Meet our Board of Directors

Joe Slowensky received his Master of Fine Arts degree from USC’s School of Cinema-Television and a Bachelor of Science degree in Radio-TV-Film Communication from the University of Texas at Austin. He has written and produced movies of the week for ABC, the Disney Channel, and CBS. Slowensky began his career in Hollywood in the 1990s working in Business Affairs and later in Development of Movies and Miniseries at CBS Television. Slowensky’s first produced feature—the CBS Sunday Night Movie, Miracle in the Woods—was seen in more than 14.5 million homes and received the highest ratings of the week (except for the World Series). The film is currently available on Amazon Prime. His second CBS film, Three Secrets, also won the ratings battle during the highly competitive May sweeps period. Slowensky is an emeritus member of the Writers Guild of America, West and has been a member of the exclusive Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Writers Peer Group, where he served as a juror for the annual prime-time Emmy Awards. Upholding a passion for teaching in the creative arts, Slowensky joined the faculty of the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University in 1995. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to Chair of the Film Division and Graduate Conservatory of Motion Pictures in Chapman’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Because of his successes in working with faculty and curriculum, Slowensky was invited to join Chapman’s Office of the Provost in 2009. Working his way from Director to Vice Provost and then to Vice President, Slowensky became a key member of the University’s senior administration and the president’s cabinet. He collaborated with academic programs and Chapman’s faculty to improve Chapman’s institutional effectiveness in a variety of areas, including curriculum, retention and graduation, diversity and inclusion and all aspects of student and faculty success. Over the years he held responsibility for Chapman’s Offices of: Diversity and Inclusion, Assessment and Accreditation, Institutional Research and Decision Support (IRADS), the Office of Faculty Advancement, and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). As a tenured Professor of Film and Media Arts, Slowensky continues to teach courses in screenwriting and film production.

Michael DeLuca is a practicing Certified Public Accountant who specializes in nonprofit entities and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the AICPA Tax Section and Not-for-Profit Section. Outside of work, Michael promotes amateur youth sports through various youth basketball organizations. He is also active in various high school booster clubs promoting youth sports.

Tara Campbell is the Mayor of Yorba Linda, California, where she has served since her first election to the City Council in November 2016. In her professional career, Tara works for the County of Orange, focusing on critical issues such as public safety, public health, transportation, infrastructure, and homelessness. Before joining the County, she served in the California State Assembly, where she coordinated key community events, including Child Safety Fairs, Small Business Boost Seminars, and Senior Health Fairs. Tara holds a Master of Public Administration, a Certificate of Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Broadcast & Digital Journalism from the University of Southern California.

Tammie Ledesma has been involved in education for thirty years. She has completed twenty-three years in the Anaheim Elementary School District. Prior to becoming the director of AESD's human resources, Ledesma was able to serve as a principal of Lincoln Elementary School, vice principal, literacy coach, teacher on special assignments for at-risk students, mentor, activities coordinator, physical education lead teacher, and a K-6th grade teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Child Development and a Masters in Educational Leadership. Tammie grew up in the city of Anaheim and she continues to live the community. She provided support through authoring non-profit applications for several organizations, coaching baseball for fifteen years, participating as a member on community committees, and volunteering for multiple organizations. Ledesma is a true believer in purpose. She knows that if each individual honors their personal purpose, together we can make a difference for our children, families, and community.

Brett Schurter has over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. He is employed by the Auto Club of Southern California, as Vice President of Integration. Throughout his career he has focused on delivering quality service that will have a positive impact on the consumer, as well as his fellow employees. Brett’s career has enabled him to work in various parts of the United States, which has broadened his perspective on the social needs of people. Throughout his life, Brett has been passionate about youth and family services and has actively engaged in youth and marriage ministries. He believes that family is the foundation of society and that we have a responsibility to help families and children succeed in life. He is actively involved in ministries and serves as a Deacon, at Santa Clara de Asis Catholic Church, in Yorba Linda.

Charity Gilbreth's practice focuses on providing outside general counsel services and representing plaintiffs and defendants in mediation, arbitration, and litigation.  For almost 20 years, she has advised prominent individuals, public and private corporations, and non-profit organizations on a wide variety of matters involving business litigation, employment, insurance, real estate, and shareholder and partner disputes. Prior to joining Schilling Law Group, she practiced at Latham & Watkins LLP in the Litigation and Environmental departments.  Charity received a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Chapman University and a Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Charity is passionate about providing pro bono legal services through organizations such as the Public Law Center and Human Options. She is an active member of the Orange County Bar Association, serving as Co-Chair of the Education Committee and on the Mandatory Fee Arbitration Committee. Throughout her career, she has participated in a number of mentoring programs to assist young lawyers.  Charity grew up in La Palma, and she continues to live in the community.  Charity is a proud mom of three, with twin daughters and a son.  She enjoys being involved in their school communities, especially chairing their school’s annual trunk-or-treat event.

Mirvais “Mir” Aminy is a dedicated student affairs professional with a robust background in supporting diverse student populations. He currently serves as the Program Director for Cal State Fullerton's Project Rebound, where he oversees daily operations, supervises staff, and collaborates with campus and community organizations to enhance student support services. Mir's commitment to education is evident through his ongoing pursuit of a Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in Disability Studies at Chapman University, anticipated in December 2026. He holds a Master of Science in Counseling with an emphasis in Student Development in Higher Education from California State University, Long Beach, earned in May 2022. His academic journey also includes a bachelor’s degree in Sociology of Deviance & Crime from California State University, Fullerton, completed in May 2019. Mir’s connection to Higher Ground Youth & Family Services began during his time as a student at Cal State Fullerton, where he interned with the organization. He quickly fell in love with the impactful work being done within the community Higher Ground serves. After his internship, Mir continued to volunteer, further strengthening his passion for empowering youth from underserved communities. In recognition of his contributions, Mir was honored with the Stewards of Place Award in 2019 by the Center for Internships and Community Engagement for his work with Higher Ground. Throughout his career, Mir has demonstrated a passion for empowering underserved groups, including formerly and currently incarcerated individuals, those experiencing housing insecurity, college students, people with disabilities, and elderly populations. His professional experience includes roles such as Housing/Transitions Coordinator at the Dayle McIntosh Center in Anaheim and Workforce Program Instructor at The Illumination Foundation in Stanton, CA. In addition to his professional endeavors, Mir has been actively involved in community service in the past. He has worked to assist newly arrived immigrant families from Afghanistan in finding housing and adapting to life in a new country. Mir has also mentored graduate students and supported system-impacted individuals at the community college level in pursuing their educational and personal goals, demonstrating his commitment to fostering growth and resilience in underserved communities. Mir's dedication to social justice and equity in education has been recognized through various awards and fellowships, including the Justice Fellows Policy Program by The Education Trust in February 2024 and the Health Policy Research Fellowship by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in September 2023. He currently resides in Orange County with his wife and children.

Veronica Funaro Miller has nearly 25 years of extensive banking experience at community-based Farmers and Merchants Bank. She brings her sense of commitment and bright positive attitude to everything she does. She truly cares about the community and has a strong desire to do whatever she can to help make it a better place.

Dr. Moreno is an Associate Professor of Latino Education & Policy Studies and past Chair of the Chicano & Latino Studies Department at California State University, Long Beach. Born in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico and raised in Oxnard, Ca, he is a graduate of UC Irvine and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Moreno is a widely published author in the field of educational access, equity and evaluation including an edited volume titled The Elusive Quest for Quality: 150 Years of Chicano/a Education published by the Harvard Education Review Publishing Group. He is a past Co-Chair of the Editorial Board of the Harvard Educational Review and researcher for the Harvard University Civil Rights Project.  Dr. Moreno has served on various advisory councils including the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME); Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) Making Excellence Inclusive; and the Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) Student Success Task Force; and currently serves as a faculty member in the AAC&U Institute for General Education & Assessment, and faculty for the WASC Senior Colleges & Universities Assessment Leadership Academy. Dr. Moreno served on the drafting for the New Learning Compact: A Framework for Professional Learning and Educational Change and currently is Co-PI of the Caminos Project, a $2.7 U.S. Department of Education Title V: Hispanic Serving Institutions Development grant which seeks to increase the pipeline of Latinx teachers in K-12 schools as well as to build curricular capacities to prepare all teacher-education candidates for serving in Latinx communities. Recently, Dr. Moreno was appointed to serve on the CSULB Institutional Team to develop submission for campus- designation of the Seal of Excelencia by Excelencia in Education. Dr. Moreno served as a City Councilmember in Anaheim, CA from 2016 - 2022, having served as Mayor Pro Tem in 2018. Community and neighborhood engagement has been Dr. Moreno’s focus which include immigrant integration, youth & senior commissions, and promoting a culture of kindness. He served two terms on the Board of Education for the Anaheim City School District (ACSD), one of the largest elementary school districts in California. Jose formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Community Housing Corporation (OCCHC) which works to help extremely low-income families, with wages under $12 an hour, gain greater self-sufficiency and lead enriched lives and currently serves as President of Los Amigos of Orange County, a 45- year old grass-roots group that meets weekly to help people through the most difficult of situations. In 2018 Dr. Moreno was honored as the California State LULAC Man of the Year and in 2017 and recognized with a “New American Hero” award by the New American Leaders Project. A father of four beautifully intelligent girls/young women, Dr. Moreno and his wife, Lorena Moreno, an award-winning school principal, are among the founding parents of the Dual Language Immersion Program in the Anaheim Elementary School District.

Robert Pierce is an expatriate of the U.K., born in Sheffield, England. Community engagement has been part of his life since he joined the Scout Movement at 4 years old. Progressing through the entire Scouting experience to assistant leader at age 20, he spent countless hours in community service settings – from serving the elderly to clearing debris from rivers. Those early experiences taught him the value of community and the effort needed to be a contributing member of society. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Manchester in Media and Business and spent his twenties pursuing a career in the music business. After nearly a decade pursuing individual fulfillment he found himself seeking a more magnanimous direction. His role at California State University, Fullerton’s Center for Internships & Community Engagement includes training faculty through CSUF Faculty Development Center seminars and workshops to integrate service-learning into their curriculum. He also works to develop partnerships with myriad organizations serving diverse populations and addressing issues across the social spectrum facilitating meaningful service-projects for students.

After a successful career in corporate communications, Joe Baldo has spent the last 15 years advocating for underserved youth and their families. In 2012 he founded HGYFS as a mentoring program. Over the last several years, Higher Ground has grown into a prominent community resource and learning center for hundreds of youth every day. Currently, Higher Ground offers a wide variety of programs and services that positively impact the entire community. As an organization, the focus is on providing a strong and reliable foundation upon which youth and their families can explore purpose and possibility for their future. Joe currently serves on the CSEC Steering Committee (Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children), the Human Trafficking Task Force, and the Child Abuse Prevention Council of OC.

Carlos Hernández is the son of migrant parents from Jalisco, Mexico. He was born in Detroit, Michigan and moved to San Fernando Valley, California and then to Anaheim, California, where he had an impactful educational experience as a student in the Anaheim Union High School District. So much so that he was determined to return back to his community in order to help build further progress. In 1999, he returned to the Anaheim Union High School District after graduating from UCLA with a degree in Mathematics and was hired as a math teacher. From 1999 through 2005 he taught Math, facilitated the Mathematical Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA), and took on leadership roles such as the Title I Program Specialist at Sycamore Junior High School. He also coached baseball and football at Anaheim High School during those same years. Carlos was hired as an assistant principal at Savanna High School in November of 2005. Within the capacity as an assistant principal, he grew as an instructional leader and fostered his understanding of the critical role that relationships play with staff, students, parents and community members in order to improve student achievement. In May of 2011, Carlos was given the opportunity to become the principal at South Junior High School, where he served until June, 2015. He then continued serving his community as the principal of Savanna High School until December 2017. He was appointed as the Director of Guidance and Student Services which has since blended into his current position, Director of Curriculum and Instruction in the Anaheim Union High School District.

Dr. Payne has built a dynamic career in education and business, leveraging his diverse expertise across several key roles to make a practical and tangible impact on students, educators, educational institutions, businesses, and corporations alike. In education, he has experience in play therapy, social-emotional group instruction, classroom teaching, online teaching, curriculum/program development, public school administration, International Baccalaureate World School leadership, university professorship, DEI, and university administration. In business, Dr. Payne has experience in operations, advancement/development, budget management, recruiting, professional growth, leadership coaching/mentoring, consulting, DEI development and implantation, and Human Resources. A key focus for Dr. Payne is in the study, teaching, and enhancement of the brain. He has authored and developed several books and programs focused on applying practical strategies to enhance brain health, including Change Your Brain, Change Your Life (Before 25), Making a Good Brain Great: High School Course, and the Brain Thrive programs/courses with Amen Clinics. He is the CEO of Higher Ground Youth & Family Services, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing wraparound care and services to under-resourced and underserved communities in Southern California. He also partners with the Special Forces Charitable Trust to provide training and resources to those serving in our special forces military communities. Dr. Payne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and a Master’s Degree in Education from Vanguard University. He has a Doctorate Degree in Education Leadership from the University of Southern California. He has an active teaching license and principal license in public education in the state of Oregon, as well as the Senior Certified Professional certification from the Society of Human Resources Management. He is also certified in DISC instruction.