Community Advisory Board

Doris Bittar is an international visual artist, writer, educator and civil rights organizer. Bittar immigrated as a child from Lebanon to New York. She has lived in San Diego for 34 years. Bittar began on the East Coast as a union organizer. Her experience with labor, peace and civil rights organizing has helped to forge community alliances. She is the current chapter president of the San Diego American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and ADC’s Southern California regional coordinator. Bittar received an MFA from the University of California San Diego and a BFA from the State University of New York.

Robert Lee Brown, Ph.D., is an adjunct faculty member in San Diego State University’s Graduate Homeland Security Program. His extensive global research efforts involve the impact of interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence, equity-diversity-inclusion operational auditing and regulatory compliance competencies on executive leadership relationship building for Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. military, law enforcement, elected officials, universities, media, professional sports and school districts. Dr. Brown also examines individual best practices for mediating, cultivating and improving community-based, cross-cultural and cross-generational understanding. He offers services that enhance human resources and risk management operations; law enforcement oversight, collaboration and reform; and transformative justice leadership.

Gloria Corral is president and CEO of Parent Institute for Quality Education, a social justice and educational equity organization that started in San Diego 32 years ago serving low-income and immigrant families and now serves more than 18,000 families across California and in 13 states. She has 20 years of experience in education focused on access to quality educational opportunities for children and their families. Her experience covers early learning through higher education at the U.S. Department of Education, Congress and statewide policy and advocacy organizations. Raised in San Ysidro, Corral has strong ties to the region’s binational and multi-cultural communities.

Azadeh Davari, Ph.D., is a certified executive leadership coach with more than 10 years experience designing and delivering personal and organizational leadership development programs with a deep, reflective approach to raise consciousness. She is an award-winning trainer with a record of founding and facilitating hundreds of local and international leadership capacity-building workshops for professionals in human resources, science, technology, engineering, startups, education and healthcare, in organizations such as UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO, as well as multinational corporations and universities. Dr. Davari is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology and serves as faculty and coach at RISE San Diego Urban Leadership Program.

JoAnn Fields is an active and engaged advocate providing a voice for Filipinos and other communities of color in San Diego’s South Bay. She is founder of the Lumpia Club Luncheon, a Filipino-American professionals network that meets monthly to raise their community concerns with local decision makers and leaders. The Filipino COVID-19 Task Force evolved from the luncheon to serve as a clearinghouse of information for a variety of sectors in the community, advocating for disaggregated data and additional testing sites. She credits her family as her motivation.

Jordan Jerome Harrison is vice president for community impact and partnerships at Reality Changers, where he has been serving first-generation students and families since 2013. He builds cross-sector partnerships that address our community’s most pressing issues. Harrison lives a mission-driven life focused on radical imagination and eradicating inequalities within our society. He holds a bachelor of science degree from San Diego State University and a master’s in education from Harvard University.

Divya Kakaiya, Ph.D., the owner of Healthy Within, is an integrative psychologist and neuroscientist whose specialty is brain training through neurofeedback. Her forte is using nonpharmacological approaches to treating brain conditions. A South Asian who was born and raised in Kenya, she has called San Diego home for 42 years. Her passion for human rights and community service are the core foundation of her lived values. Kakaiya is on the board of San Diego Rotary, Crime Stoppers and San Diego Girl Scouts. As an actionist and connector, she helps engage communities toward inclusion and equity.

Michael Kurima is a fourth-generation Japanese American who has served as the president of the board of directors of the San Diego Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) since 2014. As a management consultant, he specializes in helping healthcare companies with commercial strategy and commercial organizational design. Kurima is a husband and father of two children in the Carlsbad school district. He was born and raised in Texas and lived for 10 years in Japan and six years in Germany. He has a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and a master’s degree in business administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Rajshree (“Raj”) Mudaliar has been an educator for over 25 years, with a passion for teaching math and science. She founded House of India, a nonprofit in Balboa Park dedicated to showcasing India’s rich cultural heritage. Mudaliar has also served as a board member and advisor to numerous Indian organizations in San Diego. In her spare time, she loves cooking and shares recipes on her YouTube channel “From My Indian Kitchen to Yours.” In addition to her California multiple-subject teaching credential, Mudaliar holds a M.A. in Economics from the University of Madras and a M.S. in Industrial Management from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

Kelcie Parra has spent 17 years in the nonprofit sector providing programmatic, philanthropic and strategic leadership. She currently serves as executive director of Crisis House, a nonprofit that provides services to break the cycle of domestic violence, child abuse and homelessness and connect families, children and individuals to crucial resources that empower them to renew their lives. Prior to that, Parra served in leadership roles at various nonprofits including San Diego Pride, Arc of San Diego and Special Olympics. Parra’s passion is serving the community and providing a voice and resources for historically marginalized communities.

Stanley Ralph Rodriguez, Ed.D., is from the Santa Ysabel Band of the Iipay Nation. He is a tribal councilman for the Iipay Nation; director of Kumeyaay Community College, which offers an accredited associates of arts program in California; a member of Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; and a U.S. Navy Desert Storm Veteran. Rodriguez teaches at Kumeyaay Community College, Cuyamaca Community College, and is an adjunct faculty member at California State University San Marcos. Dedicated to educating indigenous communities about Kumeyaay history, culture, and language revitalization, Dr. Rodriguez is a mentor to Native students of all ages and is an advocate for cultural preservation.

Dana Toppel is the chief operating oOfficer at Jewish Family Service of San Diego, where she provides overall leadership for the impact-driven, multi-service organization with the bold vision of building a stronger, healthier, more resilient and equitable San Diego. Toppel has more than two decades of experience serving in the nonprofit sector. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in social work and business administration from San Diego State University. She is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of California.

Beatrice Zamora is a native San Diegan involved in advocacy, social justice and education. She promotes cultural arts and social justice for several under-served communities in San Diego. In 2015, Zamora retired from a distinguished career in the California Community Colleges where she held positions as faculty and college dean. She keeps active teaching and preserving indigenous dance and traditions of Mexico and serves on several community boards including, The Mexicayotl Indio Cultural Center, The SD and Imperial Valley ACLU, The Chicano Park Steering Committee, The Community Advisory Council of the Centro Cultural de la Raza, The Kanap Kuahan Coalition and The Kumeyaay & Original Peoples Alliance.

Michael Brunker retired from the YMCA of San Diego County in January 2021 and is now the principal at MichaelBrunker.net. Brunker served as the executive director of San Diego’s “inner-city” Jackie Robinson Family YMCA for 22 years, then was promoted to vice-president for mission advancement to help the Y better serve all communities throughout San Diego County. Before the Y, he founded and served as the executive director of the San Diego Regional Police Athletic League (now StarPal). Originally from Detroit, Brunker came to San Diego in 1980 to coach basketball at San Diego State after a six-year stint as an assistant coach to ESPN’s Dick Vitale at the University of Detroit and the Detroit Pistons. Brunker is president-elect (2023-24) of the San Diego Rotary Club and was named Mr. San Diego in 2019.

Rabbi Laurie Coskey has spent three decades building collaborative, community coalitions who work to improve the lives and the future possibilities of San Diego County residents. She enthusiastically promotes workforce development and education equity as the executive director of San Diego Continuing Education Foundation. As a social justice activist, Rabbi Coskey advocates for worker’s, immigrant’s, women’s and LGBTQ rights. Rabbi Coskey completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University. A trailblazer among women in the clergy, she was ordained as a rabbi at Hebrew Union College. She earned her doctorate in leadership studies at the University of San Diego.

Alicia DeLeon-Torres is grants manager at Survivors of Torture, International. She is the former youth and elder adult services division manager for the Union of Pan Asian Communities and is involved with the Filipino American Historical Society-San Diego and The Filipino Film Foundation.

Jan Goldsmith is an attorney and mediator. He began his career practicing law as an associate and rising to firm partner. He held elected offices as Poway mayor, California state legislator and San Diego city attorney. He served 10 years as Superior Court judge and taught night classes at three law schools. His awards include “Lifetime Achievement” from the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, “Person of the Year” from The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board and “True Friend of Children” from Los Angeles County. He is a regular contributor to the Union-Tribune’s “Someone San Diego Should Know” weekly column and has won an Excellence in Journalism Award from the San Diego Press Club for his articles.

Ann L. Hill is an attorney, a consultant for nonprofit organizations and philanthropists, and a community volunteer. Her clients include the National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC), which provides conflict management strategies and communication skills trainings that transform cultures. As a native San Diegan, she has an ongoing interest in the history and progress of our region, and has served on the UC San Diego Chancellor’s Advisory Board, the San Diego History Center board, the SD250 Committee, the Serra Museum Committee, and the Board of Trustees for the University of Southern California.

Clovis Honoré was born and raised amidst the social turbulence of the 1960s and the cultural renaissance of the 1970s in South Central Los Angeles. He entered San Diego State University in 1978 and through his community work Clovis has advocated for social justice serving on boards and in organizations including UAAMAC, San Diego Area Congregations for Change, Alliance for African Assistance and San Diego Black Health Associates. Clovis is chair of the Social Justice Board at Christian Fellowship Congregational Church and is past president of the San Diego Branch of the NAACP. Clovis works for GRID Alternatives.

Roxanne Kymaani, Ph.D., is a system leader in residence for the National Equity Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to transform the experiences, outcomes and life options for underserved children and families. Kymaani is the founder of Kymaani Catalyst Consulting, which is dedicated to helping individuals, communities and organizations create a more just and equitable society. Kymaani is also an adjunct professor of cultural sustainability at Goucher College in Maryland. She received a doctorate of philosophy in leadership studies from the University of San Diego, a master’s degree in organizational leadership from National University and a bachelor’s degree in history from UC San Diego.

Fernando Z. López previously served as the executive director for San Diego Pride. López moved to San Diego as a homeless youth and has since become a prominent LGBTQ community leader through their work with organizations such as Equality California and Marriage Equality USA, advocating for LGBTQ rights. In their tenure at San Diego Pride, López expanded the organization’s LGBTQ year-round education and advocacy programs, voter outreach and international relations and worked with local, state and federal government agencies to increase LGBTQ competency and compassion. López’s 20 years of LGBTQ advocacy, nonprofit management and community organizing have made them a powerful champion for the LGBTQ community and our region.

Nancy Maldonado is a senior executive and change agent with demonstrated success in cultivating high-performing teams, establishing community partnerships and transforming culture. She serves as chief diversity and inclusion officer at Rady Children’s Hospital where she provides institutional vision, thought leadership and strategic direction within the executive leadership and hospital operations teams. Maldanado also drives mission-centered strategy and programming to support diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the health system. She has been recognized as one of San Diego’s Inspirational Women by San Diego Magazine, and Business Woman of the Year by the San Diego Business Journal, along with numerous other awards and accolades.

Ana Melgoza is vice president of external affairs for San Ysidro Health and is committed to its mission of improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves. She is a graduate of the National Urban Fellows Program, with a master’s degree in public administration from the Baruch School of Public Affairs. Melgoza is an alumna of the Hispanas Organized for Political Equality Leadership Institute and LEAD San Diego; an advisory member for the National Council on Aging – Equity in Aging Collaborative; commissioner and inaugural chair for the Healthy Chula Vista Advisory Commission; District 1 representative for the San Diego County Health Services Advisory Board; and board member for Circulate San Diego.

Bob Morris lives in San Diego and Tijuana and has worked for 25 years in the nonprofit sector on both sides of the border with Mexico. Bob has been involved with many civic organizations and has served on the boards of directors of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, Tijuana Innovadora, the Polinsky Center for Children and the City of San Diego’s International Affairs Board. Bob attended the University of Southern California and is the past president of the Bishop’s School Alumni Association. Bob is a father and grandfather with a passion for helping the underserved, particularly foster youth. He is currently a development officer with the Promises2Kids Foundation.

Cheryl Morrow, a native San Diegan, is CEO of California Curl Beauty and editor of San Diego Monitor News, a publication started by her father, Willie Morrow. She transformed the Monitor from a print product to one of the first digital African American newspapers in California.

Edward Orendain is a San Diego resident who lives in the South Bay. A Southern California native, he grew up in San Ysidro after living in Tijuana, Mexico, until age 6. He is a graduate of San Diego State University and earned his law degree from the University of San Diego. Orendain has been an attorney for almost 20 years and practices immigration law from his offices in Chula Vista. He is president of the board of directors for Border Angels.