Louis Medina
3700 Q St., Unit #115, Bakersfield, CA 93301; Cell (323) 788-7447; E-mail: [email protected]
____
Objective: To use my multilingual/multicultural communication and business skills in a work environment
that is challenging and allows for creativity, and personal and professional growth.
Education
University of Southern California: Double B.A., East Asian Languages and Cultures, and International Relations
(Graduated Magna cum Laude).
Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain: M.A., Applied Linguistics (Graduated with Honors).
Freedom Forum Diversity Institute at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN: Journalism Fellowship,
(February-April 2006).
Language, Computer, Office, and Life Skills
Language Skills: English-Spanish-Japanese fluent trilingual. Native Spanish speaker. Japanese Language
Proficiency Certificate – Highest Level. Lived in Japan for over 9 years; in Spain and El Salvador for over 14
years. Basic knowledge of French and Chinese. Currently studying Arabic.
Computer Skills: Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint in English/Spanish/Japanese; Outlook; Word Perfect; Quark
Copy Desk; Final Draft; Some Access; Some Windows Movie Maker; Website Content Management; Social
Media Savvy.
Office Skills: Fast and accurate typist; successful multi-tasker; self-starter; good leader and team player.
Life Skills: Quickly adaptable to multicultural work environments; well-traveled; good writer; creative; flexible;
innovative thinker; willing to relocate.
Work Experience
September 2013 – Present: Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK), Bakersfield, CA
Administrative Analyst: Work with a team of Analysts to seek out and procure grants, donations and community
partnerships to ensure the long-term sustainability of CAPK’s many poverty-fighting programs and projects,
including financial literacy/empowerment initiatives, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, CAPK Food Bank, and
others. Also tasked with helping to develop and grow new & existing projects/ programs, and highlight them to
media via advocacy articles contributed to the Kern Business Journal, Bakersfield Life Magazine and The
Bakersfield Californian Newspaper. Grants/gifts procured to date (as sole grant writer or asker on behalf these
projects) amount to more than $250,000 in private, state and federal funding for the following CAPK programs:
Head Start, Food Bank, Energy Program, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, Friendship House Community Center
and Shafter Youth Center. ▪ Helped broker greater CAPK involvement with homelessness prevention efforts in
Kern County via a Memorandum of Understanding with California Veterans Assistance Foundation (CVAF), to
provide increased services (WIC, Head Start, Low Income Home Energy Assistance and CAPK Food Bank
emergency food assistance) to CVAF clients in the Supportive Services for Veterans and Families and Rally Point
Permanent Supportive Housing Programs; and also via key integration of CAPK’s 2-1-1 Kern Information and
Referral Program as part of the Kern County Homeless Collaborative’sCoordinated Assessment system.
April 2011 – September 2013: United Way of Kern County, Bakersfield, CA
Homelessness Project Manager for the Kern County Homeless Collaborative: Work with the Board of the
Kern County Homeless Collaborative to coordinate and drive the planning, capacity-building, data collection,
compliance, outreach, advocacy, and community/media relations work of the KCHC. The position’s numerous
responsibilities include: ▪ Grant writing (U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care
collective grants procured are: 2012, $5.1 million; and 2013, $2.1 million, including $53,000 for CoC Planning;
and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration technical assistance grant procured in 2012:
1
Louis Medina
3700 Q St., Unit #115, Bakersfield, CA 93301; Cell (323) 788-7447; E-mail: [email protected] ____
SOAR Program. ▪ Content design development, management and inbound marketing of KCHC website/list serve,
www.kernhomeless.org, and management of KCHC Facebook account, Faces of Homelessness,
www.facebook.com/fohkern. ▪ Coordination of existing or new outreach programs including Kern County
Homeless Census, Project Homeless Connect, Home First/100,000 Homes Campaign, and Rural Outreaches. ▪
Phone and in-person referral/service linkage for homeless clients. ▪ KCHC member and volunteer recruitment. ▪
Public speaking and community/media/ local government relations (in both English and Spanish) on behalf of the
KCHC and its clients. ▪ Design of homeless outreach literature and English-to-Spanish written translation as
needed. ▪ Analysis of local homeless data gathered through Homeless Census, Home First, Project Homeless
Connect and Homeless Management Information System efforts. ▪ Project budget management (Census, Home
First). ▪ Extensive writing (website, Facebook, grant proposals, letters of support, opinion pieces to The
Bakersfield Californian, Homeless Census report, etc.) ▪ KCHC capacity building through new projects: SOAR;
Centralized/Coordinated Intake System; KCHC Continuity and Contingency Planning; Continuum of Care CheckUp and Project Monitoring, etc. ▪ HUD-KCHC grantor-grantee relations.
Administrator for the Local FEMA Emergency Food & Shelter Program: Work with Local EF&SP Board
and a network of 13 Local Recipient Organizations (LROs, or direct service providers) to ensure the distribution
of $500,000+ annual pass-through dollars for sheltering, feeding and providing emergency rent and utilities
assistance to homeless or at-risk families throughout Kern. ▪ Program budget management and reporting. ▪
Technical/training assistance to LROs to ensure program compliance and renewed funding. ▪ Assistance to Board
Chair and other Board members with activities that include grant making, coordination of Board Meetings, Local
Board compliance and grantor-grantee relations. ▪ Promotion of EF&SP program to nonprofits in the community.
June 2009 – April 2011: Bethany Services, Bakersfield, CA
Grant Writer for the Bakersfield Homeless Center (BHC): Prepare Letters of Intent, Grant Proposals and
Accountability Reports for Grantors (Private, Public, Local, State and Federal) to ensure continued financial
sustainability for the Bakersfield Homeless Center. ▪ Recognize grantor’s gifts in articles written for the BHC
Newsletter. ▪ Occasionally assist with grant writing work related to BHC’s sister organization, the Alliance
Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault. Public Relations/Marketing. ▪ Assist with special event planning
and the development of overall marketing strategy for both agencies. ▪ Media relations, including
writing/disseminating press releases to media and acting as agency spokesperson for local Spanish-language
radio and TV as needed. ▪ Provide English-to-Spanish written translation and oral interpreting when necessary. ▪
Participate as representative for BHC in the Kern County Homeless Collaborative, particularly the Census and
HMIS Committees. ▪ Was certified as a Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Services Volunteer for Alliance in
Spring 2009.
May 2006 – June 2009: The Bakersfield Californian, Bakersfield, CA
English-Spanish Bilingual Reporter: General Assignment (GA) reporter through April 2007, Faith and lifestyles
reporter since end-April 2007. ▪ Besides writing daily news stories, create regular front-page, local-front or Eye
Street-front- page features and enterprise story packages emphasizing Kern’s Hispanic and other
underrepresented communities, social service/mental health issues, entertainment and religion. ▪ Edit the Faith
section on a weekly basis, working regularly with community members to gather reader-generated stories for
publication. ▪ Work as Saturday or Sunday shift editor on a rotation basis. ▪ Coordinate and write for “Share the
Season” Christmas story series to assist needy families with cash or in-kind gifts from the community. Successfully
helped raise $50,000+ in the 2008 Share the Season effort.
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Louis Medina
3700 Q St., Unit #115, Bakersfield, CA 93301; Cell (323) 788-7447; E-mail: [email protected]
____
Jan. 2002 – Jan. 2006: Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center, Culver City, CA
Data Operations Administrator: Help to customize, test, and implement a behavioral healthcare software system
(Civer-Psych) for entire agency. Design the end-user training class and manual for the Scheduler Module of the
software. Was promoted to above position from Intake Program Coordinator - Also was a Suicide Prevention
Telephone Counselor, Bilingual Community Educator, Suicide Bereavement Support Group Facilitator and a
Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Trainer.
Sep. 2001 – Dec. 2001: Self-Employed, Los Angeles, CA
Freelance English-Spanish Translator
Feb, 2001 – Aug. 2001: SMC Corporation of America, Tustin, CA
Japanese-English Technical Editor and Translator in International Marketing Department for Southern
California Affiliate of this Japanese Company: Department was in charge of export product guides for hydraulic
and pneumatic valves, cylinders and other machinery and assembly line automation products.
Apr. 2000 – Feb. 2001: Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary, Whittier, CA
Executive Director of Corporate Development/Licensed Funeral Director/Cemetery Property Sales Manager:
Target culturally-specific line of funeral products and services to the Hispanic Community, primarily in the East
Los Angeles/Monterey Park areas. Set up East L.A. sales office. Develop English-Spanish bilingual marking plan,
including marketing materials development and culturally-sensitive product nomenclature. Arrange funerals and
sell funeral/cremation packages on an at-need or pre-need basis. Supervise a staff of one.
Sep. 1998 – Mar. 2000: DK Building Supply, Torrance, CA
Japanese-English & English-Japanese Accompanying Interpreter/Translator and Purchasing Assistant to V.P.
at the Southern California affiliate of this large, Japanese construction company. Translate all Japanese faxes
received from Tokyo-based parent company into English for the benefit of suppliers as well as non-Japanesespeaking staff. Deal with building materials suppliers throughout the United States and Canada to ensure orders
were filled to parent company’s specifications. Help host supplier visits. Accompany Vice-President in charge of
affiliate on vendor meetings and research trips.
Apr. 1997 – May 1998: Primus Automotive Financial Services (Ford Credit Group), Madrid, Spain
Marketing Specialist/In-house English-Spanish Translator (Included five-month training assignment in U.K.).
Help set up a Sales and Marketing Office in Madrid, Spain. Develop Spanish-language point-of-sale materials and
promotional items for three brands: Primus Automotive Financial Services, Jaguar Financial Services and Mazda
Credit España. Assist with Spanish-English interpreting as needed.
August 1988 - December 1993: Ford Motor Company (Japan) Co., Ltd., Hiroshima, Japan
Product and Marketing Coordinator: Research the automotive trends and needs for Ford dealer networks in
East/Southeast-Asian markets (involved travel to China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, Indonesia, Tokyo and
Detroit). Work with product development engineers and product specialists to ensure optimum quality and
successful releases of made-for-market product rollouts. Assist with Japanese-English interpreting as required,
including as an accompanying interpreter on overseas trips. Help organize Ford’s display at the Shanghai Auto
Show in Shanghai, China in 1993, including determining specifications and ordering of show models, making
hotel reservations for company VIPs, and procuring marketing materials to use in host country promotion.
Promoted from Product and Marketing Specialist – Promoted from Marketing Analyst.
3
Louis Medina
3700 Q St., Unit #115, Bakersfield, CA 93301; Cell (323) 788-7447; E-mail: [email protected]
____
Freelance Writing/Editing/Consulting (including pro bono)
- The Bakersfield Californian Newspaper/Bakersfield Life Magazine (August 2009 - Present)
- BakersfieldExpress.org (Summer 2009 – Spring 2011)
- Farmworker Institute forEducation and Leadership Development (Summer 2009 - Present)
Freelance Translation/Interpreting Clients (including pro bono)
Japanese American National Museum; Investment Group Services, Ltd. (publisher of English/Spanish pocket
dictionaries of construction and transportation terms); The Law Offices of Jonathan E. Atkins; American
Foundation for Suicide Prevention; American Association of Suicidology; Which Way Home documentary;
Bakersfield SPCA; ALPHA Canine Sanctuary.
Volunteering
- Kern County Human Relations Commission – Commission Member since Sept. 2014; Secretary since Jan. 2015
- Stewards, Inc. Representative Payee Agency – Since Spring 2014– Board Member; Board Chair since Feb. 2015
- The Stonemark Condominium Association – Since Spring 2009 – Board Member
- BakersfieldExpress.org, Kern County News Website – Summer 2009 – Spring 2011 – Board Member and
Contributing Writer.
- Bakersfield SPCA – Summer 2010- Spring 2012 - Board Member and Education Committee Member. Spring
2009 - Present – Spanish translator of written outreach materials on an as-needed basis.
- The American Cinematheque, Hollywood – Volunteered from 2002-2006. Duties included customer service, VIP
services, assistance at special events and live interpreting during audience Q&A for visiting filmmakers from
Spain or Latin America.
Interests
- Fiction/non-fiction writing, foreign languages, film appreciation, reading, travel, art appreciation, hiking, dogs,
volunteering.
- Member of Writers of Kern since Summer 2014
Awards
Writers of Kern Fall Writing Contest
- December 2014: First Place Winner with short story, “Life, Death and Modern Day Jalopy,” a warning about
the need for wise water and land resources use to prevent another Dust Bowl—this time, in the Central Valley.
Center of the World Festival Short Playwriting Competition in Pine Mountain Club, Kern County:
- August 2011: First Place Winner with play, “The Teacher, the Buddha, and the Ghosts at the Bottom of the
Sea,” about a tsunami victim’s encounter with the Buddha, who teaches her about the spiritual/karmic
consequences of crimes committed against nature.
- August 2010: First Place Winner with play, “Good Night, Friend…Goodbye, Friend,” about the last few
minutes in the life of a dog that has to be put down at an overcrowded animal shelter.
- August 2009: Third Place Winner with play “Common Denominators,” about ethnic/racial tolerance.
References
Available upon request
4
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Tuesday, February 17, 2015
To: City of Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission (An idea originally presented
to the Honorable Harvey L. Hall, Mayor, City of Bakersfield, on Thurs., Jan. 29, 2015)
From: Bakersfield Resident Louis Medina
Re: Idea for Strengthening a Local Sense of Pride/Place in Bakersfield & Kern
Background/Inspiration:
On a recent trip I took to through various states and cities along U.S. Interstate 40, I
encountered a true sense of pride and sense of place reflected in many historical
markers (plaques, photos, murals, monuments) placed strategically on streets,
sidewalks and parks. I have attached a few sample photos of these and would like to
suggest that a similar type of effort would help beautify Bakersfield and “add value” to it
in the minds of residents and visitors alike.
Here are some examples:
Historic pictorial signs showing what a certain place or street corner used to look like at
one time. Examples:
-
A sign with a panoramic retrospective photograph on top of the Panorama
Bluffs showing what the landscape used to look like when it was dotted with
oil derricks as opposed to modern-day pump jacks;
A sign with an historic photograph of what the 17th Street and Chester Ave.
intersection used to look like when the Beale Memorial Clock Tower was a
part of it;
Signs in the old Chinatown section of Downtown Bakersfield showing what
that part of the city used to look like when it was an ethnic neighborhood;
Signs with historic photographs along Union Avenue showing what that
thoroughfare looked like in its pre-Freeway heyday, when it was Highway 99.
Such signs might actually help to somehow revitalize Union Avenue by
helping instill local pride among the current neighbors in that part of the city.
Historic narrative signs that tell of an important event that took place in a specific
location. Examples:
-
Sign outside of the Harvey Auditorium at Bakersfield High School, telling
about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s. speech delivered there on Feb. 25, 1960.
Sign outside of Bakersfield Fire Department Station No. 6 on Brundage Lane,
telling about how that firehouse used to be manned by an all-black firefighting
team in the days of segregation.
Signs at certain streets named after early pioneers that tell a little about their
namesake: Truxtun, Jewett, Baker, Ming, etc.
Presentation to the City of Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission – Feb. 17, 2015
2
Monuments
-
A monument to the City’s Founder, Col. Thomas Baker, at the place where he
had his first home; or, if that is not feasible, around where the famous
“Colonel Baker’s Field” used to be.
A monument to the fictional Joad family of John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of
Wrath,” which made our little corner of the world an indelible part of American
literature.
Request:
Can you kindly help with some information/ideas as follows:
•
Has such a project been proposed or considered in the past?
•
Who (or what organization) might be interested in researching, or empowered to
research, the feasibility of such a project?
•
Who would need to be involved as a stakeholder to ensure no one feels
alienated/left out/not consulted?
•
Where might funding for such a project come from?
•
If it turns out that such a project would be feasible, should it be a City only project
or should we look at it as a City and County joint project from the start?
Presentation to the City of Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission – Feb. 17, 2015
Winslow, Arizona
Little Rock, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Site of Fish Harbor, Terminal Island, Los Angeles Harbor
Site of Fish Harbor, Terminal
Island, Los Angeles Harbor