WorkCompCentral is a specialty media company providing professional news, education and data content to the workers’ compensation industry. We are trusted by the industry because we are independent and unafraid of the truth. We believe that workers' compensation plays an important social and economic role; it is our job to inform, educate and expose the good and the bad. We value our customers and potential customers, and demonstrate that value with customer service that goes well beyond their expectations. We must make enough profit to generate a fair return for our investors and to finance continued growth and development of the company and our employees.
About Us
Board of Directors
Kristen Chavez
President/CEO
Rick Kissen
CFO
Anne DePaolo
Corporate Secretary
Lief Feil
Director
Deborah Schulte
Director
"As founding board members, we encourage the team at WorkCompCentral to continue to pursue the vision of WorkCompCentral’s founder, David DePaolo, by delivering the highest quality industry news, education and tools with a dedication to providing superior customer service to our users."
Leadership
Kristen Chavez
President/CEO
Kristen has been with WorkCompCentral since 2004. Having worked in every department within the company, she brings to the table a very thorough understanding of the company's inner workings and role in the community. As President and CEO, Kristen plans on continuing to lead WorkCompCentral in providing exceptional service and resources to the work comp community at large.
Jim Sams
Director of News Operations
Leading the WorkCompCentral news team since 2005, Jim Sams is responsible for directing, building and final editing of WorkCompCentral's news. Prior to joining WorkCompCentral, Sams worked at various daily print news media papers across the country. He was both Acting Business Editor and Senior Project Writer for the Desert Sun and was a County Government Reporter for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and a Capitol Bureau Chief at the Stockton Record. Sams holds a B.A. from the University of South Florida in Tampa with a Major in Mass Communications.
Christina Childers
Director of Branding & Advertising
Christina has been with WorkCompCentral since 2008. She brings a wealth of marketing knowledge and experience to the WCC team and community. As director of Branding & Advertising, she uses her expertise to assist the work comp community in achieving their individual marketing and branding goals. Christina understands that each client is unique, and specializes in creating customized marketing plans to address her client's individual needs. She enjoys the friendship she shares with her clients, and is committed to ensuring an experience that exceeds their expectations.
Yvonne Guibert
Director of Marketing
Yvonne has over 28 years experience marketing in the work comp industry with a focus on live event marketing. She joined the WorkCompCentral team in May of 2014 and currently contributes to the shaping of and managing all communications in regards to the Comp Laude Awards® and Gala, our annual signature event, and other company communications as well as working on business development in Florida. Yvonne grew up near San Antonio, Texas and graduated from University of South Florida in Tampa with a B.A. in International Studies. Yvonne lives in Tampa, Florida.
Ron Haaland
Program Manager, IT
Ron has been working at WorkCompCentral since 2006. After graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography in 1989 with a degree in Illustration/Advertising, Ron discovered an innate ability for developing web sites. A self taught coder and server administrator, he considers himself a problem solver. Ron now manages a team of developers who are all committed to finding solutions that provide WorkCompCentral clients a user friendly interface.
Cindy Cooper
Bookkeeper
Cindy is a long time veteran of WorkCompCentral. Joining the team in 2006, she has been devoted to providing the best service to her clients. Aside from coordinating and managing accounts receivable and payable for WorkCompCentral, Cindy takes pride in taking preventative measures and being dependable for the general welfare of WCC and its clients.
Vicki Meraz
Operations Manager
While obtaining her degree in Business Administration from CSUCI, Vicki developed an appreciation for business operations and seeing how all departments come together to create success. Vicki enjoys working with clients and developing business relations. In her current role at WorkCompCentral, Vicki is crucial to client service and retention. She oversees the training and management of the account representative team to ensure WorkCompCentral provides excellent customer service to users.
WCC Crew
Kayla Peralta
Digital Media and Marketing Specialist
Kayla has been WorkCompCentral's Digital Media and Marketing Specialist since 2014. While studying at California Lutheran University, she directed a student film called "Honor Society" that won first place at the CLU Film Festival in 2013. In 2014 Kayla graduate from CLU with a degree in Communications as well as a second degree of Multimedia.
Kieran Farrar
Back-End Web Developer
New to the WorkCompCentral team, Kieran has been developing web applications since 2012. He graduated from UCSC in 2012 with a degree in Pure Mathematics. Kieran incorporates the tenets of math into programming architecture in order to create solutions to complex issues.
Delores Pinedo
Account Representative
Delores joined WorkCompCentral in 2016 as an account representative. She thrives on providing excellent customer service to our users. With over 20 years experience in customer service, she is most passionate about being part of a team that provides services and top-notch resources to industry professionals so they are able to operate at their very best. Currently, she is part of the client relations team and looking forward to building client relationships to ensure excellent customer service and the satisfaction of our clients.
Jade Weber
Administrative Coordinator
After helping with Comp Laude Awards® and Gala for the past two years, Jade is now a full time WorkCompCentral team member. She is excited to learn and grow with the company. Her positive attitude, amiable character and diligent work effort plays a large role in her enjoyment of helping people reach a successful outcome.
Chase Crossley
Education Administrator
Chase Crossley has rejoined the WorkCompCentral team and is currently serving as Administrator for the Education Department. He provides technical and customer support, produces our live and online education curriculum, and works with the entire spectrum of the work comp community to create customized training packages. Chase is a Ventura County native and enjoys ice hockey and golfing.
Emilia Lowry
Developer
Emi joined WorkCompCentral as a Web Developer in 2017. She is a self-taught coder with a passion for front-end design and user interfaces. Emi takes pride in creating sites and web-based tools that are easy to understand and efficient to use. She strives to always make WorkCompCentral’s website an intuitive and friendly experience for users to navigate and interact with.
Amanda Godinez
Account Representative
Amanda has been a member of the WorkCompCentral team since 2017 and brings with her over 30 years of customer service experience. Her attentiveness to customers and communication skills are a huge asset to the team. She thrives on building relationships and making sure all of her clients are taken care of. These traits also carry over into her personal life as she is heavily involved in her local community.
Kellye Sweitzer
Executive Assistant to the President/CEO
Kellye has been with WorkCompCentral since 2017. Coming from a diverse employment background, she brings a variety of strengths from multiple disciplines. While she is new to the field of work comp, she has been in customer service for the past fifteen years and is adept at helping a variety of populations. Her creativity and passion for helping others has transitioned well into the role of Executive Assistant to the President/CEO. Kellye is happy to join the WorkCompCentral family and eager to assist in the world of work comp.
News Reporters
Greg Jones
Deputy Editor, Reporter
Greg joined WorkCompCentral in 2010 as a reporter. He currently covers workers compensation legislation, litigation and regulation covering the Western states including: California, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
He has worked in print media as a writer, editor and photographer. He started as a general assignment reporter in New Mexico and quickly moved up to state/business editor and sports editor. Greg graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a B.A. Degree in Political Science. He currently lives in Sacramento, California.
Sherri Okamoto
Legal Reporter
Sherri Okamoto graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles with departmental honors for English and Comparative Literature. She went on to Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, obtaining her Juris Doctorate in 2006. Okamoto worked for the Daily Journal and Metropolitan News-Enterprise before joining the WorkCompCentral news staff in January 2012. She resides in Ventura, Calif.
Elaine Goodman
Reporter
Elaine Goodman is a long-time reporter and editor who has covered business, crime, and politics for publications including the Reno Gazette-Journal and Palo Alto Daily News. She joined WorkCompCentral in 2015 as medical/business reporter. Elaine has a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
William Rabb
Reporter
William Rabb has worked for newspapers in Jackson, Miss.; Charlotte, NC; Mobile, Ala.; and Pensacola, Fla. He is a native of Mississippi, is the son of a comp lawyer, and is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He and his family reside in Pensacola.
Copy Editor
Erik has nearly 30 years of journalism experience as a reporter, editor and layout designer, but editing copy is what he loves best. He is a graduate of California State University Fresno and a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers.