Bob Burris
VP, Economic Development
Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC)
“Permit streamlining is an important effort in California because it will increase the pace of economic activity in our counties and cities. CaPSA will be a strong facilitator in bringing about these opportunities for efficiency. As an Advisory Board member, I hope that I can bring to the table the unique experiences of rural counties as well as my decades of experience in local and regional economic development.”
Bob Burris
Robert Burris is Vice President of Economic Development for the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) and Golden State Finance Authority (GSFA), where he works with 40 rural counties on core economic development issues. He brings extensive leadership experience in research and consulting, having served as President and CEO of the Solano EDC; Executive Vice President and Interim CEO of the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization; Research Director and Client Services Manager at Grubb & Ellis Commercial Real Estate; and Senior Analyst at the California State University Real Estate & Land Use Institute (RELUI). In 2015, he also founded Burris Service Group, an economic consulting firm.Burris serves on numerous boards and committees across California, including CALED’s Advisory Board, the Leadership Council for the National Center for Sustainable Transportation, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy’s Advancing Community Investment (ACI) initiative, and the Advisory Board of the Northern California SBDC.
Burris holds a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and an MBA from Sacramento State. He is currently a Vibrant Communities Fellow with Claremont Lincoln University and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has also served as a board chair, taught international business at Drexel University, Philadelphia, delivered the 2014 commencement address, and received an honorary doctorate. He is expected to complete his MPA at Claremont Lincoln University within the year.
Matt Donovan
Regional Vice President
Accela
“I’m excited about this opportunity because we’re at a rare moment to align emerging technologies with California agencies’ real desire to streamline permitting — one of the highest-impact ways to drive jobs, housing, and economic growth across the state.”
Matt Donovan
Matthew Donovan is a government technology leader who has spent a large part of his career helping public agencies modernize how they serve residents and businesses. As a Regional Vice President at Accela, a leading provider of cloud software for permitting, licensing, and land management, he works directly with city and county governments to digitize and streamline the permitting processes that underpin local economic development and housing growth.Across his tenure in GovTech, Matt has partnered with well over a hundred municipal agencies throughout the West and Midwest regions of the country, giving him a practical, on-the-ground view of where permitting friction originates and what it takes to remove it. His perspective bridges the operational realities facing government staff with the broader goals of accelerating business formation, housing, and infrastructure.
Matthew holds an MBA in Finance from Pepperdine University and a B.S. from Siena College, and lives in Costa Mesa, California.
Michelle Geller
Economic Development Manager
City of Oceanside
“Permit streamlining is good customer service. It means helping applicants move their projects forward with clarity, predictability and efficiency while maintaining the standards our communities value.”
Michelle Geller
Michelle Geller has worked in local government for over 20 years and has served as the economic development manager for the City of Oceanside since 2019. Michelle has had the opportunity to work in a variety of local government roles including marketing and communications, federal grant administration, neighborhood outreach and business development for the cities of Escondido and Sunnyvale.
Michelle holds a bachelors’ degree in English from Chico State University, a Masters of Public Administration from Cal State Long Beach and is an Accredited Economic Developer through Fresno State University. She serves on the boards of the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, Visit Oceanside, MainStreet Oceanside, the San Diego North Economic Development Council and the California Association for Local Economic Development and resides in her favorite city: Oceanside!
Jennifer McLain Hiramoto
Executive Director
City of Ontario
“Time kills deals’ is a common refrain in economic development. CaPSA promises to help cities strengthen their development process by providing the predictability that developers value most – clear expectations and reliable timelines throughout the permitting process.”
Jennifer McLain Hiramoto
Jennifer McLain Hiramoto is committed to economic development both locally and across California. She has worked in local government for nearly 15 years and as the serves a Chair to the statewide organization, California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED). In Ontario, she serves as the Executive Director of the Economic Development Agency, where she leads the City’s aggressive real estate acquisition and development strategy, including development and activation efforts for the 200-acre Sports Empire and ONT Field, home to the Single-A Dodger Affiliate. She also oversees its robust business development, marketing and concierge efforts.
Prior to joining Ontario, she worked for the cities of Glendale and Monrovia, and the San Garbiel Valley Economic Partnership. She earned her bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University, and her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She resides in Yorba Linda with her husband.
Oscar Mancillas
Interim Deputy Community & Economic Development Director/Building Official
City of Riverside
“Permit streamlining is most effective when it enhances predictability, transparency, and customer service, and when we engage the teams who do the work every day, all while upholding the safety standards that protect our communities.”
Oscar Mancillas
I am the Building Official and Interim Deputy Community & Economic Development Director for the City of Riverside, California. With nearly three decades of experience in construction, inspections, plan review, code administration, and municipal leadership, I have dedicated my career to improving development services while safeguarding public health, safety, and the welfare of the community I get to serve.
Having advanced through the ranks from Building Inspector to Building Official and into executive leadership, I bring a practical understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing local governments, the development community, and the public. I currently oversee Planning, Building & Safety, and Code Enforcement operations and have led initiatives focused on permit streamlining, digital transformation, operational efficiency, and customer service improvements.
I am committed to fostering predictable, transparent, and efficient development processes that support economic growth while upholding the highest level of safety standards. I am an ICC Certified Building Official, a Certified Access Specialist (CASp), and hold multiple professional certifications in building code administration, plan review, and inspection.
Jake Potter
Economic Development Manager
City of Livermore
“Permits should protect communities—not slow opportunity. By making California’s permitting processes clearer, faster, and more predictable, we can help strengthen local economies and ensure the future is built here. Let’s get started!”
Jake Potter
Jake Potter brings nine years of public service experience across economic development, land use, development review, and legislative policy. His background includes work in local government, private business, and Washington, D.C.; a Master’s in Urban Planning from San José State University; and a Certificate in Business Administration from UC Berkeley.
As Livermore’s Economic Development Manager, Jake leads the City’s business attraction and retention programs and has led local efforts to streamline development review for historic properties and housing projects, as well as City coordination on state development laws. He brings a practical understanding of how permitting delays and uncertainty can stall investment and development, and why streamlining is critical to California’s competitiveness.
Leticia Ramirez
Attorney
Thatch & Hooper LLP
“I am eager to contribute to CaPSA’s efforts to streamline permitting statewide because I am deeply committed to thriving communities and understand how valuable clear, streamlined processes are to agencies and their customers. In my advisory role, I intend to provide insight and knowledge from my experience serving on both sides of the counter – first as a legal advisor to cities and now representing private clients seeking entitlements and permits.”
Leticia Ramirez
Leticia Ramirez is a land use and environmental law attorney with over a decade of experience in public law, land use, and municipal governance. Currently in private practice, Leticia advises property owners, developers, and businesses on California’s complex planning, zoning, housing, and environmental laws. Drawing on her experience with local agencies and her knowledge of their processes, she expertly guides clients through the land use entitlement process.
Prior to her current role, Leticia served as the General Counsel for Calbright College, California’s first fully online statewide community college. Before that, she served as Deputy County Counsel for Sacramento County and as City Attorney for the City of Tracy, where she advised on land use, public finance, ethics, cannabis regulation, and risk management. Leticia’s municipal law career began as an associate with a private law firm specializing in advising public entities, including cities and special districts throughout Northern California and the Central Valley.
Leticia earned her J.D. from UCLA School of Law and holds a B.A. from Stanford University. Originally from Anaheim, California, she now resides in Sacramento with her husband.
Nancy Sands
Senior Management Analyst
City of Petaluma
“Every permit represents someone investing in a dream, creating jobs, or building something that will strengthen a community. I’m honored to participate in the California Permit Streamlining Academy to help advance permitting practices that make those opportunities more accessible while supporting California’s long-term economic success.”
Nancy Sands
Nancy Sands has more than 20 years of experience helping businesses succeed, first as a communications consultant and, since 2014, as an economic development professional with the City of Petaluma. In her current role as a Senior Management Analyst, she works across departments to turn economic development goals into practical solutions. She helps businesses understand local permitting and development processes while partnering with City staff to improve business services and support long-term economic success in the Petaluma community.
Nancy’s background in communication and applied linguistics, together with her ongoing professional development in change management, learning effectiveness, public sector leadership, and economic development, reflects her passion for making complex systems easier to understand and helping people, organizations, and communities grow. She is honored to serve on CALED’s Permit Streamlining Initiative Advisory Board and support practical improvements that help businesses succeed and strengthen California’s economy.
Mike Washam
Associate Director – Economic Development & Planning
Tulare County
“I am engaging in CaPSA because effective permit streamlining is essential to strengthening California’s competitiveness by improving interagency coordination, increasing predictability for applicants, and enabling responsible economic growth without unnecessary delays.”
Mike Washam
Michael Washam, ACE, MEDP, is Associate Director for the Tulare County Resource Management Agency (RMA), where he leads the Economic Development Office supporting business growth, investment attraction, and permitting coordination in California’s San Joaquin Valley. With over 20 years of public-sector experience, he focuses on streamlining permitting and entitlement processes through improved interagency coordination and cross-department collaboration.He currently serves as Interim Administrator for the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC), providing financial oversight and continuity during organizational transition.
Michael works with local, regional, and state partners to improve development project delivery, align infrastructure and land use planning, and reduce barriers to investment. He serves on the Boards of CALED and TeamCalifornia and holds both the ACE and MEDP certifications.