California Volunteers (CV) – Office of the Governor
Quarterly Commission Meeting | 2026 May Minutes for Approval
May 27, 2026
| Commissioners Present | Commissioners Absent | Staff Present |
|---|---|---|
| Gregory Bradbard | Rima Barkett | Josh Fryday |
| Rodrego Byerly - Zoom | Lindsay Fox | Anthony Chavez |
| Benji Carvajal - Zoom | David SK Lee | Cristina Valdivia |
| Richard Goldman | Wendi Lizola | Luis Jimenez |
| Shelly Guyer | Ben McCue | Ia Moua |
| Jeff Hoffman - Zoom | Beth Gashaw | |
| Sloane Keane | Mark Skidmore - Zoom | |
| Michael Lynch - Zoom | Jacqueline Yannacci | |
| Kathy McKim | Dina Bourdaniotis | |
| Catherine Milton | Congresswoman Matsui proxy Aaron Jones | |
| Araceli Mohamed- Zoom | ||
| Dan Newman - Zoom | ||
| Juan Novello | ||
| Dareen Dow Ocasio | ||
| Yvette Radford | ||
| Vicente Sarmiento proxy Damiana Armendariz - Zoom | ||
| Tony Thurmond proxy Karen Sher - Zoom | ||
| Sean Varner |
Chair, Gregory Bradbard
Welcomed everyone and called meeting to order at 1:33 p.m. Chair Bradbard thanked everyone for being present and asked roll to be called. He stated he is honored to chair themeeting today for the first time. Chair Bradbard welcomed Aaron Jones from Congresswoman Matsui’s office as well as Commissioner Juan Novello. Chair Bradbard called for a vote of approval the January meeting minutes were adopted. At the request of the Chair and following a motion by Commissioner Radford and a second by Commissioner Keane, the motion carried unanimously by voice vote of the Commissioners present.
GO-Serve Director Josh Fryday thanked everyone for being present today. Director Fryday stated the Governor announced his May Revise and what that means for GO-Serve’s future- no negative impact for our programs and seeing support from the Governor’s office in his budget. He added that GO-Serve is experiencing transition this year: OCPSC will be transitioning into California Volunteers after July 1 budget is finalized and will be joining our team and we welcome them and thank staff for all their hard work in transitioning the team.
Governance Liaison, Jeff Hoffman, updated Commissioners on Co-Chair for AmeriCorps (AMC) Committee. The Committee has been chaired by Catherine Milton and she has done an amazing job, but she will need help with this busy Committee. They are looking for a co-chair to help Commissioner Milton recommended Kathy McKim as co-chair. Commissioner Milton called for a vote, and with a second from Commissioner McKim, the motion carried unanimously by voice vote of the Commissioners present.
AMC Committee Chair Catherine Milton reported the impact of the budget cuts in California, particularly funding for AmeriCorps. There have been delays, and, in the past, California has always been successful on competitive grants.
Commissioners Keane & Varner reported that a new ad hoc committee will be established and was introduced to the Commission today, showing how we look at service and mentor recruitment in the state. Commissioner Keane encouraged discussion in a meaningful way. If Commissioners are interested, they are welcome to join the conversation with Commissioners Keane and Varner. Commissioner Radford offered to volunteer and looking forward to joining. Commissioner Keane stated more follow up is to come.
CV Fund Board Commissioner Ritchie Goldman reported they have some exciting events coming up and suggested that Dave Smith, Chief Executive Officer, CV Fund, can join us for next Commission meeting for more in-depth updates. CV Fund has a website and Commissioner Goldman suggested people visit it for more information.
CV Executive Director Jacqueline Yannacci reported out how fortunate CV is to receive funding from the budget change proposal (BCP). Last year CV received funding for some programs starting July 1 and will be able to hire a few positions. The Neighbor-to-Neighbor program has created microgrants for organizations to host a one-day event, and this has been very successful. Jacqueline presented a dashboard slide to the Commissioners as part of their monitoring of the programs.
Aaron Jones from Congresswoman Doris Matsui’s office was welcomed by the Commission and thanked for the Congresswoman’s support all these years especially with AmeriCorps. Mr. Jones reported out Congresswoman Matsui has been pushing for more financial support and value for these programs with Congress.
External and Legislative Affairs Deputy Director Luis Jimenez reported that breakout sessions were announced for Commissioners to engage in a group at the Commission meeting in planning for education and outreach at State and Federal levels as well as Stakeholders to discuss and take notes to report back to Commission their findings.
Director of Planning and Innovation Ia Moua reported out a federal update as well as fiscal year 2026 AmeriCorps Formula Grant.
Chair Bradbard thanked everyone for joining today and adjourned meeting at 4:07 p.m. without objections.
