Ismael Herrera, Jr. spends his days connecting Fresno State to the San Joaquin Valley as executive director of the Office of Community and Economic Development. When not at work, he makes community connections as a newly elected Kerman City Council member.

Herrera’s goals as an elected official are to help the community attract more businesses into industrial and commercial zones, to create jobs for residents and sales tax revenue for the city. He also wants to help entrepreneurs and small businesses, improve Kerman’s quality of life, and help the police department address public safety concerns.

Prior to the city council, Herrera served on the Mendota Unified School Board from 2010 to 2013 and on the Fresno County Board of Education from 2014 to 2018.

“I am very thankful for the support of constituents over the years,” Herrera said. “It’s an honor to serve my communities in west Fresno County.”

Herrera grew up in west Fresno County and attended public schools in Firebaugh and Mendota, eventually graduating from Firebaugh High School. He attended University of California, Irvine, earning his bachelor’s degree in sociology and Chicano/Latino studies.

During his undergraduate career, Herrera spent a semester studying abroad in Italy conducting research, assuming on-campus leadership roles, and completing various national public policy fellowships. His experience positioned him for acceptance to Harvard Graduate School of Education where he received his master’s degree in educational policy management.

Herrera began his career at Fresno State in 2009 and is celebrating his 10-year anniversary this year. As director of the OCED, Herrera connects Fresno State faculty, staff, students, research, services and programs to stakeholders within the region. His office also administers programs like the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley and the San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative.

Some of Herrera’s proudest accomplishments at Fresno State include helping to generate more than $13 million of investments to the San Joaquin Valley; hiring several Fresno State alumni who blossomed in the office and are now excelling elsewhere in the region; and receiving national recognition for the office’s San Joaquin Valley Rural Development Center, a regional initiative Herrera helped incubate during his first few years on campus.

His parents are his inspiration. They came to the United States from Mexico and spent years working in the agricultural industry. In the 1960s, his father was a bracero — a Mexican laborer permitted in the U.S. for a limited time as a seasonal agricultural worker.

Herrera has two daughters, 3-month-old Ximena Flor and 2-year-old Kamila Belle, and is married to Erika Perez, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work at Fresno State. He is passionate about ensuring that his daughters grow up in a world where they have more access and opportunity than he did as a child.

Herrera is thankful he took a chance and accepted a job on a campus.

“In so many ways, Fresno State is connected and responsive to the San Joaquin Valley,” Herrera said, “I am fortunate to be able to contribute to the community connectivity through the work my team and I carry out on behalf of the University.”