Traco Matthews is the Chief Program Officer at CAPK. He brings extensive leadership skills and deep community connections to this critical position in Kern County’s official anti-poverty agency. His mission is to oversee the majority of CAPK programs which offer direct services to the public. Traco continually seeks to improve culture, processes, and outcomes through his work and in the community. He uses his experience providing leadership development for administrators and directors, contributing strategic analysis, delivering HR expertise, and building a trusted brand through proficient community relations to empower that commitment.
Traco’s purpose and greatest passion is encouraging and coaching others. In addition to coaching employees at work, he teaches business courses at Bakersfield College and California State University, Bakersfield, provides mentoring for leaders on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and serves as a Social Pastor and community advocate. He graduated from the University of California, Davis with a bachelor’s degree in Economics in 2001, and from California State University, Bakersfield, with an M.B.A. in 2017. He is happily married to his wife of 20 years, Dr. Jessica Grimes, a community college district administrator. Bakersfield serves as the home base for their frequent travels and life adventures.