Who We Are
CVJC Board of Directors
Priscilla Enriquez
Board Chair
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Chief Executive Officer
The James B. McClatchy Foundation
Priscilla is the Chief Executive Officer of The James B. McClatchy Foundation and Founding Executive Director of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. She provides leadership in strategic philanthropic investments while supporting the bedrock tenets of democracy and advancing equity in education to lift community voice and improve access to learning. Priscilla ensures that all people, especially children, have pathways to living a fulfilling life in California’s Central Valley. As a dedicated servant leader, she works to enhance and uphold The James B. McClatchy Foundation’s promise to support Multilingual Learners and First Amendment rights—especially the freedoms of speech, expression, and a free press.
With over 20 years of experience in grantmaking and philanthropy, Priscilla has curated community investments in human services, civic engagement, community development, the arts, consumer protection, the digital divide, education, health care, and youth. Prior to joining The James B. McClatchy Foundation, Priscilla served in various leadership positions with Sacramento Region Community Foundation, where she was responsible for grantmaking, community engagement, and program initiatives in educational attainment for marginalized youth, the creative sector, food economy, and philanthropy, spearheading the development of region’s largest 24-hour giving day, the Big Day of Giving. Throughout her career, she has addressed digital divide issues across California, created greater access to health care in underserved communities through technology, helped roll-out inaugural efforts for Geographic Managed Care for Medi-Cal and medically underserved populations, and provided regional maternal and child health grantmaking and community development.
Priscilla is a thoughtful leader who cares about impact, working to infuse rigor, diversity, equity, inclusion and respect as tools to fuel community change. While her experience is philanthropically deep, she also has served as a community nonprofit board member helping nonprofits grow, expand, or turnaround. She is a member of the Fairytale Town board as it expands its park to include a Story Center which will foster early literacy in young children; is a commissioner, appointed by the Mayor, for the City of Sacramento’s Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Commission where she is helping to activate the arts city-wide; is a director for the national membership organization, Asian Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP); was recently appointed as Co-Chair to the Strategic Lifespan Peer Network of the National Center for Family Philanthropy; and is a founding board member of the newly formed Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. Priscilla holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Public Health and an M.A. in Public Health– both from UC Berkeley. She is a Senior Fellow in the American Leadership Forum and was a recipient of the Pew Charitable Trust Educational Stipend.
Priscilla Enriquez
Board Chair
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Chief Executive Officer
The James B. McClatchy Foundation
Priscilla is the Chief Executive Officer of The James B. McClatchy Foundation and Founding Executive Director of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. She provides leadership in strategic philanthropic investments while supporting the bedrock tenets of democracy and advancing equity in education to lift community voice and improve access to learning. Priscilla ensures that all people, especially children, have pathways to living a fulfilling life in California’s Central Valley. As a dedicated servant leader, she works to enhance and uphold The James B. McClatchy Foundation’s promise to support Multilingual Learners and First Amendment rights—especially the freedoms of speech, expression, and a free press.
With over 20 years of experience in grantmaking and philanthropy, Priscilla has curated community investments in human services, civic engagement, community development, the arts, consumer protection, the digital divide, education, health care, and youth. Prior to joining The James B. McClatchy Foundation, Priscilla served in various leadership positions with Sacramento Region Community Foundation, where she was responsible for grantmaking, community engagement, and program initiatives in educational attainment for marginalized youth, the creative sector, food economy, and philanthropy, spearheading the development of region’s largest 24-hour giving day, the Big Day of Giving. Throughout her career, she has addressed digital divide issues across California, created greater access to health care in underserved communities through technology, helped roll-out inaugural efforts for Geographic Managed Care for Medi-Cal and medically underserved populations, and provided regional maternal and child health grantmaking and community development.
Priscilla is a thoughtful leader who cares about impact, working to infuse rigor, diversity, equity, inclusion and respect as tools to fuel community change. While her experience is philanthropically deep, she also has served as a community nonprofit board member helping nonprofits grow, expand, or turnaround. She is a member of the Fairytale Town board as it expands its park to include a Story Center which will foster early literacy in young children; is a commissioner, appointed by the Mayor, for the City of Sacramento’s Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Commission where she is helping to activate the arts city-wide; is a director for the national membership organization, Asian Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP); was recently appointed as Co-Chair to the Strategic Lifespan Peer Network of the National Center for Family Philanthropy; and is a founding board member of the newly formed Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. Priscilla holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Public Health and an M.A. in Public Health– both from UC Berkeley. She is a Senior Fellow in the American Leadership Forum and was a recipient of the Pew Charitable Trust Educational Stipend.
Susan McClatchy
Vice Chair
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Vice Chair
The James B. McClatchy Foundation
Susan is the Founding Board Chair for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. She has been closely associated with her late husband James McClatchy’s projects and visions which she has continued to pursue since his death in May 2006. In 1981, she and James began attending meetings of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), which is dedicated to defense and promotion of press freedom in this hemisphere. Susan has been an active member since 2006 and serves as special advisor to the Chapultepec Committee. In 2015, IAPA honored Susan with its Presidential Award for her “vital support” for freedom of expression. She and James co-founded the Central Valley Foundation (CVF) in 1994 (now The James B. McClatchy Foundation) and she serves as Board Vice-Chair. She was a founding member of the Northern California Council of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NCCNMWA); served as Board secretary and newsletter editor, from 1991 to 1995. In that capacity, she helped showcase women artists through educational outreach programs and headed the 1995 exhibition: New World [Dis]Order, along with an accompanying exhibition catalog. The exhibit opened in San Francisco, CA., traveled to Washington D.C., and ended in Fresno, CA. In 2008, Susan also initiated and produced the Anna Richards Brewster Art exhibition, American Impressionist which toured the U.S. at the Hudson Museum in Yonkers NY, the Butler Museum in Youngstown, OH and closed at the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. Susan has initiated and published two family history books: one about five generations of the McClatchy family and a second about five generations of her own family. She continues to be active in the arts, theater, and music world in the Sacramento area, and the national environmental world.
Susan McClatchy
Vice Chair
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Vice Chair
The James B. McClatchy Foundation
Susan is the Founding Board Chair for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. She has been closely associated with her late husband James McClatchy’s projects and visions which she has continued to pursue since his death in May 2006. In 1981, she and James began attending meetings of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), which is dedicated to defense and promotion of press freedom in this hemisphere. Susan has been an active member since 2006 and serves as special advisor to the Chapultepec Committee. In 2015, IAPA honored Susan with its Presidential Award for her “vital support” for freedom of expression. She and James co-founded the Central Valley Foundation (CVF) in 1994 (now The James B. McClatchy Foundation) and she serves as Board Vice-Chair. She was a founding member of the Northern California Council of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NCCNMWA); served as Board secretary and newsletter editor, from 1991 to 1995. In that capacity, she helped showcase women artists through educational outreach programs and headed the 1995 exhibition: New World [Dis]Order, along with an accompanying exhibition catalog. The exhibit opened in San Francisco, CA., traveled to Washington D.C., and ended in Fresno, CA. In 2008, Susan also initiated and produced the Anna Richards Brewster Art exhibition, American Impressionist which toured the U.S. at the Hudson Museum in Yonkers NY, the Butler Museum in Youngstown, OH and closed at the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. Susan has initiated and published two family history books: one about five generations of the McClatchy family and a second about five generations of her own family. She continues to be active in the arts, theater, and music world in the Sacramento area, and the national environmental world.
Eric Prock
Secretary
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Senior Director
Journalism Initiatives, Microsoft Technology & Corporate Responsibility
Eric oversees a new initiative for Microsoft focused on helping to strengthen local news ecosystems, restore trust and confidence in news and provide cyber and legal security for journalists. A free, well-funded press is more critical than ever to our communities, democracy and civil society. However, journalism and the news business continue to face a growing list of threats and an accelerating crisis. Maintaining people’s trust, sustaining traditional business models and protecting journalists remains challenging. Microsoft is committed to working together with journalists, publishers, academics and researchers, industry organizations and the next generation of reporters and news readers to explore new hybrid models, restore trust, protect journalists and transform the business of news.
Since joining Microsoft in 2007, Eric has held a range of roles in marketing, engineering, business development, strategy and analytics across Microsoft News, Bing Search and Edge. Prior to Microsoft Eric worked at RealNetworks, a pioneer in Internet streaming media software and services, and global ad agency McCann. In addition to his work for Microsoft, Eric serves on the board of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, a new nonprofit superstructure dedicated to keeping public service journalism thriving in California’s Central Valley.
Eric Prock
Secretary
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Senior Director
Journalism Initiatives, Microsoft Technology & Corporate Responsibility
Eric oversees a new initiative for Microsoft focused on helping to strengthen local news ecosystems, restore trust and confidence in news and provide cyber and legal security for journalists. A free, well-funded press is more critical than ever to our communities, democracy and civil society. However, journalism and the news business continue to face a growing list of threats and an accelerating crisis. Maintaining people’s trust, sustaining traditional business models and protecting journalists remains challenging. Microsoft is committed to working together with journalists, publishers, academics and researchers, industry organizations and the next generation of reporters and news readers to explore new hybrid models, restore trust, protect journalists and transform the business of news.
Since joining Microsoft in 2007, Eric has held a range of roles in marketing, engineering, business development, strategy and analytics across Microsoft News, Bing Search and Edge. Prior to Microsoft Eric worked at RealNetworks, a pioneer in Internet streaming media software and services, and global ad agency McCann. In addition to his work for Microsoft, Eric serves on the board of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, a new nonprofit superstructure dedicated to keeping public service journalism thriving in California’s Central Valley.
CVJC Leadership and Reporters
alma Martinez
Executive Director
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
alma Martinez
Executive Director
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Joe Kieta
Executive Editor
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Joe Kieta is executive editor of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. He has more than two decades of experience as an innovative editor leading newsrooms in California and across the United States, including three in the Central Valley: The Fresno Bee, The Modesto Bee and the Merced Sun-Star.
He was one of the youngest daily newspaper editors in the country when he joined the Sun-Star in 2001. He quickly transformed the newsroom into one of the best of its size in the state by focusing on aggressive, truth-telling journalism, digital innovation and community coverage.
Later, while serving as executive editor of The Fresno Bee, he led the creation of philanthropic-funded reporting labs that added journalists covering such issues as education and diverse communities. In May of 2023 he was honored as one of Editor & Publisher magazine’s “Editors Extraordinare” for his leadership and work to diversify The Bee’s news staff.
Joe is excited to help guide CVJC in its mission to uplift the Central Valley’s news ecosystem.
Joe Kieta
Executive Editor
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Joe Kieta is executive editor of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. He has more than two decades of experience as an innovative editor leading newsrooms in California and across the United States, including three in the Central Valley: The Fresno Bee, The Modesto Bee and the Merced Sun-Star.
He was one of the youngest daily newspaper editors in the country when he joined the Sun-Star in 2001. He quickly transformed the newsroom into one of the best of its size in the state by focusing on aggressive, truth-telling journalism, digital innovation and community coverage.
Later, while serving as executive editor of The Fresno Bee, he led the creation of philanthropic-funded reporting labs that added journalists covering such issues as education and diverse communities. In May of 2023 he was honored as one of Editor & Publisher magazine’s “Editors Extraordinare” for his leadership and work to diversify The Bee’s news staff.
Joe is excited to help guide CVJC in its mission to uplift the Central Valley’s news ecosystem.
Victor Patton
Editor In Chief
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Victor Patton
Editor In Chief
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Vivienne Aguilar
health Equity Reporter
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Vivienne Aguilar reports for Central Valley Journalism Collaborative’s Health Equity Reporting Lab in the Stockton/Modesto area.
Since beginning her career at San Joaquin Delta College’s student newspaper, she has covered news throughout the valley. She’s written for The Calaveras Enterprise, Lodi News Sentinel, Sacramento and Modesto Bee, and Stocktonia News Service.
Aguilar’s collegiate enterprise news reporting received honors from the California News Publishers Association and George F. Gruner Awards. More recently, CNPA honored her professional work on youth and education.
After graduating from CSU Monterey Bay, she was accepted into the Asian American Journalism Association’s VOICES and National Public Radio’s Next Generation fellowships. She is a member of AAJA and Society of Professional Journalists.
The Health Equity Reporting Lab is possible through a generous contribution and partnership between CVJC and the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) and other partners.
Vivienne Aguilar
health Equity Reporter
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Vivienne Aguilar reports for Central Valley Journalism Collaborative’s Health Equity Reporting Lab in the Stockton/Modesto area.
Since beginning her career at San Joaquin Delta College’s student newspaper, she has covered news throughout the valley. She’s written for The Calaveras Enterprise, Lodi News Sentinel, Sacramento and Modesto Bee, and Stocktonia News Service.
Aguilar’s collegiate enterprise news reporting received honors from the California News Publishers Association and George F. Gruner Awards. More recently, CNPA honored her professional work on youth and education.
After graduating from CSU Monterey Bay, she was accepted into the Asian American Journalism Association’s VOICES and National Public Radio’s Next Generation fellowships. She is a member of AAJA and Society of Professional Journalists.
The Health Equity Reporting Lab is possible through a generous contribution and partnership between CVJC and the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) and other partners.
Marijke Rowland
Senior Health Equity Reporter - Mental Health
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Marijke Rowland is a senior writer covering health equity and mental health in the Modesto and Stockton areas for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative.
She has spent the past 26 reporting on the valley for The Modesto Bee and The McClatchy Company. A graduate of Indiana University’s School of Journalism and alumni of the Poynter Journalism Fellowship, Rowland moved from the Midwest to California in 1997.
She has spent most of her career covering the valley’s intertwined worlds of food, business, and entertainment. During her tenure with The Bee, she has also delved into coverage of LGBTQ+ rights, diversity and inclusion issues, and workplace safety.
Her award-winning work has garnered multiple honors through the years, including three first-place honors from the California News Publishers Association for coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
She is excited to continue covering the valley and providing vital news to the region.
Marijke Rowland
Senior Health Equity Reporter - Mental Health
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Marijke Rowland is a senior writer covering health equity and mental health in the Modesto and Stockton areas for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative.
She has spent the past 26 reporting on the valley for The Modesto Bee and The McClatchy Company. A graduate of Indiana University’s School of Journalism and alumni of the Poynter Journalism Fellowship, Rowland moved from the Midwest to California in 1997.
She has spent most of her career covering the valley’s intertwined worlds of food, business, and entertainment. During her tenure with The Bee, she has also delved into coverage of LGBTQ+ rights, diversity and inclusion issues, and workplace safety.
Her award-winning work has garnered multiple honors through the years, including three first-place honors from the California News Publishers Association for coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
She is excited to continue covering the valley and providing vital news to the region.
Rachel Livinal
Higher Education Reporter
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Rachel Livinal reports on higher education for KVPR through a partnership with the Valley Journalism Collaborative.
Livinal grew up in Merced and started to produce podcasts and audio stories when she was 16 for her school newspaper at El Capital High and local non-profit We’Ced Youth Media.
After attending Merced College and California State University of Long Beach, she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in sociology. While attending CSU Long Beach, Livinal worked as an production director and podcast editor for the university’s radio station and student-run magazine.
Livinal has been a fellow of NPR’s Next Gen Radio and her work has received several awards including a Mark of Excellence award from the Society of Professional Journalists for Best Conversational Podcast.
She is excited to share the stories that are shaping the higher education landscape in the San Joaquin Valley.
Rachel Livinal
Higher Education Reporter
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Rachel Livinal reports on higher education for KVPR through a partnership with the Valley Journalism Collaborative.
Livinal grew up in Merced and started to produce podcasts and audio stories when she was 16 for her school newspaper at El Capital High and local non-profit We’Ced Youth Media.
After attending Merced College and California State University of Long Beach, she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in sociology. While attending CSU Long Beach, Livinal worked as an production director and podcast editor for the university’s radio station and student-run magazine.
Livinal has been a fellow of NPR’s Next Gen Radio and her work has received several awards including a Mark of Excellence award from the Society of Professional Journalists for Best Conversational Podcast.
She is excited to share the stories that are shaping the higher education landscape in the San Joaquin Valley.
Christian DE Jesus Betancourt
Bilingual Community Issues Reporter
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Christian DE Jesus Betancourt
Bilingual Community Issues Reporter
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Brianna Vaccari
Accountability/Watchdog Reporter
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Brianna Vaccari is an investigative journalist working to hold leaders accountable and shine a light on issues affecting her neighbors in communities across California’s San Joaquin Valley.
Vaccari was born and raised in Reedley, a small Fresno County farm town nestled between the Kings River and the Sierra Nevada.
Her family’s roots tell a familiar Valley story: Her father is a first-generation American, born to Italian and Welsh immigrants who met in Canada and settled in the Valley, earning their living as small stone-fruit farmers. Vaccari’s mother’s family descended from German and Swedish immigrants. They arrived in the Valley during the Dust Bowl after relocating from Corn, Okla. They were Okies who toiled in the Valley’s field alongside other transplants and immigrants of various backgrounds.
Vaccari earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Fresno State and has since lived and worked for newspapers in Reedley, Merced and Fresno. She has won a number of California News Publishers Association and Gruner awards. Vaccari believes it’s her civic duty to give back to the Valley she calls home through service journalism. She prioritizes centering historically disenfranchised voices in stories about quality-of-life issues. She also has established a track record of exposing mismanagement and corruption in local government.
When she’s not chasing a story, Vaccari can be found visiting loved ones up and down the Valley and adventuring throughout the Golden State with her two rambunctious dogs.
Brianna Vaccari
Accountability/Watchdog Reporter
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Brianna Vaccari is an investigative journalist working to hold leaders accountable and shine a light on issues affecting her neighbors in communities across California’s San Joaquin Valley.
Vaccari was born and raised in Reedley, a small Fresno County farm town nestled between the Kings River and the Sierra Nevada.
Her family’s roots tell a familiar Valley story: Her father is a first-generation American, born to Italian and Welsh immigrants who met in Canada and settled in the Valley, earning their living as small stone-fruit farmers. Vaccari’s mother’s family descended from German and Swedish immigrants. They arrived in the Valley during the Dust Bowl after relocating from Corn, Okla. They were Okies who toiled in the Valley’s field alongside other transplants and immigrants of various backgrounds.
Vaccari earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Fresno State and has since lived and worked for newspapers in Reedley, Merced and Fresno. She has won a number of California News Publishers Association and Gruner awards. Vaccari believes it’s her civic duty to give back to the Valley she calls home through service journalism. She prioritizes centering historically disenfranchised voices in stories about quality-of-life issues. She also has established a track record of exposing mismanagement and corruption in local government.
When she’s not chasing a story, Vaccari can be found visiting loved ones up and down the Valley and adventuring throughout the Golden State with her two rambunctious dogs.
CVJC Startup Team
Founded in 1994 as the Central Valley Foundation, Susan and the late James B. McClatchy envisioned an organization that would address two issue areas important to California: the needs of English Learners and the protections of the First Amendment in free speech, freedom of expression, and a free press. Since then, the Foundation has made grants across its footprint in the Central Valley, and strives to make bold investments for long lasting impact.
- Priscilla Enriquez, CEO, James B. McClatchy Foundation
- Misty Avila, Chief Impact Officer
- Lisa Burke, Chief Operating Officer
- Melissa Garcia, Executive Assistant
Studio to be is a creative media and consulting agency supporting artists, journalists and organizations with strategy, growth, and impact. The work we do is centered on collaboration, courage, and creating opportunities for women and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) creatives in media. Studiotobe’s work is guided by the belief that stories fuel movements, collaboration creates stronger communities, and information is power.
- Joaquín Alvarado, Strategic Advisor