SOCIETY, EVENTS & OTHER GOOD CAUSES
Villa Esperanza Services recently announced the election of five new members to the board of directors.
“Each of these leaders brings expertise and passion to Villa,” says AnnMarie Flaherty, Chairman of the Board.
“Villa continues to attract board members interested in supporting quality services for individuals with disabilities such as autism. In our school alone, 65% of the students have a diagnosis of autism and 85% of all the students we serve are non-verbal. The issue is of growing concern to our board. We welcome our new members and look forward to a year of great success and impact in the community.”
New board members include Kelly Adams, first vice president, corporate administration with East West Bank headquarters in Pasadena; Joe W. DeFur is the executive vice president of private client services with Wells Fargo Bank; LaVonne Lawson joins the Villa Board bringing her expertise as a tax attorney; Janet Pasker is the director of business customer division, commercial customers with Southern California Edison. Marlon Wade, chief information officer for the Madison Business Consulting Group and parent of a child in Villa’s school program.
Villa is proud to announce the establishment of the Inaugural Community Council for Excellence of Villa Esperanza Services. The council is an important part of Villa’s three-year strategic plan to continue the development of Villa as a Center of Excellence. “We are honored to have the following individuals serving on the committee to provide leadership and support of Villa and the population we serve,” states Dottie Nelson, CEO of Villa Esperanza Services.
Council Members include Andrea Belz, PhD, Belz Consulting, owner; Rob Berry, CPA with Good, Schwartz, Brown & Berns, LLP and partner; Mayor Bill Bogaard City of Pasadena; Claire Bogaard, Pasadena Heritage, founder; Jim Bruno with Bruno & Associates; Rich Byrd, executive vice president with Bank of the West; Yun Byrd, community volunteer; Chuck Carroll with Citizens Business Bank, vice president; Diane Carroll with Sparkletts Water, human resources; Ramon Cortines, Los Angeles Unified School District, senior deputy superintendent; Nancy Davis with Whittier Trust Company, vice president; Betty De Santis, R.N. with Vitas Innovative Hospice Care, admissions manager and City of Westlake Village, former mayor; Neelam Duggal with Teledyne; Paulette Geragos, community leader; Joe Gorman with Sheppard Mullin, partner; Jane Kaczmarek, Actress and community volunteer; Terri Kohl with Brighton Inc., founder; Aron Kuppermann with the California Institute of Technology, professor of chemical physics and Villa parent; Roza Kuppermann, Westridge School teacher, retired and Villa parent; Cynthia Kurtz, retired city manager, City of Pasadena; Jorge Lambrinos with the USC Roybal Institute for Applied Gerontology, director and Villa parent; Lynne Lovasco with Teledyne; Jim McDermott with McDermott Consulting, owner and former chairman of Villa’s board of directors; Sue McSweeney with the City of Westlake Village, councilwoman, former mayor; Chief William McSweeney with the Office of Homeland Security, LA County Sheriff Department; Tracy C. Nickl with BNY Mellon Wealth Management, managing director; Beth Raanan, community volunteer, architect; Uzzi Raanan, Esq. with Danning, Gill, Diamond & Kollitz, LLP; Ken Robbins with Crowell Weedon & Co., partner; Chris Vicino with the City of Pasadena, interim police chief; Colleen Williams with KNBC Channel 4, news anchor.
Villa Esperanza Services is a nonprofit organization offering a lifeline of services for individuals with disabilities and their families, making Villa unique.
Villa serves over a thousand individuals a year, ranging in age from 5 to 95 who may be challenged by Autism, Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Alzheimer’s or other developmental disabilities.
For more information please call (626) 449-2919 or visit them at www.VillaEsperanzaServices.org.