Board of Directors

Jill Haney has 42 years of experience in the banking industry. She is currently the Vice President and Branch Manager at the Westlake Village office of Montecito Bank & Trust. 

In addition to the Moorpark College Foundation, Haney serves on several other local nonprofit boards, including the Rotary Club of Simi Sunset, Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce, Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, Free Clinic of Simi Valley, Adventist Health Simi Valley Governing Board and is on the American Heart Association Executive Leadership Team for HeartWalk 2021. 

Haney has been a resident of the Conejo Valley since 1959 and currently calls Westlake Village home. She is a graduate of Thousand Oaks High School and a Moorpark College Alumna.

Alumna.

Timothy Weaver is an adjunct professor teaching business classes at both Moorpark College and California Lutheran University. He has spent 40 years in the banking industry. He served as Department Chair and is honored to receive the adjunct faculty of the year award twice. Teaching remains his passion.

Timothy also has served as President of the Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks and is a Board member of Business Finance Capital, a Certified Development Company.

Eckhard Walter has more than 17 years of experience providing individual and partnership tax consulting and compliance services and is currently a partner at Holthouse, Carlin, Van Trigt LLP. Eckhard’s specialization is partnership taxation. In serving flow-through entities, he helps his clients navigate complex partnership tax issues, including partnership allocations, tax basis adjustments, debt allocations, recapitalization, and mergers & acquisition transactions.

Eckhard’s industry experience includes serving professional services firms and in-depth knowledge serving global talent agencies. For his private equity clients, he provides tax consulting and compliance service for the entire fund/joint venture cycle, including the sponsor, fund entities, general partner promote vehicles, and executive co-investment vehicles, among others. Eckhard provides tax advisory services to upper-tier entities, property/fund level, lower-tier entities, and management companies within the real estate industry. In serving high net worth individuals, Eckhard believes that tax planning is not a once-a-year activity. The process should occur in real-time and year-round. He evaluates tax implications in their entirety — to the individual, business, estate, and his client’s overall financial objectives.

Eckhard began his career in public accounting at HCVT. He is a graduate of California State University, Northridge, and has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a Master’s of Taxation. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Melia Keller is a financial executive with 28 years of experience in marketing, operations, and community development within the retail banking industry. Her current role is vice president of marketing and community relations with Logix Federal Credit Union, a $9 billion in assets financial institution that serves over 225,000 members in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. At Logix, Keller oversees the strategic direction of market area growth, brand development, and community relations.

Keller has held various marketing, public relations, and government affairs positions, including a Vice President of Marketing,& Business Development at F&A Federal Credit Union and CEO at Mid Cities Credit Union in Los Angeles. Keller also served eight years in the United States Army Reserve Special Operations Command as a Civil Affairs Sergeant and completed a 10-month combat tour in Iraq, where she assisted with the country’s first free election process.

Keller has received several industry awards for marketing, corporate culture, communication, leadership, and public advocacy. She has previously volunteered as a YMCA Youth and Government program director, a Girl Scout Troop Leader, Board Secretary of the Foundation of the El Camino Compton, the Bank on LA small business working group, and the National Youth Involvement Board. Keller currently serves on the Board of the Southern California Credit Union Collaboration Association and the University of Irvine Customer Experience Advisory Panel.

Keller loves to hike, cook, read, and write. She has authored three books, including an award-winning account of her tour in Iraq, In the Company of Soldiers. Keller holds a Master’s in Business Administration and is currently working toward obtaining her doctorate in organizational psychology from California Southern University.

 

Dr. Julius O. Sokenu, Ed.D., is President of Moorpark College; he has served the students and Moorpark College family for 14 years. Prior to his current assignment, he was Vice President of Academic Affairs and Executive Vice President and before that Dean of Student Learning.

He is committed to student access and success; his professional work has focused on developing career programs to prepare students for high skill, high wage, high demand employment.

He was the president of the California Community College Association of Occupational Education. He holds a doctorate in education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Teaching from Boston University, a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Arizona State University and Bachelor's Degrees in Business and English from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Sokenu is a published poet and writer. His poems have appeared in “Hayden’s Ferry Review,” “Nimrod: The International Journal of Prose and Poetry,” “Savannah Literary Review,”  and his essays on teaching and learning in “The Community College Journal.”

Deborah (Debi) Klein is delighted to join the Moorpark College Foundation, and Moorpark College, as Director of Institutional Advancement and Community Relations, and Chief Development Officer of the Foundation.  Debi has over 26 years of development experience and is responsible for such iconic projects as the new Paul Merage School of Business building at UCI, the new hospital at St. John's Pleasant Valley, and the new NICU and Cancer Center at St. John's Regional Medical Center.  Debi is looking forward to working with our community to support new and exciting projects at Moorpark College and enhancing existing programs and student support. 

Debi is a native Californian – “a second-generation Los Angelino!”  She has a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a Master's degree from Hebrew Union College.  Debi is passionate about higher education and providing opportunities for members of our community, both young and “seasoned,” to embark on the path of life-long learning. 

Paul Aguilar is the Head of Human Resources for the Transplant Diagnostics Division of Thermo Fisher Scientific based in West Hills, California. He has held this position since 2017.

With over 20 years of Human Resources experience, Paul has held leadership roles at Amgen, Baxter, and Exel Logistics. His areas of strengths include strategic planning and execution, executive coaching, talent management, and change management.

Paul holds a Master’s of Organization Development from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor’s of Business Administration, Finance from California State University, Chico.

Lisa Gritzner is a recognized leader in Southern California’s public affairs arena and brings more than 25 years of government, business, and political experience to her clients. Lisa has worked with a wide array of interests providing strategy in the areas of campaigns & issues management, energy & environment, land use, government advocacy as well as public relations & crisis communications. Lisa is a well-respected consultant to corporate clients facing complex legal, legislative and regulatory challenges – from Microsoft, Google and Uber to Shell and SoCalGas, she has been involved with some of the most challenging issues of the day. Lisa has considerable experience and relationships with a host of public agencies in California including direct work for LA County Department of Public Works, the City of Los Angeles, Orange County Fire Authority and the Los Angeles Unified School District. She possesses significant knowledge of local government policies and procedures, and has worked with and advised elected officials and staff at all levels of government.

Verle 'Tom' Harris is a retired engineering professor who taught at Moorpark College from 1967 to 1995, and is founder of the California Cup International Field Hockey Tournament held annually at Moorpark College.

He is a consulting structural engineer and reviews plans for the Division of the State Architect for several buildings at Moorpark College. He designed the seating base of the college's football and baseball stadiums and designed and helped build the College's field hockey stadium.

Tom continues to support the Tom Harris Scholarship for Engineering Students at Moorpark College.

Michael Hoffman is the Career Education Grant Director for Moorpark College. He also serves as an adjunct instructor in journalism at the college, having started teaching there in 2000.

Michael has a master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri and a Master of Business Administration from California Lutheran University.

Prior to his work at Moorpark College, Michael worked for more than 20 years in the news industry as a reporter, editor, and niche publication director.

Joseph Meissner is a proud alumnus of Moorpark College. From Moorpark, he transferred to California State University, Long Beach, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. After working as a corporate accountant for several years, Joseph attended law school at University of Nevada’s Boyd School of Law. Today, Joseph is a real estate, business, and tax transactions attorney with The Alvarez Firm.

A native of Southern California, Joseph now lives in Thousand Oaks with his wonderful wife, Khadija, and their dog, Vono.

 

Melissa Miller is a native Californian who has been calling Ventura County her home for the past seven years. Growing up in Northern California’s wine country, she spent her college and early family years in Southern California along with a brief tenure in Oregon. She is a daughter, wife, mom of two, dog mom, friend, and lifelong volunteer.

 

Melissa is a proud graduate of the Orange Coast Community College District and received her Bachelor of Arts from California State University Long Beach (GO BEACH!) in 1999.  She is a recent graduate of the Ventura County Leadership Academy’s (VCLA) 26^th cohort, a board member for Turning Point Foundation, and serves as an advisor for both the Foundation of Ventura County Credit Union and Thousand Oaks Alliance for the Arts (TOArts). She also volunteers alongside her children with their High School organizations.

 

Melissa’s career path has led her from private business to super mom and back to community/private business.  She spent 16 years in property management, and four years with the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber before following her passion to her current role - Community Partnerships Manager for Ventura County Credit Union. This role allows her to immerse herself in our business community and support many local non-profits. Melissa’s hobbies include traveling, outdoor adventures, DIY home improvement, and shopping locally and she is a lifelong Broadway fan.

David Misko has been a resident of Simi Valley for some 40 years. He grew up in Chatsworth and attended Moorpark College as a business major after high school graduation.

At the same time, he began his business career working for his father in the retail grocery industry as the general manager of his father’s 7-Eleven store. During his eight-plus years managing the store, it achieved consistent growth, placing in the top 5% of Southern California 7-Eleven stores.

After 9 years of managing that store, Misko received the opportunity to purchase a small, one-man trucking business. Over the past 36 years under Misko’s ownership, the business has grown to several big rigs and 50,000 square feet of warehouse space, specializing in food-grade raw materials. At its peak, the business employs a staff of 15 or more.

Misko also volunteers on the finance council at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church and the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center Foundation. All five of his children have attended Moorpark College.

A resident of Moorpark since 1989, David Pollock has long been an active member of the community and is currently serving a councilmember for the city of Moorpark.

Prior to his election to the City Council, David served on the Moorpark Unified School District Board of Directors for 15 years and was the first person from Ventura County to serve as president of the California School Boards Association, representing nearly 1,000 school boards across the state.

David is a strong believer in community service.  He also serves as president of the Moorpark Education Foundation and on the foundation board of Adventist Health Simi Valley.

In his professional life, David is a business development professional in private practice. He holds an Master of Business Administration from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a Bachelor of Science from Pepperdine University

Samantha Sale is the Head of Human Resources, Thousand Oaks, for Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Sale joined Takeda in 2015 and has served as the Head of Human Resources for Takeda’s Thousand Oaks locations since 2017.

With over 20 years in Human Resources, Samantha has experience supporting large organizations in various industries including retail, insurance, and biotech. Her areas of strengths include communications, driving collaboration, creative problem solving, and delivering culture change.

Samantha holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication from Pepperdine University and a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI).

Passionate about equal rights, Samantha is proud to support Takeda’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts through team-member-driven programs. She is a proud executive sponsor for Takeda Resource Group, Take Pride.

Kathryn Stiles is the Director of Community Integration at Adventists Health Simi Valley. She has a background in health and wellness, healthcare marketing, communications, and community health improvement. Her role with Adventist Health Simi Valley is dedicated to helping the community achieve the best health outcomes. 

 

Ryan is a soldier, lifelong servant leader, and District Director for California’s 42nd State Assembly District, serving the cities of Simi Valley, Moorpark, and Thousand Oaks.

Ryan was born to immigrant parents from Central America. He is the product of his beloved hometown of Simi Valley and its public schools, graduating from Atherwood Elementary, Sinaloa Middle, and Royal High School. He earned a Bachelor’s in International Politics from Penn State University, where he became the first person in his family to graduate from college.

His passion for public service began when he was just 16 years old and received his first city appointment to the Simi Valley Youth Council. Since then, he has served the city on the Simi Valley Task Force on Homelessness, Simi Valley Youth Employment Service (YES) Advisory Board, and the Simi Valley Business Incubator Committee.

Ryan’s legislative experience began with an internship in the California State Senate while in high school. His first paying job was with the National Park Service. His professional journey would come full circle when he was named District Director for Assemblywoman Christy Smith, serving his hometown of Simi Valley, the Santa Clarita Valley, and northern San Fernando Valley. He has also served as Deputy District Director for Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel in west San Fernando Valley.

Outside of the legislature, Ryan serves our country in uniform in the Army National Guard, including a deployment to the Middle East as an infantryman with the 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment as part of Operation Spartan Shield.

A dedicated community volunteer, Ryan has served as:

●       Chair, Emerging Leaders of Simi Valley

●       Board Member, Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce

●       Board Member, Moorpark College Foundation

●       Board Member, Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise

●       Board Member, Simi Valley Historical Society

●       Simi Valley Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Anita Venkataraman is president, CTO, and Co-Founder of ProDIGIQ inc. ProDIGIQ is an innovative technology company headquartered in Thousand Oaks that provides cutting-edge solutions to more than 100 airports and airlines worldwide.

A Valedictorian from Agoura High School, Anita completed her Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) on a full Regents Scholarship. She proceeded to pursue her master’s degree in Electrical Engineering at UCSB as well. Upon graduation from UCSB, Anita worked with major tech companies.

In 2008, Anita co-founded ProDIGIQ and has since created a paradigm shift in the aviation space. As the chief technology officer, Anita drives ProDIGIQ’s technological innovations that put the company leaps and bounds ahead of the industry. Through Anita’s leadership, ProDIGIQ has been able to expand from one airport in Santa Barbara to over 100 aviation clients around the globe. Anita has accumulated over 24 years of experience in leading-edge patentable technology solutions, project management, and data analysis.

As a woman in STEM, Anita seeks to empower other women to pursue a career in STEM. She has done so through involvement in local Computer Science girls clubs and active participation in curriculum development at local community colleges. Anita has continued her focus on philanthropic efforts through mentorship and scholarships to help the next generations of students pursuing science and technology. She is immensely proud of the highly successful internship program for local high school and college students to gain hands-on experience by working at ProDIGIQ.

Dr. Hani Youssef was appointed the Superintendent of the Simi Valley Unified School District in 2022. 

He came to the SVUSD in February 2015 and served as the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. As one of the top administrators for the SVUSD, he led a team responsible for directing, supervising, coordinating, and evaluating district-level programs and personnel involved in curriculum development, instructional process and procedures, educational technology, categorically-funded programs, and student assessment at all SVUSD schools.

Dr. Youssef earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from California State University-Northridge (CSUN) in 1995. In 2000, he received his Master’s in Education Administration from Mount St. Mary’s College. He earned his Education Doctorate in Educational Leadership from CSUN in 2017. Dr. Youssef began his teaching career in the former Daniel Murphy High School in the 1990s. He worked as an administrator for Los Angeles Unified School District, Conejo Valley Unified School District, and Burbank Unified School District, before coming to SVUSD.

“The responsibilities that come with the title of Superintendent are what excite me the most,” Dr. Youssef said. “My core values of integrity, accountability, relationship-building, and creativity allow me to lead with passion and purpose. I am firmly committed to supporting all students to become the best potential version of themselves.”

Dr. Youssef credits his success to public education. Arriving in the United States as a young child with his parents and sister, he was an English Language Learner living in Los Angeles. He calls himself a “living, breathing example of an English learner who took full advantage of the educational opportunities offered in the United States.”

Dr. Youssef is married to an elementary school teacher and together they are raising two teen sons.