Our Team
The San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance (SJVMA) is an organization of the Valley’s manufacturing leaders working together to advance their industry and create a world-class workforce at the local level
Our Board
The SJVMA Board is comprised of industry leaders who volunteer their time and service to the Alliance. Members are recruited by the existing board and asked to serve a minimum two-year term. Our goals are achieved by full board participation, leveraging the time and talent of our SJVMA membership and staff.
Mario Persicone
SJVMA Board Chair
Director of Operations,
PNM Company,
Pro Laser Graphics
Mike Betts
CEO,
Betts Company
Troy Brandt
General Manager,
Closets By Design
Joe Devany
Vice-President of Manufacturing,
Betts Company
Ron Heskett
President,
BORGA Steel Buildings and Components
Bruce Ketch
Manufacturing Professional
Liz McIlvaine
President/CEO,
Total Concept Enterprises,
Susan Moore
President and Owner,
Dumont Printing
Vernice Nellon
Owner,
Kool Breeze Solar Hats
Nick Tosi
Manager & Partner,
Brunos Iron and Metal L.P.
Brett Zall
Vice President, Human Resources,
Fowler Packing
Our Staff
Genelle Taylor Kumpe
Chief Executive Officer
Genelle Taylor Kumpe has devoted her career to issues that transform our community, empower others and advocate for women and children. Her background in education, entrepreneurship and community service made her uniquely qualified to serve as CEO of the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance (SJVMA). Success requires collaborating with private enterprise, government and education sectors to build a world-class workforce and spur regional economic development.
Genelle previously served as an adjunct faculty member at Fresno City College teaching today’s pipeline of workforce about the necessary employability/life skills to be a valuable resource in this changing world. She transitioned to City College after spending three years as the Executive Director of the Marjaree Mason Center, Fresno County’s resource for shelter and services for victims of domestic violence. Genelle’s dedicated and innovative work in this role earned state-wide recognition, receiving the Breakthrough Leader Award from the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence.
Prior to joining the Marjaree Mason Center, Genelle served as the Associate Director of the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for 10 of the 15 years of her tenure at California State University, Fresno. She led more than a dozen programs that promoted innovation and entrepreneurship nationally and internationally, that have been replicated in other regions.
Genelle received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Fresno and is a certified entrepreneurship teacher via the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. She is a founding member of the La Visionaria Guild and current member in the La Feliz Guild; non-profit organizations whose mission is to engage in creative and innovative ways to raise funds, advocate for children, and promote goodwill for Valley Children’s Hospital.
Genelle has also served on the California’s State Leadership Team for the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education and as President and member of the Made for Them Board of Directors, a social enterprise combatting human trafficking. Genelle’s tenacity for doing her best earned her the title of 2018 Woman of the Year with Central California’s Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, breaking the record for raising the most funds for our local chapter. Throughout her career, she has opened and partnered in three businesses; balancing life as a wife to Matt, career mom to Aiden and Ava, and entrepreneur at heart.
Aimee McFarland
Program Director
Aimee McFarland has a passion for community service, business, teaching, and learning. She has served as a business consultant, community volunteer, subject matter expert, and taught business communication classes at Fresno State and The University of Arizona for over 150 undergraduate students per semester.
At Fresno State, she headed the only Business Teacher Education Program in California. In that role, she ensured student teachers met subject matter competency, supervised and mentored them, and taught a teaching methods course specifically designed for business classes in middle and high schools. She’s written multiple curricula, understands adult learning theory, and has a doctorate in education leadership, along with her BS in Human Resource Management and an MBA.
Her passion lies in helping others find the ways they learn, consume information, are motivated, and, most importantly, are successful. She has held workshops on strategic communication, resume and cover letter writing, interview skills, employee engagement, and public speaking and presenting.
Allison Key
Executive Administrator
A native of Central California, Allison attended local schools and graduated with honors from California State University, Fresno, with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Health Science. Allison went on to become a Paralegal and a licensed California Notary. She has been a working mom and sole provider for her family throughout her entire career. As a skilled administrator and Paralegal, Allison has demonstrated thoughtful and productive decision making, benefiting her projects, her colleagues, and her employers. Her personal experiences and exceptional executive capabilities provide her with unique perspectives and problem-solving expertise. She is a talented entrepreneur, intellectually curious, and fiercely focused on her work, her family, and her community.
