from CSU Stanislaus (2005). She has over 15 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector with grant-funded projects, particularly by The California Endowment (TCE). She is the former Director of Training for Healthy House Within a MATCH Coalition, a California community-based organization focused on building understanding across cultures. In that capacity, she led a nationally recognized program to test and train healthcare interpreters.
