University of San Diego’s Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research Advisory Board Member Biographies Michelle Ahearne Michelle is the Executive Director of the Sundt Memorial Foundation (SMF), a San Diegobased, national nonprofit organization whose mission is to influence the hearts and minds of young people by inspiring them to choose a natural high instead of drugs. She holds a BA in Social Work from Cornell University and a MA in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 10 years and prior to her work at SMF, she served as an AmeriCorps volunteer and as the Director of Family Services for a Florida-based Habitat for Humanity affiliate. In her free time, she volunteers at her church and serves as co-President on the Director’s Circle at Shakti Rising, a local nonprofit organization providing the only gender-specific transformation program in San Diego, which comprehensively treats young women with co-existing conditions such as addiction, sexual abuse, family and dating violence, intimacy, and negative body/selfimage. Originally from upstate New York, Michelle has lived in San Diego for the past five years with her aviator husband Sean, their two cats and puppy! Heather Carpenter Heather Carpenter has served as a Nonprofit Manager, Consultant, Speaker and Trainer to nonprofit organizations in California and Illinois for over 7 years. She earned her Masters of Management in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University in Chicago, Illinois. Heather is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Leadership at the University of San Diego where she serves as Viterbi Family Doctoral Fellow and Research Assistant at the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research. Heather also is a member of the faculty at John F. Kennedy University in the Bay Area. She teaches and presents on a variety of topics in the nonprofit sector. She is author and creator of three nonprofit management toolkits: Nonprofit Operations, Setting up a Nonprofit Office, and Starting a Nonprofit and she blogs about nonprofit leadership at Nonprofit Leadership 601. Heather's current research interests include, nonprofit leadership, nonprofit workforce issues, capacity building for nonprofits, service-learning, and nonprofit education. She is on the Board of Directors for YNPN San Diego and is a member of the Nonprofit Congress Leadership working group and the National Campaign to Promote Nonprofit Sector Careers through the Nonprofit Sector Workforce Coalition. Paula A. Cordeiro Paula A. Cordeiro has been Dean of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego since 1998. Previously Dr. Cordeiro was the Coordinator of the masters and doctoral programs in Educational Leadership at The University of Connecticut. Cordeiro is a former teacher, principal and school head in international schools in Venezuela and Spain. She is a past president of the University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA), and in 1998
was awarded a fellowship by the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (FCCEAM). Dr. Cordeiro has published three books and recently finished the fourth edition of her co-authored text: An Introduction to Educational Leadership: A Bridge to Improved Practice. Paula's research is in the areas of school leadership, cross-cultural leadership and international education. Under Dean Cordeiro's leadership, the Educational Leadership Development Academy (ELDA), a partnership with the San Diego Unified School District that prepares and provides professional development for school administrators, was created. She is past President of the San Diego Council on Literacy, a founding member of the Academy of International School Heads, and a board member of the International Council for the Education of Teachers (ICET). Paula is a board member for Keiller Leadership Academy a charter middle school in Southeast San Diego. In February 2006 Dr. Cordeiro was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and in 2007 was appointed to the board of The James Irvine Foundation in San Francisco. Alberto Cortés Alberto Cortés currently serves as Executive Director of Mama's Kitchen – an organization that provides nutrition services affected by HIV/AIDS or other critical illnesses. Alberto is on the boards of The Association of Nutrition Services Agencies and McAlister Institute. He is a member of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Leadership Council and the Transgender Advocacy and Training Center Planning Group. Mr. Cortés serves on the Latino Advisory Board of the California State Office of AIDS and is also a long-time member of the San Diego County HIV/AIDS Health Services Planning Council. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from San Diego State University’s Executive MBA Program, is a veteran of the United States Navy Submarine Force, and sings with the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego. Alberto lives in the College Area with his life partner, Lyle Boatman. Doug Dawson Doug Dawson has served our community for more than thirty years as a business leader, volunteer, youth sports coach, and as Executive Director of the Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation. He is a former Senior Vice President and Market Executive with Bank of America’s Private Bank and held a similar position with Union Bank for many years. Often recognized for his philanthropic involvement, he was awarded the Outstanding Development Volunteer in 1993 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). In 2005 and 2006, he was the Honorary Chairman of National Philanthropy Day. He currently serves on numerous not-for-profit Boards including Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla YMCA, Torrey Pines Association, Scripps Clinic and Green Hospital, La Jolla Library, USD’s Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). In addition, he serves on the YWCA Centennial Year Honorary Committee, San Diego Public Library Foundation Leadership Council and the Project Wildlife Community Advisory Council. Doug is the father of five children and resides in La Jolla. Ephraim Feig Dr. Ephraim Feig is President of Innovations-to-Market, an investment and executive consulting company specializing in emerging information technologies. Previously, he was Senior Director
of Services Architecture in the Motorola Corporate Technology organization (2006-2008), CTO and Chief Marketing Officer of Kintera (2000-2006), a pioneering SaaS (Software as a Service) company he helped start and then take public in 2003, and research scientist and manager at IBM (1980-2000). He is a Fellow of the IEEE, a founding member of the IEEE Technical Committee on Services Computing, Associate Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Services Computing, and Associate Editor of the International Journal on Web Services Research. Recent professional activities include Program Chair of IEEE-SCC (Service Computing Conference) 2008, General Chair of IEEE-SCC 2007 and Program Chair of IEEE-ICWS (International Conference on Web Services) 2006. Dr. Feig is a member of the Tech Coast Angels and a partner with San Diego Social Venture Partners. He served on the board of directors of the San Diego Symphony in 2006-2008 and is on advisory boards at UCSD, USD and CUNY. He has a PhD in Mathematics and has taught at 8 universities, including Columbia University, the City College of NY, and UCSD. Carlos Flores Executive Director, San Diego Regional Center. The San Diego Regional Center (SDRC) serves as a focal point in the community through which a person with a developmental disability and his or her family can obtain services and be linked to other community resources within San Diego and Imperial counties. It is the philosophy of this regional center that each consumer shall be provided with the maximum opportunity to participate in every day living experiences that promote development to the highest potential and full participation in the community. Cheryl Getz Dr. Cheryl Getz is Department Chair and Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership Studies in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES), at the University of San Diego. She has held a variety of administration positions in SOLES, including Associate Dean, Director of Graduate and Credential Programs, and Assistant Dean. She has a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Cincinnati, a Masters degree in Athletic Administration from Central Michigan University, and a doctoral degree in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego. Her areas of expertise include: the exploration of college student social identity, the application of group relations theory to higher education administration and student affairs, and the development of inclusive and integrated leadership development programs. She teaches courses for masters and doctoral students in the Higher Education Leadership program; and she works closely with Teaching Assistants in one of the Departments core Leadership Courses. She supervises Student Affairs graduate interns and teaches the accompanying seminar. Her most recent publications include a co-authored piece pending publication called: “Facing Organizational Complexity and Change: Rethinking Leadership Development,” in the edited text New Horizons for Leadership Development of Faculty and Administrators in Higher; and, “Toward an Integral Approach to the Teaching of Leadership Studies in Higher Education,” in Integral Leadership Review. She is currently serving a three year term as board member for GREX, the west coast regional affiliate of the A. K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems. She serves as consultant and facilitator in a variety of groups and organizations. Edith Glassey Edith Glassey, M.A., CFRE(Certified Fund Raising Executive) is the former Chief Development Officer for the YWCA of San Diego County. She recently accepted an appointment to become the Development Director for Individual Gifts, Planned Gifts and Major Gifts for the Child
Abuse Prevention Foundation. She is an alumna of the University of San Diego’s Master’s Degree Program in Nonprofit Leadership and Management (’05), and the University of California's (Irvine) Certificate Program in Fundraising(’93). Edith has been involved in nonprofit fundraising since1987 and has provided strategic leadership in fund development, marketing, PR and communications for causes that involve education, women’s and children's issues, and health and human services. Her community involvement includes the Advisory Board for the Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research at the University of San Diego, the National Charity League, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, where she is the 2008 President for the San Diego Chapter. Verna Griffin-Tabor Verna has worked in the field of Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence for more than twenty years. Since 1998, she has been the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Center for Community Solutions, which is an innovative thirty-seven-year-old private, non-profit social services agency serving victims of sexual assault and domestic violence in San Diego County. CCS was the first women's center in the country. The center operated the first temporary restraining order clinic in the state, and currently staffs the only Rape Crisis Center in the City of San Diego. Ms. Griffin-Tabor's career has been committed to the prevention and intervention of sexual assault and relationship violence. She served on the Statewide California Coalition for Battered Women's Board for three years and was active while that entity merged with the California Alliance Against Domestic Violence to become the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence. She also serves on various community boards. In 2006, the San Diego Domestic Violence Council honored her with the Lifetime Achievement Award; in 2003 the San Diego County Bar Association bestowed on her the Distinguished Citizen Award in recognition of her excellence in community leadership, and the San Diego Domestic Violence Council granted her the Andrea O'Donnell Award acknowledging her profound commitment to Sexual and Domestic Violence survivors. In 2001, she served as President of the San Diego Domestic Violence Council. Ms. Griffin-Tabor holds a Masters degree in Social Work with California licensure and a B.A. in Criminology. Verna serves as Chair of the Internal Committee of the Board of Directors of the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence. Jerry Mandel President, Irvine Public Schools Foundation. The Irvine Public Schools Foundation is managed by a dedicated and professional team whose goal is to enhance the learning experience for every student in the Irvine Unified School District. Vice Chancellor of Advancement, University of California, Irvine (emeritus) President, Orange County Performing Arts Center (retired) Janine Mason Janine Mason is the Executive Director of the Fieldstone Foundation. In this role she is responsible for the overall management of the Foundation’s giving program and leadership training programs in Southern California and Salt Lake City, Utah and San Antonio, Texas.
Janine graduated from the University of San Diego. She is a recent graduate of the Executive Program for Philanthropy Leaders offered by the Graduate School of Business of Stanford University. Along with her alumni activities, Janine sits on the board of directors of San Diego Grantmakers, serving as the Chair from 1993-1996. She is also a member of the advisory board of USD’s Institute for Nonprofit Education and Leadership. She is a former board member of the San Diego Blood Bank Foundation, Harmonium, The Children’s Initiative, the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, and the BIA Cares Foundation. Janine is a past advisory committee member for Eureka Communities, San Diego City Schools Partners in Education Program and the United Way Government Relations Committee. She chaired San Diego’s 1998 Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon. Janine is a 1992 graduate of LEAD San Diego. In 1995 she was recognized with the LEAD Alumni of the Year Award for her work on the San Diego Children’s Initiative. She was selected for inclusion in Who’s Who in the West 1998-99 and Who’s Who in America 2000 edition. Janine is a volunteer in our public school system, serving as a classroom volunteer and room parent. Caleb McKinley Caleb McKinley is currently the Executive Director of Serving Hands International, which is focused on providing life-giving aid to people struggling with poverty. His previous work includes financial and organizational consulting with nonprofit organizations and privately held businesses. He has also worked with organizations throughout Latin American in areas of economic development and humanitarian aid. Caleb graduated from the business school at the University of San Diego and is a Certified Public Accountant. He and his wife, Sheila, live in Vista, CA and very involved with the Catholic Church’s ministries for youth development and leadership. Paul Nierman Paul Nierman retired after a career in information systems. Most recently he served as team leader for Mercy Hospital/ScrippsHealth, responsible for the Clinical Information System. Previously, Mr. Nierman was Assistant Vice President Information Systems at San Diego Trust and Savings Bank where he was responsible for deposit systems. Mr. Nierman holds an MBA degree in Finance and Information Systems from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a BA in Physics from Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois. Mr. Nierman is Past President and current board member for the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park. He is on the board of the Jewish Community Foundation in San Diego (Kaleidoscope award winner), and also on the boards of the USD Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research and the local chapter of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). He and his wife have two grown sons. Mr. Nierman is frequently found sailing and racing on San Diego Bay, or weaving textiles in his studio. Meili O Meili’s life has been a path of the personal, cultural and professional integration set into motion by ancestral aspirations and the Chinese diaspora of the second half of the 20th century. Having lived in India, China, Japan and the United States before graduating from college, her early
interests in linguistics and comparative literature led to a PhD in integral psychology, a discipline which underscores the fundamental workings of the spirit which informs the human psyche. The record of her ancestors’ achievements in the Imperial examinations guided her to discover the ideals of moral cultivation, selfless service to humanity and leadership in governance, which were at the core of the Confucian canon and the basic curriculum of Classical Chinese education. Steered by this heritage, she became a teacher—in fact, was runner-up for New York State Teacher of the Year in 1986. She founded and ran a non-profit bilingual Chinese school on Long Island. Her professional affiliations include the National Council of Teachers of English (where she chaired the Committee on World Literature) and the American Psychological Association,. Recent non-profit work in the San Diego backcountry community organizations included board positions on the Volcan Mountain Preserve Foundation (Julian), Montezuma Valley Historical Society (Ranchita) and the Warner Community Resource Center (Warner Springs). (The surname O is how two previous generations were addressed in their Japan sojourns.) Kathy Patoff Vice President, Community Development and Foundation Officer, Corporate Social Responsibility Group, Union Bank. Kathy has been involved in community development for the past 13 years – with experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. At Union Bank, Kathy is responsible for the Bank’s community development and foundation activities in San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Imperial Counties. Kathy serves on the Boards of Directors of San Diego Grantmakers and East County Economic Development Council, University of San Diego Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research Advisory Board, San Diego City-County Reinvestment Task Force, San Diego City Schools Financial Literacy Task Force, and the Inland Empire United Way Hands On Advisory Board. She also volunteers with READ/San Diego’s Family Literacy Program. She received her B.A. in Economics from Pomona College, and Master of Public Administration from San Diego State University. Michael Pinto Michael Pinto has devoted his life to community since closing his two music companies, Sound Music Sales and Platterpuss Records, in 1983. Prior to starting those businesses he was a high school teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School district. During the past thirty years he has served on a number of nonprofit boards in the fields of education, the environment and social welfare, chairing amongst others the United Jewish Welfare Fund of Orange County and the Laguna Beach Education Endowment Fund (which he founded). He currently chairs and founded the Laguna Canyon Foundation and is vice-chair of the Orange County Great Park
Corporation tasked with designing and building a 1350 acre park in central Orange County. In addition to his board memberships, he also serves as special advisor to a number of foundations, assisting them on a pro bono basis in fundraising and organizational development. Combining my academic studies with his activist experiences, he has served on the advisory board of the City University of New York Graduate Research Center for the Study of Philanthropy and currently serves on the advisory board of the University of San Diego, School of Leadership and Education Science Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research. His academic credentials include a bachelor of arts in Political Science from California State University at Long Beach, 1963; Masters studies in Political Theory and completion of a Secondary teaching credential at U.C.L.A., 1965; and after a long hiatus, a Ph.D. in Integral Studies with a research concentration in nonprofit organizational theory and transformation from the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, 1996.
Antonio V. Pizano On July 6th, 2004, Antonio V. Pizano officially assumed the leadership as new Chief Executive Officer for the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee (MAAC Project). Pizano comes to MAAC with a wealth of experience in affordable housing and advocating for diverse communities in various capacities within several governmental jurisdictions. Among his many distinctions, Pizano was Named as “Executive of the Year” by the Stockton/San Joaquin County Mexican American Chamber of Commerce, and “Outstanding Individual” by the California Human Development Corporation. Prior to joining MAAC, Antonio V. Pizano was the President & CEO of the San Joaquin County Housing Authority for 8 1/2 years. After earning both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, Pizano began his career at the State Department of Housing and Community Development as a Staff Analyst from 1975-1978. He then worked as an Architect for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Prior to joining the San Joaquin Housing Authority in 1995, Pizano held the positions of Director of Development for the County of Contra Costa Housing Authority and Executive Director for the Benicia Housing Authority. Pizano completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, he has been a lecturer at the University of California, Davis, on Housing and Social Policy, and completed the program at the Bank of America Leadership Academy, The Development Training Institute, Inc. Pizano has served on numerous boards and commissions throughout the state of California including his appointment to the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, member of the Workforce Investment Board for San Joaquin County, as a member of the Washington Mutual Community Council, and President of the Pacific Southwest Regional Council (PSWRC) of the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO). He currently serves as a board member for the San Diego Association of Nonprofits (SANDAN) and is also a member of the California Department of Housing and Community Development Local Assistance Loan and Grant Committee.
Adina Veen Adina Veen is the graduate student representative for the class of 2010 in the Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program. She has been working for the Girl Scouts, San DiegoImperial Council, Inc. for almost two years as a Volunteer Support Specialist. She is a member of the Junior League of San Diego in which she recently co-chaired the Advocacy Committee and was a San Diego delegate to the State Public Affairs Committee. She earned her Bachelors in Sociology at San Diego State University. Ruth Westreich Ruth Westreich, trained as and artist and designer, is a talented mixed-media artist working in oils, water media and glass. Her love for giving back began some forty plus years ago when she was given a life altering gift by a humanitarian who requested that he not receive pay back, but rather that she pay it forward. Since that day, paying it forward has become part of her cellular makeup. She has always freely shared what she has in terms of her time and resources. She devotes countless hours working in the trenches with the underserved that she cares for so deeply. Her commitment to the health and growth of the nonprofit in San Diego is unwavering. The newly funded Westreich Foundation, of which Ruth is the president, is having a deep and wide impact in the San Diego nonprofit community. The focus of the foundation is education and literacy; women and children at risk and optimum health wellness. In the areas of wellness and prevention, The Westreich Foundation generously supports integrated medicine nationally and locally. Nationally she is a member of the prestigious Bravewell Collaborative, a national collaborative furthering the cause of the integrated medical model of care. Locally she supports Dr. Mimi Guarneri’s work at the Scripps Center for Integrated Medicine in La Jolla. She is also intricately involved with the development of National University System’s Health and Wellness Initiatives. Ruth Westreich also has over thirty years experience as a Creative Marketing Communications Director and Strategic Marketing Director in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. She is also the visionary responsible for the creation of the highly acclaimed new business book, The Art of Original Thinking – The Making of a Thought Leader written by award winning author, Jan Phillips, which just won the Editor’s Choice Award from Allbooks Review and was nominated for the Best Books Award by for USABookNews.com. It shows businesses that by adhering to the triple-bottom line method of accounting can increase profits, create loyal employees and increase employee retention and start making peace with our over-burdened planet. When asked what she does, she calls herself a connector. She connects people to people and people to causes. She believes that the sharing of information, data and resources in key to the growth and health of the nonprofit sector. Joan Zinser Joan Zinser served as Deputy Director for the County's large and complex Health and Human Services Agency. In a career where she began as a front line worker, she advanced to the highest levels of management in the County's health and human services arena. She retired 3 years ago after 34 years of service. During her tenure at the County she headed up a number of Social Service programs, including Public Assistance, Medi-Cal and Child Welfare Services. She
led the Agency's implementation of Welfare Reform, including representing the County in Sacramento during the development of the State law implementing Welfare Reform. She played a key role in the Agency's creation in 1996 and most recently directed the Agency's strategic planning, legislative, public relations and performance management efforts. As a result of her work the County received a number of awards from professional organizations, including National Association of Counties, National Organization on Disability, and the California State Association of Counties. Joan holds a Master's of Public Administration degree from San Diego State University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Jean Isaac's San Diego Dance Theater.