Board of Directors

Chair
R. Christine Hershey
Hershey l Cause

R. Christine Hershey is the founder and catalyst for Hershey|Cause, guiding its overall strategic and creative vision. Passionate about "Communications for Good," she consults regularly with CEOs and senior executives throughout the country, advising on positioning, identity and strategy. Her work in communications has helped shift debate on issues ranging from social justice, racial equality, health care, domestic abuse, and GLBT rights, to immigration reform. As an author and expert, Ms. Hershey's work has appeared in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, The New York Times and The Chronicle of Philanthropy. As a publisher of Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes and Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes, Ms. Hershey has helped educate the philanthropic sector regarding best practices. Her first book, the Communications Toolkit, published in 2005, has been distributed in all 50 states, 24 countries and across six continents. 

Vice Chair
Peter Lopez
Granite Investment Partners, LLC

Mr. Lopez joined Granite Investment Partners in 2011 where he is a Principal, Portfolio Manager and team member for the Large Cap Equity product. Granite is an investment advisor specializing in asset management for institutional clients and high net worth families. Prior to joining Granite in 2011, Mr. Lopez was the CEO, Director of Research, and a Principal and Portfolio Manager at Transamerica Investment Management, LLC, which he joined in 2003. While at TIM, he managed portfolios for Core plus Fixed income strategy and Large Cap equity. Prior to joining TIM, he was a managing director Centre Pacific LLC. He previously served as a senior fixed income analyst for Transamerica Investment Services from 1997-2000. Mr. Lopez also served as an assistant vice president at Alliance Capital and an associate at TIAA-CREF. Mr. Lopez has an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BA in Economics from Arizona State University.

Secretary
Ronny Bensimon
Dearden’s

Mr. Bensimon is the senior vice president, COO, and minority partner at Dearden’s, and has been with that company since 1974. In addition to serving on the board of directors of Para Los Niños, he has served on the boards of Dearden’s, the local chapter of the American Red Cross, Associate Volume Buyers, and the Western Home Furnishing Association. Mr. Bensimon also founded the Dearden’s Scholarship Program, which offers college scholarships to underprivileged high school seniors each year. Mr. Bensimon holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UCLA and an MBA from California State University, Long Beach. 

Cathy Hession

Cathy Hession is the President of The Carol and James Collins Foundation, a position she has held since 1998. She serves on the Board of Southern California Grantmakers, as well as on the Board of Advisors for The USC Center on Philanthropy & Public Policy. In addition to her foundation work, she is past Board Chair and 20-year board member at the Westside Family YMCA and 12-year board member at The Boys & Girls Club of Venice. She has been co-chair of the Advisory Board of Para Los Niños Charter School since 2009, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Marlborough School. Other involvements include the Guild of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles and the Sustainers of The Junior League of Los Angeles.

Mark Hickey
Capital International Research

Mark Hickey is an investment analyst and portfolio manager with Capital International Research, a Los Angeles based investment management company. He has research responsibilities for companies in the food, leisure, and housing industries. Mr. Hickey earned an MBA from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Chemical Engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara. 

Pedro J. Martí
Wells Fargo

Pedro J. Martí is a Senior Vice President and Wealth Advisor with Wells Fargo Private Bank. He provides comprehensive wealth management strategies for high net worth individuals, families and foundations. Part of the Wells Fargo family for many years, Mr. Martí previously served as an Analyst in Wells Fargo’s Corporate Development Division, as Chief of Staff to the company’s COO, and helped to develop and implement a professional training program for a new generation of securities and insurance licensed employees in the LA Metro Region of Wells Fargo. Mr. Martí holds a BBA from Emory Goizueta Business School, concentrating in Finance, Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, and Financial Services, and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Mr. Martí is a Board Member of Amanecer Community Counseling Services.

Andrei Muresianu

Andrei Muresianu is an Analyst at Capital World Investors, a division of Capital Group, a Los Angeles-based investment management company. His expertise is focused on investing in Cable, Telecom and Media. Prior to business school, Mr. Muresianu worked as an analyst covering restaurants and business services at SAC Capital in Stamford, Connecticut.

Mr. Muresianu has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Business Economics from Brown University. Mr. Muresianu has taught and tutored children in Boston and Los Angeles and worked as a teaching assistant in economics at Brown University.

 

Ed Nahmias

Ed Nahmias recently retired as a senior vice president and fixed-income analyst for Capital Research Company with responsibilities for municipal securities. He also was a portfolio counselor for several of the tax exempt bond funds offered by the American Funds. Prior to joining Capital in 1996, Nahmias was a vice president of fixed-income research with Prudential Mutual Funds Investment Management in Newark, N.J.

Nahmias is a trustee of Milken Community High School and Stephen S. Wise Temple, where is a member of the executive committee. He is a director of Center Theatre Group, the largest not for profit theatre company in the United States. CTG operates the Ahmanson, Mark Taper and Kirk Douglas theatres. He is currently the co-chair of CTG's education and community outreach committee and is a member of the executive committee. He also is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers, the New York State Bar Association, and the Society of Municipal Analysts. 

Mark Pan
Cotton On USA, Inc

Mark Pan is the head of the US division of Cotton On Group, a global fashion retailer founded in Geelong, Australia in 1991. Cotton On USA currently operates over 120 stores in 13 states with plans for continued growth. Mark is a veteran of the retail industry, having served many years with the Gap, Target and Macy's holding various positions including Regional Director, Vice President/General Manager and Merchandise Manager. His extensive experience with Corporate Foundations has led to the development and support of programs that focus on education, youth, families and the arts. Mark graduated from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a BS in Economics, with a concentration in Marketing.

Francisco Pinto
L.A. Lakers

Francisco Pinto is a Spanish television announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers.  He was previously one of the Anchors of Primera Edición for KMEX-TV, the nation’s number one Spanish-language television station. Prior to that, he was news and sports anchor for KUVS-TV, Univision 19, an affiliate of Univision in the Stockton, Modesto, and Sacramento area. During his journalism career at Univision 34, Mr. Pinto interviewed some of the most important sports figures and covered the most transcendental sporting events including the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup and the 2006 Germany World Cup. Among his most memorable interviews are those with Pele, who some consider to be the best soccer player in history, and former El Salvador President, Antonio Saca. A native of Chile, Mr. Pinto has degrees in Physical Education and Sports Medicine.

Jose Sarabia
Deloitte & Touche

Jose Sarabia is a senior manager in the Los Angeles office of Deloitte & Touche LLP. Mr. Sarabia is responsible for the delivery of assurance and attestation services to firm clients, specializing in the financial services industry. He is primarily involved with the supervision, training, and evaluation of client service professionals in the execution of financial statement audits. Mr. Sarabia graduated with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles, is an active Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and California Society of CPAs.

Glenn A. Sonnenberg
Latitude Management Real Estate Investors

Mr. Sonnenberg serves on the Board of Directors of Bet Tzedek—the House of Justice and of Stephen S. Wise Temple. He is a Governor’s appointee to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission, serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and as President of the USC Friends of the Libraries (producers of the annual Scripter Award). Glenn is co-chair of the annual USC Law School Forum on Real Estate Law and Business and serves on the Board of Councilors of the USC Law School and the College of Letters, Art and Sciences. Glenn was awarded the Bet Tzedek Founder’s Award in 2009 and a USC Alumni Award in 2006.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, B.A. 1977, History, magna cum laude, phi beta kappa, Mr. Sonnenberg also received his J.D. in 1980 from USC. Mr. Sonnenberg began his career as a real estate and finance partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Allen, Matkins, Leck, Gamble and Mallory. He coaches middle school debate.

Colleen Sweeney
Nestlé USA

Colleen Sweeney has been employed at Nestlë USA for 15 years and is currently the Director of Talent Acquisition Services. In this role, she is responsible for college recruitment, experienced hiring, succession planning and diversity. Ms. Sweeney and her Talent Acquisition Services team are responsible for attracting and retaining top talent at Nestlë USA. Since joining the company in 1992 as a College Recruitment Consultant, Ms. Sweeney has served in a variety of increasingly important functions throughout the human resources arena. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Arizona State University, and also completed the Human Resource certification program at University of California, Irvine. 

 

 

 

Fast Facts

 

Success Stories