A shared vision
for our collective future.
The Tesoro Viejo Conservancy is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization formed to preserve land, protect wildlife, improve access to the San Joaquin River, and educate the public about the region’s natural resources. It is governed by a Board of Directors made up of community members passionate about the region’s natural resources.
Board of Directors
Brent McCaffrey, Chairman of the Board
Brent M. McCaffrey is president of The McCaffrey Group in Fresno, CA, which has built more than 10,000 homes and specializes in community development, residential construction, realty, and mortgage brokerage. As a third-generation homebuilder and land developer, Brent oversees land acquisition, entitlements, and development of planned communities and residential neighborhoods in California’s Central San Joaquin Valley. Under his leadership, the company has developed dozens of innovative communities and neighborhoods. He is providing leadership on the newest, award-winning 1,600-acre master planned community, Tesoro Viejo, in Madera County.
As an industry and community leader, Brent has served as chairman of the board for the Building Industry Association of Fresno and Madera Counties and the Community Development Council for the Urban Land Institute. He is also a member of the Clovis Community Medical Center Five 4 Five Planning Committee. In 2014, he co-founded the McCaffrey Knowlton Scholarship in City Planning at California State University, Fresno. Brent holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning and Development from the University of Southern California.
Todd Sheller, President of the Board
Todd Sheller started his career as an Adjunct Professor in the Construction Management Program at California State University, Fresno before joining W.M. Lyles Co./Lyles Construction Group where he served as Vice President and Contracts Administrator. Parallel to his employment, he served 20-years in the United States Air Force/California Air National Guard retiring as a Major.
Todd received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Management and his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from California State University, Fresno. He has been employed by Lyles since 2001 and is currently an Investment Manager and Vice President of Lyles Diversified, Inc. with business entity emphasis in partnership risk management, real estate development, rental property, and agricultural investments. He is a Past President and active member of the Chawanakee Education Foundation Board and the 2019-2020 President of the Rotary Club of Fresno and active member of the Board of Directors and the Fresno Rotary Foundation.
Steve Magarian, Secretary/Treasurer
Steve Magarian is a retired Fresno County Sheriff and an active community member. He served as Fresno County Sheriff from 1987 to 1999 during which time he oversaw completion of construction at the new main jail at the northwest corner of Fresno & M Streets and the north annex jail Merced & M Street. He initiated the department's helicopter program.
While he was sheriff, the agency became one of the first in the nation to be equipped with a computerized field reporting system, a wireless network which allowed deputies to access law enforcement data bases from their vehicles and to prepare and submit reports from the field. In the late 1990s he was the moving force behind the formation of the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC), which took on the burgeoning street gang problem in Fresno County.Sheriff Magarian has been teaching Criminology Courses at California State University, Fresno for the past twenty-one years, has served as a trustee for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fresno County, and was honored by California State University, Fresno, as the 2007 Top Dog recipient for the College of Social Sciences.
Susan Abundis
Susan Abundis is Chief Operating Officer for Rx Wellness Center @ California Health Sciences University, responsible for the management of the operational aspects of a Medication Therapy Management clinic (MTM) in the Central Valley. MTM is distinct set of services that optimize therapeutic outcomes for individual patients and prevents medication related problems, including adverse drug events.
Susan has 40 plus years of commercial banking experience, having held such titles as Managing Director and Market President, and has given eighteen years of board service to the largest hospital network in Fresno, California. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree from California State University, Fresno, and serves on the Community Medical Centers Board of Trustees, California Health Sciences University (CHSU) Board of Trustees and as Finance Committee Chairman for CHSU.
Paul Bauer
Paul J. Bauer has extensive experience consulting and representing employers in business and employment litigation. He advises employers on labor compliance and litigation prevention measures. He trains employers on preventing harassment and other Equal Employment Opportunity issues in the workplace. He served as a policy consultant to former California State Senator Charles S. Poochigian, advising members on legislation affecting employers.
Paul serves as the chair of the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board, is past president of the Central California Employment Round Table and Central California SHRM. He is actively engaged in the community and has served on the Board of Directors for Valley Crime Stoppers, the Central Valley Business Incubator, the Fresno County Blue Ribbon Business Committee, and Fresno County Bar Association. Paul holds a juris doctorate degree from McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific and a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in public administration from California State University, Fresno.
Henry R. Perea
Henry Perea is a long-time community leader and former elected official. He is the former Fresno County Supervisor, representing District 3. He began his public service as a trustee on the Fresno County Board of Education and then on the Fresno City Council.
Henry earned his bachelor's degree in criminology from Fresno State University and his master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California. He is an experienced human resources director with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. Passionate about the Central Valley, Henry serves on many boards including the Board of Directors for the California High-Speed Rail Authority, the Advisory Board for the Transportation Institute at Fresno State, and the Advisory Board for the Fresno State School of Community and Regional Planning.
Max Rodriguez
Madera County Supervisor Max Rodriguez is currently serving his fourth term as the District 4 Representative. He was elected in 2004, reelected in 2008, and ran unopposed in 2012 and 2016.
As a lifelong resident of District 4, Max knows first-hand the challenges the community faces. He is fervently committed to improving the quality of life for working families in Madera County.
Supervisor Rodriguez is a product of Madera High School where he graduated in 1958. He worked for the North Fork Sawmill for 25 years until its closure in 1985, at which point Max went back to school to become a Farmers Insurance Agent. He retired from the insurance industry in 2008. He served as a Madera County Planning Commissioner for a short period before he decided to run for the Board of Supervisors seat in 2003. He is a past member and vice-president of the Pan-American club, a former volunteer for the American Heart Association, and a past member of the Madera Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, New Hope Madera, and the NAACP Branch 1084.