New Member Profiles
Carol Dedrich
Associations – Girl Scouts Carol Dedrich is the Chief Executive Officer for Girl Scouts San Diego. Carol attributes the lessons…
Terry Caskey
Biotechnology—Gene Sequencing Technology Terry Caskey grew up on a small farm in the Central Valley of California. As the first…
Falon Leszczynski
Associations-Home of Guiding Hands Falon serves as the Vice President of Operations for Home of Guiding Hands, overseeing the functionality…
Veronica Perondi
Education-State University-Program Manager Veronica Perondi currently serves as the Assistant Director of A.S. Programs for Associated Students at San Diego…
Tom Herman
Education – Private University – Professor Tom Herman is a teacher and journalist. He is the tax columnist for The…
Dale Gray
Associations – Institute of Reproductive Grief Care In February of 2023, Dale Gray took over the role of Director of…
Kristine Smith
Social Services and Welfare – Neighborhood House Association Kristine is the Senior Director of Nutrition Services for the Neighborhood House…
Mary Dawe
Retired-Law Mary Dawe is a retired Senior Staff Attorney of California State of Appeal, where she served for 27 years….
Amie Brown
Associations-Meals on Wheels Amie Brown is the Chief External Affairs Officer for Meals on Wheels San Diego County. She came…
Tad Parzen
Associations-Burnham Center for Advancement Tad Parzen is the President and CEO at Burnham Center for Community Advancement, as well as…
New Member Profiles
Melody French, Clinical Psychologist, has a private practice in Rancho Bernardo where she has worked for the past ten years providing psychological services to the community. She works with trauma, anxiety, depression and dissociative disorders using evidence based tools and a compassionate therapeutic relationship to help improve quality of life and individual client goals for…
Azareel Canizales is the Project Onramp Manager at Life Sciences Cares. This organization provides human and financial resources to impactful partner organizations throughout San Diego that address the survival, education and sustainability of systemically under-resourced community members and future generations. As a YoPro, he is developing his career in Human Resources and Project Management,and is…
Elizabeth Berg has a twenty-five year career in strategic planning, development, communication and collaboration to support the success of nonprofits in the San Diego community. She serves as the Executive Director of Healing Wave Aquatics, and organization she grew from grass roots in 2017, to a recognized non-profit with an annual budget of $650K. This…
Anita Mirani is a retired banking and technology executive with finance, technology and strategic leadership at Fortune 500 companies. She served as Vice President of the Wall Street Banking Group at Citibank in New York, directing the Investment Banking client portfolio. She was also Technology Chief of Staff at The Charles Schwab Corporation in San…
As Director of Guest Services for San Diego Zoo and Wildlife Alliance, Susan Alvarez directs operations for the part of the organization that welcomes over 4 million visitors annually and has more than 400,000 members, with a direct fiscal responsibility of over $125 million in revenue, $10 million in labor and $4 million in operating…
As Veterans Center Supervisor of Cuyamaca College Robert designs and leads systems that help veterans and their families successfully navigate enrollment, VA education benefits, academic planning, and transfer pathways. His work blends compliance oversight with strategic program development, ensuring federal benefits are processed accurately while creating clear, supportive pathways from admission to graduation and career…
Janis McKay is the Dean of the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts at San Diego State University. Previously, she served as the Vice Dean for the College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). As Professor of Music, Janis taught student bassoonists as well as numerous undergraduate and graduate…
Gavin Pyle serves as a Business Insurance Advisor for Marsh McLennan, formerly Barney & Barney, based here in San Diego. Gavin says he’s fortunate to collaborate daily with some of the most inspiring leaders across diverse sectors, including K-12 education, groundbreaking technology, local and national real estate, transformative life sciences, biotech, and many others. In…
Steven Kempa is a Project Leader and Business Developer at Mc Furhman & Associates. MCFA is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business specializing in program management, construction management, and owner’s representation for public and private clients nationwide. MCFA’s West Coast expansion is being led by Steven, who is establishing a regional presence based in San Diego….
Robert (Bob) Bushman is a retired dermatologist. Born and raised in a small town in West Virginia, Bob left for college in Ohio, then Medical school at USC where he also spent his residency. He married, had three daughters and moved to Eugene, OR to raise his family. He is proud to say that all…