Bernadette Austin is committed to equitable community development and civic innovation. She takes a multi-disciplinary approach to addressing complex issues, drawing on more than a decade of experience managing public-private partnership projects.
As the first Associate Director of the Center for Regional Change at the University of California at Davis, Bernadette brings her experience as a community development practitioner to an applied research center dedicated to supporting communities that are healthy, equitable, prosperous, and sustainable. She is also founding partner of Bernadette Austin Consulting Services, a consulting firm specializing in community development. Prior to founding this consulting firm, she worked for an affordable housing developer, local redevelopment agency, community development financial institution, and nonprofit community health organizations. Her projects include Sacramento’s first true transit-oriented development, West Sacramento’s first urban farm stand, and the first project in the country to implement a federal program combining housing vouchers and health services for disabled adults. Learn more about her professional experience here.
In addition to having served on the board of directors and advisory board for several nonprofit organizations, Bernadette currently serves on the West Sacramento Planning Commission, the Executive Committee of the Urban Land Institute's Sacramento District Council, and the Board of Directors for Girl Scouts Heart of Central California. She has been recognized as a notable woman leader by Sacramento Magazine and Comstock's Magazine, and the Sacramento Business Journal included her on their 40 Under 40 list. She holds a Master of Science in Community Development from UC Davis and a Bachelor of Science in Community Health from St. Mary’s College of California.
As the first Associate Director of the Center for Regional Change at the University of California at Davis, Bernadette brings her experience as a community development practitioner to an applied research center dedicated to supporting communities that are healthy, equitable, prosperous, and sustainable. She is also founding partner of Bernadette Austin Consulting Services, a consulting firm specializing in community development. Prior to founding this consulting firm, she worked for an affordable housing developer, local redevelopment agency, community development financial institution, and nonprofit community health organizations. Her projects include Sacramento’s first true transit-oriented development, West Sacramento’s first urban farm stand, and the first project in the country to implement a federal program combining housing vouchers and health services for disabled adults. Learn more about her professional experience here.
In addition to having served on the board of directors and advisory board for several nonprofit organizations, Bernadette currently serves on the West Sacramento Planning Commission, the Executive Committee of the Urban Land Institute's Sacramento District Council, and the Board of Directors for Girl Scouts Heart of Central California. She has been recognized as a notable woman leader by Sacramento Magazine and Comstock's Magazine, and the Sacramento Business Journal included her on their 40 Under 40 list. She holds a Master of Science in Community Development from UC Davis and a Bachelor of Science in Community Health from St. Mary’s College of California.
