Events

Peter A. Vainauskas currently serves as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) for the Fresno District Office where he oversees the Fresno District Office and Bakersfield Resident Office. These two offices cover Inyo, Kern, Kings, Tulare, Fresno, Mariposa, and Madera Counties in California.
Mr. Vainauskas is a native of Chicago, Illinois. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas and a Master’s of Science degree in Inter-American Defense and Security from the Inter-American Defense College in Washington, D.C. He is also a graduate from the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, at Sam Houston State University.
Mr. Vainauskas started his law enforcement career in 1991. He worked as Texas Peace Officer for approximately 11 years, with the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburg Police Department and Mount Pleasant Police Department. During that time, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in both Patrol and Criminal Investigation Divisions. Additionally, Mr. Vainauskas worked as a SWAT and Honor Guard member at the Mt. Pleasant PD. He obtained a Master Peace Officer and Instructors License from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.
Mr. Vainauskas was hired by the DEA in August 2001 and worked at the DEA Dallas Field Division and Tyler Resident Office. In 2002, he was assigned to the Fresno Resident Office as a Special Agent. In 2010, he promoted to Group Supervisor and was assigned as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force Commander in Fresno. In 2013, the Office of National Drug Control Policy selected him as a national HIDTA Commander of the Year.
In 2016, Mr. Vainauskas was transferred to DEA Headquarters as a Staff Coordinator to the Financial Operations Section, where he oversaw money laundering operations from ten different DEA field divisions and global cryptocurrency cases. In March 2018, he was promoted to Deputy Section Chief, where he oversaw all of DEA’s global money laundering operations.
In March 2019, Mr. Vainauskas transferred to the position of ASAC at the San Francisco Field Division Office where he supervised the Administrative Officer Section, Special Support Unit, Financial Investigations Team, Technical Operations Group, DEA’s Pacific Region Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Coordinator, Asset Removal Group and the Santa Rosa Resident Office. In 2021, Mr. Vainauskas served as the Acting Special Agent in Charge for the San Francisco Field Division. In July 2022, Mr. Vainauskas was transferred as an ASAC to the Fresno District Office where he manages the day to day operations for the DEA Offices in Fresno and Bakersfield. He is also a proud member of the DEA’s Black and Gold Pipes and Drums.

In The Black Business Services Larissa Reid is an award-winning entrepreneur, tax strategist, speaker, and founder of In The Black Business Services, where she helps small business owners build stronger, more financially sustainable businesses. Her work has earned her recognition as the 2023 NAACP Bakersfield Business of the Year and the 2024 Beautiful Bakersfield Business Person of the Year.

Beyond business, Larissa is passionate about using entrepreneurship as a vehicle for impact. She is the founder of the In The Black Impact Division, an initiative focused on creating opportunities for women and children to rewrite their stories through education, essential resources, mentorship, and community impact. In 2026, that mission took her to Kenya, where she spoke with women and girls, visited schools, and supported initiatives centered on education, opportunity, and long-term community impact.

As a mother of five, author, and entrepreneur whose own path has been anything but traditional, Larissa believes that where you begin does not determine where you can go. Her message, “Your Story Is Not Over,” encourages others to embrace every chapter of their story and recognize the possibility in what comes next.

Dr. Rasham Sandhu, MD, FACC, is an accomplished interventional cardiologist and Managing Partner at California Cardiovascular Institute. Trained at Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College, Dr. Sandhu specializes in minimally invasive cardiac care, including angioplasty and structural heart interventions, with a particular focus on complex coronary and structural heart conditions. He also serves as Medical Director at Dignity Health and is recognized for advancing innovation and excellence in cardiovascular care. Beyond his clinical leadership, Dr. Sandhu is an advocate for community health, supporting programs that promote wellness, education, and healthcare engagement for both seniors and young people. 

Madelyn Janssen joined the CALM Zoo board of directors in 2023. As a Bakersfield native and mom, education and community betterment are two things she is extremely passionate about.

Madelyn spent 16 years at KGET News, most of them as the anchor for 17 News at Sunrise. During her tenure at KGET she got to learn first-hand how valuable CALM Zoo is to local families, conservation and education efforts and the community as a whole.

Madelyn left KGET in 2025 to homeschool her three sons; she works part-time at her church in media and communications, writes and hosts a podcast with her husband and obtained a cottage food license this year to further her sourdough obsession. 

David Brust Co-owner & Managing Partner for Rooster's Honky Tonk and the Eye St. Pub

Commercial Insurance Agent Clifford and Bradford Insurance

BOD of the Downtown Business Assocation/Treasurer for Omni Family Health 

Wife Lilian Sons Mark & Mikey Daughter Taylor 

Grandfather to Sophia (10) and Olivia (9)

Originally from Miami Florida moved to Bakersfield in 1/91 after graduation from UF.

Russell Johnson is a Bakersfield native. After obtaining his undergraduate at Bakersfield College, he transferred to the University of California Santa Barbara where he obtained his degree in history in 2001. Russell has extensive experience in government.  He has served as a District Representative for a local State Senator, Chief of Staff to a County Supervisor, Planning Commissioner, and Councilmember at the City of Bakersfield.  In 2010, Russell started the government affairs firm, Common Sense Consulting, a full-service government relations and public affairs firm where he helps clients with issues such as land entitlement, property tax assessment appeals, permits, and association management. Community service is a passion of Russell’s. He has served on many non-profit boards, including the Boys and Girls Club of Kern County, the Home Builders Association of Kern County, and BizFed Central Valley, to name a few. Russell and his wife Susanne were married in 2006, and together they are raising their sons, Benjamin and Ryan.

Harry is currently the President of the Parkinson Association of Northern California (PANC) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with Parkinson's (PWP), their families and care partners throughout our region.

While professionally he is a water resource engineer, he has served on many nonprofit and professional Boards, including two Rotary Clubs where he proudly served as president, hospital foundations, water districts and the Tree Foundation of Kern County. Harry was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease(PD)in 2023 and since then he has been busy learning, exercising and volunteering in the PD community.

He would like to strengthen the support community for PD and advance awareness of exercise in the treatment of PD.

Dr. Anna Marie is the CEO and Founder of Happy Whole You Wellness Center in downtown Bakersfield and a globally recognized leader in mindset, brain health, and whole-person wellness. Known as The Mindset Doctor, she has spent over 20 years helping individuals break through limiting beliefs and create meaningful, lasting transformation.

As a wife, mother, holistic health doctor, certified brain health expert, and mindset coach, Dr. Anna Marie blends natural medicine and neuroscience with practical mindset tools to support mental, emotional, and physical well-being. She is a published author of Stop Bullying Yourself! and is currently working on her second book.

Through Happy Whole You, her coaching, speaking engagements, and wellness programs, Dr. Anna Marie is passionate about destigmatizing mental health and empowering people locally and around the world to align their mind, body, and soul to create a balanced, confident, and empowered life.

The Bakersfield Marathon is organized by the Active Bakersfield Alliance

Katie joined the ABA in 2020.  By 2022 she was leading the way for securing sponsors that support the event. To date, she has helped raise over $1 million dollars, all going directly to offset event costs annually. She is on the board and slated to become President in 2028.

Katie is Operations Director at Sage Equities a commercial real estate firm that builds luxury apartments in downtown Bakersfield.  She is currently managing three new Apartment projects.

Katie has been in Bakersfield since 2009. She is married with 2 kids (11, 5)

Jay Schlosser is Executive Director of the Kern Council of Governments.  Prior to this, Jay was the Development Director & City Engineer for the City of Tehachapi

This follows a career in the private sector working as a civil engineering consultant on the Central Coast and in Bakersfield.  Much of his time in the private sector was spent advancing the City of Tehachapi.  Jay’s civil engineering career covers a broad range of technical subjects including water & wastewater, transportation, land development, CEQA and construction management.

Jay is a licensed civil engineer who grew up in Bakersfield (he’s a West High Viking) before earning his degree from UC Davis in 2000.  Jay is  married with two sons who are now off to college.  Jay enjoys backpacking in the Sierras with his sons and travelling to the National Parks (over 20 so far…) with the whole family.

Dr. Stacy Pfluger currently serves as the 12^th President of Bakersfield College. Prior to this appointment, she was the Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and Student Success at the Kern Community College District.

Before joining the Kern Community College District, Dr. Pfluger was the Provost at Southeast Arkansas College (SEARK College), where she held dual roles as Chief Academic Officer and Chief Student Affairs Officer. During her tenure at SEARK, she led the implementation of a retention strategy to improve student success by increasing the number of students completing all units attempted and introduced a primarily eight-week course schedule.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Pfluger spent 14 years at Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas, serving in a range of academic leadership roles including Lead Biology Professor, Associate Dean of Instruction for Science & Mathematics, and Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs. She has collaborated extensively with faculty across disciplines to support effective program review, curriculum development, distance education, and data-informed decision-making in academic assessment.

Dr. Pfluger holds a doctorate in education from Texas Tech University and a master’s degree in biology from the University of Notre Dame.