Board Members
- Chairperson:
- Judge Quentin L. Kopp
- Vice Chairperson:
- Fran Florez
- Board Members:
- David Crane
- Rod Diridon, Sr.
- R. Kirk Lindsey
- Curt Pringle
- Lynn Schenk
- T. J. (Tom) Stapleton
- Tom Umberg
- Executive Director:
- Mehdi Morshed
Fran Florez, Vice Chair
Fran Florez is one of nine members of the California High-Speed Rail Authority whose background is vital to assuring that the agency charged with the development and implementation of a high-speed passenger train system in California gets input from diverse viewpoints around the state. She is an appointee of the California State Senate Rules Committee.
Fran was born and raised in Bakersfield. She attended Bakersfield city schools and is currently a resident of Shafter, California. She retired from the banking industry after a 35-year career. Fran is active in the community. She has served as past president of the Shafter Chamber of Commerce and the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She was elected to the Shafter City Council in 1996 and still serves as a council member and additionally serves as mayor-pro tem. She has served as Chairperson of the Shafter Community Development Agency. She is currently serving on the board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Golden Empire Gleaners, and the Kern County Network for Children, serves as a community board member of San Joaquin Hospital and Projecto Alianza for California State University, Bakersfield.
Fran Florez is one of the principals of Florez & Florez consulting firm and has contracted her services exclusively to Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Public Affairs Department. She is the primary contact for PG&E's Community Vitality Program. Each year through the program, PG&E provides both financial and in-kind support to community-based organizations and educational entities in the counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings and San Bernardino. Fran functions as a liaison to the corporate contributions department of PG&E for the Kern County area.
Fran and her husband, Ray Florez, have two grown children, daughter Kris Miller, a childcare provider for the Paso Robles Unified School District, and son, Dean Florez, California State Assemblyman for the 30th district. Kris and husband Aaron live in Paso Robles. Dean and wife Elsa and their children, Sean and Faith, live in Shafter.