Board of Directors

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ALMA APODACA
Board Chair, City of Hope

CARLA BUIGUES
Board Co-Chair, Pacific Union International 

SUSAN PRADO
Acting Secretary, Community Volunteer

MANUEL CARMONA
Treasurer, City of Pasadena Department of Public Health

JOSH DRISKELL
Audit Chair,  Primuth & Driskell, LLP

 DR. HEATHER BACKSTRON
Board VP, Programs
​CEO, Backstrom Leadership Strategies

FELICIA FRIESEMA
Board Co VP, Marketing and Communications
Foothill Transit

MELISSA GERSH
Board Co VP, Marketing and Communications
Melissa Radke Gersh Innovative Marketing

KIM MILLER-ANDERSON
Board VP, Veterans Services 
MSK Consulting Services

ALAN ROMERO
Board VP, Alumni Services
Romero Law, APC
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PATTI TRAGLIO
Board VP, Recruitment
​Inspirus/Sodexo USA

​Advisory Council

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GREG APODACA
CEO and Vision Holder, Community 2.0

WILLIAM BOGAARD
Former Mayor (1999-2015), City of Pasadena

GEORGE BRUMDER
VP, Past President, Pasadena Education Foundation

TOM COSTON
President, Light Bringer Project

ANN ERDMAN
Public Information Officer (retired), City of Pasadena

SETA KHAJARIAN, Ph.D.
Faculty, Woodbury University and Educational Consultant


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​Carolina Caro  is Leadership Pasadena's Leadership Coach and Program Facilitator for the 8-month Leadership Pasadena program. Carolina is Founder of Core Centered Leadership,  specializing in developing conscious leaders and mindful workplaces through a lens that cultivates potential, enhances engagement and celebrates diversity and inclusion to achieve results that benefit the collective good.
www.carolinacaro.com/p/courses

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CYNTHIA KURTZ
COO, LA River Revitalizatin Corp/RiverLA

KATHLEEN O'SULLIVAN
CEO, KShift

MARTHA SHENKENBERG
Kaiser Permanente

TOM SELINSKE
Co-Founder, Focus Out/Business Consultant and Educator

GORDON SQUIRES
Director of IPAC Communications, Caltech/JPL

CHIEF BERTRAL WASHINGTON
Pasadena Fire Department

PHYLLIS LYNES
Retired Asst General Manager, City of Los Angeles
US Army Veteran and Reservist/ DAR Regent

 Cynthia Bengtson serves as Executive Director for Leadership Pasadena.  Cindy is retired from ARCO/BP and has a long history of grass roots non-profit work begining in 1979 when she created Big Sisters of Los Angles, now merged with Big Brothers of Los Angeles bbbsla.org/

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Leadership Pasadena Training Team

Dr. Heather Backstrom, Backstrom Leadership Strategies
Tom Coston, President, Light Bringer Project
Mic Hansen, Community Leader and Preservationist
Kat O’Sullivan, CEO KShift/People Strategist
Tom Selinske, Business Instructor; Co-Founder, FocusOut
Leslie Swanson, Organizational Development Consultant and Executive Coach
Kate Walters, President, Human Capital Consulting