Welcome to California Exposition & State Fair

Cal Expo Governing Board

The governing body of the California Exposition & State Fair is an 11-member board of directors.  The directors are residents of California. Nine (9) directors are appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate.  One director each is appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate Rules Committee. Ex-officio members are Assembly member Dave Jones and Senator Darrell Steinberg.  A more detailed explanation can be found in the Governance Section of this web page.  Current members of the board and their place of residence are listed below.  You may reach any members of the board by writing to them at:


California Exposition & State Fair
1600 Exposition Boulevard
Sacramento, CA  95815. 

Or email them at: calexpoboard@calexpo.com.

 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Gilbert Albiani
Chair
Elk Grove		 Director Gilbert Albiani, of Elk Grove, has served on the Board of Directors since 2007. He served a prior term on the Board from 2002-2005. Mr. Albiani has been a real estate broker since 1977 with the Albiani Group of Lyon Real Estate. He retired after 22 years from the California National Guard with the rank of major. He has owned and managed a herd of registered Shorthorn beef cattle since 1969. He is married to Katherine Albiani, and they are the parents of five adult children and grandparents of 14. Mr. Albiani is an elected member of the Cosumnes Community Service District and serves on the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Mercy Foundation.

Cornelius Gallagher
Vice Chair
Fair Oaks		 Director Cornelius Gallagher, of Fair Oaks, has served on the Board of Directors since 2007. He has served as senior vice president and agribusiness executive for Bank of America since 1987. Mr. Gallagher has worked for Bank of America since 1969, previously holding the position of senior vice president and regional market executive as well as other vice president and managerial positions. Additionally, he represents the Bank of America on several agricultural leadership boards and committees, including chair of the California Bankers Association Agricultural Lending Committee and Commissioner on the US President’s Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources.
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Amparo Pérez-Cook
Member 
Davis  		 Director Amparo Pérez-Cook, of Davis, has served on the Board of Directors since 2004. Ms. Perez-Cook is VP/General Manger of Bustos Media’s California Properties in the Stockton/Modesto markets, KBBU “KeBuena 93.9FM”, Modesto’s Premier Spanish Radio, and KTTA “Ke Buena 94.3” Stockton’s newest property and Azteca America TV32. A native of Bogotá, Colombia, South America, Ms. Perez-Cook begun her media career in 1985. She has been part of four major Hispanic Broadcasting Companies in which she held senior sales and management positions.

In 1999, together with partners Juan Gonzalez and Angelica Balderas founded Aztec Media Inc. and launched KTTA “Ke Buena 97.9FM” and KLNA “Power 105.5FM” After 6 years of successfully running the stations Aztec Media merged with Bustos Media of California. Ms. Perez-Cook holds several board positions. She was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to sit on the California Exposition and State Fair Board. She is a Trustee for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and sits on the board of the Los Rios Community College Foundation.

Her involvements in the business community and charitable organizations have made her a recognized Hispanic leader. Amparo has the ability to create lasting relationships and bringing people together toward a common goal. It is her vision and mission to help other women experience, grow and succeed as she has. Ms Perez-Cook received Radio Ink’s prestigious 2009 Wayne General Manager of the Year award This accomplishment is historic because she is first Latina to receive such an honor. In September of this year, Ms Perez-Cook received from American Women In Radio & Television the 2009 Example of Excellence Award. She was the recipient of the Sacramento Hispanic Business Woman of the Year Award for 2002 and the California Hispanic Business Woman of the Year Award for 2003. She was also the recipient of the Ana Maria Arias Memorial Business Fund Award for 2003. She donated her award of $2500 to the Aztec Media Scholarship “Preparate” program. Ms Perez-Cook (Lemus) resides in Davis, California with her husband and mother.
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Marko Mlikotin
 Member
Folsom		 Director Marko Mlikotin, of Folsom, has served on the Board of Directors since 2004. Mr. Mlikotin has served as president of River City Communications since 2004. From 1998 to 2004, he was chief of staff for Congressmember Doug Ose and, from 1997 to 1998, served as his campaign manager. Prior to that, Mlikotin served as deputy appointments secretary for Governor Pete Wilson from 1994 to 1997, deputy political director for Pete Wilson for Governor Committee from 1993 to 1994 and executive director for Citizens for California’s Future from 1992 to 1993. He is a member of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Folsom Chamber of Commerce.
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Kathleen Nakase
Member
Huntington Beach		 Director Kathleen Nakase, of Huntington Beach, has served on the Board of Directors since 2004. Ms. Nakase has served as executive director of the Orange County Farm Bureau since 1994 and is currently serving on the board of the Centennial Farm Foundation. From 1988 to 1993, she served as executive vice president of Master Tag West and, from 1982 to 1988, was president and owner of NLC Plastic Graphics, Incorporated. Prior to that, Ms. Nakase was assistant director and marketing analyst for Southwest Regional Training Center from 1980 to 1982. From 1974 to 1980, she was a teacher at La Habra High School and, from 1970 to 1974, was a teacher at Bassett High School. Ms. Nakase is a past board member of the Orange County Harvest.
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Rex S. Hime
Member
Loomis		 Director Rex Hime of Loomis is president and chief executive officer of the California Business Properties Association, serves as a member of the UC Board of Regents, and as the Chair of the Greater Sacramento Valley Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He is a past President of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association and has served on the Cal Expo Board since 1995.
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Steve Beneto
Member
Carmichael		 Director Steve Beneto, of Sacramento, has served on the Board of Directors since 2005. He has owned and served as the president of Beneto, Inc. of West Sacramento since 1972. He owns a cattle ranch in the State of Nevada in addition to being a horseman. Mr. Beneto is an active member of the Sacramento County Reserve Deputy Sheriff Program, the Sonoma Trailblazers, and the Rancheros Visitadores, a trail rider group.

Bert Johnson, M.D.
Member
Los Gatos		 Director Bert D. Johnson, M.D. from Los Gatos has served on the Board of Directors since 2007. Dr. Johnson grew up in Modesto, California where he attended Modesto High School and Junior College. During World War II, he left college and qualified for the Navy V5 pilot training program. He was just starting to fly when the atom bomb ended the war and he headed for Stanford. He received his undergraduate degree from Stanford and was then fortunate enough to get into Stanford Medical School. He was a founder of both Good Samaritan Hospital and Los Olivos Women’s Medical Clinic in Los Gatos. He went back to Stanford as a full-time teaching professor of OB-GYN from 1994-2006. He then retired from practice to run how own cattle ranch operation.

Richard Cuneo
Member
Sonoma		 Director Richard Cuneo, of Sonoma, has served on the Board of Directors since 2008. He previously served on the board of directors from 1997 to 2002. Mr. Cuneo has served as chair of the board of Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery since 1974. He is a member of the Sonoma Valley Grape Growers Association, California Farm Bureau, Audubon Society and Ducks Unlimited. Mr. Cuneo served 5 years as an elected member of the Sonoma Valley Public School Board. Mr. Cuneo is past president and current member of the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce and a former member of the U.S. Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee.

Paul F. Stacey
Member
Visalia		 Director Paul Stacey, of Visalia, has served on the Board of Directors since 2008. Since 1985, he has worked for the Visalia Citrus Packing Group of companies, where he currently serves as vice president of finance and administration and chief financial officer. Mr. Stacey previously was a partner with the agribusiness consulting firm, Stacey & Stacey, from 1981 to 1985 and vice president and controller of Western Farm Management Company and Western Farm Commodities from 1979 to 1980. Before that he was involved in the restaurant industry in Arizona and Massachusetts. He currently serves as treasurer of Visalia Fruit Exchange and is a member of the Western Growers Association Board of Directors, Trustee of Western Growers Assurance Trust and The Sunkist Pension Plan. He received graduated from Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
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Senator Darrell Steinberg 
Ex Officio		 Assembly Member
Dave Jones
Ex Officio		 Norbert J. Bartosik
CEO & General Manager
Loomis