Taylor Kimber, assistant deputy director for external affairs in Gov. Gavin Newsom's office, is among the Central Valley's 2026 40 Under 40 honorees. Courtesy of Taylor Kimber, BusinessLeaders.TV.

BusinessLeaders.TV’s class of 2026 will be recognized Dec. 3 at a Fresno Grizzlies-hosted ceremony

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When Taylor Kimber left a job as a Congressional staffer in 2021 to move back to Fresno, she wasn’t sure what came next. Five years later, the 33-year-old assistant deputy director for external affairs for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office is one of 40 young Central Valley professionals being honored as part of the “40 Under 40” Class of 2026.

From Congress to the governor’s office

“I took a risk on myself,” Kimber said of the move, which led to a role at the Central Valley Community Foundation and, eventually, the governor’s office. She credited a lineup of local mentors, including former Fresno Mayor and boss Ashley Swearengin, and pointed to the region’s African American, faith-based and business communities as the foundation of her career.

Kimber comes from a storied lineage of community advocates. Her grandfather Les Kimber, a two-term member of the Fresno City Council, founded the California Advocate in 1967 as Fresno’s African American community newspaper. Her father Mark Kimber is the current publisher.

“I’ve worked with such great leaders,” she said.

A diverse class

Kimber joins a 40 Under 40 class spanning nonprofits, health care, law, agriculture, food and government. The honorees will be recognized by program organizer BusinessLeaders.TV on Thursday, Dec. 3, at Chukchansi Park in an event hosted by the Fresno Grizzlies.

The annual celebration recognizes 40 exceptional professionals under the age of 40 whose leadership, accomplishments and community involvement are helping shape the future of California’s Central Valley, said Lance Cardoza, host of BusinessLeaders.TV.

Each class member represents their own network of people who form the foundation beneath them.

“My favorite part of the award ceremony is seeing the families, friends, and colleagues who come to support their favorite honorees,” Cardoza said in a statemtnt.

Here’s the 40 Under 40 Class of 2026:

 

Amber Secundino – Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission

Angela Kutnerian Rivera – Wellpointe Inc.

Antonio Jimenez-Flores – JB Lawn Services, LLC

Braithan Stoltenberg – Stoltenberg Group

Carolina de la Torre – Moon Racer Films

Cinderela Echols – Magnolia Health System

Daniel Gligich – The San Joaquin Valley Sun

Dennis Dyck – Visalia Unified School District

Dr. Hina Quasim – Valley Sleep and Wellness Center

Edgar Bolanos Molina – JB Lawn Services, LLC

Emilio Rodriguez – Littler Mendelson

Gabriella P De Alba – Jalisco Jewelers

Harry Hamparian – Access Plus Capital

Jillian Yelinek – California Autism Center

Johnna Johnson – HYPHEN

Johnsen Del Rosario – Youth Leadership Institute

Jordan Houseworth – Love on Tap

Joseph Perez – Finegan Real Estate

Joseph Vargas – Topdogs Flag Football League

Kelly Kucharski – Sierra Resource Conservation District

Kiah Ruvalcaba – Fowler Packing Company

Lara Agulian – Downtown Fresno Partnership

Logan Howard – Lawvex, LLP

Lucero Ayala – Magic Mirror Aesthetics

Madison Lindsey-Martinez – Piemonte’s Italian Delicatessen

Mederios Babb – CBS 47

Miguel Reyes – Quesadilla Gorilla

Mikayla Reyes – Quesadilla Gorilla

Molly Lao – Legal Aid at Work

Molly Muirhead – 4Creeks

Najda Kazarian – Law Office of Najda Kazarian

Rickie Dhillon – Kepler Neighborhood School

Sara Frauenheim – Saint Agnes Medical Center

Sarah Khalfan – African Braiding Hairstyles

Savanna Ellison – Savvy Marketing Solutions

Sean-Micheal Roberts – Miracle Realty

Sharieta Thomas – Restore 180

Stevey Pope-Allred – Secret Stork Ultrasound, Inc.

Tatevik Hovhannisyan – Fresno Chamber of Commerce

Taylor Kimber – Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom

Event Information

Event: Central Valley’s “40 Under 40”
Presented by: BusinessLeaders.TV
Hosted by: Fresno Grizzlies
Date: Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Chukchansi Park, Fresno, California
Tickets: Purchase HERE

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Related story: Fresno’s 40 Under 40 class for 2025 announced. Who’s on the list?