December 8, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                       

Contact: Sara Floor, Communications Manager
916-926-8769; email: sfloor@counties.org 

SACRAMENTO- The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Board of Directors unanimously voted to rename the California Counties Foundation educational institute “The CSAC William ‘Bill’ Chiat Institute for Excellence in County Government.” The name change was enacted during the Association’s Annual Meeting in November.  CSAC governs and oversees the California Counties Foundation and its educational institute.

“This past summer the County family lost one of its biggest champions with the unexpected passing of our dear friend and colleague Bill Chiat. For more than 12 years, Bill was a trailblazer who served as Dean of the CSAC Institute for Excellence in County Government, bringing life to CSAC’s vision of a continuing education program designed specifically for county leaders,” said the current California Counties Foundation President and CSAC First Vice President Supervisor Ed Valenzuela from Siskiyou County. “Renaming the educational institute in his honor is a tribute to Bill’s countless contributions to the County Family.”

“Bill played an integral role in helping create the CSAC Institute for Excellence in County Government in 2008 to offer a professional development suite for new and experienced county elected officials, executives and senior staff,” said California Counties Foundation CEO and CSAC Deputy Executive Director of Operations and Member Services Manuel Rivas, Jr. “Over the course of his tenure, Bill touched the lives of thousands of institute class attendees, including County Supervisors, Executives, Department Heads, Information Technology professionals and other county employees.”

Thanks to Bill’s commitment and dedication, the CSAC Institute with five regional campuses is considered the premier continuing education program for county officials in the country.

The California Counties Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with a mission to provide educational opportunities and resources exclusively for California Counties.  The Foundation houses the CSAC Institute, the CSAC Support Hub for Criminal Justice Programming (formerly Results First), and manages charitable contributions and grants to improve educational opportunities for county supervisors, county administrative officers and senior staff.

California State Association of Counties (CSAC) is the voice of California’s 58 counties at the state and federal level.                                                                                 # # #