Bruce Saito (he/him/his) (on leave)
Bruce Saito is leading the California Conservation Corps – the oldest and largest conservation corps in the nation – in its commitment to enhance the Corpsmember vocational experience and expand environmentally focused projects that make California an even better place to live.
While Governor Jerry Brown appointed Bruce as CCC Director in September of 2015, his career with the Corps goes back to 1977 during the CCC’s earliest days. Bruce started as a supervisor/instructor at the Bret Harte Training Academy in Calaveras County, and over the next ten years, promoted his way up to director of the Los Angeles Urban Center and the Conservationist Supervisor CCC Camarillo Center.
In 1986, Bruce helped establish the non-profit Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC). He later served as the LACC executive director- devoting 30 years to the program and growing it to be one of the country’s largest local-nonprofit corps. In 2014, LACC’s Charter High School was renamed the Saito Charter High School.
Bruce has also been active in the corps movement at the national level. He previously served as board president for the Corps Network and he currently serves on the Corps Network Board of Directors and Corps Council. In 2014, Bruce was honored with the Corps Legacy Achievement Award.
Bruce continues to serve on a number of Los Angeles Boards and Commissions, including the Friends of Manzanar, Little Tokyo Senior Nutrition Center, Community Nature Connection, the Coalition for Responsible Community Development, the LA Education Corps, the LA League of Conservation Voters (LACLV) and the Los Angeles County Beaches and Harbor Commission.
Bruce grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from San Francisco State University, and resides in Long Beach, CA.