New Member Profiles
Edgar Takeda
Financial Advisor, Additional Active Edgar is a Financial Advisor with Northwestern Mutual. He was born and raised in San Diego….
Brandon Steppe
Education-Music and Multimedia Brandon is the Founder and Executive Director The David’s Harp Foundation, a local non-profit with a mission…
Dr. Clara Draf
Medicine-Ear Nose Throat Clara is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Surgery at UCSD. In her native Germany,…
Sidd Vivek
Youth Organization-Junior Achievement Sidd is the President and CEO of Junior Achievement of San Diego County, joining the organization in…
Jordan Harrison
Youth Organization-Rhymes With Reason Jordan is the Chief Education Officer for Rhymes With Reason, an innovative, online platform that teaches…
Carrie Cottriall
Youth Organization-SD Children’s Choir Carrie is the Executive Director for the San Diego Children’s Choir, a non-profit that provides children…
Chris Graham
Education-Private University-Administration Chis is the Vice Chancellor of External Relations at National University System. He moved to San Diego in…
Dr. Glenn Goltz
Retired-Medicine-Ophthalmology Glenn retired from medicine after 30 years. Originally from Wisconsin, he and his family have lived in San Diego…
Shaina Gross
Health-Women’s Shaina is the President and CEO of Susan G. Komen San Diego. She was born and raised in New…
Kelly Smith
Education-Private University Admin, A.A. Kelly is the Vice President of University Advancement for Point Loma Nazarene University. She is a…
New Member Profiles
Christina Connett Brophy has built a decades-long career as a museum executive with extensive curatorial experience and demonstrated success in developing significant strategic partnerships, major capital projects, fundraising, innovative programming, and institutional vision. She currently serves as President and CEO of Maritime Museum of San Diego. She’s a past Senior Vice President at Mystic Seaport…
Elexis “Lex” Gillette is a blind Paralympic athlete from Raleigh, North Carolina who competes for the United States in T11 and F11 events. Gillette won silver medals in the men’s long jump at five consecutive Summer Paralympics (2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio, and 2020 Tokyo). He also competed in triple jump and…
Jonathan is the Executive Director of Rise Up Industries, an organization whose mission is to minimize gang involvement by providing integrated gang prevention, intervention, and and post-detention reentry programs for those who are coming out of incarceration. Their 18-month Reentry Program is in its seventh year of operation, providing services including employment, job-training, case management,…
Anjuli was born and raised in Overland Park, KS. Here parents emigrated from New Delhi, India in the 1970’s, and their determination and success in creating a new life in a strange country has greatly inspired Anjuli all along the way. She graduated from University of Kansas with her BA in Biology. Instead of spending…
Paul Marcus obtained his BA and MA from Boston University and RPI, respectively, and originally hails from Portland, Maine. Just prior to arriving in San Diego from Boston in 2018, he manufactured patio furniture in Malaysia, Indonesia and India, importing and distributing from Sacramento direct to consumer. His brand was Brookbend Outdoor Furniture which he…
Nancy Rohland-Heinrich graduated from St. Cloud State University with a BA in Sociology and Social Work, from National University with a Masters in Business, and both UCSD and California State University San Marcos with a Doctor of Education Leadership. She has worked for National University System for 45 years. In Nancy’s current role as EVP…
Born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Appaswamy “Vino” Pajanor’s family traditions led him toward a professional career as an attorney, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He practiced law in India for five years before moving to the United States to continue his professional and personal development. For his first six years,…
Charles started his career in the semiconductor industry, working for Applied Materials in Santa Clara. He and a co-worker at Applied Materials started a company in 1989, and he spent the rest of his career as a serial entrepreneur. He started seven companies, four of which he sold successfully. Those four were Baylis Automation (semiconductor…
Natasha Bliss serves as Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Partnerships within San Diego State University’s Division of Research and Innovation. In her role, she leads internal operations for the division and has direct oversight of undergraduate research, research communications, and signature events such as the annual SDSU Student Symposium. In addition, Natasha plays…
Meredith Munger is a loan officer at CrossCountry Mortgage with a focus on helping families to buy, build, renovate and refinance property, notably Accessory Dwelling Units, (ADUs). She operates ADUloans.net and serves as a founding member of the ADU Coalition and Casita Coalition, advocates for attainable housing. Previously, Meredith served as Chief Operating Officer for…