Tracey Eldridge is the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Kern County Division of Human Resources. In her role, she oversees the daily operations of the County’s recruitment, employee relations, payroll, diversity and inclusion, and health and wellness programs.

Tracey’s extensive professional background is rooted in banking and finance. Tracey was recruited by a national bank to lead a branch in Bakersfield where she was the youngest Assistant Vice President at the time. During her tenure, she was twice awarded National Branch of the Month, and Branch of the Quarter within California eight times. As a Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer with Kern County, her Health and Wellness Team was the recipient of the Kern County Team Leadership Award for their efforts moving the department fully digital.

Tracey is a member and certified labor relations master with CALPELRA. She is a member and presenter of SALGBA, and recently presented at LEAP HR. She received volunteer of the year award presented by Bakersfield City School District and is a member of Daughters of the American Revolution.

She graduated from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire obtaining her BS in Applied Business Economics. She obtained her MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Assistant Chief Human Resources Officer in charge of Employee Relations, Recruitment, and DEI.

He has worked for Kern County since 1996 and has spent 24 years performing professional Human Resources functions. Duties have included recruitment, test and measurement, classification, and workplace investigations. Michael served as the County’s Equal Employment Opportunity Officer from 2006 until 2015.

Educated at local Schools, Michael holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Human Resources Management, from California State University Bakersfield.

Michael is a Certified Labor Relations Master by the California Public Employers Labor Relations Association (CALPELRA) and a Certificate Holder from the Association for Workplace Investigations (AWI).

Sarah Gutierrez began her career with the County in 2001 as a Recovery Specialist at Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services where she provided comprehensive case management services to individuals struggling with mental health and substance use disorders.

In 2011, Sarah transitioned to the private sector to join Centre for Neuro Skills as a Clinical Case Manager specializing in post-acute brain injury rehabilitation. During her tenure, she achieved certifications as a Certified Disability Management Specialist and a Certified Brain Injury Specialist as well as becoming a Baldrige Examiner, underscoring her commitment to service excellence in her field.

Sarah returned to Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services in 2015 to conduct workplace investigations for the Department. From 2015 to 2023, her roles at Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services included Senior Human Resources Specialist, Behavioral Health Program Supervisor, Privacy and Corporate Compliance Officer, and a Senior Human Resources Manager.

In her most recent role as the Senior HR Manager, she provided strategic oversight for Departmental Employee Relations, Employee Health, Wellness and Safety, Employee Development, and Employee Recruitment.

Sarah attended California State University, Bakersfield and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Science in Administration. Additionally, she has received specialized training in workplace investigation through the Association of Workplace Investigators.

As a proud native-born resident of Kern County, Brenda Guerra has been dedicated to serving the County and its community for 27 years. Her contributions to the County include serving as the County’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, Language Access Coordinator, and currently as the Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer overseeing the Public Safety Recruitment and Retention Team.

Throughout her career with the County, Ms. Guerra has held various roles conducting workplace investigations, overseeing staff engaged in recruitment and outreach activities, and managing the Human Resources Division’s response to the Department of Justice – Stipulated Judgment requirements and working with the Sheriff’s Office to improve their staffing and retention. Brenda has been responsible for developing an inclusive and equitable Recruitment and Hiring Plan for the Sheriff’s Office in addition to developing a County-wide Language Access Plan. Her role as part of the HR – Diversity and Inclusion Team includes managing classification and compensation items.

Brenda graduated from Wasco High School and went on to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from California State University. To conduct impartial workplace investigations, she attended training and earned a certificate from the Association of Workplace Investigators.

Kimberlyn Stillwell joined the Kern County Human Resources Division in 2018 where she has demonstrated a commitment to finding the right candidates to meet the County’s staffing needs. In her various roles with the Human Resources Division, Kimberlyn has been focused on recruitment and retention as well as learning and development. Her involvement in learning and development includes contributions to county-wide initiatives for Lean Six Sigma and LinkedIn Learning. As a Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer for Talent Acquisition, Kimberlyn works closely with the Human Resource Division’s recruitment staff, as well as county departments, to ensure that county-wide staffing needs are met.

Prior to her current appointment, Kimberlyn worked in both the private and public sector in several capacities. She gained her Human Resources experience while working for a major retail company, eventually serving in the role of a District Resource. She began her journey as a Kern County employee with the Department of Child Support Services where she served as a Supervising Staff Development Specialist and Program Manager.

Kimberlyn graduated from California State University, Bakersfield with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration.

Keri Pharris serves as a Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer for the Kern County Human Resources Division of the County Administrative Office. She currently works closely with leadership to address classification and compensation matters across the organization and will be serving as the Human Capital Management lead in the implementation of the county’s enterprise resources planning solution, Workday. She is focused on initiatives and efforts to modernize public sector human resources with a focus on delivering quality services to employees and the citizens of Kern County.

Ms. Pharris has managed a variety of human resources activities, managing teams responsible for countywide recruitment and retention, payroll, employee relations, compensation and classification, and implementation of enterprise resource planning systems. Keri is a Senior Certified Professional through the Society for Human Resources Management. She also holds black belt certification in lean six sigma from the City of Los Angeles.

She has participated in local community programs over the course of her career including the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce Leadership Bakersfield program, graduating in 2017. The Bakersfield Senior Center and the Alzheimer’s Disease Association of Kern County are local organizations where she has focused on making an impact. She currently serves as the President of the Kern County Management Council.

Ms. Pharris is a life-long Kern County resident, growing up in an agricultural-focused family in the small community of Wasco. She has served in county government for more than twenty-five years, in various roles focused on local workforce planning and development and human resources management.

Ms. Pharris attended California State University, Bakersfield and graduated with honors obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in 1997 and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration in 2019.

Monica Molica began her career with Kern County in 1990 as an Admitting Clerk at Kern Medical. In 1996, she moved to the County Administrative Office to work with the Kern County Health Benefits Division, starting as an Insurance Benefits Clerk. Since that time, she has advanced to her current role as the Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer leading the Health & Wellness Team.

Monica has over 25 years of experience in designing, implementing, and administrating employee benefits for Kern County employees. She has strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, along with expertise in compliance requirements. Under her leadership, the Health & Wellness Team was awarded two Kern County Employee Recognition awards: 2015 Sustained Effort and 2017 Customer Service Excellence Award. They have also been awarded Healthcare Advertising Awards for the Kern Legacy Health Plan Newsletter A Legacy of Good Health – the Bronze Award for the 2021 Winter newsletter and a Silver Award for the 2022 Summer newsletter.

She thrives in helping others and is enthusiastic about gaining new skills. She values learning from others and sharing her knowledge. A strong believer of positive thinking in the workplace and in providing excellent customer service to our Kern County employees and families.