Olivia Garcia, Vice President of Content
As part of responsibilities, Olivia oversees the content strategy for The Californian and various niche products, including Bakersfield Life, Kern Business, the Bakersfield Voice, Bakotopia and MAS magazine. Olivia also manages the marketing and distribution plans for MAS, Bakotopia, Smart Shopper and Bakersfield Voice newspaper.
Prior to her VP position this year, Olivia has served in different roles with the company. Previously, she was the publisher/general manager of Mercado Nuevo, a subsidiary of The Californian. Its focus was to growth niche products. Previous to that, she was a reporter and editor for the Californian. Prior to The Californian, she worked as a reporter for the Riverside County Press Enterprise and lived in Temecula.
Olivia is adjunct faculty at Bakersfield College. She teaches journalism classes at BC. In addition, she is a BC Work Experience instructor for students who are interning at local media companies.
Born and raised in Bakersfield, Olivia attended South High School, Bakersfield College and Fresno State. At Fresno State, she earned her degree in Mass Communication and Journalism and Chicano Studies.
She has been involved in different community organizations, including the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the American Cancer Society. She also is a part of the BC Paramount Mentoring Project.
Olivia is married to Julio Garcia, a sheriff’s deputy, and together, they have four sons and three German Shepherds.
