Resume
Vernon Vera
1200 No. Reservation Road, Porterville, CA. 93257 | Home: (559)784-4683) |
Career Goal: To work in a professional atmosphere that is conducive to learning new skills, implementing innovative ideas and approaches, and is goal oriented.
COMMUNITY PLANNING; INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT; Grants & RESOURCE DEVELOPMENTKEY SKILLS
Professional Writing / Executive & Administrative Support through Grant Writing, Community Planning, Infrastructure Development, Intensive consultation with State, Federal, and local funding entities; Collaborative Partnership Building.Computer Skills: / Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, Windows Vista/XP
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
8//2012 to 4/2017Tule River Tribe
Position: Director of Planning & Community Development
Duties & Responsibilities: Responsible for planning & community development; land use assessment; roads and transportation planning; developing long-term housing plan; Comprehensive Community Master Plan; assessment of community water delivery systems; assessment of water source availability; long-range economic development through smart-growth and appropriate use of natural resources. Resource development through grant writing that focuses on strategic growth and community development.
9//2009 to 8/2012Tule River Tribe
Position: Grant Writer:
Duties & Responsibilities: Research funding opportunities to enhance tribal infrastructure; successful funding under ARRA for Tribal Justice Center (DOJ); State Tribal Youth Grant (Dept. of Corrections); California State Waste Management Board; Indian Health Service, U.S. Housing and Urban Development; Federal Highway Administration; Sierra Nevada Conservancy; NIKE7 Fund; Indian Health Service; and U.S. EPA
2/2008 to 1/2009Tule River Indian Housing Authority.
Position: Consultant/Executive Director
Duties & Responsibilities: Responsible for overall administration of HUD-funded Tribally Designated Housing Entity; duties included housing construction and maintenance under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act. Responsibilities further included updating Tribal Housing Plan, Policy Development, Staff training, and resource development through grant writing .Instrumental in following up on substantial increase of Indian Housing Block Grant annual funding from $768,000/yr. to $1.6million.
2008 – 2009Tule River Tribal Council
Position: Community Resource Development Specialist
Duties & Responsibilities: Wrote and submitted grant applications to Federal State, and local agencies; conducted community planning and development assessments for housing, water infrastructure and community facilities development.
2008 – 2008Tule River Indian Health Center
Position: Grant Writer
Duties & Responsibilities: Researched and wrote grants for health/clinic-related programs for the TRIHCI. Write grant proposals to various State, Federal, and private grant agencies; follow up on funded programs; submit written reports to Executive Director, Health Board.
2006 -2007Member of Tule River Tribal Council
2002 -2006Santa Rosa Rancheria Environmental Protection Program
Position: Program Director
Duties & Responsibilities: Provided administrative and fiscal management of the tribe’s environmental services program; developed several programs through grant writing in the areas of: water quality enhancement; tribal air pollution monitoring; source water protection; solid waste; and community drinking water.
2000 – 2002Tule River Indian Health Center
Position: Consultant/Grant Writer
Duties & Responsibilities: Provided assistance and support through grant writing activities for the Tule River Indian Health Center; funded programs included Elder’s Nutrition Support Program; Elder’s Caregiver Program; and Teenage Pregnancy Program (in collaboration with California Rural Indian Health Board).
1998 – 2000Tule River Indian Housing Authority
Position: Grant Writer/Resource Developer
Duties & Responsibilities: Provided resource development for funding maintenance through HUD; generated approximately $485,000 for housing development and rehabilitation and modernization; developed a housing cabinet-making vocational program utilizing tribal members.
1997 – 1998Tule River Indian Housing Authority
Position: Executive Director
Duties & Responsibilities: Responsible for overall administration of HUD-funded Indian housing program; developed One and Five-Year Housing Plan under the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act; wrote successful grants for housing rehabilitation and initiated new home construction of 32 homes utilizing Force Account Labor methods; developed policies and procedures that met NAHASDA requirements.
1994-1997Independent: Consultant/Grant Writer
Worked as an independent consultant for various Native American agencies and programs in Fresno, Kings, and Tulare Counties; successful grants included: Indian Child Welfare Act for Santa Rosa Rancheria; Indian Community Development Block Grant for Tule River; Administration for Native Americans language program for Indigenous California Indian Language Survival; and Youth Development grant support under Robert Woods Johnson Foundation for Central Valley Indian Health.
EDUCATION
University of California at Santa Barbara – 1975-79; BA in Law & Society
University of California at Santa Barbara – 1989-91; Master’s Program in Public Historical Studies
FUNDED GRANTS
Tule River
- Dep’t of Justice – Facilities Construction (Justice Center) - $3.6M
- Dep’t of Justice – Surveillance System - $500K
- U.S. Department of Transportation – Planning Grant ($25K)
- U.S. Department of Transportation – Tribal Transit - $475K
- U.S. Dept. of Highway Admin. – Highway Safety Assessment Grant - $12K
- Caltrans Comprehensive Transportation Planning Grant - $362K
- Caltrans Active Transportation, Phase III - $4.9M
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation – WATERSMART – Sustainable Water Conservation - $362K
- Libraries Planning Grant - $12K
- Tulare County First 5 - $62K
- NIKE7 ($25K)
- State Office of Youth Juvenile Justice/Tribal Youth – ($500K)
- ICDBG – TRAP/TRIHC facilities - $605K
- State Office of Youth Juvenile Justice (Group Home) - $375K
- Sierra Nevada Conservancy – (marijuana/drug site eradication) - $375K
- HUD – Comprehensive Indian Assistance Program - $375K
- U.S. Dept. of Energy/Tribal Resources/Energy Assessment
- California State Waste Management Board ($375K)
Santa Rosa Rancheria
- ICWA - $375K
- Tribal Administration - $250K
- EPA – Section 319 - $400K
- EPA – Clean Air Act - $400K
- EPA – Section 304 - Source Water Protection - $340K
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
"Vernon is a first-rate administrative support professional...excels in enhancing a professional office atmosphere… ensures all of our staff needs are professionally managed…truly an exceptional employee..."Excerpts from 2011 Performance Review – (Executive Tribal Administrator)
Dick Grove Music Workshop – Percussion/Drum Set – 1979-80
Support letters available upon request
Resume’ (2017)– Vernon Vera