MEET OUR 2022-2023
Board of Directors
The CVCT Collaborative Board of Directors are local east Coachella Valley professionals who volunteer their time and energy to help CVCT meet its goals and objectives. They meet monthly from September through June. Each board member is a Chairperson or Officer who oversees a specific core program or function.
Jaime Bikis
Board President
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CVCT Collaborative
Board Member since 2011
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Education
Bachelor of Science Psychology
Ohio University, Athens Ohio
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Masters Degree
Counseling Psychology
National University
San Diego, California
Mr. Jaime Bikis has an extensive background in youth development. His career began working with adjudicated youth at St. John’s School for Boys in 1986. After receiving his master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, Jaime joined Riverside County Mental Health to provide therapeutic services for students in a local community school.
With the Indio Police Department, Jaime assisted families referred by police officers. He later created a diversion program for first time offenders called “The Links” program that is still helping youth today at the Boys & Girls Club of the Coachella Valley. For the past 21 years, Jaime has served the students of Desert Sands Unified School District through the Student Assistance Programs adopting “one student, one family at a time” as his personal theory of change and is currently the Supervisor for 16 Expanded Learning Programs in Desert Sands.
An Ohio native, Jaime found a home in the desert in 1984. He is married to Maria and has two adult children, Ryan and Sara. Jaime was assigned to attend CVCT Collaboration meetings in 1994. He quickly realized the synergy between agencies using a collaborative approach was an effective strategy to serve the youth of the community.
He remained a member of the organization until finally becoming board president. He has been instrumental in leading the CVCT Collaborative through many challenges and looks forward to continuing the work in the years to come.
Benjamin is a Police Administrative Officer with the Indio Police Department who has been a member of the police department for 36 years and homegrown from Indio/Coachella community. He is currently responsible for the Office of Community Safety which is responsible for the outreach on education and awareness of crime prevention & safety programs to the residents/businesses, crime analyses unit, manages volunteer’s services, department liaison to government & private agencies, manages the Public Information Office and represents the Office of the Chief.
Benjamin and his family live in the City of Indio and his family are natives of the eastern Coachella Valley since 1919. Benjamin is very involved in the community with the Indio Club Rotary and former club president, board member Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine, board member Coachella Valley History Museum, member of the Desert Recreation Foundation, 46 year member with Boy Scouts of America and appointed by the Indio City Council as a representative on the Coachella Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District Board of Trustees.
He has been instrumental in developing and overseeing CVCT programs and community youth support activities for over 25 years. He enjoys family, travel, and community volunteering.
Benjamin
Guitron IV
Treasurer and Public Agency Liaison Chairperson
CVCT Collaborative
Board Member since 1995
Indio Police Administrative Officer
Office of Community Safety/Public Information
Ron Hagan
Grants & Funding Chairperson
CVCT Collaborative
Board Member since 2013
Education
Bachelor of Science
Public Administration
California State University,
Los Angeles
Mr. Hagan has been a Community Services professional for over 33 years. Prior to his retirement from the public sector in 2002 he served as Director of Community Services for the cities of Claremont, Fullerton and Huntington Beach, California.
Since retiring and moving to Indio in 2002, Mr. Hagan has spent the past 18 years as a Senior Associate Consultant for Integrated Consulting Group developing strategic plans and funding and financial strategies and options for cities throughout southern California. He joined the CVCT Collaborative Board in 2013. His administrative and municipal budgeting experience has helped CVCT Collaborative develop its strategic funding plan and secure grants from both public and private agencies. Ron was one of the founders of Red Hot Ballroom, the Children’s After School Ballroom Dancing program and is currently the President of the organization.
Ron and his wife Jackie enjoy ballroom dancing, golf, and volunteering at the CVCT Collaborative to serve youth in the east Coachella Valley.
Mrs. Rosa Garza-Castillo’s collaboration with CVCT began in 2004 with the Indio Youth Task Force’s Kids Club Program at the Fred Young Labor Center, now known as Villa Hermosa. Rosa’s collaborative efforts expanded support to include a mentoring program for children of incarcerated parents throughout the city of Indio.
Rosa continues to live out her passion of helping youth, employed as a School Counselor in Desert Sands Unified School District. As Youth Support Chairperson she oversees the application process and scoring of requests to CVCT for financial assistance to benefit at-promise youth in the east valley. Her education contacts and community organization resources help guide CVCT in providing youth financial assistance where it is most needed.
She also loves horseback riding, hiking, reading and being with her family.
Rosa Garza-Castillo
Youth Support Chairperson
CVCT Collaborative Board Member since 2017
Education
M.A Counseling
B.A Social Science
A.A Liberal Arts
Rosalva Campos
Meeting/Membership Chairperson
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CVCT Collaborative
Board Member since 2022,
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Education
M.S. Educational Counseling
and Guidance
B.A. Psychology
A.A. Liberal Arts
Born and raised in Indio, CA; an Indio High grad, with an A.A. in Liberal Arts from COD, a B.A. in Psychology from CSU Long Beach, and a M.S. in Educational Counseling and Guidance with a PPS credential from CSU San Bernardino. With over 20 years in youth services, including local work at Indio Juvenile Hall, a couple of years as a Substitute Teacher with CVUSD and DSUSD; as well as a SAP Specialist with DSUSD. In 2008, I joined the City of Indio, opening the Indio Teen Center, where I still love what I do, and am blessed to be paid for it. Since being at the City, I have promoted from Coordinator to now Supervisor, overseeing the center, as well as youth services.
During my free time, I am part of the Woman’s Club of Indio, having served as 2nd VP- Membership for the past 2 years. In addition, I am a full-time soccer mom to a busy 15 year old, who is involved in soccer at SHHS and at the club level out of Spotlight 29 Crossroads.
Ms. Britton started her career working with children and youth prior to attending law school. She taught the primary grades for over 10 years in Palm Springs, where she was raised.
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During her years teaching she served as a lay advocate for foster care youth in the desert community through Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). She answered a calling to return to school with the intent of becoming a legal advocate, representing children and youth in the foster care system. After receiving her law degree she achieved that goal, representing foster children, as well as minors charged with status-offenses and delinquency, in the state of Wyoming.
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Ms. Britton also represented victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking before returning home to the desert and the field of education.
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Ms. Britton has most recently served as an Attendance Facilitator with the Child Welfare and Attendance Office at Desert Sands Unified School District, as well as a primary grades elementary school teacher. It was through this association that she became familiar with CVCT, joining the board in 2019 and taking on the role of Continuing Education Scholarship Chairperson.
Toni S. Britton
Continuing Education Scholarship Chairperson
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CVCT Collaborative
Board Member since 2019
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Education
Bachelor of Arts
Classical Civilizations
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Bachelor of Arts Social Ecology University of California, Irvine
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Master of Arts Curriculum
and Instruction
Chapman University
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Juris Doctor University of Wyoming
College of Law
Arthur Kimball
Outreach & Engagement Chairperson
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CVCT Collaborative
Board Member since 2020
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Education
Bachelor of Arts Economics/Business Administration
Master of Arts
Educational Leadership
California State University
San Bernardino
Mr. Kimball was born and raised in San Bernardino, California, but relocated to the Coachella Valley in 2003 and became a resident of Indio in 2006.
Since coming to the Coachella Valley, Mr. Kimball has worked in various positions in the Coachella Valley Unified School District as a middle school teacher, and an administrator at the elementary and high school levels. In 2016, Mr. Kimball joined the Riverside County Office of Education as an alternative education principal. In this role, he has served as principal of the adult school (located in all five Riverside County jails), court school (located in the Indio Juvenile Hall), and currently serves the community schools for the desert region (from Palm Springs to Blythe).
Mr. Kimball stays active in the community and is a member of the Leadership Coachella Valley Class of 2019 (best class ever). Additionally, he serves as co-chair for the Opportunity Youth & Young Adult committee through One Future Coachella Valley.
Arthur is married to his wife Elizabeth, and has three sons, Richard, Jacob & Nathaniel. He is always looking for new innovative ways to serve the youth in the Coachella Valley.
Oscar is an Indio native, Indio High School Graduate, and an associate attorney at Slovak Baron Empey Murphy & Pinkney LLP in Palm Springs. His practice areas include Real Estate, Land Use, and Public Agency Law.
Long before his career as an attorney, Oscar worked for years within the California justice system. While still enrolled at USC, Oscar returned to Indio to work for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and the Larson Justice Center. Oscar also volunteered his time as a Restorative Justice Group Leader at Indio Juvenile Hall for many years to help juveniles learn how to return to their community as productive members of society.
Oscar’s work experience includes various corporate clients and public agencies. Among these are the California Court of Appeal in Los Angeles, DTE Energy in Detroit, Michigan, and the Notre Dame Clinical Law Center in South Bend, Indiana.
In his spare time, Oscar enjoys cooking, traveling, attending live musical events, and looks forward to volunteering at the CVCT Collaborative to serve youth in the East Coachella Valley.
Oscar A. Verdugo
Board Member
CVCT Collaborative
Board Member since 2021
Education
Bachelor of Arts University of Southern California
Juris Doctor
University of Notre Dame
Monique Gomez
Administrative Assistant
CVCT Collaborative
Administrative Assistant
since 2018
Education
High School Diploma
Professional Baking Certificate
Mrs. Gomez is a lifelong resident of the City of Indio and graduate of Indio High School. She has been an employee of Desert Sands Unified School District and has assisted in education since 2006.
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Monique has always had a great compassion for children. In the past she has volunteered her time to tutor elementary school students and help coach little league baseball. Mrs. Gomez greatly appreciates the opportunity to assist CVCT in their mission to serve the youth of her community.
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Monique is a wife and mother of three children and enjoys spending quality time with her family. In her spare time, she loves to bake, cook, craft, and garden.