Green Communities intern hired as a program coordinator

Caldean “Dean” Biscocho is proof that an internship can help you land a job.  Selected as an intern for the Green Communities program in November, he has been gathering and analyzing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) data for the City of Tracy over the past five months.  In June, Dean was hired by Great Valley Center as a full time program coordinator within the Green Communities program. 

He now assists interns and local governments in collecting and analyzing GHG data, preparing final reports for agencies.  These reports provide a carbon emission baseline for local governments, helping in their efforts to reduce emissions and improving energy efficiency.

Dean graduated from University of California, Davis in 2011 with a degree in Civil Engineering and a minor in Construction Management.  He worked as an undergraduate research assistant for the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, focusing on California environmental policy.  He was deeply involved in the campus civil engineering community, becoming club president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) UC Davis Branch. 

“As president of ASCE, I oversaw the administrative responsibilities of the club.  This helped me develop as a professional,” reports Dean.  “We were responsible for the project competitions for our civil engineering students, with the top two regional teams advancing to the national competition. It was an exceptional experience.” 

Dean also served as an intern for the Development and Engineering Services Department of the City of Tracy, where he learned about the Green Communities program sponsored by Pacific Gas and Electric Company. After he expressed an interest, PG&E connected him with the Great Valley Center, where he was eventually selected as an intern.

Dean intends to work further into the civil and environmental engineering arenas, hoping to obtain a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering.

“The people who work in the environmental sciences and engineering community have a worldly mindset that I aspire to,” Dean explains. “I enjoy the learning involved with reanalyzing how we live as Californians and Americans.  The Great Valley Center radiates the mentality of giving back to the community in a sustainable way.  This provides motivation for people like me, who grew up here, to stay here and contribute to the valley.”

Dean speaks Tagalog and visits family in the Philippines. He also has roots in the Central Valley, and currently resides with his family in Tracy.  Part of a musical family, Dean plays piano and dabbles in music composition.

When asked what advice he would give to college or graduate students considering an internship experience, Dean responds, “Go for it, but take it as seriously as possible.  It will only be as rewarding as you make it.”

The Great Valley Center welcomes Caldean “Dean” Biscocho to the staff team!

Great Valley Center Opens New Bakersfield Office to Better Serve Region

Newest Staff Member Will Focus on Energy Policy in
Southern San Joaquin Valley

Bakersfield (July 17, 2009) –The Great Valley Center is pleased to announce it has opened a new office in Bakersfield. Stacey Shepard, who joined the staff as the South Valley Energy Program Representative in May 2009, will be the first Great Valley Center staff member to be based out of the new office.

Shepard, a Bakersfield resident, previously worked as the environmental and energy reporter for The Bakersfield Californian newspaper. Her reporting covered topics from the area’s severe air pollution problem, water shortages, shrinking habitat for endangered species, and the burgeoning renewable energy sector. In 2008, she received the George F. Gruner Prize for Public Service in Journalism for an investigative series on groundwater contamination at a Bakersfield refinery.

Shepard's responsibilities will include working with local governments, industry and utility companies to boost energy efficiency and promote renewable energy use throughout the southern valley. As part of her work, she will also research the potential for energy independence in the vlaley and green regional economy.

“With the new office in Bakersfield we will be able to serve the entire region better,” says Great Valley Center Energy Program Director Tim Fisher. “Stacey’s background and understanding of the Southern San Joaquin Valley will help as we seek to educate policy-makers and those in the community about reducing energy consumption.”

The Great Valley Center’s new satellite office is located at UC Merced’s Bakersfield Center at 2000 K Street, Suite 300. The Bakersfield office will complement the already established Great Valley Center offices located in Modesto and Chico.

→Download the full press release here