Kathryn Kerfes Amira, Esq.<\/b><\/p>\n
KATHRYN KERFES AMIRA, Board Governance Co-Chair, is a member of Kelly Lytoon & Vann LLP, where she practices in the areas of business bankruptcy law and civil litigation. GGGGGGsenior
\ncounsel in the law firm of Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine & Regenstreif LLP. She
\nspecializes in all areas of bankruptcy law and is certified as a Business
\nBankruptcy Law Specialist by the American Bankruptcy Board of Certification.
\nKathryn serves on the Executive Committee of the Beverly Hills Bar Association
\nBankruptcy Section and on the Board of Advisors of Whittier Law School. Kathryn
\nwas a founding member of the Los Angeles Women Insolvency Professionals. Kathryn
\nis the former chair of the Bridging the Gap Committee of L.A. County Bar
\nAssociation. Prior to entering private practice, she served as the Assistant
\nDean of Whittier Law School.<\/p>\n
Michael V. Bales, Esq.<\/b><\/p>\n
MICHAEL V. BALES is one of the managing partners of
\nGreenberg Glusker Fields Claman Machtinger & Kinsella LLP. He maintains an
\nactive business law and finance practice generally representing entrepreneurs,
\nemerging companies, family businesses, and companies in the entertainment
\nindustry. Michael has represented a number of nonprofit trusts and corporations,
\nincluding The First School Scholarship Fund, a scholarship fund for preschoolers
\nat The First School and Pacific Resident Theatre.<\/p>\n
Gail Becker<\/b><\/p>\n
GAIL BECKER is executive vice president and general manager of Edelman Los Angeles. Gail joined Edelman after serving as vice president of publicity and communications at Warner Home Video, where she spearheaded the global public relations launch of the DVD format on behalf of Warner Bros. and Time Warner, leaders in development of the technology. Prior, she received a political appointment to serve as director of communications for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC. She also served as a member of the national press staff for Clinton and Gore during their \u201992 presidential campaign. She holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in political science from the University of California Los Angeles and a master\u2019s in journalism from Northwestern University.<\/p>\n
Meredith Blake, Esq.<\/b><\/p>\n
MEREDITH BLAKE, Founder and Executive Director of Break the
\nCycle, is a public interest attorney and an advocate working in the areas of
\ndomestic violence, teen dating violence, abuse prevention and family law.
\nMeredith held an appointment for three years as a Research Scholar at UCLA’s
\nCenter for the Study of Women and served on the State Bar Committee on
\nWomen in the Law. Meredith has received a number of public interest awards
\nincluding the Fay Stender Award from California Women Lawyers, the Nancy J.
\nMintie Public Interest Award, and the Jack Berman Award of Achievement presented
\nby the State Bar of California. In her role as Executive Director of Break the
\nCycle, Meredith has appeared in local and national press from the Los Angeles
\nTimes<\/i> and The Chronicle of Philanthropy<\/i> to National Public Radio and Glamour<\/i>
\nmagazine.<\/p>\n
A. Elizabeth Hahn Block, M.S.W<\/b><\/p>\n
LIZ BLOCK, a social worker and mother of two
\nyoung children, currently serves as the Director of the Hahn-Block Family
\nFoundation. The Hahn-Block Foundation includes among its endeavors a dedication
\nto improving the quality of education, with a focus on issues specific to
\nadolescence. Prior to the birth of her children, Liz had a private psychotherapy
\npractice in Westlake Village, California. Liz has also worked as a
\npsychotherapist at Family Service of Los Angeles and Cigna Health Services.
\nBefore coming to Los Angeles to earn a masters in Social Work from the University
\nof Southern California, Liz was the Assistant Director of Admissions at a private
\ncollege preparatory school in New York City.<\/p>\n
Gail Huang<\/b><\/p>\n
GAIL HUANG is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Morrison & Foerster LLP where she maintains an active corporate finance practice. She received her B.A. degree with a major in East Asian Studies in 1975 from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and a J.D.\/M.B.A. in 1991 from the UCLA School of Law and the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management. She is a long-standing member of the Asian Business League and the Southern California Chinese Lawyers\u2019 Association. Gail belongs to the City Club of Bunker Hill and serves on the Club\u2019s City Connections Committee, a businesswomen\u2019s networking group, and also serves on the Club\u2019s Member Relations Committee. In addition, she is a member and strong supporter of the Women of Los Angeles, a professional organization that focuses on the advocacy of issues of importance to women.<\/p>\n
Eleanor M. Johnson<\/b><\/p>\n
ELEANOR M. JOHNSON, Board Treasurer, is a tax partner in the
\npublic accounting firm of Gilderman, Johnson & Co. LLP, a firm she co-founded in
\n1996. Eleanor is an active member of the Century City Chamber of Commerce where
\nshe sits on the Board of Directors, is the Executive Vice President of the
\nExecutive Committee, has been on the Women’s Business Council Steering Committee
\nsince 1996 and served as that committee’s Chair during 1998. As a volunteer she
\nserves as an ad hoc Board member, chairs the steering committee of the Honorary
\nBoard, and devotes a substantial amount of her time in assisting Jay Nolan
\nCommunity Services Center, a non-profit agency that provides services to people
\nwith autism. Eleanor, originally from Boston, was first certified as a CPA in
\nMassachusetts in 1989 and became certified in California in 1997.<\/p>\n
Patricia A. Johnson<\/b><\/p>\n
PATRICIA A. JOHNSON is a Senior Vice President at the
\ninvestment firm of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. She has worked in the financial
\nservices industry since 1978 as both a Senior Manager and Investment Advisor.
\nShe holds a full range of professional licenses and believes that continuing
\neducation is essential to maintaining her financial acumen. As a former board
\nmember of the Los Angeles Women’s Foundation, Pat provided fundraising support as
\nwell as financial and strategic counsel to the organization. She was an active
\nvolunteer with LAWF for over seven years and on the board for three. She has
\nalso volunteered with various proactive animal rescue groups and believes in
\nbeing involved in her community.<\/p>\n
Marlise Karlin<\/b><\/p>\n
MARLISE KARLIN is the President\/Partner of WILD AT HEART FILMS,
\nLLC, a motion picture production company based in Los Angeles. Within a year of
\nlaunching the company, Marlise has studio features as well as independent and
\ncable films set up at Disney, Fox and Showtime. Marlise’s love of social
\ncontribution led her to work in the non-profit world for the SYDA Foundation as
\ntheir International Director. She produced live events in major cities worldwide
\nwhere she worked with celebrities, politicians and CEOs of major corporations.
\nMarlise is a member of The Next Generation Council of The Motion Picture and
\nTelevision Fund, Women in Film and is on the Advisory Board of Women of L.A.<\/p>\n
Elsie Pon<\/b><\/p>\n
ELSIE PON loves the food business and has been part of it since 1983.
\nShe was a partner operating an upscale Italian take-out, Pasticci, in San
\nFrancisco; and later as a frozen appetizer manufacturer in Los Angeles, with
\nChicken Wonton and Potstickers as the signature products. She introduced
\nPotstickers to the food service segment in California for their Banquet,
\nAppetizer & Room Service Menus. Since 1993, she introduced sushi to supermarkets
\nacross the nation, making it readily available to people across the country. In
\n2000, Elsie launched American Seltzer, with 8 flavors, in Beijing, China. She is
\ndedicated to marketing high quality, healthy food made under the strictest
\nproduction standards.<\/p>\n
John Shaeffer, Esq.<\/b><\/p>\n
JOHN SHAEFFER is the managing partner of O’Donnell &
\nShaeffer. John started his law practice at the antitrust boutique of Furth, Fahrner,
\n& Mason in San Francisco. After two years of practice, John moved to Los Angeles
\nand joined the New York firm of Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays, & Handler, LLP as
\nan associate in the litigation department. After five years of practice at Kaye,
\nScholer, in February 1996, John partnered with Pierce O’Donnell to form O’Donnell
\n& Shaeffer, LLP. He is a recognized expert in intellectual property law, and has
\nvast experience in the areas of antitrust, CERCLA, complex corporate and
\nsecurities litigation.<\/p>\n
Gene Straub<\/b><\/p>\n
GENE STRAUB is the Senior Vice President of Studio Operations at 20th Century Fox. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the 20th Century Fox lot, which includes construction, facilities management, insurance, purchasing, food services, real estate, government affairs, environmental operations and production support. All of these departments combined give Gene approximately 600 employees to oversee who are in turn responsible for keeping the studio running on a daily basis. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Finance and in 1993 attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, graduating 2nd in his class. He lives in Hancock Park with his wife, who is the Senior Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, their daughter Juliette and son Nicholas.<\/p>\n
Stasia E. Cato Washington<\/b><\/p>\n
STASIA E. CATO WASHINGOTN has served as the Vice President of
\nNorthern Trust Bank since October 1996. Stasia has many years of experience in
\nbank management and consumer compliance regulation through positions with the
\nFederal Reserves Bank of San Francisco, Sanwa Bank California and Security
\nPacific National Bank. Stasia currently serves on the Board of Directors of the
\nYWCA of Greater Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles Library Foundation, the
\nWest Angeles Community Development Corporation, and College Bound.<\/p>\n
Michael J. Yuda, C.P.A.<\/b><\/p>\n
MICHAEL YUDA is President of Michael J. Yuda, CPA, An
\nAccountancy Corporation (“MJY”). MJY is a full service CPA firm which has been
\nserving the Los Angeles and Ventura County areas since 1983. In addition to the
\nnormal CPA type services offered by MJY, Michael is a registered investment
\nadvisor and is heavily involved in providing various financial planning and money
\nmanagement services to his clients. Michael is the former Treasurer of the
\nVentura County Chapter of the National Kidney Foundation, and now serves as the
\npro bono accountant for Break the Cycle, as well as acting Vice Chair of the
\nBoard of Directors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"