Editor’s Note: Story was updated Wednesday with new information from Fresno EOC.

The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission is now headed by an “acting” chief executive officer, and the status of former CEO Emilia Reyes was unclear on Monday.

Michelle Tutunjian, the agency’s chief operating officer, is listed as “acting CEO” on tonight’s Fresno EOC Commission agenda.

The shake-up comes with the agency dealing with a $3.3 million budget deficit through September.

Commission Chair Oliver Baines did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment. Reyes, who was listed as CEO on the November agenda and who is still listed as CEO on the agency website, previously did not respond to a request for comment from GV Wire.

On Friday, when agency spokesman Jose Moreno III was asked about an apparent leadership shake-up at the Fresno EOC, he declined to comment other than to say “as personnel matters are handled internally, any updates or announcements will be shared publicly should there be any relevant information to communicate.”

He did not immediately respond Monday to queries about how long Tutunjian had been in the role, or on Reyes’ status and the next steps for the agency.

Update: On Wednesday the agency issued a news release reporting that Reyes is on a “leave of absence” and that Tutunjian became acting CEO on Nov. 20.

“As this is a personnel matter, we are unable to provide additional details at this time. Fresno EOC’s leadership team and Board of Commissioners are working closely to ensure seamless operations and the continued delivery of our services,” the news release said.

Reyes was hired in 2019 to replace longtime CEO Brian Angus, who held the job for nine years. She was previously the chief of First Five Fresno County.

Her contract was renewed in 2021 with a three-year extension through 2024 at an annual salary of $195,000. In January 2023, the commission unanimously voted to increase Reyes’ salary by 8.7%.

More Oversight Needed

The Fresno EOC is one of the nation’s oldest Community Action Agencies and was created during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. The goal of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was to obtain equality of opportunity in education, employment, health, and living conditions for every American. Fresno EOC was one of 900 Community Action Agencies created through the act and was founded in 1965.

Fresno City Councilman Miguel Arias, who previously was on the Commission when he was on the State Center Community College Board of Trustees, said Fresno EOC deserves to have “the best and strongest oversight” by its board of directors.

It’s “the most important social safety net organizations and by far the largest in the Central Valley. … and I think the Board of Supervisors  should prioritize stronger and more engaged appointees to that governing board, as well as should every other elected representative that has an appointment,” he said.

Eight Fresno EOC Commission members are appointed by elected officials, including the Fresno mayor, Fresno County Board of Supervisors, Fresno County Superior Court, State Center Community College District, California Assembly, California Senate, and Congress. Eight more are appointed from the business sector, public agencies, and community groups and include representatives of Head Start County-Wide Policy Council, the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Reel Pride, Fresno County Economic Development Corp., Centro La Familia Advocacy Services, Association of Black Social Workers, and a West Fresno faith-based organization. Eight additional commissioners are elected by residents in low-income target areas.

Today the agency employs nearly 1,100 full- and part-time staffers and has an annual budget of $134 million. It has more than 30 programs that include Head Start, School of Unlimited Learning, Local Conservation Corps, food services, Women Infant and Children (WIC), and energy services. The agency serves more than 100,000 Fresno County residents annually.

Big Deficit Reported

Fresno EOC appears to be struggling financially. A December report on finances through September showed a $3.3 million deficit of expenditures to revenues. According to the report, the deficit was primarily because of an inability to renegotiate multi-year agreements for Food Services and the Local Conservation Corps to cover rising costs of transportation, utilities, and goods and foods.

Update: Fresno EOC said in Wednesday’s news release that its finance and program teams are working together on cost-cutting, cost-sharing across programs, and streamlining resources. “Our financial strategies have already begun to slow the rate of deficit growth, and we are working diligently to eliminate the deficit entirely,” the agency said in its news release.