Sandra Ontiveros - Chair
My name is Sandra Ontiveros, and I serve as the Administrative Operations Manager with the Office of the County Counsel, where I oversee office operations and supervise the Administrative Support Division. I have proudly served Monterey County for the past 20 years and bring extensive experience in legal office administration and organizational operations.
In my role, I manage the Civil Grand Jury Program and develop and implement procedures and operational guidelines for a 21-attorney law office. I coordinate training on existing and new data systems, oversee administrative processes, support organizational efficiency, and assist County Counsel with special projects and departmental initiatives. I also serve as the liaison with Human Resources for employee recruitment, onboarding, and separations, helping to maintain a collaborative and productive workplace environment.
Throughout my career with Monterey County, I have valued the many opportunities for professional growth and development this organization has provided. I am especially grateful for the colleagues and mentors who have supported and guided me along the way, helping to shape my leadership style and professional journey. I truly enjoy the work I do and take pride in being part of a team dedicated to public service and continuous improvement for both employees and the community we serve.
In addition, I have served on the CEMA negotiations team, currently serve as Chair of the CEMA Political Action Committee, hold the position of Member-at-Large on the CEMA Executive Board, and serve as a Delegate with the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council. These roles allow me to advocate for employees and contribute to efforts that strengthen workplace quality, employee support, and organizational success.
I look forward to continuing to build meaningful relationships and to proudly represent Monterey County managers with CEMA by our side.
Anna Lisa Leal
My name is Anna-Lisa Leal. I am excited to be part of CEMA negotiations team I have had the pleasure of working for Natividad for the past 17 years. While at Natividad, I have had experience working and overseeing several departments. My experience includes the Emergency department, House Administrative Nurse (HAN), Float Pool, and Forensic Nursing. My primary department is the Mental Health Unit. I have been the Nursing Division manager for the last 7 years. I am a dedicated professional with experience working effectively as part of a team.
Outside of the office, I enjoy spending time with my family. I am married with 4 children, one daughter, and three boys. We enjoy swimming and playing outdoors with the kids. We are blessed and have my parents living with us to help care for our children. We make our time off special by hosting game nights and outdoor movie nights with friends and family.
Dina Northcutt
Dina L. Northcutt is a management analyst for Housing & Community Development and has been with the County for nearly 6 years. Dina is customer-focused and detail-oriented, with 28+ years of experience implementing and delivering automated solutions and incorporating emerging technologies. Dina’s strength is the ability to cut through the muck and streamline processes and improve workflow, but also, a boundless curiosity for new technologies. Dina has a passion for managing teams to promote collaboration, and manage expectations. She believes happiness is providing exemplary customer service, which directly correlates with proper and constant customized training and development. Her experience working with upper-level management taught her strategic planning and execution, which proved invaluable throughout her career. Throughout the years, this experience gradually ‘morphed’ into interactive technology, where Dina worked as a Global Project Manager and Senior Business Analyst for a wide range of digital products and services, working with all organizational levels and multi-million dollar clients.
Dina started with the County as an ERP Business Analyst for the new ESS system, eliciting requirements and working with SQL, until the County decided to lay off the Business Analysts right after Go-Live. Fortunately, through the SEEK program, Dina transferred over to the RMA, now HCD, where she now serves as the Webmaster/Project Manager and Digital Delivery Manager responsible for creating all web initiatives.
Ginger Pierce
Virginia (Ginger) Pierce works for Monterey County Department of Social Services as the CAPC Director (Management Analyst III classification). Ginger has been with the county since 1997. Ginger began her career in Child Welfare in the state of Virginia. She moved to Monterey County in 1997 and was hired as a Social Worker in the Court Unit. Ginger had a variety of experiences in her role as social worker before becoming a supervisor, then manager in 2007. Her expertise has historically been all things related to foster care, especially transition age youth (TAY) and caregiver supports. Now, with CAPC she is working in primary prevention efforts for all of Monterey County. Ginger especially enjoys macro policy, government strategy, community engagement and program planning work. She started her career at the Federal level in Washington D.C. which fueled this interest. Ginger has a reputation for getting things done, pulling partners together for problem solving and is excited to be a part of CEMA.
Outside of the office, Ginger is involved in our local community. Among her experiences she has been Board President for the Salinas City Elementary School District Foundation and the Secretary for the Salinas High Boosters. You can often see she and her husband Craig volunteering locally in many capacities. Ginger has been married over 25 years and has two children. She enjoys travel, going to Farmer’s Markets, gardening, California wine tasting and Sunday hikes. Ginger has her Bachelor’s Degree from University of Missouri – Columbia (Mizzou) and her MSW Loyola University of Chicago (LUC).
Jennifer Ortega Uribe
Outside of her professional role, Jennifer is passionate about health, wellness, and continuous self-improvement. She enjoys staying active through CrossFit and is dedicated to supporting and uplifting others through mentorship, community involvement, and positive engagement. Jennifer actively participates in several local initiatives, currently serves on the Gonzales City Commission, and supports various school programs.
Her previous leadership and volunteer roles include serving as the Past President of Project Read to Me, Board Member for CalSHRM, and involvement with First Tee. Jennifer holds a Master’s Degree in Finance and Human Resource Management from Golden Gate University, further demonstrating her commitment to leadership, professional growth, and community impact.
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