Butte County Commissioners Page

Commissioner Biographies

JOHN BURGHARDT, COMMISSIONER
Attorney at Law
Bio pending...

CATHI GRAMS, COMMISSIONER
Director, Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services

I have spent the past 27 years of my career in the field of social services serving the children and families of Butte County. I have worked extensively with public and private agencies and community partners to develop programs and enhance service delivery and access for citizens. I have been a member of the Children’s Services Coordinating Council since 1998, serving as Chair from 2000 to 2003.

I am committed to furthering the goals of strengthening families, child safety and well being through establishing relationships and building partnerships. I believe that collaboration provides the best opportunity for making lasting differences in the lives and futures of our children and families.

I earned a Bachelors Degree from Chico State University in Social Welfare in 1979, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration in 1999.

MAUREEN KIRK, CHAIR
Supervisor, Butte County Board of Supervisors

I was born in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene.

My husband and I moved to Chico in 1981 and I have worked as a Dental Hygienist for 25 years in Chico in two dental offices. I started my volunteer career in PTA. I was Health and Safety Officer for the Chico Unified PTA and co-coordinated the “Heads Up” helmet program with Dr. Jeff Lobosky for two years. I later became a board member of Little Chico Creek Educational Consortium and Streaminders.

I was a member and chair of the Bidwell Park and Playground Commission from 1994-1998. During this time, I also became a founding member of the Boys and Girls Club of Chico where I served as Secretary.

I was elected to the Chico City Council in 1998 and served on the City Council until December 2006. I was Mayor from 2002-2004 and Vice Mayor from 2000-2002 and from 2004-2006. I have also been a board member of Tri County Economic Development Corporation for seven years and was chair in 2003.

I am currently a member of the Chico State Advisory Committee and on the Advisory Board of Sunshine Kids Club.

I was elected to the Butte County Board of Supervisors in November 2006 and represents District 3. I am a member of Air Quality Management District, Butte County Association of Governments and the First 5 Butte County Children and Families Commission.

I have been married to Larry, a university professor, for 37 years and have a 22 year old son who graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Chemical Engineering and is a Navy Ensign in Special Operations.

MARK A. LUNDBERG M.D., COMMISSIONER
Health Officer, Butte County Department of Public Health

A native of Butte County, I am a board-certified physician (American Board of Family Practice). I practiced medicine at Oroville Family Health Center for six years before being appointed to the position of Health Officer for the County of Butte six years ago.

Currently, I serve on the Board of Directors for the Butte/Glenn Medical Society and Chair the Public Health Committee. I also serve on the Butte County Disaster Committee and am responsible for keeping the county prepared for any health disaster that should occur.

Serving as Health Officer, I already work with numerous programs which aid children, such as CHDP (Child Heath and Disability Prevention Program), WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), MCAH (Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health), and others, which add a unique perspective to the Butte County Children & Families Commission.

Being the father of three children, I have a personal interest in furthering the well being of all children.

SANDRA MACHIDA Ph.D., COMMISSIONER
Professor of Psychology, CSU, Chico

As a constituent of Butte Creek Canyon for the past twenty years, I continually volunteer in many child-related organizations. I am a Professor of Psychology and was the Program Coordinator for the Child Development Program (6 years) with a total history of 24 years working at the University.

Some relevant highlights of my career include working with Head Start for almost 30 years in some capacity, and serving as a board member for Parent Education Network and Children’s World (state-funded preschool). I also conducted projects with Butte County Office of Education and Chico Unified School District, and provided strategic planning for state-level projects.

Professionally, I am a member of four national organizations where I held national offices for the Early Education/Child Development Special Interest Group (a division of the American Educational Research Association) and the Families as Educators Special Interest Group (another division of the American ducational Research Association). I have maintained professional currency by presenting at national conferences throughout my 24 years. I’m on the Editorial Board for Early Childhood Research Quarterly, a national publication for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (estimated national membership of over 110,000 individuals). My primary focus is on the efficacy of early education and intervention, risk and resilience in early childhood, and impact of family processes on school achievement. I would like to lend my expertise in the applied, research, and policy areas of early childhood development and intervention.

KAREN MARLATT, COMMISSIONER
Executive Director, Valley Oak Children's Services

I am a life-long North Valley resident. I grew up in Corning and have lived in Chico for over 20 years. I earned a Bachelors Degree at CSU-Chico in Social Work in 1983 and a Masters in Education/Counseling from the University of San Francisco in 1987. I have strong family and social ties to this community and with my husband Dave, am raising three children ages 9 to 21 in Butte County. My adult life has been committed to improving the lives of children and families through a wide variety of professional and volunteer experiences.

A community can have the greatest positive impact with children and families in the first 5 years of a child's life. I have found the greatest satisfaction in working for programs who provided prevention and intervention services in these early times in a child's life. It has been my privilege to work with programs like Head Start, PEN , Del Norte Clinic, Far Northern Regional Center and Valley Oak Children's Services in providing direct services to children and families. I have served as a Board Member to the Rowell Family Empowerment Center, Masonic Youth Organizations, and work as a mentor for Chico High's Academy of Communication and Technology. My personal and professional experiences ensure that I continue to be a lifelong learner. My experiences have given me a vested interest in advocacy issues, strengthening local collaborative efforts to improve services to families and working with policy makers to ensure systems support families.

It is my honor to serve on the Butte First 5 Commission. It is a wonderful opportunity to work with a group of motivated individuals to improve the lives of children and families in our community.

PHYLLIS L. MURDOCK, COMMISSIONER
Director, Butte County Public Health Department

I have been a manager in the field of Health and Human Services for more than twenty years. I am a Chico State graduate and was a founding member of the Children and Families First Commission in Nevada County prior to coming to Butte County in July of 2003. I am dedicated to improving health and opportunities for young children and families in Butte County.

I am an experienced public health professional and am dedicated to the mission of disease prevention and to the mission of improving health outcomes and developing healthy communities. I am a strong believer in collaborative relationships among government and the community. I am also active at the state level in the County Medical Services Program (CMSP) and the County Health Executives Association of California (CHEAC).

I welcome the opportunity to be a part of such a dynamic group of fellow commissioners and look forward to doing this rewarding work.

YVONNE NENADAL, COMMISSIONER
Administrator of Community Programs, Youth for Change

It is a delight and an honor to serve on the Commission as an Commissioner. My current position is Administrator of Community Programs with Youth for Change, a non-profit agency that provides multiple youth and family services throughout Butte County. As such, I have responsibility for the oversight of the Paradise Ridge Family Resource Center (PRFRC), a multi-agency collaborative of public agencies, private organizations, community programs, and volunteer services available to all Paradise Ridge residents. My other responsibilities include administration of a home visitation and case management program, elementary school-based counseling services, an outpatient counseling center, child abuse treatment services, Targeted Case Management (a MediCal billing stream for case management services), and proposal writing. In addition, I am a project specialist for Strategies (funded through the Office of Child Abuse Prevention), a training and technical assistance program that works with family resource centers throughout the state of California to strengthen and enhance their programs and ongoing sustainability.

I have a BA in Recreation Therapy from CSU, Long Beach and an MA in Public Administration from CSU, Chico. I am currently involved in a one-year fellowship through the Women’s Foundation, where 24 women throughout the state of California are being trained to become effective policy makers and political advocates for women’s and children’s issues.

Most important, however, is my role as “mom” to Brooke, Lindsey, and Caitlin, my three delightful and gorgeous daughters! As a single parent for over 18 years, I understand the struggle first-hand for quality, affordable infant and childcare, decent living wages, and adequate health insurance. My work on the Commission is one more way I am actively working to ensure every family has access to these basic rights.

TALIA SCHERQUIST, Alternate Comminssioner
Bio Pending...

DAVE SCOTT, VICE CHAIR
Director of Pupil Personnel Services, Chico Unified School District

My wife, Sally, and I moved to Chico in 1980 from San Diego where I completed a Bachelor’s degree (1977) and a Master’s degree (1978) at San Diego State University. Butte County, and Chico in particular, has been a wonderful place in which to raise our three children (currently age 17, 21 and 25). Additionally, I have had the privilege of working at public schools in Glenn and Butte Counties for 26 years as a school psychologist, coordinator of health education programs, principal of an alternative high school, principal of a school for children with disabilities and as a district-level administrator of student support services.

I believe that my experiences as a parent as well as my experiences as a professional educator provide me with a knowledgeable and practical perspective with respect to the needs of young children and their families in our county. I hope that my service on the Commission will help to improve quality of services to preschool-age children and parents residing in Butte County. Currently, I work as the Director of Pupil Personnel Services for the Chico Unified School District, serve as a member of School Psychology Advisory Committee, CSU, Chico, Special Education Advisory Committee, CSU, Chico and have previously served as a member of the Butte County Chapter of the American Cancer Society, and as President and Treasurer of District XII, California Continuation Education Association.

I welcome your ideas, feedback and input regarding the programs, activities and policies of the Commission at dscott@chicousd.org.

LORENZO TOBIAS, Alternate Comminssioner
Bio Pending...