The San Diego Workforce Partnership team is dedicated to improving the quality of life for San Diego County residents by ensuring equal access to sustainable employment and the talent and resources that help businesses thrive.
Visit our careers page to learn more about working at the Workforce Partnership.
About Rachel Bereza
Rachel Bereza is a multilingual executive who has championed workforce innovation across California for more than 15 years. Bereza’s selection follows a notable career spanning farmworker advocacy, vocational training and homelessness solutions. Most recently, as Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Sacramento Steps Forward, she led internal and external operations and program innovation.
If you had unlimited resources, how would you change our community for the better?
Community change starts with community engagement. In our profession we are ultimately seeking to affect the economic livelihood of the diverse communities we serve across the County of San Diego. Therefore, changing our community for the better requires working closely with our local population, understanding their unique needs as well as the broader supply and demand constraints across workers and industries and considering these factors when designing our programs.
If you could describe your job role in 3 words, what would it be and why?
Impact, empowerment, improvement. My role oversees the implementation of our programs and the impact we have on our communities, aligning with our City, County and State economic development strategies. It fundamentally supports worker empowerment by supporting our workers with access to resources to support the achievement of their personal goals. Improvement is also fundamental to my role, where I am constantly looking for opportunities to improve the delivery of our services, helping San Diego reach its potential for providing an evolving and adequate range of economic opportunities to support the growing needs of the local workforce.
What's one thing you really love about living in San Diego?
Having had a glorious international career over the past decade and traveling all over the world, I can truly say that within the U.S., San Diego is simply one of the most beautiful, serene and amazing places to both raise a family and work in. Besides the magnificent weather, calm atmosphere and amazing surroundings, I just love that everyone I meet shares the same passion to want to help San Diego develop and thrive as a destination of choice not just for tourists to visit, but for the private sector to consider in bringing the population innovative employment opportunities.
Why work in workforce development?
I work in workforce development because I strongly believe in the importance of empowering people. I love being able to say that the work I do has a positive impact on the lives of San Diegans. Workforce development not only has an impact on businesses and families, but on the future of our region. When people are equipped with the soft and hard skills to have a career with a bright future, San Diego becomes a better place for everyone.
If you had unlimited resources, how would you change our community for the better?
If I had unlimited resources, I would change our community for the better by investing in our education system. I would love to provide our community with high quality K–12 facilities and educators throughout the county. I would put the unlimited resources toward making access to higher education equitable and attainable. I believe in empowering people to build the life that they desire and a quality education is the foundation for that. I would ensure every child has a safe and high-quality educational journey from start to finish. A well-educated San Diego workforce would truly continue to make our region better for generations to come.
What’s one thing you really love about living in San Diego?
After being born and raised in the Midwest, I love the beautiful San Diego beaches that we can enjoy all year long. My favorite beach is Coronado Beach, but our beautiful city has so many to choose from and that is what I love the most. I love that within our county, you can enjoy the beach one day and the snow the next day as well. San Diego is a gorgeous place to live in, and I am grateful to be able to raise my family here.