Board of Trustees

Annmarie is an art teacher at Westside Neighborhood School for grades DK - four.  She received her B.A. in Human Development with an Emphasis in Art Education from Pacific Oaks College.  She has dedicated a total of thirteen years as the P.T.A. Hands-on Art Coordinator at Juan Cabrillo and Peter Burnett Elementary Schools in the Wiseburn School District. She was also an active member of PAVE during Vistamar’s first four years, and she recently served on our Head Search Committee. Annmarie's daughter, Alyssa, graduated from Vistamar in 2009 and is now a sophomore at Princeton.

Mr. Drew holds the Joseph B. Platt Chair at the Claremont Graduate University, where he teaches statistical analysis.    His principal appointment is in Education.  He also has cross-appointments in Management, Psychology, and Mathematics.  For ten years Mr. Drew served as dean of the School of Educational Studies.  Prior to joining the CGU faculty, he held senior research positions at the Rand Corporation, the National Research Council, and the American Council on Education.  Earlier he held a research faculty position at Harvard University, from which he received his PhD, and served as head applications programmer at the Harvard Computing Center.

He is the author of more than 150 publications, including 9 books, about a) mathematics and science education, b) effective undergraduate programs, c) productive university research programs, and d) health education. 

Recently the National University of Singapore celebrated its
100 year anniversary and hosted an international conference
about education and globalization.  Mr. Drew was invited to
give the keynote speech.  In the past few years, he has been a consultant or advisor to the senior leadership of:  The Nevada higher education system, the College Board, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Tibetan Buddhists exiled in India (pro bono), and Patagonia, an international clothing company.

David lives in Santa Monica.  He enjoys reading (Between them, he and his significant other, Cissy, have more than 5000 books), jogging, travel, music, humor, and spending time with his children and grandchildren.

Pam Haering is the founding partner of Swiftwater Consultants, a marketing consulting firm based in Manhattan Beach, CA.  After graduating from Dartmouth College with an AB in Government, Pam began her career in advertising account management, working for DDB/Needham/Chicago, J. Walter Thompson/Chicago and BBDO/NY, on global accounts including General Mills, Kellogg’s, Maybelline Cosmetics and Motorola Cellular Products. 

After almost 10 years in advertising, Pam was tapped to run the International Ad Sales Marketing Team for Time Warner/Turner in New York.  In this role, she managed local Ad Sales Marketing Teams in Europe, Asia, New York and Latin America. She was also responsible for generating incremental revenue for TWT by developing integrated marketing programs for the company’s largest international and global advertising clients.  She was asked to bring this capability to Viacom as SVP of Viacom Plus, the integrated marketing division of the Viacom Corporation, which she launched and co-led.

After having her twin daughters, Pam left corporate life and began consulting.  Her projects have given her the opportunity to work in an array of categories including: education, travel, luxury, athletic apparel and television program development.

Pam currently lives with her family in Manhattan Beach and enjoys skiing, hiking, golf and international travel.  She dedicates time to local charities, including The Richstone Family Center and remains connected to Dartmouth as a Class Agent, LA Mini Reunion Chair and alumni interviewer.

David Hoag is a Portfolio Manager for Capital Research Company. Prior to that, he was a Financial Analyst for Van Kampen Merritt Investment Advisory, Oakbrook, IL. He received his BA in Economics from Wheaton College and his MBA from University of Chicago. David is a Trustee at Judson University, Elgin, IL.

David attended Monticello High School in Minnesota. He enjoys spending time with his family, hockey, winemaking, cooking and gardening. David has lived in Manhattan Beach since 1993.

Dan Jansen is the CEO of Virtual Greats, a company that distributes and sells branded virtual goods in partnership with the leading social networks, casual games and virtual worlds. Prior to founding Virtual Greats Dan was an active investor and entrepreneur in the new media space. He also led the Global Media & Entertainment practice for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Prior to BCG, Dan worked at Arthur Young & Company helping privately held start-ups achieve operating improvements. He was also the Co-Founder of a federally chartered credit union and spent several years working on the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Dan graduated from UCLA with honors in Economics in 1985; subsequent to that, he earned his MBA in Marketing and Finance at The Wharton School in 1991. Dan grew up initially in Wisconsin, moved to Los Angeles, lived and worked on the east coast and in Australia, before returning to California.

Outside activities include positions on the non-profit boards of the LA Sports Council and the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games; for-profit board positions include the direct recruiter After College and advertising service provider Breadcrumbs. He enjoys skiing, surfing, golf, tennis and traveling. Dan, his wife Lynn, and their three children have lived in the South Bay since 1993.

Since 1984, Gregg Kirkpatrick has worked for CB Richard Ellis, one of the world's largest, commercial real estate firms. As team captain of the South Bay Corporate Services group, Gregg represents many nationwide tenants and enjoys strong relationships with other brokers, developers, and clients around the world. In addition, he has been involved on the investment and development side of many types of real estate from single-family homes, shopping centers, mini-storage and mobile home parks.

Gregg received a BS at USC in Business Administration with an emphasis on real estate and investments. Gregg is a long time supporter of the YMCA and is very active with Y Guides. He also enjoys coaching children's athletic teams. Gregg is a South Bay native and is living in Rolling Hills with his wife and three kids.

Romayne Levee is a career marketing and advertising professional, currently serving as Vice President of Marketing and Communications for AIS Management, LLC. Prior taking this position, Romayne founded Nice Move, an executive search consultancy specializing in the fields of marketing and advertising. Romayne previously was Partner, Account Director at Chiat/Day Advertising where she managed the career of the infamous Energizer Bunny, and before that, Account Supervisor at BBDO Advertising where she directed the launch of Apple Computer’s first lap-top computer. She attended UCLA earning her BA in Political Science in 1986, after graduating from the University School, an independent K-12 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Romayne lived abroad on a sailboat as a youth visiting 12 countries in six years. When not sailing, she and her brother attended British Embassy Schools.

Romayne served on the Board of Directors for AYSO, before becoming founding Chair of Vistamar School’s Board of Trustees in 2002.  She is a black-belt in Tae Kwon Do, enjoys volleyball, music, writing, traveling, photography and family. She is a native Northern Californian and has been living in Manhattan Beach with her husband since 1989.

Eli Lieber, Ph.D. is an Associate Research Psychologist in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry, Center for Culture and Health. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and received his B.A in Psychology from California State University, Northridge (1988) and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (1996). The majority of his work focuses on mixed methods studies of families, the influence of culture on family functioning, and children’s well-being. He is also the Managing Member of a research consulting company responsible for developing and distributing a web-application that provides data management and analysis solutions for qualitative and mixed methods research.

Eli has lived with his family (wife Teresa, daughter Alina, Vistamar class of 2009, son’s David, Vistamar class of 2012 and Sam, 7th grade, and god-daughter Nancy, (Mira Costa graduate) in Manhattan Beach since 1998. Prior to moving to the South Bay and his job at UCLA, the Liebers lived in Taipei, Taiwan for 5 years. In Taiwan, Eli finished his graduate study and began his research career using integrated methods in the study of family functioning and culture as a post-doc at Academia Sinica, our boys were born, and we enjoyed endless pleasures traveling and eating our way throughout Asia with Teresa’s parents and extended family.

Beyond work and time volunteering for anything associated with his children, Eli is a self-confessed soccer junky and continues to play, coach, and cheer. He loves to cycle, ski, cook, eat, and spend time with extended family and dear friends.

Rob Lovelace is a portfolio counselor for three mutual funds at the American Funds, a subsidiary of The Capital Group of Companies. He is Chairman and Principal Executive Officer of Capital Research Company, another affiliated company. Rob joined Capital in 1985 after receiving a bachelor's degree in mineral economics from Princeton University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

After being a student and a teaching intern at Laguna Blanca School, an independent K-12 in Santa Barbara, he returned to become a Trustee from 1986-90. In 1995, Rob joined the Board of Visitors of the Claremont Graduate School of Educational Studies. Claremont is recognized for its teacher training and education leadership programs. From 2000 to 2007, Rob was trustee of Claremont Graduate University as well. In 2000 Rob also became a Trustee of Claremont Graduate University. He is a Director of Value Schools, an organization that has two charter schools in operation for "at risk" students in urban Los Angeles. He and his family have lived in Hermosa and Manhattan Beach since 1986.

Guadalupe Nickell is a non-profit development professional with over 15 years of experience in the non-profit and private sectors.  Currently serving as the Senior Development Director for North America at Room to Read, a global literacy organization, Guadalupe has also done major gift development at The Nature Conservancy and Hispanic Scholarship Fund.
 
An Oakland, California, native and the first in her family to attend college, Guadalupe is a graduate of The Thacher School, Princeton University, and the Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA Program.  Guadalupe is a charter member of The Thacher School’s Alumni Council and in 2011 became the Vice Chair of the Development Council for UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.  She lives in San Francisco.

Jon Ralph is a General Partner at Freeman Spogli & Co., a private equity investment firm based in Los Angeles. Prior to joining FS&Co. in 1989, Jon spent three years as an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley & Co. in New York and Los Angeles. Jon graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Amherst College in 1986.

Originally from Amherst, Massachusetts, Jon moved to the Los Angeles-area in 1988. Currently, he lives in Manhattan Beach with his wife and two children. In addition to spending time with his family and friends, Jon enjoys travel, books, movies, basketball and beach volleyball.

Karen Sharp-White, a resident of View Park, is an engineer at The Aerospace Corporation, a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC). There she provides technical guidance to customers, and supports the audits and assessments of federal programs.  She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Tennessee State University and a Master’s of Science in mathematics, with emphasis in computer science, from The Ohio State University.  

Karen is an involved parent and student advocate, participating in parental support activities for both public and private schools, giving her a broad experience in supporting the education process. Raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Mrs. Sharp-White is married to P. Daniel White III, and both are actively involved in church and community service activities and their children’s school and sports activities.  She enjoys traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Richard Simon is an attorney. He retired from the international firm McDermott, Will & Emery, where he served as head of the Los Angeles Trial Department, as well as on the firm’s management and executive committees. He continues to practice law, representing corporations and individuals in a range of matters.

In addition, Richard specializes in the representation of airports throughout the United States, and is a nationally-recognized authority in the field of airport law. He is the former board chair of Westside Neighborhood School and a current faculty member at California State University, Los Angeles, where he teaches aviation law. Richard and his two children reside in Playa del Rey.

 

Cindy Smet has held various positions in commercial and investment banking. She started her career in corporate lending with the Citizens and Southern National Bank in Georgia. Cindy then earned an MBA from UCLA and worked for Citicorp's Investment Bank in fixed income institutional sales. After three years of sales, she transferred to PaineWebber where she worked in corporate finance.

Cindy graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in Economics, after attending The Madeira School, an independent, all-girls boarding and day high school in Virginia.

Cindy currently serves on the boards of Camino Nuevo Charter Academy in Los Angeles and has served on the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation. Additionally, she was the Treasurer for the Hermosa Valley View Parent Teacher Organization for three years and for six years she served on the Citizens Oversight Committee which oversees Measure J bond money for the Hermosa Schools. She enjoys travel, history and her family's recreational activities. Cindy, her husband and three sons have lived in Los Angeles since 1982 and in the South Bay since 1989.

Philipp Stephanus is a Senior Vice President at DaVita, a leading provider of dialysis services across the US.  Before joining DaVita in 2009, he had a 17-year career with the global strategy consulting firm Bain & Company.

 

Philipp was originally born and raised in Germany.  He first came to the US in 1989 to attend graduate school at USC.  There, he met his future wife Mimi, which led to several changes in plan.  After obtaining their graduate degrees, Philipp and Mimi moved to Germany, where Philipp started his career at Bain’s Munich office.  Three years later, they moved to Sydney, Australia, before eventually (in 1997) returning to Los Angeles.  Back in LA, Philipp became increasingly interested in healthcare issues and businesses and eventually co-led Bain’s West Coast healthcare practice for several years.

Bob is a native southern Californian. Born in Los Angeles, Bob grew up in the communities of Inglewood and Rancho Palos Verdes.  He and his wife Connie currently reside in Manhattan Beach with their two children Graham (10 year old son) and Layne (7 year old daughter),  where they have been residents since 1991. 

Professionally, Bob has more than 25 years of investment banking experience providing advisory and capital raising services to middle market and large corporate clients.  He has completed more than 135 transactions, primarily for middle market entities, raising in excess of $11 billion, including more than 45 consummated advisory and restructuring assignments. 

Bob has successfully completed transactions for entities in a variety of industries, including agribusiness, airlines, business services, consumer products, education and training, energy, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, industrial and general manufacturing, media and entertainment, real estate and property services, specialty retailing, and technology.

Bob holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, where he also completed a pre-medical studies curriculum and was a varsity letterman in the sport of crew,  and an M.B.A. degree from the UCLA Graduate School of Management, and NASD Series 7(Registered Securities Representative), 24 (Registered Securities Principal) and 63 (Uniform Securities Act State Law) licenses.

Currently Bob is a managing partner of CW Real Estate Partners, LLC, a merchant bank that he co-founded with a former colleague. CW has expertise in the areas of real estate, property services and financial services.  CW focuses both on investing as principals and advising entities with investments in its areas of expertise.

From 2004 to 2006, Bob was a senior managing director in FTI Consulting’s investment banking practice, FTI Capital Advisors, LLC, where he was based in Los Angeles and led the firm’s investment banking effort in the western U. S.  Prior to his work with FTI, Bob pursued financial advisory and capital raising assignments as the sole and managing member of Theo and Ike, LLC, his own independent advisory firm, which he founded in 2003 after leaving the employment of Jefferies & Company.  Through Theo and Ike, Bob focused on identifying strategic and value-based investment opportunities for corporate clients and financial sponsors.  Through Theo and Ike, Bob acted as an advisor to companies such as Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. (acting CFO), Plato Learning, Provant Inc., and Empire Resorts, Inc.  Bob has also previously held investment banking positions at Jefferies & Company, Inc. (where he founded and directed a successful Knowledge Services investment banking platform, serving entities providing products and services in the areas of education and training), Robertson, Stephens & Company, PaineWebber, Inc., and Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc.  At both Jefferies and Robertson, Bob headed or co-headed the firm’s real estate investment banking effort.  He has also been a corporate lender and workout specialist at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. and has worked in the energy industry for Exxon Company, U.S.A.

Bob enjoys spending time with his family, including travel, and his interests include cycling, surfing, golf, automobiles, education and art.  Bob is also a founding board member of Vistamar School, a private high school in southern California, and Bob currently serves as a co- chair of the board of directors of EVERYBODY WINSLA!, a one-to-one literacy mentoring program for at- risk elementary school children.

Linda Wong is a licensed architect, having worked with firms specializing in affordable housing, institutional and custom residential projects. In 1987, she received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo after a year studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Linda attended public school and a year of Freedom School in San Francisco Chinatown. She graduated from Skyline High School in Oakland, California. Linda volunteers at her children’s schools and is an avid spectator of youth soccer. She enjoys cooking, yoga, movies, family gatherings, and spending time with her husband and two sons.