Rose Padilla Johnson San Leander

A resident of Alameda County, California, Rose Padilla Johnson launched her career assisting immigrants. Her experience working with these low-income families gave her a clear vision into the challenges such groups face and led her to establish a comprehensive resource center known as the Davis Street Community Center.

Ms. Johnson has served as the chief executive officer of Davis Street since 1991. Under her leadership, the center supplies a diverse range of programs that benefit almost 15,000 people each year. These programs range from giving out food and clothing to offering a primary care clinic encompassing dental, medical, and behavioral health services.

Alongside her work to make Davis Street the area's leading social services organization, she headed the RotaCare Free Medical Clinic until it closed in May with the launching of the full service primary care clinic she created. Previously, she served as president of the San Leandro Rotary Club, through which she became involved with the Faces of Hope project, which supplies cleft lip and palate surgery to individuals in rural areas in Guatemala.