Board of Directors

Certified Public Accountant

Adrian Stern is a founding member of Clumeck Stern Schenkelberg & Getzoff and has been engaged in public accounting since 1979, specializing in management consulting and the installation and evaluation of data processing systems. He is experienced in expert witness testimony regarding computer systems, damage calculations, loss of earnings and professional malpractice cases. Adrian provides consultation to CPA firms regarding valuations, mergers and acquisitions. Adrian is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is an active wine collector and is always looking for the next great find. Adrian is married with four daughters.

Supervisor

Michelle Torres currently works as a Supervisor for the Sales Planning & Product Inventory department of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. She has a strong background in communication, resource building, research and child advocacy, and television syndication and distribution. Michelle has worked in mediation and arbitration, collaborated on the production of a curriculum entitled “Power in Me” to be used with foster youth, and worked in business and legal affairs in production and domestic distribution in the entertainment industry. Michelle has more than ten years social services experience working with foster youth in Los Angeles County and has worked in the entertainment industry for over sixteen years. She studied Sociology at Cal State Los Angeles.

IT Director, Systems Engineering

Peter Wang is the Vice Chair of the CCRC Board and works professionally as a systems engineer at Integrated Media Technologies Inc., where he is responsible for annual departmental budgets of up to $30 million. He manages overseas staff as the director of systems engineering. His more than 20 years of senior level management experience includes dynamic tech startups, such as MySpace, as well as large Fortune 500 corporations. Peter received his Bachelors of Science in Computer Science at USC.

Early Childhood Education (ECE) Expert

Joannie Busillo-Aguayo is an expert in designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating new community-based programs serving young children and families in low-income communities. Her research interests include identifying ways to strengthen and support families of young children, promoting campus-community collaboration, and enhancing service-learning partnerships between students and early childhood programs in the community. For 12 years, she was the assistant coordinator of the CSUN’s Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences’ Transdisciplinary Early Intervention Program, serving infants and toddlers with development challenges and their families. Joannie has been a member of the CSUN community since 1991, earning her bachelor’s degree in Child Development and a master’s degree from the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences/Family Relations-Child Development. She earned her doctorate in 2010 from Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology/Organizational Leadership.

Vice President, Contact Center

Shelia Jones has an impressive 30-year history of upper management work in banks across the San Fernando Valley. She brings to CCRC’s board a wealth of knowledge in the financial sector, as well as leadership, business planning and strategy skills. As Vice President of Premier America Credit Union’s Contact Center since 2018, Sheila oversees vision and strategy, operational process and budget, among other responsibilities.

Lifecycle service leader, teacher, Speaker, Mussar facilitator

Rabbi Lisa Bock brings to the CCRC Board more than 15 years of experience as a faith-based professional and an extensive education in mentorship and management. She interned for four years in various temples across southern California before becoming a Rabbi in 2014. Rabbi Lisa has served on the board of the Academy for Jewish Religion since 2014 and is presently a spiritual counselor at a Thousand Oaks hospice facility. Her interests include reading, writing, hiking, birdwatching and travel.

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

Community Advocate & Executive, Retired

Romalis Taylor, a community advocate involved in processes to strengthen and support families, has over 30 years’ experience working with government agencies, communities, children, youth, and families to improve services in schools, foster care, and clinical service programs. He has served as a Director of a Mental Health Center and a Director of Government & Community Relations for a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles County. Mr. Taylor implemented innovative services such as: Point of Engagement, Family Preservation, and Up Front Assessment. He has presented program development, prevention, field based and family support services at conferences and forums. Romalis chairs Compton/East Compton Best Start Leadership Group, which advocates, develops, and implements community activities to strengthen families with children 0-5 based on the First 5 Strengthening Families model. He is a representative for the advisory group for Under Representative Ethnic Populations Groups on the Department of Mental Health System Leadership Team and is a member of the Services Area Advisory Council 6 in South Los Angeles. Mr. Taylor received his BA degree from California State, University, Los Angeles.

Connie Leyva is currently the Executive Director at KVCR Public Radio and Television. KVCR is located on the campus of San Bernardino Valley College serving the Inland Empire on Channel 24 and FM 91.9. She oversees all aspects of KVCR including increasing community and student engagement, raising money and content.

Prior to joining KVCR in December of 2022, Leyva was the Senator serving the 20^th Senate District in the Inland Empire from 2014 to 2022 representing almost a million constituents. . During her tenue in the California State Senate, Senator Leyva was the chair of the Democratic Caucus, chair of Senate Education Committee and chair of the Mobile and Manufactured Homes Select Committee, as well as serving on numerous other key committees. She authored more than 50 bills signed into law including landmark legislation on statute of limitation on sexual assault and Clean Truck Heavy-Duty Registration.

Leyva has always had a heart for people and the communities they live in, she went to work for UFCW Local 1428 in 1994 and helped workers find their voice on the job. Starting in the benefits department and ultimately becoming the first woman president of that local. From 2004-2014 while serving as president she was also the first woman president of the California Labor Federation representing over 2.1 million workers though out California. Leyva lives in Chino with her husband Al where they raised their twin daughters who are grown and have their own families.

Is Owner, Partner, and General Counsel for the law firm of Collins + Collins, with over 80 attorneys and 6 offices in California and Nevada, and has been practicing law for over 30 years. Has consistently been rated as Preeminent by both Judges and his Peers by Martindale-Hubbell, listed as a Top Lawyer by the California Bar Journal and the Pasadena Magazine, as well as, ranked as a SuperLawyer following a statewide nomination process by his Peers.

Mr. Stellwagen focuses his practice on the representation of professionals: design, construction, real estate and legal professionals, including architects, engineers, general contractors, trade contractors, suppliers, developers, real estate and insurance brokers and agents and attorneys. Robert has represented clients in hundreds of cases throughout his career resolved by settlements, arbitrations, private trials and reference proceedings, mediations, and both jury and nonjury trials involving professional liability, business tort, commercial, financial, contract, construction, defamation, liability and casualty insurance, intellectual property including patents, trademarks and trade secrets, personal injury, personal property security, products liability, real estate, real property security, and title insurance issues. He is also highly regarded for his ability to negotiate creative settlements of complex multi-party disputes.

Has also served on the Judicial Election Evaluation Committee for the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Board of the Southern California Defense Counsel, and is a member of the Lawyer’s Professional Liability Consortium.

Attorney at Law

Ed Hill has been involved with CCRC since 2003 and is currently CCRC’s Chair Emeritus. He is the president of Geotechnologies, Inc. which has consulted on more than 21,000 projects. Mr Hill oversees marketing, client development, coordination and performance of field exploration, laboratory testing and preparation of formal geotechnical reports. He is a geotechnical engineer, engineering geologist, and practicing attorney. Ed has more than 35 years of experience serving the Greater Los Angeles area in seismic, soils and foundation engineering projects. Ed is an Eagle Scout, a former president of the California Geotechnical Engineers Association (CalGeo) and is Chair of the Board of Ume Credit Union. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a BS degree in geology, and earned his law degree at Glendale University College of Law. He is married and has two daughters.

Certified Public Accountant

Rita García is a Manager at Meloni Hribal Tratner LLP. She oversees annual financial statement audits and reviews. She also handles tax planning and preparation for clients in various industries such as manufacturing, wholesale/distribution and high net worth individuals. Rita has been in public accounting for over seven years. Before that, she was with Accenture Consulting, where she worked on SAP implementation projects for Exxon Mobil and Colgate-Palmolive. Rita is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California and a member of the AICPA. She holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of the Phillipines and an MBA from CSUN. She lives in the San Fernando Valley with her husband and two sons.

Assistant Professor
Child Development Department

Alma Cortes is a full time faculty member in the Child Development Department at Pierce College, an adjunct faculty member at Los Angeles Valley College, a part-time faculty member at CSUN, and a lecturer at UCLA. Alma has worked in the field of early childhood as a classroom teacher, administrator and university professor for the last 16 years. Her education includes a B.A. in English and Spanish, a P-3 Teaching Certificate, a Masters degree in Early Childhood Education, and the Educational Leadership Program at UCLA.

Organizational Management Professional

Karen Wilson-Davis is an Organizational Management professional who partners with global entities, national institutions, state, city and local authorities, political leaders, corporate executives/management, business owners and community leadership to empower children and youth in communities that are underserved.  Her deepest passion is to empower youth to become our leaders of tomorrow by increasing their access to opportunities and reducing barriers to success.  In addition, Karen helped to raise corporate brand awareness and to expand their favorable public and personal recognition, relevance, and significance.

Karen’s professional experience includes senior-level management, strategic program management training development, human relations, program design and organizational development. Karen has been responsible for evaluating program outcomes to ensure benchmarks and program compliance is achieved.

After dedicating more than three decades to working in Organizational Management for businesses lead by their global renown to those who are only locally known, Karen is acutely sensitive to the pulse rhythms what deeply connects diverse levels and dynamics of industry to the heartbeat of those she is called to serve.  Karen is deeply rooted in the service-to-mankind as the whole belief: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

A vibrant community member, organizer, and servant, dedicated to caring for the needs of children in disenfranchised, underserved, and unprotected communities.  Karen continues to lead critical efforts to champion the missions of community-hearted organizations the likes of the YMCA, Multicultural Motion Picture Association, Mojave Assembly of GOD, Toys for Tots and Penny Lane Centers.  Karen is committed to cultivating, nourishing, and enriching the soils of community needed for the healthiest of relationships to root, grow, blossom and flourish.  This to uproot, unearth and supplant elements that are adversarial to the deepest, healthiest, and richest in diverse race relationships.   Relationships between organizations and the whole of humanity they are missioned to serve.

Karen holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Management from The Master’s College.

Born and raised in Southern California, LaQuenta Martin is a certified Educator, Motivator, and Mompreneur on a mission to help leaders plan their future, prepare to flourish and progress forward toward what’s next in their personal or professional life. Through her comedic positive personality and coaching programs she uses training and education to build a bridge from distressed & tired -to- driven & thriving. LaQuenta is the Executive Director for the premier Learning and Leadership Consulting Company, The P3 Life™ .

With a combined 15 years of educational and organizational management experience, LaQuenta is using the next stage of her business career dedicated to leadership improvement, advancement and strategic development coaching. She serves as AV Virtual Academy School Advisory Chairwoman and Committee Board Member for Lancaster Chamber of Commerce. She has grown from Teaching and Administrative roles at four Regionally Accredited Universities, three School Districts, and two Multi-million dollar Financial Firms to make one spectacular career defined by a passion to help leaders rise, define and align with their purpose in life. 

With 15 years of designing and implementing fundraising campaigns, Adam Simeon Pilder is an experienced fund development professional. His passion for fundraising has led him to work on campaigns from $400,000 to $17 million annually, including clients like the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles. Adam’s passion for fundraising and community service was cultivated through years of volunteering in community service projects and local youth groups at a young age.

CCRC is a home away from home for Jeriel Smith, who has been serving on CCRC’s Board of Director for a number of years. After more than 45 years as an attorney, Jeriel is now retired but continues his philanthropy, giving back to the public and nonprofit sectors. Jeriel is interested in meditation, wisdom teaching, literature, history and current affairs. He is married to the love of his life and has three children.