Pioneers’ Museum’s Director Continuing To Share The Valley’s Story – In New Ways

Pioneers’ Museum Director Caitlin Chávez is pictured by a statue of Mobley Meadows, the first sheriff of Imperial County, in front of the museum. Chávez began her tenure as the museum’s director in January.

Standing in the center of a great hall within the Imperial Valley’s Pioneers’ Museum, one is surrounded by a massive historic pipe organ from 1904, a gallery that celebrates the region’s cattle industry, and another that celebrates the history of the Imperial Irrigation District and the work of pioneers to bring the waters of the Colorado River to the Valley.

All of it tells the story of the Imperial Valley, and it’s a story that Caitlin Chávez, who has served as the museum’s director since January, wants to share in a way that brings this history to life and reminds anyone who visits the museum just how incredible this history is.

“It’s a turn-of-the-century,

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Calexico’s New City Manager Wants to Inspire Others Through a Message of Hope and Hard Work

Esperanza Colio Warren, center, is pictured during the dedication ceremony for the new Imperial County Niland Fire Station, which she helped make possible through her grant writing work as then Deputy Imperial County Executive Officer. Today, Colio is the new city manager for the City of Calexico, and hopes to put her grant writing skills to work to bring new resources to the city.
Photo courtesy of Imperial County

When a fire devastated the community of Niland on June 28, 2020, destroying nearly 30 structures and displacing more than 100 people, Esperanza Colio Warren joined the effort to support the people and their community in the way she knew best—securing resources to help those who had lost so much.

In a government career spanning nearly three decades, the last four years as Imperial County’s deputy county executive officer, she has always focused on finding resources to

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  • How To Nominate

    To nominate a deserving community member, fill out the attached form, which will be sent electronically to Water Authority staff member Darren Simon.


    The Water Authority looks forward to featuring the person you have suggested for the Community Feature page. Should there be a backlog of nominations, it may take time to for your nomination to be highlighted, but we will strive to have a story done in a timely manner.

Ag Education Opens Up New Career Opportunities

Dr. Michael Kanyi, agriculture professor at Imperial Valley College, shows a collection of insect specimen to students during his Principles of Entomology class at IVC.
Photo by Joselito N. Villero (courtesy of IV Alive)
 

For Shelby Trimm, executive director of the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, her path into an agricultural career began as a youth who took an interest in raising animals for show through the California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta, and through her involvement with 4-H, and then Future Farmers of America (FFA) in high school.

The Imperial Valley native, who also has the dual role of leading the local Coalition of Labor, Agriculture and Business organization, didn’t come from an agricultural background. Her mother works in insurance and her father in the geothermal industry.

On her own, Trimm found a passion for agriculture that led her to pursue a degree in agricultural education from

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  • How To Nominate

    To nominate a deserving community member, fill out the attached form, which will be sent electronically to Water Authority staff member Darren Simon.


    The Water Authority looks forward to featuring the person you have suggested for the Community Feature page. Should there be a backlog of nominations, it may take time to for your nomination to be highlighted, but we will strive to have a story done in a timely manner.