As the first Associate Director of the Center for Regional Change at the University of California at Davis, Bernadette brings her experience in community development praxis 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. Some of 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.

Bernadette is Chair of the West Sacramento Planning Commission and serves on the Executive Committee of the Urban Land Institute’s Sacramento District Council. 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.