Board of Directors
Carol Hoppert Hays, Executive Director
Carol has been a resident of Visalia since 1977. She is a graduate of Mt. Whitney High School and College of the Sequoias. She began her career in escrow and title at Ticor Title Insurance; was Administrative Manager for Pearson Realty in Visalia and Bakersfield for 9 years; and was an Escrow Officer at Stewart Title for 8 years where she specialized in Farm and Commercial properties. After seeking somewhere she could give back to the City she loves and where she raised her children, Carol joined the Foundation in 2008 as Executive Director. Carol has overseen many notable projects for the Foundation including their contribution to Riverway Sports Park, Garden Street Plaza Shade Structure, Perry Park, Rotary Park and the reestablishment of the Celebration of Life Tree Program. Carol is a member of Visalia Downtown Rotary Club, California Parks and Recreation Society and is a public speaker for California Transplant Donor Network. She resides in Visalia with her husband, Mark. Carol has two children, Vanessa Rudd and Wes Lane, and one grandson, Mason Rudd.
Tim Rico, Vice President/Chairman
Tim was born and raised in Visalia, graduated from Mt. Whitney High school and is the manager and Graduate Gemologist of Rogers Jewelry Co. He has coached several sports for his four children including AYSO, Little League and youth softball.Through his coaching and traveling to other cities, Tim has come to realize how fortunate Visalians are to have the sports complexes and parks our city has, not to mention the miles of trail ways. He and his wife of 30+ years, Connie, are proud to call Visalia home and he is honored to serve on the Foundation with the desire to improve and expand the facilities that exist as well as future ones.
Lisa Walsh, Secretary
Lisa grew up in northern Illinois, she moved to Visalia in 2014 with her husband Chris, daughter Vanessa, and son Jacob. She and her family love adventure and visiting National, State, and local Parks. She is a Regional Buyer/Inventory Management specialist for Hydrite Chemical Co, for whom she has worked for the past 20 years. Her company encourages community involvement and that allows her to follow her passion. She participated in the Leadership Visalia class of 2016-2017 and her class project was to build a garden for the Visalia Senior Center. After graduation from the class in 2017 she was invited to join the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Visalia Community Enhancement Foundation Board. She also actively participates in the Tulare Workforce Investment Advisory Board, South Valley Industrial Collaborative a next Gen Sector Partnership, The TKCCC Tulare Kings County College and Career Collaborative, and holds a seat on the Visalia Economic Development Corporation Board.
Kristine Herd, Treasurer
Kristine grew up in Southern California and moved to Visalia in 1990. She obtained her Associate of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts from College of Sequoias and Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from California State University, Fresno. She worked for the City of Visalia in Administration and Human Resources for ten years before going to work with her husband, Kris. Kris and Kristine own a small business, IS&T Consulting, providing video surveillance and burglar alarm services throughout the Central Valley. Kristine joined the Visalia Community Enhancement Foundation as a Board Member in October 2010 and has held the position of Treasurer since November 2011.
Board of Directors
Debra Theis
Michael Alvarez
Tara Everett
Christie Long
Tom Gaebe
Dolores Taylor
Roberto Brady
Elia Havner
William Hitchman
Curtis Daugherty
Advisory Board
Steve Woods
Brian Blain
Stan Simpson
Paul Olsen