Our Board

Catherine Bridge

Coming soon

Joanne E. Caruso

Joanne Caruso is Managing Partner for the Southern California offices of Howrey LLP, a global law firm focused on high-stakes, complex antitrust, litigation and intellectual property matters. She is also a member of the firm's Executive Committee and has held numerous leadership positions since joining the firm in 1986. In 2006 Joanne was named one of the top 100 attorneys in California by Daily Journal. She has a long-standing commitment to community service and pro bono work, and has served on numerous boards including that of Women Lawyer's Association of Los Angeles, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, and the Alumni Association of Boston College, where she received her B.A. and J.D. degrees.

Mike Catalano, Secretary

Mike Catalano is Senior Vice President and Branch Manager of international commercial real estate firm Studley’s West Los Angeles office. Having represented some of Southern California’s largest organizations in their commercial real estate dealings, he has earned a reputation as a superior tenant representative. Mike is frequently quoted in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Business Journal, and the Commercial Property News. He is also a requested speaker by industry groups to address commercial real estate trends and issues. Mike received his Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with an emphasis in business administration from the University of California at Los Angeles. Mike spends most of his free time with his wife and five children, including toddler-aged twins and an adopted child.

Carol Cheng-Mayer

Carol Cheng-Mayer is an independent consultant with a background in finance, fundraising and business development. Carol serves as US Business Manager for Chibi, LLC and provides strategic planning services to corporations including Streetscape Equities. Carol served as Director of Corporate Giving for LA-based nonprofit Chrysalis. Her extensive financial services experience includes serving as Vice President, Investment Management for Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. and in the Asia Finance Distribution division of Bankers Trust Company. Carol attended Barnard College and received her MBA from New York University.

Jennifer A. Laforcarde

Jennifer Laforcarde is Senior Vice President and Director of Human Resources for Cathay Bank, the oldest Chinese American bank in the country. Cathay Bank, with over $10 Billion in assets and more than 1000 employees, is located in 10 US cities with the largest Asian- American populations. Jennifer has enjoyed a successful 20-year career in the banking and finance industries, working for the likes of Bank One, Wells Fargo Bank and Finova Capital Corporation before joining Cathay Bank. Jennifer is a member of the Senior HR Executive Forum which provides high-level networking and professional education opportunities to HR executives in greater Los Angeles. She is proud of a recent accomplishment--having completed her first half marathon in January 2008, raising money for Leukemia and Lymphoma research.

David Mount

David Mount has been a dedicated supporter since 1998, earning him Break the Cycle's Empowerment Award in 2002. In 1993, after a prominent career in the music industry, David was appointed chair and CEO of Warner/Elektra/Atlantic, Inc. (WEA), a division of Time Warner with annual revenues of over $2 billion during his tenure. David is past chairman, and is currently on the executive committee, of the board of visitors of Pepperdine University's School of Business as well as chairman of CF Services, a division of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Sam Pryor, President

Sam Pryor is a partner at the law firm of Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George, LLP. He has extensive experience as a trial lawyer in entertainment, business, and employment litigation in state and federal courts. Sam represents celebrities, motion picture production and distribution companies, producers, directors, writers and others associated with the entertainment industry. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Committee on Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property, and an Adjunct Professor of Law at USC law school. He received his B.A. from Hamilton College and J.D. from Yale Law School.

Mary-Christine (M.C.) Sungaila

M.C. Sungaila is a partner in the law firm of Horvitz & Levy, California's oldest and largest civil appellate firm. In 2008, she was named one of the Top 50 Female Southern California Super Lawyers. Previously, she was named one of California’s top 75 women litigators by the Los Angeles Daily Journal and one of the top 25 lawyers in the Valley by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. Her appellate practice focuses on cases raising cutting-edge toxic tort issues. M.C. has also gained national prominence as a gender equality expert, serving as counsel of record in cases of interest to women before the U.S. Supreme Court and, most recently, before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. She writes and lectures extensively on appellate practice, women in the law, and gender equality issues. M.C. has served on the boards of Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Opera Pacific, and the Claremont Graduate University School of Arts and Humanities. She received her B.A. from Stanford University and J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Paul W. Vindigni, Treasurer

Paul Vindigni is a partner in the Los Angeles practice of Tatum, LLC, the nation’s largest and fastest-growing executive services firm. Paul has been with Tatum since 2005, serving as a consultant and holding senior management positions at various companies, providing them with financial and operational leadership and mentoring. Prior to joining Tatum, Paul served in CEO, CFO and COO positions at companies including: Vindigni & Associates, Avesco Media Group, Cybeq Nano Technologies and Sony-Materials Research Corporation. In addition to Break the Cycle, Paul is involved with the Santa Clarita Human Relations Forum, the ad-hoc Business Sub-Committee on Diversity for the Hart School District, and the Business Technology Incubator at the College of the Canyons.