B3K Prosperity announces 3 new staff hires
Program staff to support implementation teams and workforce initiatives
Bakersfield, Calif. (Jan 31, 2023) – B3K Prosperity (B3K) today announced it has added three part-time staff members to support implementation activities: Cristina Bennett as Senior Project Manager, Justin Powers as Project Manager and Alexia Svejda as Program Coordinator.
“It’s exciting to bring Cristina’s, Justin’s and Alexia’s energy, capability and enthusiasm to the work of B3K,” said J.P. Lake, B3K Prosperity’s executive director. “Their diverse backgrounds and networks cut across the region, and I’m excited to see the progress we make with them supporting our implementation work.”
Cristina Bennett’s focus areas include supporting B3K’s participation in the Kern Coalition and Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) grant, as well as the Advanced Manufacturing and Energy and Carbon Management implementation teams. Bennett has a background in operations management and human resources. A native of Mexico, Bennett immigrated to the U.S. with her family as a child. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from CSUB and a Masters in Business Administration from Western Governors University. In addition to her work with B3K, Bennett is an Area Operations Manager for Amazon.
Justin Powers is a technologist and entrepreneur whose focus at B3K includes the Business Services and Entrepreneurship implementation teams, and the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) task force. Powers lives in Kernville, Calif., where he is the seventh generation in his family to reside in the Kern River Valley. In addition to his role at B3K, Powers is also the founder of Kernville Cowork. Prior to founding Kernville Cowork, Powers held roles of increasing responsibility in the technology industry, including more than 7 years at Salesforce.
Alexia Svejda is a long-time champion of economic development in East Kern. As Program Coordinator for B3K, her focus areas are the Aerospace implementation team and talent to industry workforce development initiatives for all five regional opportunity industries. Svejda joins B3K from Kern County, where she was a Special Project Coordinator and staff lead on behalf of the county for B3K’s Aerospace initiatives. In addition to B3K, Svejda serves as Executive Director for the California City Chamber of Commerce.
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ABOUT B3K PROSPERITY
B3K Prosperity is a public-private collaborative effort to develop a roadmap and investment plan for economic growth and inclusion in Kern County. Our goal is to see 100,000 more quality jobs in the region by 2031, so that fewer families struggle to make ends meet and everyone in the Bakersfield-Kern region has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
