We’re so excited to introduce you to our new 2023 Board Members who we welcomed during our first quarter board meeting on March 1, 2023. These exceptional regional leaders will help us in elevating the mission of the Sacramento Metro Chamber, Foundation, and PAC. Along with our current Board Members, these individuals now make up the most diverse Board in our 128-year Chamber history!
Becky Beland McNaught
Senior Vice President of Communications and External Affairs
Sacramento Kings
Becky Beland McNaught is the Senior Vice President of Communications and External Affairs at the Sacramento Kings where she leads strategic communications and messaging across the organization. In this role, Becky is responsible for directing the business and basketball media relations, social responsibility, and DEI departments. Becky previously served as California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s chief of staff for the first three years of the Newsom Administration. Prior to the Governor’s Office, Becky was the Democratic Counsel for the U.S. Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. Before that, she was the Counsel to U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and a longtime aide to Maria Shriver. Becky earned her B.A. from New York University and aJ.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law. Becky currently serves on the board of Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s nonprofit, the California Partners Project. She lives in her hometown of Sacramento with her husband, John, and their son Sebastian.
Nancy Brodovsky
SacConnects
Principal
Nancy Brodovsky is the Principal of SacConnects:
• A connector for nonprofits and business
• A provider of board engagement services
• A provider of training on ”How to Be a Good Board Member”
Her volunteer work has included serving as a trustee for the Crocker Art Museum, FamiliesFirst, Mosaic Law Congregation, the National Breast Cancer Fund, Sacramento Jewish Federation, Sacramento Country Day School, Breakthrough Sacramento Advisory Council, UCD School of Education Board of Advisors, Shalom School (1999-2001 President), and Chair of the Board of Directors of the UC Davis MIND Institute (2009-2011 Board Chair). She recently was on the City Year Sacramento board and served since its inception. Currently, she serves on the boards of KVIE, American Leadership Forum (ALF) (2016 Board Chair) and the National American Leadership Forum (NALF). Nancy is married & has two grown sons & a daughter-in-law.
Dion Dwyer
MMS Strategies
Partner
Dion Dwyer is an experienced, well-respect policy advocate who has helped drive business activism and engaged regional voices and collaboration for over 25 years. His roles have included leading the Northern California World Trade Center as the Executive Director, Vice President of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and most recently as the Director of Public Space Services with the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. Prior to these positions, Dion spent a decade working for FedEx working with local industry leaders to manage International Supply chain productions. In his role at the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, he helped mitigate issues with the construction and ultimate opening of the Golden One Center in the heart of downtown Sacramento. This included working with the city of Sacramento on nighttime safety, traffic impacts and partnering with parking operators to ensure capacity would meet demand. Dion continues to work on nighttime social issue by partnering with the city of Sacramento agencies and representing our region at the Responsible Hospitality Institute annual conferences and workshops. He also works daily with both city, county, and regional organizations on homeless solutions. In 2022 Dion helped author a white paper for the International Downtown Association on Homelessness to assist downtowns in their response to this crisis. This work continues to includes sitting on regional and statewide boards to help develop strategies that will reduce the impact of homelessness on both the housed and unhoused. As a resident of the city of Sacramento, Dion remains committed elevating conversations that will make a positive and lasting impact on his community.
Mitzy Edgecomb
Vice President of Donor Recruitment Operations
Vitalant
Mitzy Edgecomb joined Vitalant (formerly Blood Systems) in September 2016 serving as the Vice President of Donor Recruitment Operations. In her leadership role, Edgecomb led a two-year branding effort bringing 14 legacy brands together under a single unified brand. Prior to joining Vitalant, Edgecomb spent over 20 years of her career at BloodSource (now Vitalant) in northern California where she served in many leadership roles. Mitzy is a graduate of California State University, Chico, receiving both her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing as well as her Master of Business Administration (MBA). Upon completion of her MBA, Mitzy was recognized as a Graduate of Distinction by the CSU, Chico School of Business. Edgecomb has served as chairperson of the California Blood Bank Society’s donor resources committee, a blood center member representative for America’s Blood Centers, and worked alongside international colleagues to support the strategic goal of the Alliance of Blood Operators -reimagining the donor experience. Most recently Mitzy has transitioned to the role of vice president leading Vitalant’s west division which encompasses blood collection operations in five states and boasts nearly 1,000 dedicated Vitalant colleagues. While it was her intrigue in the role that initially brought Mitzy to this career path, it is her passion for Vitalant’s lifesaving mission that has captured her heart and retained her for over 27 years.
Johnnise Foster-Downs
Government Relations
PG&E
Johnnise Foster-Downs manages Government Relations for PG&E, covering the Sacramento-Sierra Division. With over 20 years of political and Government Affairs experience, Johnnise has held positions in both the public and private sectors. Ms. Foster-Downs was the Municipal Services Manager with Republic Services – a multi-billion-dollar, Fortune 300 waste and recycling company. There she managed municipal contracts and government affairs for the Sacramento Business Unit. Before joining Republic, Johnnise served as the Director of Public Policy for the Sacramento Metro Chamber. There, she managed the day-to-day advocacy, outreach, and promotion of the Metro Chamber’s goals throughout the six-county Sacramento region. Johnnise also held positions as the Director of Local Government Affairs for the California Restaurant Association; she was the Field Rep for County Supervisor Roger Niello and Senior Field Rep for Congressman Doug Ose. Johnnise graduated from Sac State in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government.
Jeroen Gerrese
Marriott International
General Manager
Accomplished leader in hotel operational management with a demonstrated track record of associate and guest satisfaction resulting in optimized financial performance. With an innate talent to build high performing and engaged teams,successfully navigated market downturns both domestically and internationally to exceed owners expectations. Recognized for the ability to balance short term results with long term capital appreciation across multiple hotel types. Strong grounding in creating luxury experiences in a cost effective manner results at upper-upscale hotels. Hotel Operations-Efficiency-Sales and Revenue Driver-Culture Transformation-High Performing Teams-Leadership-Asset Management.
David Koenig
Health Net
Vice President, Government Relations, Public Affairs and Community Investments
David Koenig is Vice President of Government Relations, Public Affairs & Community Investments at Health Net, a subsidiary of Centene Corporation. With a portfolio of $170 million in community, political, and infrastructure investments, Mr. Koenig oversees a diverse statewide team of staff and consultants who engage at the state and local level to improve Health Net’s ability to provide high-quality health care services through engaging community and government entities. Prior to Health Net, David advised Centene Corporation in California for over ten years as the principal at his consulting firm, Koenig Consulting LLC. His firm specialized in policy advocacy, strategy development and implementation, community engagement, multi-level government relations, political campaigns, coalition building, and philanthropic solicitation. Mr. Koenig served as a senior strategist, campaign, and coalition building manager to corporate, non-profit, pro-bono, and labor clients on legislative advocacy campaigns and community engagement managing successful budget advocacy campaigns to secure millions from the California state budget. His clients have included the Rural Community Assistance Corp., Housing California, SCANPH, CA Housing Consortium, Vision To Learn, L.A. Universal Preschool, The California Endowment, AT&T, and T-Mobile amongst others. David holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a Minor in Religious Studies from California State University at Northridge and serves on volunteer boards, past and present, including Californians for the Support of Early Education and the PTO at Deterding Elementary School in Carmichael.
Laura Lewis
Chief Legal & Government Affairs Officer and General Counsel
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)
Laura Lewis is the Chief Legal & Government Affairs Officer and General Counsel for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). In this position, Ms. Lewis is responsible for managing and coordinating all SMUD legal matters, including litigation, contested regulatory agency proceedings, settlement discussions, and claims management. She operates as a strategic resource for the Board of Directors, general manager, and executive management team regarding the development of SMUD policies, strategies, programs and initiatives. Additionally, she serves as the secretary to SMUD’s elected Board of Directors. Ms. Lewis also oversees SMUD’s government affairs and reliability compliance department. In this capacity, she is responsible for management and coordination of all legislative matters and regulatory requirements affecting SMUD at the state and federal level, including the FERC-NERC electric reliability standards. Ms. Lewis serves as General Counsel to the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA), as Immediate Past Chair of the KVIE Public Broadcasting Station, as a Board member of the Midtown Association, and as a Board member of ProjectAttain!.
Clay Nutting
Canon/Franquette
Owner
Clay Nutting was born in Sacramento, but raised on a farm in Berlin, Massachusetts. Clay got off the farm periodically throughout high school where he discovered his love for DIY music and art at the WAG in Worcester, MA. Later, while in college at Worcester State University, Clay co-founded a music and arts non-profit called Concerts 4 Charity. Shortly after graduating, Clay moved back to Sacramento and became involved in Sacramento’s music and arts community and has been an advocate ever since. He was the co-founder two multi-day music festivals, SEMF and TBD Fest. He was a member of M5 Arts, the art collective responsible for Art Hotel and ArtStreet. Professionally, Clay was the co-founder of LowBrau, a popular midtown beerhall, until 2015 when he left to open Canon restaurant with his current business partner Brad Cecchi. Canon has garnered three-time Michelin Guide recognition and was recently named Small Business of the Year by Sacramento Metro Chamber. Additionally, Clay sits on the Board of Directors of Valley Vision. During the pandemic, Clay, along with Patrick Mulvaney and Brad Cecchi, co-founded a community feeding program called Family Meal which partners with local restaurants to address food insecurity. Family Meal, to date, has provided over 500,000 meals and has saved dozens of jobs at over 20 Sacramento area restaurants.
James (Jay) Robinson III
Senior Vice President and Area Manager
Kaiser Permanente
James (Jay) L. Robinson III, PsyD, MBA, is Senior Vice President and Area Manager of Kaiser Permanente’s Sacramento and South Sacramento Areas. He has responsibility for all local health plan and hospital services at the 287-bed Sacramento Medical Center and 241-bed South Sacramento Medical Center, and, partnering with physician leaders, is responsible for the health care of 582,180 Kaiser Permanente members.Kaiser Permanente insures about one-third of the Greater Sacramento region’s population and employs nearly 14,000 employees and nearly 1,900 physicians. The not-for-profit organization is the largest care provider in the region.Robinson previously served as the Hospital Administrator for Kaiser Permanente Northwest, where he successfully led operations for two hospitals with more than 3,500 employees. Both hospitals are rated A for safety by The Leapfrog Group, with CMS 4 and 5 star ranking as well as being recognized as tophospitals for Healthgrades.
Robynne Rose-Haymer
Capitol Impact
Vice President
Recently transitioning from the nonprofit world, Robynne joined Capitol Impact to utilize the over twenty years of workforce development, program development & implementation, and leadership experience to support organizations with their policy, strategy, and professional development goals. Focused on economic justice, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, Robynne’s continuing passion is helping people obtain the education and skills they need to pursue their goals. Robynne began her career as an ‘on the ground practitioner’ working directly with low-income families and communities of color on health & well-being and education issues. As local school district employee and leader, she planned the implementation of the WIA & Adult Career Technical Education programs districtwide. Focused on making an impact, Robynne extended her range to include consulting and grant writing for non-profit organizations seeking to build new programs or shore up existing ones seeking to serve community. As a graduate of the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program (NELP- Class VI), Robynne took her leadership skills to the next level by strengthening her boardsmanship and program management skills. Additionally, since Robynne completed the Prosperity Now Platforms for Prosperity Fellowship in partnership with Bank of America, Robynne has become a champion for financial capability integration into workforce development programming. In 2018 she graduated with a master’s in Organizational Learning and Effectiveness and started the journey for a doctorate at the University of the Pacific. Of all her accomplishments, her greatest is being a proud Mimi to two fabulous grandchildren and parent of three successful children.
Charles Sharp
Chief Financial Officer
PRIDE Industries
Charles leads all financial operations at PRIDE Industries, including investment and compliance. As part of these responsibilities, he maintains the company’s relationships with market-leading financial institutions, formulates and executes financing strategies to meet capital and operational funding requirements, and is a key contributor to the organization’s long-term strategic plan. Prior to joining PRIDE Industries, Charles was the Chief Financial Officer at Dignity Health Management Services Organization. Before that he held positions as Director of Budget Planning and Analysis at UC Davis Health, and Senior Director of Finance at Blue Shield California. Charles holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Bridgeport and a Master of Business Administration degree from Lindenwood University. Charles is committed to helping others and frequently volunteers with nonprofit organizations. In this spirit, he has served on the boards of several community groups, including the El Dorado Hills Chamber of Commerce, Hands 4 Hope, and the YMCA.