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Photos by Jon Didier Photography

 

Board Officers

 

Betsey L. Brewer – Board Chair

 

Betsey L. Brewer, CPCU, is Senior Vice President and Partner of The Rule Company, a regional insurance broker in Pasadena. Betsey was a member of the Board of Directors for the Angeles Girl Scout Council and has served the council as an Officer and Chair of Development and Property Committees. Most recently, she was the chair of the Council Realignment Committee Finance Sub-Committee.

 

Betsey is a member of the CPCU Society where she has served as the Los Angeles Chapter President and on the National Board of Governors and as the national President. Betsey currently is a Trustee of the CPCU-Loman Education Foundation. Betsey is a member of IBA West, an insurance trade association and currently serves as the chair of the Strategic Planning Committee.

 

Betsey has served on the boards of the American Institute for CPCU/Insurance Institute of America, IBA-West, the Volunteer Center of Los Angeles and the Foster Grandparents of Los Angeles Advisory Board. Betsey attended the University of Southern California and resides in Los Angeles with her husband Don.

 

Debbie Thorpe – 1st Vice Chair

 

Debbie Thorpe is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. Debbie served as a member of the Board of Directors, Nominating Committee, Chair of the Special Events Task Group and Chair of the Realignment Task Group for the Girl Scout Council of Greater Long Beach.

 

Her involvement in Girl Scouting includes immediate Past President of the Board of Directors, Co-chair of Fund Development, Member of Capital Campaign Task Group, Co-chair of Family Giving, Instructor of Trainers, and Member of Finance and Investment Committees.  Debbie was a Delegate to the 2005 and 2002 Girl Scout National Council Sessions.

 

She is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts. Her memberships include National Association of Realtors, California Association of Realtors, Graduate Real Estate Institute, Certified Residential Specialist, Senior Residential Specialist, Graduate E-Pro Professional, and Notary Public, Graduate Leadership Long Beach, Daughters of Scotia, and United Scottish Society.

 

John Odetto – 2nd Vice Chair

 

John Odetto has been a successful business banking professional serving the Southern California area for over 35 years. He has been an active community volunteer for most of his banking career and has served as a Director, President, or Chairman for numerous nonprofit organizations, including Girl Scouts – Spanish Trails Council (Director), Rotary International (President), American Red Cross (Chairman), Boy Scouts of America (Director), Hillcrest Retirement Communities (Director), Casa Colina Hospital Foundation (Director), LeRoy Haynes Children Centers Foundation (Director), and the Ontario – Pomona Retarded Citizens Association (Director), to name a few.

 

John graduated from the University of Southern California and has also earned post graduate degrees from the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management and the University of Virginia. John and is wife Bonnie live in Wrightwood.

 

Hailyn Chen – Secretary

 

Hailyn Chen is a litigator in Los Angeles for Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. She focuses on complex civil litigation, white collar criminal defense, and government investigations, representing corporations and nonprofit foundations in various sectors. Hailyn’s past and current clients include Warner Music Group, the Board of Trustees of the J. Paul Getty Foundation, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the outside directors of IndyMac Bank.

 

Hailyn joined the firm in 2005 after completing a clerkship for the Honorable A. Wallace Tashima of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She graduated second in her class at UCLA School of Law. Hailyn was also the recipient of the Lawrence Irell Prize for the highest academic standing after the first year of law school.

 

Before attending law school, Hailyn graduated from Yale University with a degree in sociology. At Yale, she was one of the first female coxswains to lead the Yale Varsity Men’s Crew.

 

Hailyn grew up in South Pasadena and was a member of Girl Scout Troop 68 for four years. She resides in South Pasadena with her family. She enjoys running, cooking, and coaching AYSO soccer.

 

Makoto Yamasaki – Chief Financial Officer (Volunteer)

 

Makoto Yamasaki first became a Girl Scout in support of his two daughters. He is mildly amused that he is, at this time, the only one of the three who is still a Girl Scout.

 

Makoto has been associated with Girl Scouts - Mt. Wilson Vista Council as a past member of the Board of Directors (including some years as the board treasurer) and most recently as a non-director member of the Finance Committee. He also served on the Council Realignment Committee Finance Sub-Committee.

 

He has an undergraduate degree from Princeton University, where his youngest daughter Amanda is now enrolled as a second-year student, and a law degree from University of California, Berkeley. He is currently a member of the law department of Hilton Hotels Corporation. For entertainment, he likes to spend time on two-wheeled vehicles, both of the human powered and motorized variety.

 

Directors at Large

 

Melanie Batiste – Director at Large

 

 

Melanie Batiste is the Support Manager for Toyota Motor Sales, USA where she manages the financial services for Toyota Operations, SCION and TCS organizations. In her post, Melanie is responsible for financial analysis and forecast reporting and works to deliver comprehensive financial and decision support services. Melanie takes pride in being an effective team building, while providing strategic leadership.

 

Along with her financial management posts with Toyota, Melanie formerly served as Lt. Colonel in the Air National Guard. She received her master’s degree in Business Administration from UCLA and her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Oregon. Melanie is also a Certified Public Accountant. 

 

Melanie, who serves on the Toyota Federal Credit Union Board of Directs and holds the post of Director of the Asset Liability Committee, enjoys golfing, fitness training, cooking, and spending time with her pets.

 

Lilian P. Coral – Director at Large and Board Development Committee Member

 

Lilian P. Coral is currently the Policy Manager for the L.A. County Children’s Planning Council (CPC), a countywide public/private collaborative dedicated to improving the lives of children and families by building stronger and more effective systems that serve families and children, building linkages between government and community, and improving planning efforts.

 

Prior to joining the CPC, Lilian was a Policy Associate for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 721, which represents county and city employees across Southern California. While at SEIU Local 721, she was responsible for monitoring policy developments of County Board of Supervisors and public agencies and advocating the union’s position.

 

Lilian is a 2008 Fellow of Leadership L.A., a program of the L.A. Chamber of Commerce’s Southern California Leadership Network. She holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles and is a native of Colombia.

 

Felicia K. Gorcyca – Director at Large

 

Felicia K. Gorcyca is a Senior Associate at Spencer Stuart, a leading executive search consulting firm. Among many other responsibilities, she completes executive search assignments for health systems, major academic medical centers, community and faith-based hospitals, medical groups and other related healthcare delivery organizations.

 

Before Felicia received her Master of Public Health from UCLA, she attended Pepperdine University’s Seaver College where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Business.

 

Felicia currently serves on the UCLA School of Public Health Professional Advisory Council and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Medical Group Management Association and Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.

 

Linda Griffey – Director at Large

 

 

Linda Griffey is a Partner at the Los Angeles office of O’Melveny & Myers LLP and Co-Chair of the firm’s Executive Compensation/Employee Benefits Practice.

 

Linda is a former president and current member of the Organization of Women Executives, the Los Angeles County Bar Association Employee Benefits Committee and the Los Angeles Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Conference. She is a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel and a Member of the American Law Institute and the Employee Benefits Committee of the Taxation Section of the American Bar Association.

 

Linda is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pasadena Playhouse and serves as its Secretary and a member of the Audit Committee. She received a Juris Doctor degree from Duke University and a bachelor’s of sciences degree in Pharmacy from the University of Iowa. Linda and her husband Jay live in San Marino.

 

Denise Hsu – Director At Large

 

Denise Hsu is a results-oriented professional with a unique blend of business development, strategic planning and operations experience. She currently works at Warner Bros. as the Director of Planning and Analysis, responsible for consolidating the company’s 20+ division results and four primary product lines. In this position, she serves as a liaison to Time Warner on monthly forecasts, quarterly close and annual budgets and manages the theatrical product line. She holds an MBA from Wharton School and possesses extensive experience and knowledge in the media and entertainment industry.

 

Her previous entertainment experience includes positions of Vice President, Business Development for Lotus Entertainment, Vice President of Business Development for Technicolor and Director of Business Planning and Development at Universal Studios.

 

Christine Jha – Director at Large

 

 

Christine Jha is a tax partner with Ernst & Young LLP, and her client base consists of alternative investment managers.  She is also the current treasurer of Association of Women in Alternative Investing,a San Francisco-based women’s industry group.  

 

Christine graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Economics from Bellarmine University.  She is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

 

 

Chet A. Kronenberg – Director at Large

 

Chet A. Kronenberg is a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in the Litigation Department. He was elected to the firm’s membership in 2001.

 

He has represented financial institutions and other clients in a wide range of high-­profile complex commercial litigation matters, including securities, corporate control and consumer actions. He also has substantial experience in litigation arising out of corporate acquisitions and related transactions. Chet has been actively defending clients in consumer class action lawsuits. He has represented The Blackstone Group, Citibank, GenSpring Family Offices, JPMorgan Chase, Lion Capital, Natixis Caspian, Rosemont Solebury, SAC Private Capital, Sankaty Advisors and ZelnickMedia, among many others. 

 

Before earning his Juris Doctorate from the New York University School of Law, Chet graduated summa cum laude and earned his B.A. from Tufts University.

 

Elsa Macias, Ph.D. – Director at Large 

 

Elsa Macias earned her Ph.D. in Public Administration from Arizona State University, School of Public Affairs. Elsa consults on projects related to education, science education and technology policy. She has an extensive background in K-16 education and her focus is on increasing excellence and equity in education through better accountability.

 

Elsa has spoken extensively on both educational accountability and information technology issues at national conferences, and has briefed elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She is a member of the Social Science Advisory Board of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT).

 

Elsa was a member of the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts—Spanish Trails Council for 6 years and was awarded GSGLA’s Visionary Award in 2009. Her volunteer experience also includes speaking at K-12 schools encouraging high school girls to attend college and consider a career in science and technology fields. She has served as a motivational speaker and mentor to graduate and undergraduate students.

 

Wendy Marlett – Director at Large and Board Development Committee Member

 

Wendy Marlett is the Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Standard Pacific Corp. Wendy leads all of the Company's sales, marketing and communications functions across its U.S. operations.

 

Wendy previously served as Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Communications for Los Angeles-based KB Home. During her 15-year career at KB Home, Wendy was credited with establishing and maintaining one of the most recognized brands in homebuilding and orchestrated and led a number of high-profile and industry-first partnerships with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Disney and others.

 

Earlier in her career, Wendy held key marketing and public relations positions in the aerospace and health care industries. Wendy is a Los Angeles native and received her bachelor’s of arts degree in Journalism from California State University, Long Beach. She currently serves on the Board of the American Red Cross of Los Angeles.

 

Gina McLeod – Director at Large

 

 

Gina McLeod is a Principal with Deloitte Tax in Los Angeles with 14 years of experience in public accounting and tax law.  She serves both public and private media & entertainment, technology and consumer business clients. 

 

Gina is a key member of the Pacific Southwest Clients and Markets team and works closely with the PSW Tax Deputy Managing Partner of Clients and Markets to identify and pursue white space and cross-functional marketplace opportunities.

 

Gina co-leads the Women’s Initiative for the Pacific Southwest region, and is the Tax regional WIN leader.  She is a member of WIN16, the former partner sponsor/dean for WIMAC, and the associate dean for the Ellen Gabriel Fellows program.  She is a member of the Tax National Innovation Council and chairs the United Way of Greater Los Angeles Emerging Leaders Council. 

 

Gina has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California San Diego, a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, and an LLM in Tax from Golden Gate University School of Law.  She is a licensed attorney in the state of California, has two children, aged 7 and 5 and her daughter Katie is a Brownie and a successful Girl Scout cookie entrepreneur. Gina was a Girl Scout and earned her Silver Award.  She is proud to say she still has her Girl Scout sash.  

 

Michael B. Mulcahy – Director at Large

 

 

Michael B. Mulcahy is Senior Vice President and Regional Manager of Citizens Business Bank and is responsible for all of the bank’s business financial centers from the San Gabriel Valley down through the South Bay. 

 

Mike’s professional career incorporates over twenty-five years of commercial banking, private equity and investment banking experience which includes Senior Leadership Positions with Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo Bank and Security Pacific Bank. 

 

Mike received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and attended the Graduate School of Credit and Financial Management at Stanford University.   Mike and his wife Renee have two daughters and live in Manhattan Beach.   Mike is interested in furthering the mission of Girl Scouting.  

 

Janis Penton – Director at Large

 

 

Janis Penton is Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel for Union Bank supporting the institutional services and trust groups. She has been a public finance attorney for more than 25 years in private practice and in-house with financial institutions.

 

Janis is a member of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section and has chaired various subcommittees, task forces and working groups. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Loyola Law School and USC and is a frequent speaker at bar association meetings. She received her undergraduate degree from UCLA and her MBA and JD degrees from USC where she was a member of the law review.  Following law school, she clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

 

She grew up in the San Fernando Valley and was a Girl Scout through junior high school. She and her husband Wayne Kartin, a management consultant, currently live in Studio City with their daughter.

 

Leanne J. Rodgers – Director at Large

 

 

Leanne Rodgers is a Vice President and Associate General Counsel with Parsons Corporation, where she manages all labor, employment, and benefits claims for the global engineering, design, construction, and project management firm. 

 

Leanne has over twenty years of litigation experience, including senior positions with Hilton Hotels Corporation and Fairbank & Vincent, and as an instructor at the UCLA School of Law. She is a member of the California State Bar and has been admitted to practice before the California Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Central and Southern Districts of California and the District of Arizona.

 

Leanne graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and received her Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from the Loyola Law School.

 

There are three generations of Girl Scouts in Leanne’s family. Starting in Wisconsin, Leanne’s mother was a Brownie and stayed active in Girl Scouts all the way through high school. Later, she became a Girl Scout troop leader. Leanne and her two sisters were also Girl Scouts. Leanne carried on the family tradition here in California where she became her daughter’s Girl Scout troop leader. The Burbank Service Unit recognized Leanne in 2004 with the Leader of the Year Award. 

 

Margaret Rosenthal – Director at Large

 

 

Margaret Rosenthal is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Baker Hostetler, a national law firm with offices coast-to-coast. She practices in the areas of employment law and commercial litigation.

 

Margaret represents employers in litigation of wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination and OSHA issues, and in class action litigation of wage- and hour- and related issues. Her practice also includes counseling and litigation of disputes involving protection of trade secrets, unfair competition and unfair business practices. Additionally, she provides training, investigates complaints, and counsels employers in all aspects of personnel matters, including wage issues, harassment complaints, company-wide layoffs and terminations, development of employee handbooks and policy and procedure manuals.

 

In addition to her career as an attorney, Margaret has served as a mediator for the District of Columbia Mediation Service from 1983 to 1986 and she was a reporter for the New York Daily News from 1974 to 1976.

 

Don Ryan – Director at Large

 

Don Ryan has been an independent insurance agent for Farmers Insurance for over 22 years, servicing Palmdale and the Antelope Valley where he lives and has raised his three children.

 

Don continues to take an active interest in his community and has been elected President of the Antelope Valley Sunrise Rotary Club several times. He is currently serving his second year as Sergeant at Arms for District 5260 of Rotary International. He has been President of the Palmdale Chamber of Commerce and is currently Vice President of Community Affairs. He was elected to the Quartz Hill Town Council, where he was Secretary and then President.

 

Don has also served as President of the Optimist Club. Don has chaired events throughout the community, including the Palmdale Christmas Parade, Apollo Park Youth and Adult Fishing Derby, and Rotary Bingo at the Antelope Valley Fair. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts – Joshua Tree Council.

 

Jonathan E. Williams, Jr. – Director at Large

 

Jonathan E. Williams is a native of Pasadena. He received his education in Pasadena, graduated from Pasadena City College and received his bachelor’s of arts degree from California State University, Los Angeles.

 

Jonathan worked for the County of Los Angeles for 38 years. His career included five years as a Social Worker, 22 years in the Department of Health Services in Finance and Information Systems, and he concluded his county service as Chief Deputy to the County of Los Angeles’ Chief Information Officer.

 

Jonathan serves as member of the Board for St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Pasadena. He is an active supporter of youth-focused organizations. He was active with East Altadena Little League and with AYSO Region 13, as referee, coach and volunteer. He resides in Altadena with his wife Deborah.

 

Board Development Committee

 

Phyllis Currie – Board Development Committee Member

 

Phyllis Currie joined Pasadena Water and Power as General Manager in April 2001, following a 30-year career with the City of Los Angeles where she most recently held the position of Chief Financial Officer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

 

Phyllis is on the boards of several professional organizations in addition to having served on the board of Angeles Girl Scout Council where she was Treasurer and Chair of the Nominating Committee. She was also a member of the Council Realignment Committee and chaired the CEO Search Committee for Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles. Other community affiliations include Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women in Los Angeles; UCLA Black Alumni Association; and Delta Sigma Theta, a public service sorority.

 

Phyllis earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UCLA and a master’s degree in Business Administration from UCLA’s Anderson School of Business. She and her daughter reside in Ladera Heights, an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County.

 

Peggy Edwards – Board Development Committee Member

 

Peggy Edwards is the principal of Ellis/Edwards, specializing in strategic planning, organization development, community and employee engagement, board training and development, and leadership development. Peggy has worked with a wide variety of private sector organizations, both nationally and internationally. Her government and nonprofit work is broad-based, with specific experience in juvenile justice, children’s services, population-based healthcare, and emergency management planning.

 

Currently, Peggy serves as the part-time Executive Director of United Homeless Healthcare Partners, a network of providers and advocates in Los Angeles County focused on policy development and service delivery improvement.

 

Peggy’s community activities include Regional Director of Zonta International, Treasurer of the Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers, Board Member for Child & Family Center and College of the Canyons Foundation, and Mediator for Voluntary Mediation Services. She received the Purdue University Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Community Service in 2005. Peggy also received the Girl Scout First Class Award.

 

Cynthia Rodarte Tenn – Board Development Committee Member

 

Cynthia  Rodarte Tenn is the immediate past Board Chair for Girl Scouts of the San Fernando Valley.  She is a 28-year member of Girl Scouts since starting as the leader of her daughter’s mini-scout troop.

 

She is most proud of her daughter earning the Gold Award, her eight years as Board Chair for the San Fernando Valley Council, and her efforts leading to an increase of Latinos in Girl Scouting.

 

As a bilingual elementary educator for LAUSD, teaching English Language Development in North Hollywood, she is aware of the benefits of Girl Scouting on her students and champions programs in at-risk areas.

 

Cindy has extensive experience working on the Girl Scout board and also on the Nominating Committee.  She served on the President’s Advisory Team for the council, the Council Realignment Committee (CRC) and as chair of the CRC Governance Sub-Committee. She recently attended the Girl Scout National Council Session in Indianapolis as the culmination of her efforts on the CRC.