This podcast features a conversation with Dr. Kirene Bargas, Director of Finance & Administrative Services for the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District in Beaumont, California. Dr. Bargas grew up in Hawaii with the ocean right across the street. After high school, she relocated to Ohio looking for work and opportunities. During our conversation, she recounts a harrowing story of being held up at gunpoint and shares a survival outcome that will leave you breathless. After the trauma, she started a job that put her on a path to a 20+ year career in public finance.