Stanislaus County Fair names new CEO. She is making history in Turlock
.jpeg "Stanislaus County Fair operations manager Kimberly Williams will be the fair’s next chief executive officer.")
Kimberly Williams will be the next CEO at the Stanislaus County Fair, where she has worked for 18 years.
The fair board voted Thursday to appoint Williams, now the operations manager at the Turlock grounds.
She succeeds Matt Cranford, who left in January to manage facility operations at the California Exposition and State Fair in Sacramento.
Williams is the first woman to run the Stanislaus venue. It has a 10-day fair each July and is rented for numerous other events year-round.
“Kim is one of the most talented fair executives I’ve known,” board President Ray Souza said in a news release, “and our board is so excited to have her lead our fairgrounds and build it into one of the most dynamic venues in California. We know she will inspire all of us.”
Williams earned a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of the Pacific. Her first job in the business was at the Chowchilla-Madera County Fair, handling commercial vendors and rodeo entries. She has been operations manager in Turlock for 10 years.
The Stanislaus fair drew a record 270,447 people last year. COVID-19 had put a two-year pause on the carnival rides, livestock contests, motor sports, concerts and other attractions.
The staff is well into planning the 2023 fair, set for July 7 to 16. More information is at www.stancofair.com.
