Behavioral Health Advisory Board

Michael “Mike” W. Kelley is a lifelong resident of Imperial County and a graduate of Imperial Valley College and San Diego State University, Imperial Valley Campus. Mike has been employed by the County of Imperial for the past 49 years; 10 years at Probation and Corrections as Juvenile Detention Officer, Deputy Probation Officer, Assistant Superintendent Juvenile Hall, Superintendent Juvenile Hall, and Director of Juvenile Facilities, and 10 years as Court Administrator/Jury Commissioner for Superior and Municipal Courts of Imperial County, 17 years as Chief Probation Officer, and 12 years as a member of the Board of Supervisors for District 3.

 Mike will serve his fourth term as Board of Supervisor including three times as Chairman of the Board. Mike serves as the President for California Association Local Agency Formation Commissions (CALAFCo) and Chairman for the local, Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). Since 2013, Mike has served as the Regional Council of Rural Counties (RCRC) representative for the County of Imperial. Mike has served as Mayor and Council member for the City of Imperial, and as past Chairman of Imperial Valley Association of Governments. His extensive and successful experience in the administration of personnel and multi-million dollar budgets has served his community well.

Mike is heavily involved in his community. His most rewarding experience has been coaching team sports such as T-ball, Farm League Baseball, Little League Baseball, Soccer and Pop Warner Football.

As a father and grandfather of children living in Imperial County, Mike is committed to preserving our quality of life and retaining the history and traditions of Imperial County making it a better and safer place to live for generations to come. He will strive to protect Imperial County resources including our water, farmland, air quality, environment, education, health, recreation and our citizens by addressing all issues with a fair, honest and balanced approach.

Mr. Benavidez started his career at Imperial County Probation as a Juvenile Hall Officer in the 1970’s. In the 80’s, he transitioned to the services of Probation Officer and worked investigations and supervision. In the 1990’s, Mr. Benavidez transferred his knowledge to the Department of Corrections. He quickly went up the ranks and concluded his career with that agency in 2011 as the Parole Administrator. Mr. Benavidez returned to the Imperial County Probation Department as Chief PO until his retirement in November 2014. In 2015, he began his appointment to the local Behavioral Health Advisory Board.

In 2017, Mr. Benavidez was appointed to the CALBHBC Governing Board of Directors and is currently serving as the president. Mr. Benavidez possesses a degree in Criminal Justice Administration from San Diego State University and is currently a Correctional Science instructor for Imperial Valley College. He has been married for 42 years and is father to two wonderful children, who also follow in the family tradition of public service.

Civic Involvement: Imperial County Mental Health Board (Chair); Imperial County Community Correctional Partnership (Past Chair), Juvenile Justice Committee, Juvenile Justice Joint Community Partnership, I.C. Chief of Police Association, California Chief Probation Officer Association, Regional Director for American Probation and Parole Association, San Diego Gang Commission, San Diego Prisoner Reentry Roundtable and more.