Jennifer Cordova, Executive Director

I moved to Nevada County in 2018. Originally from Kern County, California, I hold a worldview that has been shaped by experiences in Arizona and Delaware. I am a graduate of Arizona State University where I received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies, a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration, and am currently a Master of Public Policy Degree Candidate. I am also an AmeriCorps Alumni. 

My extensive experience working and volunteering with both local and national nonprofits and public agencies in the areas of housing, education, and equity have given me insight into the complexity of nonprofit organizations. I am focused on organizational efficiency, community collaboration, deepening impact through scalable programs, and improving access to resources that will empower and improve quality of life for Nevada County residents connected with United Way Nevada County.  

My passion for collaboration and research fosters an innovative spirit. I am grateful to be part of our tightknit community and would love to hear your ideas for creating scalable and sustainable solutions to education, finance and healthcare challenges faced by vulnerable populations in Nevada County.  

I enjoy gathering my family and friends around activities that connect us to nature, food, eachother, and our collective humanity. 

I am a lifelong resident of Nevada County, with generations of my family calling Nevada County home. I believe in our community and the people in it.  I have spent much of my free time helping to make improvements in our community, and love that we can make a difference here locally.  

I currently work with the City of Grass Valley and the Grass Valley Police Department on our local parks, as well as YMCA, Nevada County Citizens for Safe Parks, and United Way. I am lucky that my position as a Mortgage Advisor allows me to be out in the community so much.

United Way has always had a special place in my heart.  I have volunteered with United Way for many years, and believe in our mission and the work we do in our community.  I look forward to the future, I believe we have many great things happening in our community and we will continue to see efforts by groups and individuals to make improvements in the community. We are blessed to call Nevada County home! 

I have had the great pleasure of working in public education for 36 years

I was a teacher, a guidance counselor, and an administrator at the high

school, county office, and district office levels. I served as the local high

school district superintendent and retired in 2015 after finishing my career in

Education as the director of a career technical education program.

After earning my undergraduate degree at UC Davis, I attended UCLA for

teaching certification. I later received my Master’s Degree and Pupil

Personnel Services Credential at CSU Sacramento. Years later, also at

CSUS, I completed my Administrative Services Credential. I concluded my

formal education with a Doctoral Degree in Organizational Leadership at the

University of LaVerne.

I am a past member of Grass Valley Rotary and San Jose Rotary. I have

served as a board member for the following organizations: Partners in English

Language Learning (PiELL), California Association of Regional Occupational

Centers and Programs, and the Nevada County Association of California

School Administrators.  

I have been married to my husband, Michael, for 43 years. Michael retired

after teaching high school English for 38 years, which included 30 years at

Nevada Union High School. We have three adult sons: Joe, Nick, and Sam

(and two grandchildren, Malia and Jack). I enjoy hiking and playing tennis,

traveling, and visiting our sons and their families.

Serving on the Board at UWNC provides me with the opportunity to continue

to be active in the community and to support the work that helps those in

need.

I grew up in Nevada County and upon returning in 2018, I opened the Law Office of Beau Mayfield in Penn Valley. In coming back to our close-knit community, I continue to find it important to look out for one another and to do all that you can to make this community feel like home for all of Nevada County’s citizens, and particularly for those that need a helping hand.

Currently, my law practice is primarily focused on estate planning (wills and trusts), business and personal injury. I believe in three pillars of practicing law; ethical advice, practical legal counsel, and to be a neighbor first and an attorney second.  I also teach a business law class as a part-time faculty member of Sierra College.

My career experience includes a judicial clerkship in the First Circuit-State of Hawai'i for the Honorable Judge Edward H. Kubo Jr, partner and founder of Mayfield and Yen, LLP, and Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel for GWG Holdings, Inc., a publicly listed financial services firm. While at GWG, I also served as the Acting Secretary and managed Board communications, meeting minutes, and Board resolutions for the SEC regulated public company. I graduated in 2008 from the University of the Pacific-McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California and completed my undergrad degree in Native American Studies at UC-Davis. 

I enjoy spending my free time with my growing family, wife Sue and two young children.  I also enjoy golfing, gardening and every activity that explores the outdoor wonder of the Sierras (fishing, camping, and hiking).

I was born and raised on the island of Trinidad and Tobago, located in the Caribbean. Both my parents were educators, so naturally, education was a forgone priority in my upbringing. I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Metropolitan State University in Minneapolis, MN. I am a Realtor at Coldwell Banker Grass Roots Realty. My professional background is that of working as an Accountant in the corporate world in Minneapolis, as well as an Internal Auditor for the State of Minnesota, and a Banker at Wells Fargo Bank prior to that. Apart from my professional endeavors, my passion for community involvement has always taken precedence as a personal commitment. In St. Paul, MN, I served on the Board of Ally People Solutions, a local non-profit whose mission is to assist those with intellectual disabilities in the community find job placement. 

I live in Penn Valley with my husband and two wonderful children. Our family loves exploring the great outdoors here in this beautiful Gold Country. I am proud to be a part of United Way of Nevada County because of the great programs that we support that help Nevada County’s residents thrive. 

Kristina is a native of California, loves comedy, her dog, Bella, and her family (notice the dog came first; shh, don’t tell).  Kristina grew up on a dairy farm in Arcata, California, where she lived until she went off to college.  She originally went to college to study Geology. After almost completing three years of college, she changed her major to Real Estate Finance.  Kristina then went on to form her own mortgage company, from 1995 to 2007. 

Deciding to take some time off before jumping into the next phase of her life, Kristina enjoyed cooking and caring for her family. It was during this time that she discovered, in her grandmother’s cookbook, “How To Make Your Own Healing Products With Essential Oils.”  That sparked an interest because she had no idea what essential oils were, so she decided to find out! 

Kristina, then studied with the renowned Herbalist, Jeannie Rose of San Francisco, where she received a degree in natural healing and perfumery.  Kristina went on to create Emerald Botanical Oils (EBO). While she loved herbalism and natural perfumery, she knew it was going to be an expensive hobby so she decided to go back to school and earn a Paralegal degree.  She worked in the Bay Area as a real estate paralegal while continuing to make EBO, until relocating to Grass Valley in 2015.

Currently, Kristina is a tax resolution paralegal and helps people resolve their tax issues with Federal and State tax authorities.  Kristina is proud to be part of a tax firm that challenges the taxing agencies for the benefit of the people.

In 2021 Kristina joined the United Way of Nevada County.  As a Board Member, it is her goal to assist in any she can and to share her professional expertise with the community.  Kristina’s personal mission statement:   Dream the impossible and achieve the incredible.  She is dedicated to helping others do just that