Team | The California African American Political Action Committee

Board of Directors

Dedication. Expertise. Passion.

Chairman of the Board

Edwin A. Lombard III

Mr. Lombard is the President and CEO of ELM Strategies, a division of Edwin Lombard Management, Inc., a Public Relations, Communications, and Community Engagement Firm. ELM Strategies endeavors to steer Black business and the Black Community as a systemic gateway strategically utilized as an effective and influential voice on legislative, and regulatory matters.

Edwin Lombard is an expert strategist in government relations, public affairs, coalition building and community engagement. He has been an advocate for Black businesses and has successfully represented Black small businesses and the black community throughout California for 21 years.

Edwin Lombard was the President and CEO of the California African American Chamber of Commerce. Edwin also was the Executive Director of California African American Action Fund, a 501(c)3 non-profit business organization that educates, trains and supports Black businesses in California.

Edwin is currently the lead board director of the California African American Political Action Committee, and he is a board member of the California Small Business Association. Edwin is an active member of The NAACP, The Black Business Association and Black American Political Action Council (BAPAC).

He served on the California Black Chamber Foundation Board from 2008 to 2010. He currently serves on the Community College African American Advisory Council and the Sacramento Cannabis Industry Alliance Advisory Council.

Edwin received the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Award in 2012, served on their Board of Directors from 2012 through 2014, and represented the chamber on the Board of Sacramento’s Next Economy. He was also voted Father of the Year in 2008 by the State Conference of the NAACP.

Edwin successfully served in the United States Navy from 1975-1981.

Vice Chair

Stephen B. Walker

Stephen B. Walker is an advocate for a humanistic society, reformer, podcast host, actor, and avid comic book collector. He serves as Director of Correctional Health - California Correctional Peace Officers Association, Board Chair for the Child Abuse Prevention Center, Foundation for
Independent Voter Education, Black Youth Leadership Project, California African American PAC, California Research Project, Desert Waters Correctional Outreach, and Creative Acts. He is the host of the Reason 55 podcast.

Stephen began his career as a Group Supervisor after transitioning from active to reserve duty in the Marine Corps. In his civil service, he was hired at the California Youth Authority.

His recognition of the disparities and inequitable administration of policies, practices, and procedures
galvanized his motivation to engage as a union representative. After serving as a steward and chief job steward for several years, he ran and was elected as local President of his union
chapter.

He advanced through the union serving in multiple capacities such as grievance and staffing ratio analysis, subject matter specialist, main table negotiator, and Director of Legislative Affairs, Governmental Affairs, and Correctional Health divisions. His advocacy efforts have led to creating and enhancing holistic care services and programs that are reforming California's carceral system for all engaged by it. With thirty-five years of service, he continues to advance these efforts.

He has worked to understand and shed light on the mechanisms and ideologies that operate invisibly within our systems that facilitate the disenfranchisement of an overwhelming percentage of our populace, with the object of encouraging full individual agency privileged as citizens.

In 2019 (stalled by Covid-19), Stephen fomented sharing the voices and experiences of the people he'd been blessed to meet through corrections, union activism, and the boards he serves on. These diverse experiences have formed a compassion-based desire to understand and promote addressing the needs of people and awareness and education of individual and communal well-being.

He believes perspectives, as prescriptions, should be subject to continued reevaluation. Only through authentic engagement and conversations can we adjust our systems to our shared interests, better serving humanity, and society.