David A. Abel
Director, Metro Forum Project
President & CEO ABL, Inc.
Chairman of New Schools/ Better Neighborhoods

Mr. Abel is President & CEO of a California-based consulting firm, ABL, Incorporated, engaged in Corporate, Civic and Governmental Affairs. The firm, among other engagements, publishes two widely respected monthly newsletters “Metro Investment Report” which covers public infrastructure and "The Planning Report” which focuses on landuse issues in Southern California.

Mr. Abel is also Chairman/Managing Director of New Schools/ Better Neighborhoods (www.nsbn.org) and, prior to starting NSBN six years ago, served for two years on LAUSD’s Proposition BB School Bond Citizen’s Oversight Committee. By appointment, he was chairman of State Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg’s Blue Ribbon Commission to Consider Reforms of California’s Initiative Process; served on the Speaker Hertzberg’s Commission on Regionalism, and was Chairman of Assembly Speaker Villaraigosa’s Commission on State/Local Government Finance Reform. With the support of the James Irvine Foundation and other funders, Mr. Abel also directs the Metropolitan Forum project which seeks to engage citizens in developing state/local fiscal reforms for California (www.metroforum.org).

Mr. Abel serves presently on the executive committees of the L.A. Economic Development Corporation (as an appointee of Supervisor Yaroslavsky) and the L.A. Chamber of Commerce.  He also Chairs the board of the California Center for Regional Leadership and serves on the boards of Trust for Public Land/California, Grand Performances, and St. Annes. His private sector responsibilities include the board of SuperShuttle, Int’l, and he is a former board member of Western Water Company. Past civic leadership positions include chairing the boards of Project Restore, Jewish TV Network, and CALSTART.

Mr. Abel academic credentials include chairing USC’s Master in Public Policy Board of Advisors. He is also a fellow of Occidental College’s International and Public Affairs center, and a USC and UCSD instructor in public policy with an emphasis on regionalism and state & local governance.

Mr. Abel has been honored in the past by Southern California Association of Governments, the Jewish Television Network, the California Center for Regional Leadership, the Nonprofit Policy Council, New Israel Fund, the Los Angeles Opportunities Industrialization Center, as well as the Pat Brown Institute.
In September A Community of Friends, a non-profit, special needs affordable housing developer in Los Angeles, will honor him. In 1990 he and his wife, architect Brenda Levin, were honored recipients of the Los Angeles League of Women Voters civic achievement award.

He has been both a Fellow and a Director of the Coro Foundation, as well as a Robert Kennedy and an Education Policy Fellow.  In addition to his law (Boston University) & doctoral work in educational administration (Harvard), his collegiate background includes an undergraduate degree from Claremont McKenna College, study at the London School of Economics and a Master’s in Urban Studies degree from Occidental College.

Dougall Agan
Principal
Southern California Logistics Airport Redevelopment

An 18-year veteran of pioneering master-planned communities, Dougall Agan serves as partner with Stirling, a strategic, full-service, value-added development company specializing in master-planned communities and major land renovations.

Currently, Agan is focused on the redevelopment of Southern California Logistics Airport, a 5,000-acre multimodal transportation complex that integrates office and industrial uses with a dedicated international air cargo airport, rail service and trucking hub.  SCLA is taking the leading edge in global commerce by combining real estate and transportation to help businesses reduce production costs and optimize delivery time to market. As the second international gateway for Southern California, the airport will relieve the region’s congested airport system.

A graduate from Claremont McKenna College with bachelor’s degrees in economics and business psychology, Mr. Agan is active in various organizations, which promote both aviation and business development.

Assemblymember Juan Arambula
(D-Fresno)

Mr. Arambula is the son of immigrant farm workers, the fifth of seven children. In his youth, Juan worked alongside his family, harvesting crops throughout California. From this background arose Juan's commitment to improve the living conditions of those around him.

Juan graduated from three of the most respected educational institutions in America. He graduated from Harvard University with high honors and a degree in Comparative Literature in 1975. He went on to receive a Master's Degree in Educational Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University in 1978, and a law degree from Boalt Law School at the University of California at Berkeley in 1981.

Juan is an effective consensus builder and seasoned decision-maker. He has been a stabilizing force during his 16 years of public service. Juan received the prestigious Rose Ann Vuich Award for Ethics in Leadership in 2002.

Juan served two terms on the Fresno Unified School Board from 1987–1996. He worked hard to meet the needs of a diverse student population while preserving the District's financial stability during difficult budget times. Juan was President of the School Board in 1990 and 1994. He also served as President of the Fresno County School Trustees Association and on the Board of Directors for the California School Boards Association and the California State Association of Counties.

Juan then served as a member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors from 1997 to late 2004, when he was elected to the State Assembly. As a Supervisor, Juan worked to increase job development, improve access to quality health care for Fresno families, reduce youth violence in our communities, and promote smart growth.

Throughout his term as a County Supervisor, Juan emphasized the need for County leadership to address the County's chronic double-digit unemployment, by diversifying our economy while preserving our agricultural heritage. He co-chaired the Fresno Regional Jobs Initiative, a collaborative effort amongst government, business, and civic leaders to develop and attract industries with the potential to create jobs.

Juan led the fight to fund construction of a new Juvenile Hall facility and open the Caruthers Boot Camp for juvenile offenders, as well as expand the County Jail. He was also a strong advocate for prevention programs, helping Fresno County earn the highest grade statewide for the use of its youth violence prevention funds.
Juan also negotiated an historic agreement between Fresno County, Fresno City and Clovis, which emphasizes a smart growth approach to land use.

Juan has served on a number of community boards, most recently including Fresno County's Council of Governments, the County Retirement Board and Workforce Development Board, the Kenneth L. Maddy Institute of Public Affairs, and the Fresno Regional Jobs Initiative.

Walter B. Baker
Senior Vice President
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation

Wally Baker is Senior Vice President, of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation’s (LAEDC) Economic and Public Policy Consulting Practice.

The LAEDC consulting practice focuses on significant trade-related transportation infrastructure development, and provides community outreach, economic and policy studies analyzing economic impact, trade impact, homeland security, project funding and financing strategies, and project management services for numerous public and private sector clients. Recent clients include the Mitsubishi LNG Terminal, the 5-County (Southern California) Transportation Commissions, BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad, the Port of Long Beach, Port of Los Angeles, the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, the Grand Avenue Project, and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Before joining the LAEDC, Mr. Baker was CEO of Internet Link Corporation, a profitable, privately held company that provides public affairs, communication consulting, community outreach, and web-based technology services. He was also a well respected union executive and thought leader at the Southern California Gas Company for over 23 years, and held increasingly responsible positions in customer services, security, special projects, building construction, project management, human resources, labor relations, executive management and corporate communication. 

Mr. Baker is particularly adept at bringing together business, government, and public leaders to build strong public private partnerships and productive alliances, a skill that has made him a valuable board member for numerous non-profit organizations. He has held many roles including Chairman, Board Officer, or Executive Committee Member with the California Science Center Advisory Board, the California State Science Fair, the Crippled Children's Society of Southern California, the University of Southern California Marshall Business School Alumni Association, and the William H. Parker Los Angeles Police Foundation. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Water and Power Associates and the Salvation Army Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Region of Southern California.

Mr. Baker is a Vietnam veteran and served in the U.S. Army from 1966-69. He received many honors and commendations for his meritorious service in Vietnam as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division from 1967-68.

Elisa Barbour
Research Associate
Public Policy Institute of California

Ms. Barbour has coauthored reports on state, regional, and local growth and infrastructure policy and state-local fiscal relations. Recent publications include CEQA Reform: Issues and Options, co-authored with Michael Teitz (Public Policy Institute of California, 2005), "Sizing Up the Challenge: California's Infrastructure Needs and Tradeoffs" (co-authored with Ellen Hanak) and "California Comes of Age: Governing Institutions, Planning, and Public Investment" (co-authored with Paul G. Lewis) in California 2025: Taking On the Future, edited by Ellen Hanak and Mark Baldassare (Public Policy Institute of California, 2005). She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Oberlin College and a master's degree in city and regional planning from the University of California, Berkeley.

Jack A. Baylis
Senior Vice President and Corporate Officer
CH2M HILL

Mr. Baylis leads development efforts for the firm in the Southwest United States.  Mr. Baylis serves as the Strategic Account Manager for Los Angeles and San Diego and the Regional Project Development manager for eight Southwestern States; previously, he served as the Transportation Regional Business Group Manager and Los Angeles Area Manager.  His regional key account senior executive responsibilities include business development, client relationships, and project delivery for water, transportation, infrastructure and environmental projects. His specific responsibilities include principal-in-charge, managing director, project manager, project development, and other technical and business support for various projects and development efforts within the region.  Key projects include the City of Los Angeles Integrated Resource Plan, Wetlands Concept Evaluations, stormwater planning, and stormwater and wastewater infrastructure condition assessment. He reports to Office of the CEO and Regional Manager.

Previously, Mr. Baylis served as President and Chief Operating Officer for a small business turn-around operations and prior to that, served as Vice President, Corporate Officer, and Office Manager for a Nation-wide Engineering firm in California and Miami, Florida.  Mr. Baylis has been the principal in charge, project director, and project manager for numerous environmental and civil infrastructure projects.  He provides leadership with strategic efforts and business management, demonstrating experience with technical and business skills.  In business management, his emphasis on accountability, efficiency, and planning provide return on investments and profitability.  He provides development where integrity, influence, mission skills, and networking provides direction and increase revenues.  His team building and communication efforts include skills to motivate and maintain cooperative, positive, and efficient teams.  His business values include client focus, quality improvements, and partnerships to drive results for superior service.

Mr. Baylis is also active in the local community, serving on the City of Los Angeles Quality and Productivity Commission and former Mayor Hahn’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Infrastructure.  He is also a board member for Heal The Bay, board member and chairman for the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, and serves on the Ph.D. Advisory Board for the USC multidisciplinary Environmental Sciences, Policy and Engineering Sustainable Cities training program.

NICK BOLLMAN
President & CEO
California Center fro Regional Leadership

Nick Bollman is founder and President of the California Center for Regional Leadership, a statewide nonprofit enterprise created to promote innovative regional and state strategies for successful economy, an improved quality of life and economic opportunity for all.  Now in its fourth year, CCRL emerged from the Sustainable Communities program at The James Irvine Foundation, where Nick had been Senior Program Director.  CCRL works with 1) the California Regional Network, a diverse array of 20 regional civic and business organizations across the state; 2) various agencies of state government; and 3) a variety of statewide and regional organizations in CCRL’s program areas of interest. CCRL links regional needs and best practices to state policy.

CCRL’s current program focuses on:

• state and regional economic and workforce investment strategy
• improved state policies for better planning and investment to accommodate growth and create more livable communities
• fundamental improvement of the California Environmental Quality Act
• long-term strategies to promote production of housing that is affordable to all income groups
• civic education on the state budget and budget reform
• civic engagement in state-local fiscal reform
• strategies to advance economic opportunity and inclusion for low-income individuals and communities
• creation of the state’s first region-based statewide indicators report, the California Progress Report

For more information on CCRL, please visit www.calregions.org.

As President of CCRL Nick has served as Technical Adviser to the California Economic Strategy Panel; Strategic Adviser to the California Workforce Investment Board and the Governor’s Commission on Building  (Infrastructure) for the 21st Century; Chair of the Assembly Speaker’s Commission on Regionalism;  Commission Member and Chair of the Policy Working Group of the  the California Service Corps, the Governor's commission on service an volunteerism; and Adviser to the national Alliance for Regional Stewardship.  Nick speaks extensively across California and the country on “3E” sustainability (Economy, Environment and Equity) and on regional governance.

During his tenure at the Irvine and Hewlett foundations (1988-2000) Nick was active in many California and national grantmaker organizations and collaboratives, including Funders Concerned About AIDS (Vice-Chair), Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities (co-founder), Grantmaker Forum on Community and National Service (co-founder), Neighborhood Funders Group (co-chair), Northern California Grantmakers Task Force on Homelessness (co-founder)  and Southern California Association for Philanthropy (Board member).

Before coming to California in 1987, Nick was Director of the Task Force on the New York City Fiscal Crisis, Director of the New York Council on Human Services and Deputy Director of the Community Council of Greater New York.  Nick holds an A.B. in Government from Harvard College and an M.A. in Education from New York University.

Victoria L. Bradshaw
Secretary
California Labor & Workforce Development Agency

Victoria L. Bradshaw is a member of the Governor’s Cabinet as the Acting Secretary for the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency.  Since Governor Schwarzenegger has taken office Bradshaw has overseen the only Agency in state government coordinating labor and employment programs for both the employees and businesses of California. The budget for the Departments and Boards in the Agency totals $12.9 billion with 12,500 employees.

Prior to entering public service Bradshaw spent more than fifteen years in the private sector in such positions as the Corporate Vice President of Human Resources for the BATUS Retail Group, which had more than 50,000 employees in sixteen operating companies including Saks Fifth Avenue, Marshall Fields and Kohls. Her first public service position was as the first woman California State Labor Commissioner. Bradshaw also served as the California Director of the Employment Development Department, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Cabinet Secretary to Governor Pete Wilson, the Executive Director of the Employment Training Panel, and a Board Member of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. 

The California Labor & Workforce Development Agency was created in 2002 to ensure that California businesses and workers have a level playing field to compete and prosper in one of the most dynamic economies in the world.  The Departments and Boards under the Agency support workforce training and apprenticeship programs, enforce and educate the public on labor and occupational safety laws, offer state disability and unemployment insurance benefits, oversee the state’s workers’ compensation program, provide job services, mediate public sector contract disputes, provide employment-related information and statistics, administer union representation elections for farm workers, and collect payroll taxes. 

Jim Branham
Undersecretary
California Environmental Protection Agency

On November 12, 2003, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Jim as Undersecretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. As Undersecretary, he assists the Secretary in shaping and implementing the Governor’s environmental policy.

Jim has spent nearly 25 years dealing with natural resources and environmental policy issues in California. He began his career as an aide to State Senator Jim Nielsen from December 1978 through January 1991. As Nielsen’s Chief of Staff, he directed the Senator’s staff and interacted with the Governor’s office, other legislative leadership staff, and various constituent groups.

From April 1991 through 1998 Jim served in a number of positions under Governor Pete Wilson.
He served as Chief Deputy Director and Deputy Director at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection where he provided policy and operational direction in the department of more than 2,500 employees. He was instrumental in the development of the Department’s Strategic Plan, the California Fire Plan, and various changes to California’s Forest Practices Act.

He also served as Undersecretary and Deputy Secretary of the California Resources Agency. There he assisted the Secretary in resources policy development and policy direction to more than a dozen departments, boards, and commissions. Jim served as the agency representative on the California Coastal Commission, was a principal participant in the historic Headwaters Agreement, and was the primary negotiator with the federal government regarding possible Endangered Species Act listing of coho salmon and steelhead trout on California’s North Coast.

From March 1999 to November of 2003, Jim was the Director of External Relations for the Pacific Lumber Company. In that role he was the primary contact with various state and federal resource agencies dealing with the implementation of the company’s Habitat Conservation Plan and Sustained Yield Plan.

Jim graduated from California State University at Chico in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He has been active as a member of the American Diabetes Association, the California State University, Chico Alumni Board, and the California Forest Products Commission. He and his wife Patricia live in Carmichael.

W. ERIK BRUVOLD
VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC POLICY AND INFASTRUCTURE ISSUES

W. ERIK BRUVOLD joined the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) in November 1998 and was promoted to Vice President in July of 2000. In this role, Mr. Bruvold is responsible for the development and implementation of the organization's advocacy programs, works closely with selected clients requiring government relations assistance. Mr. Bruvold ensures that public officials remain carefully apprised of EDC's mission, successes, and current work products. He is also responsible for EDC's quality of life, housing and infrastructure programs, working with a board level committee on these issues. In the November 2004 elections, Mr. Bruvold lead the effort in successfully passing Proposition A, the 40-year extension of TransNet - the local half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, a critical venture to help reduce area's growing traffic congestion.

Prior to joining EDC, Mr. Bruvold was Executive Director of the San Diego Council of the American Electronics Association (AEA). Managing all San Diego operations, Mr. Bruvold was responsible for grass roots advocacy, member services, and membership development of the 170-member council. Prior to that he worked on the Government Affairs team of the San Diego Supercomputer Center.

Mr. Bruvold holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Denver. He and his wife Laura, a special education teacher with the Poway Unified School District, live in Carmel Mountain Ranch.

Lou Anne Bynum
Vice President-Assistant Superintendent, Economic and Resource Development
Long Beach Community College District

As Vice President - Assistant Superintendent of Economic and Resource Development at the Long Beach City College District, Ms. Bynum’s administers workforce development, corporate and community education, federal and state workforce grants, economic development projects, resource development and community relations and marketing for the College.

Ms. Bynum has over 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors linking education and training to business and industry needs with a focus on developing a well-trained workforce.  This includes consulting and the design and administration of educational and training programs for business and industry.

Her administration of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development at Long Beach City College has overseen over $60 million in grants and contracts.  This has lead to a number of awards for the quality and successful results of programs offered to individuals as well as business and industry in the community.  This includes the Long Beach Chamber’s International Achievement Award, the Community College System’s award for successful Industry partnerships, the Soroptimist’s “Women Helping Women” Award of Distinction, Los Angeles County’s Annual Productivity Award, a series of Knight Foundation awards for child services programs, and the California Association of Occupational Educators award for business and industry partnerships.  

Ms. Bynum is currently immediate past chair of the board for the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.  She is past vice-chair of the Long Beach Economic Development Commission, past president of the Southern California International Business Association and she recently served as the Mayor’s appointee on the City’s Government Reform Task Force. She serves on the Advisory Committee of the Long Beach Conservation Corps, the Statewide Advisory Council for the Women’s Leadership Exchange, and the board of Long Beach Inc.  She is a past president of Leadership Long Beach and is a member of its Honorary Board of Governors and has served on the boards of Gateway Cities Partnership, the Public Corporation for the Arts and the Chamber’s Women’s Council. She was selected in 2004 as Woman of the Year by then Assemblymember Alan Lowenthal of the 54th District.   

She was recently appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve on the Economic Strategy Panel for the State of California.  The Panel assists in developing an overall statewide vision and strategy to guide public policy decisions for economic growth and competitiveness.  

Ms. Bynum earned a master’s degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and a bachelor’s degree from CSU Long Beach. She resides with her husband James in Long Beach.  

Christopher L. Cabaldon
President, EdVoice

EdVoice is a non-profit political advocacy organization focused on making schools better for kids by increasing funding and passing laws to increase student achievement. EdVoice seeks to influence education policy at a statewide level in California and empowers the public to advocate on education issues.

Prior to joining EdVoice, Cabaldon was Vice Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the United States. He developed and led implementation of the $300 million Partnership for Excellence, the nation's first major performance outcomes accountability initiative crafted by a college system. He also produced the nation's first model for funding the real cost of providing quality community college education, and has been a key participant in creating California’s new Master Plan for Education. A top policy expert with the State Legislature for nearly a decade, Cabaldon was Chief Consultant to the Assembly Higher Education Committee and Chief of Staff to the Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. He wrote legislation to expand student financial aid, crack down on diploma mills and abusive trade schools, recruit new science and math teachers, and increase funding for college facilities. He directed a major legislative reassessment of the Master Plan for Higher Education in 1993, focusing state policy toward innovation during state fiscal crisis.

He began his professional career as Legislative Director for the University of California Student Association, and later served as president of Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education. In addition to serving as President of EdVoice, Christopher Cabaldon is the Mayor of West Sacramento, a dynamic, fast-growing city across the river from the State Capitol. He is one of California’s leading mayors in community-based efforts to reform and strengthen education, helping to pass the first local school bond in a generation, convened a Blue-Ribbon Commission on School Excellence made up of education, business, labor, and civic leaders to ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed, creating new city housing programs to help teachers afford to live in the community, and launching widely heralded initiatives to provide universal preschool and a rigorous training institute for prospective school board members to fix a broken local governance system. He led a successful effort to expand education and training opportunities in West Sacramento by working with Sacramento City College to invest in a new educational center offering the full range of collegiate and workforce preparation courses–the center is now one of the most popular in the state. He is a member of the advisory board for New Schools Better Neighborhoods.

In addition to his work advancing educational achievement, Cabaldon is also a statewide leader on the environment, land use, housing, transportation, fiscal policy, and civil rights. He is Chairman of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, and a member of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Board of Directors for the California Center for Regional Leadership. He has been a member of the Speaker’s Commission on Regionalism and the League of California Cities Board of Directors, and has been recognized as a Public Champion for Business by the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. He was founder and Chairman of the Board for the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project, and serves on the executive committee for the Capital Unity Council. Along with distinguished California leaders like Leon Panetta, Robert Hertzberg, Bill Bagley, Linda Griego, and Bill Hauck, Cabaldon is senior advisor to the Budget Education and Action Reform project. Christopher Cabaldon grew up in Los Angeles, where he was a founding student at California’s first public magnet school–ranked in 2003 as America’s 10th Best High School by Newsweek. He earned a bachelor of science degree in environmental economics at UC Berkeley, where he was student body vice president, and a master’s degree in public policy and administration at CSU Sacramento, where he now teaches as an adjunct faculty member.

Secretary Mike Chrisman
Resources Agency

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Mike Chrisman California's ninth Secretary for Resources on November 21, 2003. As a member of Governor Schwarzenegger's Cabinet, Secretary Chrisman serves as his chief advisor on issues related to the State's natural, historical, and cultural resources. As the State of California's Secretary for the Resources Agency, Mike Chrisman oversees policies, activities, and a budget of $4.1 billion and 14,712 employees in 24 departments, commissions, boards and conservancies on conservation, water, fish and game, forestry, parks, energy, coastal, marine and landscape. Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Secretary Chrisman to his Administration for his extensive expertise in environmental resource management and environmental issues.  Secretary Chrisman was formerly Region Manager for Southern California Edison Company from 1996 to 2003 where he managed all phases of company/customer business, political and civic activities in Edison's San Joaquin Valley service area.

Prior to joining Southern California Edison, he served as Undersecretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) from 1994 to 1996 where he provided leadership in the development and implementation of sound policy for the state's agricultural industry and consumers while managing a $190 million budget and 3,800 employees.

Secretary Chrisman previously served at the Resources Agency as Deputy Secretary for Operations/Legislation in the Wilson Administration from 1991 to 1994.

He served as Staff Director of the Assembly Republican Caucus in 1991 advising members of the Legislature on environmental, water and agriculture issues. From 1986 to 1991, Secretary Chrisman served as Chief of Staff to former Assemblyman Bill Jones managing the Central Valley member's State Capitol and District offices and specializing in agriculture, water and environmental issues.

Since 1966, Secretary Chrisman has been the owner/partner of Chrisman Ranches in Visalia, a family ranching and farming operation in Tulare County. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and was appointed by U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

In 1997, Governor Pete Wilson appointed Secretary Chrisman to the California Fish and Game Commission, where he also served as Chairman of the Wildlife Conservation Board.

He is past chairman of the board of directors of the Great Valley Center, and currently serves as a board member of the private, nonprofit Central Valley organization. Secretary Chrisman also serves on the board of directors of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Foundation, a nonprofit, public-benefit Corporation to preserve, protect, and enhance the cultural and natural features of Sequoia and Kings Canyon. He is also a member of the Sequoia National History Association.

From 1980 to 1981, Secretary Chrisman served as president of the Agricultural Leadership Associates, an organization of the California Ag Leadership Program, and participated in international agriculture travel programs to South Africa, the Middle East and Russia in 1971-1974.

Governor Ronald Reagan appointed Secretary Mike Chrisman to serve as president and director of the Tulare County Fair Board from 1968-1975. He also is a past member of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control.

He is a past director of the California Farm Bureau Federation, past president of the Tulare County Farm Bureau, former chairman of the Tulare County Planning Commission, and past president of the Visalia Chamber of Commerce. In 1979, Secretary Chrisman was recipient of Visalia's Outstanding Young Man of the Year. He is a member of The Nature Conservancy, California Waterfowl Association, Ducks Unlimited, and the California Farm Bureau Federation.

Secretary Mike Chrisman holds a Master of Science in Agricultural Education and a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy/Plant Science from the University of Arizona.

Today, Secretary Chrisman offers bold and compassionate leadership for California's environment. As Secretary for Resources, he is dedicated to providing Californians with the same integrity and vision he learned as a fourth generation San Joaquin Valley resident.

He and his wife, Barbara, have two children - Jessica Nelson of Visalia and Josh Chrisman of Exeter.

Richard Cummings
Great Valley Center

Mr. Cummings leads the Great Valley Center's public outreach and various research projects. He is responsible for the organization's media relations as well as the production of publications supporting the Center's strategic efforts to improve the economic, social and environmental well being of California's Central Valley. A native of Toronto, Canada, Richard holds degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and Cornell University.

Lucetta “Lucy” Dunn
Director, California Department of Housing and Community Development

Lucetta “Lucy” Dunn, has been appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and confirmed by the California State Senate to serve as the Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) that operates under the aegis of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency in Sacramento.

Ms. Dunn will have oversight for administering the state’s housing finance, rehabilitation, and community development programs; oversight of the state’s housing planning and code-setting processes, and regulate manufactured housing and mobile home parks.  HCD funds awarded since January 2004 will create at least 25,000 affordable homes and shelter spaces for Californians. 

Dunn’s diverse leadership skills and outstanding background earned her the title of California State Legislature “Woman of the Year 1997” in recognition of her “civic involvement, influence and participation in public policy and planning task forces”.

During her professional builder-developer career, Lucy Dunn negotiated the precedent-setting sale of the 900 acre Bolsa Chica wetlands for restoration as part of a balanced plan that also included residential development.  She most recently served as the past Executive Vice President of Hearthside Homes, a division of California Coastal Communities, one of Southern California’s premiere homebuilders.  Previously she acted as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Signal Landmark Homes and Koll Real Estate Group.

In 2001, she served as President of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, representing the interests of 225,000 employees of more than 1,800 member companies.   Since then she served as vice president of the California Building Industry Association; director of the National Association of Home Builders; as a member of the Urban Land Institute and a founding member of the Foundation for Economic and Environmental Progress.

Ms. Dunn has been a director and/or member of a number of non-profit organizations, including chair of the Building Industry Legal Defense Foundation since 2002; member of the Orange County Business Council, and the California Office of Historic Preservation’s subcommittee on Archaeology.

Ms. Dunn’s civic involvement includes participation in a variety of public policy task forces: Governor Davis’ Commission on Building for the 21st Century, the Orange County Privatization Task Force, El Toro Reuse Plan and the County of Orange/League of Cities Sphere of Influence Task Force.

Dunn earned her Juris Doctorate from Western State University, College of Law, and thereafter managed her own law firm from 1981-87.  She is a member of the California State Bar and Orange County Bar Associations, as well as having been admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and Federal District Courts of Appeal.   She is the proud mom to her two sons, one of whom is a recent Chapman University graduate, and the other now plays football for the University of Louisiana as he pursues his degree. 

STEVEN FRISCH
Vice President for Programs

Professional Experience

Steve manages SBC's programmatic development including programs designed to train regional leadership, protect natural resources, improve community planning and stimulate rural community development.

Steve has managed a variety of programs at SBC including the Working Landscapes Initiative - a program that has protected 30,000 acres working farms and ranches that are essential to our region's economy, wildlife and cultural legacy. He also manages a capacity-building program for Sierra land trusts, and an agricultural research project on the state of agriculture in the Sierra Nevada.

Prior to joining the Sierra Business Council, Steve owned and operated a small business in Truckee, California and was president of the Truckee Downtown Merchants Association. Steve has served on the Nevada County Welfare Reform Commission, the Town of Truckee redevelopment agency formation committee and as an advisor to the California Resources Agency's California Legacy Project.

Since joining the SBC, Steve has:

• Managed public outreach and served as project director of the Placer Legacy Program, a public/private partnership with Placer County California, and recent winner of the 2002 Governor's Economic and Environmental Leadership Award.
• Co-authored the Sierra Nevada Resource Investment Needs Assessment, highlighting natural resource investment needs.
• Fostered the creation of two landscape-level conservation programs that link conservation with local economic development.

Education

Steve holds a BA in Political Science from San Francisco State University. He has continued his education with professional management and training courses, including a degree from the California Culinary Academy, facilitation training and business experience.

Personal Highlights

Steve lives in Truckee with his wife Lisa. He is an avid reader of history, politics, community planning and Sierra issues. Steve enjoys traveling the back roads, connecting to local history, and cooking.

Robert García
Executive Director and Counsel
Center for Law in the Public Interest

Robert García is an attorney with extensive experience in public policy and legal advocacy, mediation, and litigation involving complex social justice, human health, environmental and criminal justice matters. He has influenced the investment of over $18 billion in underserved communities, working at the intersection of social justice, sustainable regional planning, and smart growth. He graduated from Stanford University and Stanford Law School, where he served on the Board of Editors of the Stanford Law Review.

He is a nationally recognized leader in the urban park movement, bringing the simple joys of playing in the park to children in park starved communities. He helped build and lead diverse alliances to create the state parks in the Chinatown Cornfield in the heart of downtown Los Angeles in Taylor Yard as part of the greening of the Los Angeles River, and in the Baldwin Hills in the heart of African American Los Angeles. The Cornfield is "a heroic monument" and "a symbol of hope," according to the Los Angeles Times. The Baldwin Hills will be the largest urban park designed in the United States in over a century. He leads the campaign to diversify access to and support for national forests. He served on the Executive Committee of the Yes on Prop 40 Campaign to help pass California's $2.6 billion park, water and air bond in 2002, the largest in United States history, with unprecedented support among communities of color and low income communities. He served as Chairman of the Citizens' School Bond Oversight Committee overseeing the investment of $14 billion to build green public schools as centers of their communities in Los Angeles from 2000 to 2005. He has lectured on the vision for parks, schools, health, and transit at the conference celebrating the 150th anniversary of Central Park in New York City and at conferences at Stanford, Harvard, UCLA, USC, the Getty Center, the national Olmsted Conference in Seattle, and the Olmsted Conference in Portland, Oregon. Cardinal Roger Mahony appointed him to the Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He is a Senior Fellow at the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research.

He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York under John Martin and Rudolph W. Giuliani, prosecuting organized crime, public corruption and international narcotics trafficking cases. He helped release the former Black Panther leader Geronimo Ji Jaga Pratt from prison after 27 years for a crime he did not commit working with Johnnie Cochran, Stuart Hanlon, and others. He has taught at Stanford and UCLA law schools. He has published and lectured widely on law and society. He has received a number of awards, including the Robert García Environmental Justice Award from the Planning and Conservation League named in his honor for improving the environment in California, the President's Award from the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, and the Rigoberta Menchú Tum Award.

Doug Henton                                                              
President
Collaborative Economics

Doug Henton has more than 30 years of experience in economic and community development at the national, regional, state, and local levels.  Doug is nationally recognized for his work in bringing industry, government, education, research, and community leaders together around specific collaborative projects to improve regional competitiveness.

He serves as national coordinator for the John W. Gardner Academy of the Alliance for Regional Stewardship, a national network of leaders from over 40 regions in the United States that shares best practices and promotes innovations on common regional issues

He was project manager for the start-up of the Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, an innovative, results-oriented regional economic development alliance.  Doug directed the strategic planning process involving more than 1,200 corporate, community, and public-sector leaders. He was a senior advisor for the Silicon Valley 2010: A Regional Framework for Growing Together. He continues to serve as Joint Venture’s economist, and is the architect of Joint Venture’s annual Index of Silicon Valley.

Doug is a consultant to the California Economic Strategy Panel, California’s first state economic strategy process linked to industry clusters and regions.    He helped launch collaborative regional efforts in Sacramento, and San Diego.  He was consultant to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.  Doug has also advised Chicago Metropolis 2020, the Potomac Conference and Arizona Partnership for a New Economy.

Doug founded Collaborative Economics in July 1993 after a decade as assistant director of SRI International’s Center for Economic Competitiveness.  At SRI, Doug directed local strategy projects in diverse regions, including Austin, Texas.  He led major state-level strategy development projects in Arizona, Florida, and California.  Internationally, Doug directed major projects on the economic future of Hong Kong, the technopolis strategy in Japan, and regional development in China.

With colleagues Kim Walesh and John Melville, Doug has written a book, Grassroots Leaders for the New Economy:  How Civic Entrepreneurs Are Building Prosperous Communities, published by Jossey-Bass in March 1997. Their second book Civic Revolutionaries: Igniting the Passion for Change in America’s Communities  published by Jossey-Bass in October 2003.

Doug holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Yale University and a master of public policy degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

David W. Gordon
Superintendent
Sacramento County Office of Education

David W. Gordon serves as Superintendent of the Sacramento (CA) County Office of Education. The County office directly serves more than 30,000 students and provides financial oversight and support services to more than 235,000 students in sixteen school districts. From 1995-2004 Mr. Gordon served as Superintendent of the Elk Grove Unified School District. Elk Grove is an ethnically and economically diverse district of 59,000 students, covering 320 square miles of Sacramento County, California. Mr. Gordon was responsible for 55 schools and budgets totaling $500 million. One of the fastest growing districts in the nation, Elk Grove grew from 29,000 to 59,000 students during Mr. Gordon’s tenure. The district is expected to grow to 80,000 students by 2010.

From 1991 to 1995, Mr. Gordon served as Elk Grove’s Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education. Prior to coming to Elk Grove, Mr. Gordon worked for 17 years in the California State Department of Education. From 1985 to 1991 he was the Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction. From 1983 to 1985 he was Associate Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mr. Gordon was Assistant Director of Program Evaluation and Research and had lead responsibility for developing California’s student proficiency tests and the CBEST Teacher Competency Test, which was initiated in 1982. Mr. Gordon began his career as an elementary school teacher in the South Bronx, New York, in 1968.

Mr. Gordon holds a B.A. degree from Brandeis University and an Ed.M. and Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) in Educational Administration from Harvard University. He was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Education to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the “Nation’s Report Card”). Mr. Gordon was appointed by President George W. Bush to the President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education.

He recently was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Education Excellence. He has served as an Associate in Education at Harvard University, a visiting scholar at Stanford University, and a visiting professor at the University of California, Riverside. He has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the California Curriculum Development Commission. He has presented at the White House at the invitation of First Lady Laura Bush, has been a panelist on the U. S. Department of Education’s cable television show, has testified before the U.S. Congress and state legislatures in California and around the nation, and is a frequent speaker at major conferences.

Mr. Gordon was named 2002 Elk Grove Citizen Newsmaker and Man of the Year. He also has been an active volunteer in the Sacramento area, serving as a board member of the Jewish Foundation of Northern California and a member of the Elk Grove Rotary Club. He was a recent past board member of the YMCA and Capital Unity Council. He and his wife Deborah, a novelist, have two children and four grandchildren.

Richard Hollingsworth
President & CEO
Gateway Cities Partnership, Inc.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Richard Hollingsworth entered government service, becoming quickly schooled in the ways of politics and bureaucracy.   He was appointed chief of staff to the Minister for Industry and Energy in the Irish government at the age of 26.  Moving to Southern California in 1983, Hollingsworth joined Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation, California’s largest homebuilder, rising to the position of Vice President of Kaufman and Broad’s Urban Division in 1988. 

During the 1990s Mr. Hollingsworth served as an executive in two transportation firms in Southern California.  He co-developed the curriculum for the Global Logistics Specialist program at California State University, Long Beach, becoming a founding member of the International Trade Logistics Advisory Board, and taught classes dealing with integrated logistics issues, information technology, emerging trends in the logistics industry and transportation infrastructure.

With a unique background in government, housing, logistics and education, Hollingsworth became President of the Gateway Cities Partnership Inc. in 1998.  The Partnership manages projects in economic development, financial services, education, workforce development, business assistance, and sustainability planning to improve the quality of life for this unique but little-noticed region

John Husing, Ph.D.
Economics & Politics, Inc.

Dr. John Husing is the leading authority on the city & county economies of the Inland Empire, a topic he first began studying in 1964 while researching his doctoral thesis at Claremont Graduate University.  For the past 41 years, Dr. Husing has conducted extensive research and executive interviews to understand the forces shaping Riverside and San Bernardino counties.  He uses this information, his extensive political experience, and knowledge of the region to explain its economy to business leaders and policy makers throughout the Southland.

As a result, Dr. Husing’s firm, Economics & Politics, Inc. is a major source of information for public and private entities trying to understand the future of Southern California with an emphasis on the Inland Empire and the logistics industry.  His forecasts and information are detailed in the Inland Empire Quarterly Economic Report which he has written for 17 years.  Dr. Husing is also a featured columnist for Inland Empire’s The Business Press.  Recently, his views on the Southern California economy have been cited in the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, the New York Times and the London-based Economist magazine.  In addition, he is a member of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee of the California Community Colleges.

Privately, John Husing enjoys life as an adventurer, taking treks into uncharted territories as well as traveling to 52 different countries.  In recent years, he has twice entered the unexplored jungles of West Papua (NW New Guinea) to make first contact with previously undiscovered stone-aged tribes.  His last trip was trekking over the Himalayas from Nepal into Tibet.   Closer to home, Dr. Husing is an amateur genealogist with his American roots traced back 12 generations to the Mayflower.

James C. Hankla
Commission Vice President
Port of Long Beach

Appointed in 2003 by Mayor Beverly O'Neill to a term that expires in 2009.

Commissioner Hankla served as Long Beach City Manager for 12 years, retiring in 1998 to head the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority. ACTA oversaw the construction of the $2.4 billion Alameda Corridor - a 20-mile rail expressway between the two San Pedro Bay ports and the transcontinental rail yards near downtown Los Angeles. He resigned from ACTA to join the commission.

Commissioner Hankla also has served on the board of the International City Theater, as president of the Long Beach Area Council of the Boy Scouts and as chairman of the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific.

Graciela Italiano-Thomas, Ed.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Los Angeles Universal Preschool

Dr. Graciela Italiano-Thomas is chief executive officer of Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP). She has extensive experience as an educator, administrator, and community builder. Before joining LAUP in December 2004, she was CEO of Centro de la Familia de Utah, a non-profit organization based in Salt Lake City, which works to strengthen the Hispanic family by promoting self-sufficiency. Centro is also a federal Head Start grantee, providing direct service to over 2,000 children from low income families. In addition to overseeing that program, Dr. Italiano-Thomas served as a senior consultant to the National Head Start Bureau on issues relating to building accountability for English language learners within the Head Start system.

Dr. Italiano-Thomas was an associate professor in the College of Education at Weber State University, an assistant professor at Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Education and Integrative Studies, and an instructor at Southern Illinois University, in addition to having been an elementary school teacher and principal in her native Uruguay. While living in New York City in the late 1980s, Dr. Italiano-Thomas founded and directed SoHo Language and Consulting Services, a foreign language school and consulting company that provided services to a number of school districts, institutes of higher learning, library associations and educational publishing houses. She went on to direct the New York Office of Oxfam America.

Dr. Italiano-Thomas holds a doctorate in Education and Institutional Management from Pepperdine University and a master of sciences degree in education from Southern Illinois University. She received undergraduate degrees from Albion College in Michigan and the Instituto A. Vazquez Acevedo in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Among the many honors Dr. Italiano-Thomas has received for her service to the community are the National Education Association’s George I. Sanchez Human and Civil Rights Award for contributions made to the education of Latinos in the United States (2000), the Utah Governor’s Award for Contributions to the Hispanic Community (1998), the Utah Coalition of La Raza’s Cesar Chavez Peace and Justice Award, and the YWCA of Salt Lake City’s Award for Community Activism and Leadership (2004). She serves on a number of boards of community organizations and is a member of numerous professional associations, including the National Education Association and the National Head Start Association. She was recently named to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Council of Education Advisors, and sits on the Advisory Board of Pre-K Now, a national advocacy organization.

Dr. Italiano-Thomas is the co-founder of WEAVE, a national organization with the vision of a society of literate citizens, empowered by educational systems that support all cultural and linguistic experiences. She also co-founded the Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, for which Dr. Italiano-Thomas has reviewed countless books representing the very best in multicultural selections for children and youth of all ages. Her dedication to the Americas Award has ensured that stories from all over the Americas are recognized, celebrated and finding their way into the classroom.

Born in Uruguay to parents of Brazilian and Sicilian descent, Dr. Italiano-Thomas speaks five languages, including English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. She lives in Altadena, California, with her husband of 15 years, McKinley Thomas.

John Jamian
Maritime Deputy Administrator

President George W. Bush appointed John Jamian as the Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration in May 2003.

Mr. Jamian was also selected by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to participate in the Defense Department’s Joint Civilian Orientation Conference to survey the Nation’s military capabilities–both at home and abroad.  In addition, Mr. Jamian has worked closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers on a variety of maritime-related projects.

Mr. Jamian has extensive experience in the maritime industry, international transportation, and trade development.

During his tenure as a Michigan legislator, which began in 1991, Mr. Jamian served as Chair of the House Task Force Committee on Port and Maritime Affairs.

Mr. Jamian chaired the United States Canada Relations Committee for the Midwest Council of State Governments.  This Committee’s focus is on the mutual goals of the two nations who share the world’s largest lake and transportation system.

In addition to his proactive agenda toward Great Lakes initiatives, while a State Representative, Mr. Jamian authored numerous articles and publications on the shipping industry and traveled to many United States, Canadian, European, and Asian ports aboard various vessels.  His part in a study of the North American Free Trade Agreement and foreign trade zones paved the way for greater understanding of these complex issues for the citizens of Michigan.

Mr. Jamian served as the Executive Director of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority.  Under his administration, the Port Authority registered record growth in government grants and programs including restoring the Great Lakes cruise ship industry.

Mr. Jamian served as Chair of the American Great Lakes Ports.  He also was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Port Authorities and the Michigan District Export Trade Council.  In 2000-01 he served as a Detroit 300 Commissioner, and was appointed by Mr. Edsel Ford II and Mayor Dennis Archer to serve as Chair for Sail Detroit celebrating the City of Detroit’s Tricentennial.

On November 15, 2001, Mr. Jamian was appointed Executive Director of the Armenian Assembly of America, the largest Washington-based, nationwide organization working with the White House and Congress on many international issues, including Armenian issues in America.  He also worked with the Department of Defense on demining efforts in the Caucus region of the Middle East. 

Mr. Jamian is a graduate of Oakland University. He lives with his wife, Cynthia, and two children in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Dr. Lynn Karoly
Director of Research Quality Assurance
Senior Economist
Professor of Economics at the RAND Graduate School

Lynn A. Karoly is a RAND senior economist whose recent research has focused on early childhood investments, social welfare policy, and U.S. labor markets. Dr. Karoly is the lead author of a recent RAND study titled The Economics of Investing in Universal Preschool Education in California. Previously, she led the interdisciplinary team of RAND researchers who published Investing in Our Children which investigated the costs and benefits of early childhood intervention programs. She also led a team of analysts that completed a follow-up volume that serves as a primer for applying cost and outcome analysis to early childhood programs, and a second forthcoming volume that revisits the benefits and costs of early childhood interventions. Dr. Karoly's other recent research has focused on the impact of welfare reform on child and family well-being, and the implications of demographic trends, technological change, and globalization for the future U.S. workforce and workplace. In addition to her research, Dr. Karoly served for eight years as the Director of the RAND Labor and Population Program which conducts national and international research on a broad range of human resource issues. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University.

Trish Kelly
Program Consultant
California Center for Regional Leadership

Trish Kelly is an economic development consultant specializing in strategic planning and capacity building in the areas of the “new economy,” workforce development and community indicators.  As a consultant with 30 years national experience, Ms. Kelly has participated in program and policy analysis and evaluation studies for state and federal governmental agencies, and provided technical assistance to a variety of cities, counties, workforce investment boards, statewide non-profits and foundations, and others. 

Trish serves as the Sacramento liaison for the California Center for Regional Leadership. In this capacity, she works with a variety of partners based primarily in Sacramento, including the Governor’s Cabinet, the California State Legislature, the State Treasurer’s Office, the California Economic Strategy Panel, the California Workforce Investment Board, and leadership organizations such as the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties, and the Local Government Commission.

Recent projects include the Economic Vitality Conversations, in partnership with the Governor’s Cabinet, working with business and civic leaders statewide to prepare two reports - Innovation, Investment, Collaboration, and Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Collaboration – that are action agendas for regional economic vitality, the latter with an emphasis on rural regions.  She is part of the consulting team for the California Regional Economies project, coordinating regional forums to provide regional analytic and strategic planning tools for workforce and economic development partners.  Trish also is a long time member of the Technical Advisory Team for the California Economic Strategy Panel, performing a variety of analyses on state economic development policies and programs, regional cluster studies, and economic development strategies.

Trish is CCRL’s lead for the California Progress Report, a partnership with several councils of government to develop a region-based statewide indicators report.  She is the author of “Telling Our Story, Measuring Our Progress: California’s Regional Quality of Life Indicator Projects,” aninventory and analysis of community indicator report projects statewide.  This report, in partnership with the California Children and Families Commission, documents efforts by regions and states to assess conditions and challenges toward sustainable economies and communities.  Trish coordinated a diverse team of professionals and civic leaders to prepare the 2004 Quality of Life report for Valley Vision, and has been part of the Orange County Indicators Team for several years.

Other CCRL projects include participation in developing the State’s infrastructure planning and investment framework for the Governor’s Commission on Building for the 21st Century, support for the Next Ten state budget reform project.  Trish also provided capacity building for the California Workforce Investment Board, including preparation of the Board’s Strategic Plan.
Trish previously was the Associate Director of CALED, a statewide non-profit membership organization providing technical assistance and services to cities, counties and other organizations involved in local economic development.  Prior to CALED, she was a project director for Applied Development Services, a Sacramento and Bay Area-based consulting firm, where she prepared numerous economic development strategies, business retention and attraction studies, and funding applications for planning and development projects.  She has conducted numerous strategic planning sessions for several economic development and workforce investment boards on leading practices in both fields.

Trish is co-author of “Ahwahnee Principles for Smart Economic Development,” and “Promising Practices: Early Implementation Program Strategies” for California’s Welfare to Work Program. She has presented at numerous conferences, including The President’s Council on Sustainable Development, the National Council on Urban Economic Development Smart Growth Conference, and the Arizona Rural Development Council.

Ms. Kelly graduated cum laude from Georgetown University in 1971 and holds a masters degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, 1976.

Stephen Levy
Director and Senior Economist
Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy

Stephen Levy is Director and Senior Economist of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy (CCSCE) in Palo Alto. CCSCE is a private research organization founded in 1969 to provide an independent assessment of economic and demographic trends in California.

CCSCE works with public institutions and private companies that require an explanation and analysis of the growth process as well as detailed projections. Stephen Levy is the principal author of CCSCE's annual report series on the California economy. CCSCE's annual reports have acquired a national reputation for credible and independent analyses.

Steve is currently helping regional planning agencies in Southern California and Sacramento address the challenges of planning for future growth. CCSCE provides long-term regional projections of jobs, population, households and income. These projections provide the context for discussing policies about land use, transportation and equity related to regional growth.

For the coming year, Steve will be writing and speaking about the California budget and economy supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation and will be analyzing California's regional economies for the California Workforce Investment Board and California Economic Strategy Panel. Steve recently completed a report on workforce investment issues and challenges and has spent the past year presenting the report around the state. In 1998 he was commissioned by the Hewlett, Irvine and Packard foundations and Bank of America to prepare a report analyzing the connections between land use and the California economy and last year completed a report on planning for California's infrastructure needs.

CCSCE provides long-term economic and demographic projections on an ongoing basis to institutions such as the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), The Irvine Company and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Mr. Levy chairs the Council of Economic Advisors for the State Workforce Investment Board, is a member of the NOVA (Silicon Valley) Workforce Investment Board and an advisor to the California Economic Strategy Panel.

Stephen Levy has degrees in economics from MIT and Stanford University. Steve lives in Palo Alto with his wife, Nancy. They have two children, Becky and David.

Alan Lowenthal
California State Senator, 27th District

Alan Lowenthal was elected to represent the 27th District of the California State Senate in November of 2004 following six years in the California State Assembly. The 27th Senate District includes the Los Angeles County communities of Avalon, Long Beach, Signal Hill, Lakewood, Cerritos, Artesia, Bellflower, Downey, South Gate, Lynwood, Paramount, Hawaiian Gardens, Florence-Graham and Willowbrook. 

Senator Lowenthal is strongly committed to ensuring that the interests of the 27th Senate District are represented in Sacramento, including education, public safety, economic development and environmental protection.

Lowenthal has had legislation signed into law to reduce diesel emissions at the ports by limiting idling time for trucks conducting transactions at the ports, established a grant program to provide financial incentives for purchasing or leasing electric vehicles, and a bill which gives the City of Los Angeles greater flexibility in using port property. 

His legislation limiting the liability for organizations donating firefighting equipment was hailed as a major accomplishment by the California State Firefighters Association, which named him their 2002 “Legislator of the Year.”

In addition, Senator Lowenthal has authored laws which help protect seniors from elder abuse, require the ports to cover open petroleum coke piles and removed the toll from the Vincent Thomas Bridge.  His strong advocacy on behalf of local governments led to him being named “Legislator of the Year” by the League of California Cities in 2001. 

He has been a vocal leader in the drive to clean the L.A. River, securing state funding for that purpose in the last three budgets. His efforts led to him being one of the first recipients of the “Rivie” award by the Friends of the Los Angeles River. In addition, as a member of the Assembly Natural Resources and Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committees, he has exhibited strong leadership in the cleanup of California's beaches and coastline by securing funds to reduce pollution on area beaches.

Senator Lowenthal serves as Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee as well as the Select Committee on California Ports.  A resident of Long Beach, Senator Lowenthal is married to Dr. Debbie Malumed, a family practice physician. He has two adult sons, Joshua and Daniel (married to Suja) and one grandson, Avinash.  He graduated with a B.A. from Hobart College and earned a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.

Prior to his election to the Senate, Lowenthal served six years in the State Assembly and six years on the Long Beach City Council. A professor of community psychology, Lowenthal is on leave from California State University, Long Beach, where he has taught since 1969.

Daniel A. Mazmanian
Bedrosian Chair in Governance
University of Southern California

Education
Ph.D. in Political Science
Washington University, St. Louis

Expertise
Environmental Policy, Policy Implementation, Sustainable Communities, Political Science

Biographical Sketch
Daniel A. Mazmanian assumed the position of Bedrosian Chair in Governance in August 2005. He previously served as SPPD's C. Erwin and Ione L. Piper Dean and Professor for five years beginning in July 2000. He is a leading scholar in the fields of environmental policy and policy implementation. Two current streams of research focus on the transition to the greening of industry and sustainable communities. His books include, Toward Sustainable Communities: Transition and Transformation in Envivonmental Policy (1999), Beyond Superfailure: America's Toxic Policy for the 1990s (1992), Implementation and Public Policy (2nd ed. 1989), Can Regulation Work? (1983), Can Organizations Change? Environmental Protection, Citizen Participation, and the Corps of Engineers (1979), and Third Parties in Presidential Elections (1974).

Upon completion of his doctoral degree in political science in 1970, he spent four years as Research Associate at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC. His academic career began as a member of the faculty of Pomona College, where he initiated its Program in Public Policy Analysis and received a Wig Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1981. In 1986 he moved to The Claremont Graduate University, serving as Professor and the first Director the Center for Politics and Economics, and interim Vice-President and Dean for 1990-91. In 1996 he accepted the position of Dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan.

He has been the recipient research grants from the National Science Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Haynes Foundation and an innovative curricular grant from the California Council for the Humanities. In 1997 he received the Aaron Wildavsky Enduring Contribution Award from the American Political Science Association and, from the Policy Studies Organization, the Thomas R Dye Service Award. He was the founding president of the Policy Studies Section of the American Political Science Association. He served as a member of the Commission on Environmental Strategy and Planning of the World Conservation Union from 1992-96, and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Institute of Social Research, from 1996-2000. He is a senior associate of the California Institute of Public Affairs. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, the Educator's Advisory Panel to the Comptroller General of the Unities States, the Board of Directors of the California Center for Regional Leadership, and Trustee of the John Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation.

Publications
Mazmanian, Daniel with Daniel Press, "Understanding the Transition to a Sustainable Economy"; in Norman Vig and Michael Kraft, eds. Environmental Policy, 4th ed., CQ Inc.; 2000

Mazmanian, Daniel with Michael Kraft, eds. and contributors, Toward Sustainable Communities: Transitions and Transformations in Environmental Policy; Boston: MIT Press; 1999

Mazmanian, Daniel with Doris Andrea Fuchs, "The Greening of Industry: Needs of the Field"; Business Strategy and the Environment, 7, 193-203; 1998

Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak
Business, Transportation and Housing Agency

As Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, Sunne Wright McPeak directs California's largest government agency. Her 15 departments include such complex organizations as Caltrans, the CHP, DMV, and the Department of Corporations. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her to the cabinet-level post in November of 2003.

Ms. McPeak was formerly President and CEO of the Bay Area Council. During her tenure at the Bay Area Council, Ms. McPeak established and led major regional initiatives that addressed policy challenges involving transportation, housing, sustainable economic development, water policy, telecommunications infrastructure, and education and workforce preparation. All of her work for the employer-sponsored, CEO-led public policy organization was directed at strengthening the nine county region’s economy and improving the quality of life of its residents.

Prior to joining the Bay Area Council in November of 1996, Ms. McPeak served for three years as President and CEO of the Bay Area Economic Forum, a partnership formed in 1988 by the Bay Area Council and the Association of Bay Area Governments to facilitate public-private collaboration for promoting the regional economy.

Before the Bay Area Economic Forum, Ms. McPeak was a member of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors for more than 15 years. She was first elected to office in 1978 and served as Chairman several terms. As a Supervisor, she became known as a leader on State water policy and also was one of the earliest advocates for promoting regional solutions to Bay Area policy challenges. Earlier in her career, she owned a management-consulting firm, served as Executive Director of the Pittsburg Community Health Center and was a consultant to the Contra Costa Comprehensive Health Planning Association.

She has been honored by more than thirty organizations throughout the region, state and nation, representing various aspects of business, government, labor, academia, municipal affairs, community and social services. When she retired from Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, her colleagues renamed the public hearing room the "Sunne Wright McPeak Chambers." She was named a "Women Who Could be President" honoree in 1997 by the League of Women Voters of San Francisco. The San Francisco Business Times has named her one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Business in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. Ms. McPeak is the recipient of the 2000 California Water Policy H2O Leadership Award.

Growing up on a dairy farm in rural Livingston in the San Joaquin Valley, she is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara and holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Most recently, California State University, Hayward and the Board of Trustees of California State University awarded her an honorary doctorate in humane letters for "being an outstanding civic leader whose lifelong commitment to public service has enriched the university and the entire community."

John Melville
Director
Collaborative Economics

John Melville is Director and Co-Founder of Collaborative Economics, Mountain View, California and an advisor to civic leaders nationwide.  Over the past 20 years, John and his partners have worked with public and private leaders in over 40 communities across the U.S. and abroad, helping them launch concrete, collaborative initiatives to improve their economic vitality and quality of life.

In California, John has worked with the Great Valley Center on research projects focusing on the economic futures of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valley regions, renewable energy as an economic and environmental opportunity for the Valley, and health services as an economic priority and source of jobs with career potential.  He has also helped mobilize teams of regional and local leaders to pursue action, including a nationally-recognized effort to revitalize the Highway 99 corridor, a “civic venture capital” model called the Butte Pioneers, and an effort to promote innovation in agriculture in the Sacramento Valley. 

John has worked extensively in California to help develop economic strategies for Sacramento, Tri-Valley (Livermore, Dublin, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Danville area), Santa Barbara, San Diego, Silicon Valley, the Central Valley, and others.  John is a consultant to the California Economic Strategy Panel, California’s state economic strategy process linked to industry clusters and regions, and has helped lead the consulting team for the California Regional Economies Project, a major initiative to analyze employment data and link economic and workforce development.  He was consultant to the Arizona Partnership for a New Economy.

John has worked closely with Community and other Foundations to improve regional and community civic engagement and collaboration–including The James Irvine Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Heinz Endowments.  He helped design and launch the Alliance for Regional Stewardship, a national peer-to-peer network of practitioners, and has provided support to the California Center for Regional Leadership. 

John helped design and implement Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, a new kind of regional collaborative organization, including guiding a strategic planning and visioning process involving more than 1,200 corporate, community, and public-sector leaders.  During implementation, John was principal staff to Joint Venture’s 21st Century Education Initiative, which raised more than $32 million as a regional-local partnership to improve Silicon Valley schools.  Following the Joint Venture example, John and his partners have helped launch and/or support more than 10 regional collaborative organizations across California and advised similar organizations across the country.
Based on his experiences working with civic leaders at the regional and community level, John co-authored the book, Grassroots Leaders for a New Economy:  How Civic Entrepreneurs are Building Prosperous Communities (Jossey-Bass, 1997), and a just-released book called Civic Revolutionaries:  Igniting the Passion for Change in America’s Communities (Wylie and Sons/Jossey-Bass, 2004).  He is author of more than 20 strategic plans for regions and communities, published articles on education and benchmarking, and a report for the Presidents' Commission on Industrial Competitiveness.  He is a graduate of Stanford University.

Seth L. Miller
Program Officer
California Center for Regional Leadership

As Program Officer for Public Policy and Civic Engagement, Seth is responsible for advancing regional strategies to improve growth planning and social equity statewide. Seth has facilitated dozens of conversations with business leaders and social equity champions throughout the state to find common ground on a range of regional issues related to land use policy, growth planning, and equitable development. He co-authored The California Story Report in 2004 and currently serves on the Social Equity Caucus Working Group in the Bay Area. Seth has over 12 years of experience in the field of community development and public service. He was co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in Taos, New Mexico and the Executive Director of ASAP Online and NetDay - Oakland, two social ventures designed to address the digital divide. He is a nationally recognized leader in the area of social entrepreneurship, youth service, and workforce investment. Seth has a BA in History from The Colorado College and a MBA from Boston University.

Becky Morgan
President
Morgan Family Foundation

The Foundation focuses its giving on youth, education, the environment and stewardship. The Foundation supports local, regional and national efforts to strengthen communities through existing organizations and new collaboratives focused on forging new models of stewardship for economic and quality of life improvements.
She is the former President and CEO of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley, whose mission was to bring people together from business, government, education and the community to act on regional issues affecting economic vitality and quality of life in the Valley. Prior to joining Joint Venture in September 1993, she served for nine years as a California State Senator.

She currently serves on the boards of Cornell University, Hidden Villa, an environmental education non-profit, and the Alliance for Regional Stewardship. Becky has a BS from Cornell and an MBA from Stanford.

Kathy Moxon
Humboldt Area Foundation

Currently director of Redwood Coast Rural Action (RCRA) which is an outgrowth of the Institute of the North Coast, Kathy has been involved in economic development in a variety of roles on the North Coast region for the past 20 years. Roles in economic development on California’s North Coast include past president of Eureka/Humboldt Economic Development Corporation and past executive director of the Arcata Economic Development Corporation. Kathy is employed by Humboldt Area Foundation, one of the original conveners of RCRA, and serves as their program director and chief administrative officer. For the period of 1996-2003, the Institute of the North Coast served as the regional collaborative in the north western corner of California, focused on the formation and implementation of a community economic development strategy called Prosperity! In 2004 Humboldt Area Foundation along with the presidents of Humboldt State University and College of the Redwoods convened community leaders from Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity and Mendocino Counties to form RCRA.  Her previous experience as a small business advisor at both Bank of Loleta and U.S. Bank of California has given her an appreciation for the importance of small businesses and the contributions that they make to the quality of life on the north coast. Her community involvement includes being the co-chair of the Humboldt County Economic Development Forum, a board member of the Women Entrepreneurs’ Institute, immediate past president of Arcata Sunrise Rotary and the current President of Garfield School District Board of Trustees. She is a resident of Freshwater where she lives with her husband and four children.

Dowell Myers, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Southern California

Dowell Myers, Ph.D. (Urban Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology), is Professor and Director of the Master of Planning program at USC. He is a specialist in urban growth and development with expertise as a planner and urban demographer.  An advisor to the Bureau of the Census, he has authored the most widely referenced work on census analysis, Analysis with Local Census Data: Portraits of Change (Academic Press, 1992).  His program of research has pursued two contributions to the planning field: (1) bringing people back in as the focus of planning success; and (2) understanding planning as a temporal process of developing the future.

Recent research projects have focused on the upward mobility of immigrants to Southern California and the many changes they create in the city, as well as on projections of the future impacts of the growing California population.  A fellow of the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy and a member of several advisory boards, Dr. Myers has published recent articles in the Journal of the American Planning Association, Demography, American Sociological Review, and Journal of Housing Research.

Relevant Reports and Publications
Myers, Dowell and Elizabeth Gearin, "Current Preferences and Future Demand for Denser Residential Environments," Housing Policy Debate, 12 (4, 2002):633-660.

Myers, Dowell and Alicia Kitsuse, The Debate Over Future Density of Development: An Interpretive Review, Lincoln Institute Working Papers, Cambridge, Mass.: Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, 1999

Myers, Dowell and Alicia Kitsuse, Development in Time: Planning the Future of California's Housing, Lincoln Institute Working Papers, Cambridge, Mass.: Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, 1999

Dowell Myers, "The Ecology of Quality of Life," chapter in David J. Brower, David R. Godschalk, and Douglas R. Porter, eds., Understanding Growth Management: Critical Issues and a Research Agenda, Washington, D.C.: Urban Land Institute, 1989

Dowell Myers, "Building Knowledge About Quality of Life for Urban Planning," Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 54 (Summer 1988): 347-358

Dowell Myers, "Community Relevant Measurement of Quality of Life: a Focus on Local Trends," Urban Affairs Quarterly, vol. 23 (1987): 108-125

Dowell Myers, "Internal Monitoring of Quality of Life for Economic Development," Economic Development Quarterly, vol. 1 (1987): 268-278

Mayor Beverly O'Neill
Long Beach’s only three-term, citywide elected Mayor

Initially elected in 1994, she was re-elected in 1998 with almost 80% of the vote, and was re-elected to a third term as a write-in candidate–the nation’s only large city Mayor to accomplish such an historic feat.  Long Beach is California’s 5th largest city and the 32nd largest in the nation.  Mayor O’Neill has been a major force in changing the Long Beach economy into a diversified mix of international trade, tourism, emerging technologies, and expanding retail. 

Mayor O’Neill has won national and international acclaim for her ability to bring varied constituencies of the city together to build an economically and culturally vibrant city.  She has fought to bring the issues affecting the people of Long Beach to decision-makers in Washington, D.C. and the State Capitol.  Some of the major issues she will be addressing during her third-term include transportation, neighborhoods, public safety, clean water and beaches and building pride in what has been identified as one of the nation’s most diverse major cities.

As a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mayor O’Neill chaired the standing committee on Jobs, Education and Workforce for four years.  She led efforts to focus attention on the issue of the nation’s skill gap and co-hosted Mayor’s Skills Summits in New Orleans, Long Beach, Boston and Kansas City.  In June 2001, she was recognized for her efforts with election as a Trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.  This followed her election to the organization’s Advisory Board in 1999.  In June 2005, Mayor O’Neill was elected President of the organization.

Starting in 2001, the Mayor served one term as President of the League of California Cities.

A product of the Long Beach public school system, starting with the Long Beach Day Nursery up to her graduation from California State University, Long Beach.  Dr. O’Neill pursued her post-graduate studies at the University of Vienna, and received her doctorate from the University of Southern California.  Prior to becoming mayor, Dr. O’Neill spent a 31-year career at Long Beach City College beginning as a music instructor and women’s advisor.  In the succeeding years she advanced to Campus Dean, Dean of Student Affairs, Vice President of Student Services and spent her last five years as Superintendent-President.

Numerous organizations have honored Beverly O’Neill for her devotion to the city, education and youth.  Among them are the 1999 EDDY Award given by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the 1999 Leadership Long Beach Excellence in Leadership Award, Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen of the Year (1997), California 54th Assembly District Woman of the Year (1995), the National Conference of Christian and Jews Humanitarian Award (1991), YMCA Woman of Excellence (1990), and many others.

Carlos J. Palacios
City Manager
City of Watsonville, California. 

Mr. Palacios has served in this position for the past nine years.  Prior to his selection as the City Manager, Mr. Palacios served as the Deputy City Manager and as the Assistant Finance Officer for the City of Watsonville.

Prior to coming to the City of Watsonville, Mr. Palacios worked for the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico and as a fiscal and policy analyst for the Office of the Legislative Analyst with the California Legislature.  Mr. Palacios also worked as a Program Evaluator for Catholic Relief Services in Latin America and Africa.

Mr. Palacios has a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

F. Noel Perry
Venture Capitalist, Social Entrepreneur, Artist
Baccharis Capital, Inc.    

Noel Perry is the Founder and Managing Director of Baccharis Capital, Inc., a private venture capital firm, started in 1991, located in Menlo Park, CA.  The company’s focus is on early stage investments in educational software, educational toys, organic food, health, and other consumer products.  Successful investments in these industries include Earth’s Best, Westbrae Natural, LeapFrog, Wild Planet Toys, Prism Radio, Edmark, and Care2.com.  He is also a founding director and former Vice-Chairman of Conservation International, an organization devoted to conserving ecosystems worldwide through economic incentives.  He is a member of the Social Venture Network and Investors’ Circle.  Mr. Perry built water tanks and pipe lines in Yemen for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer.  As an artist his focus is on painting.  In addition to his passion for art, his desire to improve our community has lead to an involvement in, and formation of several local organizations.

• Founder, NextTen

     [An independent, nonpartisan organization that engages and educates Californians, with the mission to improve the future economy and quality of life.]

• Founder, 100 Families Oakland

     [A project to celebrate the power of families and neighborhoods, creating stronger connections between diverse groups, and positive social change through the process of making art.]

• Trustee, Nueva School, Hillsborough, CA

     (After four year term, Mr. Perry stepped down as Chair of the Board in June of 2005.)

• Board Director, Woodside Community Foundation (current)
• Woodside School Foundation (former trustee)

Mr. Perry holds a B.A. from the University of Rhode Island, an M.B.A. from George Washington University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (C.F.A.)

Lynn Pike
President, Bank of America California

Lynn Pike is president, Business Banking, at Bank of America, a position she assumed on April 1, 2004. In this role, she manages a $1.8 billion revenue business with responsibility for nearly 180,000 business clients who are served by a team of dedicated client managers.

Lynn is a member of the Bank of America Management Operating Committee, composed of the company’s senior leaders. She is also on the board of directors for the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.
Lynn also serves as president, Bank of America California. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring the integration of the company’s entire operation throughout the state, and the achievement of the bank’s aggressive growth goals across all lines of business. California is the bank’s largest single market.

As California state president, Lynn represents the face of the company to organizations and communities across the state. She currently serves on the national board of directors for Operation Hope, the board of directors for Phoenix Houses of California, the board of directors of Junior Achievement of Southern California, and board of trustees of the Autry Museum. Lynn is also a member of the California Business Roundtable.
Prior to joining Bank of America, Lynn served as Managing Director of Consumer Banking & Distribution for FleetBoston where she was responsible for 15,000 employees and 1,500 branches throughout the Northeast, as well as Telephone Banking and the ATM network.

Before joining FleetBoston, Lynn was regional president of Wells Fargo’s Los Angeles Metropolitan Banking Region, their largest retail operating division.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo in May of 1998, Lynn was director of national sales support for GMAC Mortgage Corporation. She also worked for First Nationwide Bank, Bank of Boston and Bay Banks.

A Connecticut native, Lynn received her education in Massachusetts. She is a graduate of the Executive School of Marketing at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, Durham-North Carolina.  She resides in the Los Angeles area with her husband Philip.

Nancy Rogers
Co-Chairperson
Tri-Valley Business Council, Vision 20/20

Over the years, Nancy Rogers has successfully worked on many housing related issues.  She is currently the Co-Chairperson of the Tri-Valley Business Council, Vision 2010, Community Planning and Housing Committee.  This group reviews all proposed Housing Elements for the Tri-Valley area; endorses or recommends changes to proposed housing developments based on criteria developed to enhance the production of balanced, quality, environmentally-sound housing; and works through community outreach to educate the public about the issue of affordable housing.  She was instrumental in the organization of the first Housing Summit in 2002; the subsequent development of the NorCal Housing Coalition, www.forhousing.com web site; and the Guidebook on Housing Opportunities for Local Associations; writing and production of a video explaining the need for housing opportunities; and other housing-related projects.   Her work has been recognized throughout the state and nationally.  Nancy has been the Public Affairs Director for the Bay East Association of REALTORS® for eight years.  She recently resigned from that position to pursue other interests and opportunities.

Michael M. Ruane
Executive Director
Children & Families Commission of Orange County

Michael Ruane is the Executive Director of the Children and Families Commission of Orange County.  The Commission is responsible for the allocation of tobacco tax revenue to health and education programs for young children and their families, established by the Proposition 10 voter initiative.  He currently serves as President of the First 5 Association of California, is an officer of the California Children and Families Foundation, and Chair of the Orange County Health Needs Assessment.  Mr. Ruan