Anaheim Sister City Commission Commissioner San Bernardino Sister Cities Council Committee Chair
Anthony Al-Jamie is an interculturally-minded journalist, publisher and educational entrepreneur, who lived and worked in Japan for some 20 years. His Japanese language skills and in-depth understanding of the Japanese culture, combined with his passion for intercultural relations and education paved the way for his success in Asia. During his two decades in Japan, he successfully established a chain of English language schools, with schools located throughout Saitama and Tokyo prefectures. Through these schools, he ran an English language program for members of the Advanced and Basic Officers Courses at the Japan Self Defense Force Training Grounds in Asaka, Saitama for over a decade. Anthony served as an International Advisory Council Member to the Governor of Saitama, Japan and was the only non-Japanese Member of the Wako-shi Rotary Club. He is the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of the Tokyo Journal, Japan’s leading English lifestyles and culture magazine. A Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) with vast experience in the management of nonprofit organizations, he is President of Sister Cities International Southern California Chapter, member/former Vice-Chair of the Los Angeles-Nagoya Sister Cities Affiliation, Chair of the San Bernardino Sister Cities Council, and Commissioner and former Chair of the Anaheim Sister City Commission. He is an active member of both the Japanese-American and Chinese-American communities. He is a member of the Japan America Society of Southern California and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles.
Jeffrey has lived in Santa Monica since 1977 and has served the community as a real estate agent and community leader for over 35 years. Prior to joining PAR Commercial, he worked with Great Western Bank (REO department). He represented the Resolution Trust Corp (RTC) disposing of bank properties when they failed, and represented the City of Los Angeles, consummating a sale for their Planning and Building and Safety Departments in West Los Angeles. Jeff has a successful history working with office, industrial, and retail listings in both leasing and sales. He is currently the Vice Chair of the Executive Board of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, and Chairs the ‘Alliance’ Growth and Development Committee working directly with the City of Santa Monica’s Planning and Building and Safety Departments. He was appointed by the Santa Monica City Council to an eight-year term of the Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Board and had served as its Chair for his last two years on that board. Jeff is also the President of the Santa Monica Sister City Association and is currently on the Boards of the Santa Monica Family YMCA, Santa Monica Symphony, Santa Monica Viking Baseball, Santa Monica Viking Band, Main St Business Improvement District (MSBID) and PTA Legislative Chair for Santa Monica High School (SAMOHI). Jeff is the co-founder and organizer of the Santa Monica 4th of July Parade on Main St.
David Bracey Treasurer – SOCAL Sister Cities Board of Directors
A former resident of Tokyo and Saitama, Japan for nearly two decades, David Bracey works as an administrator for Anaheim University in Anaheim, California. Prior to moving to Southern California, David directed the Career Management Center at the Anaheim University Akio Morita Learning Center in Tokyo, Japan. As Vice-Chair of the Anaheim Sister City Commission and as a member of the Los Angeles Nagoya Sister City Affiliation, David Bracey brings his knowledge and experience in Japan and other Asian countries to the Sister Cities International Southern California Chapter. David has worked and traveled throughout Japan, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam over the past 20 years.
Kathleen McCann Secretary – SOCAL Sister Cities Board of Directors
Santa Monica Sister Cities Association
Kathleen McCann has been an active ‘Lifetime” member of Culver City Sister City Committee, Inc. [CCSCC] since 2000 while employed as a civilian administrative member of the Culver City Police Department. She has served three terms as President, two terms as Vice President, and two terms as Secretary. For over 12 years, Kathleen has also served as Chairperson for the Culver City – Kaizuka, Japan, student exchange program and assisted in the CCSCC planning for the hosting and selection of runners for the yearly Senshu International marathons in Osaka, Japan, and the Los Angeles Marathon. She led the CCSCC team in obtaining one of Sister City International’s Kaiser Permanente Benefits Group Grant of $11,350, to conduct projects with Japanese sister cities in the aftermath of the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. She chose to identify ways in which the CCSCC could work together with Kaizuka, Japan, to assist in the recovery and relief efforts for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami, with relatives relocating to Kaizuka. With the assistance and contribution of CCSCC members and select City of Culver City employees, Kathleen promoted, co-designed and coordinated the installation of a CCSCC signpost in front of Culver City’s City Hall. To date, she has been the lead in CCSCC receiving three Sister City International Awards in 2018, 2020 and 2022 for Best Overall Program in their respective city demographics. Retired and recently resigned from the Board of Directors for CCSCC, Kathleen is currently serving as Secretary for Sister Cities International/Southern California Chapter, Ambassador for California Sister Cities, and has joined as a member on the Santa Monica Sister Cities Board of Directors. She spends time with her family, dog, gardening, and creating miniature dioramas. She takes pride in joining the SCI community as a dedicated volunteer, enjoys attending the SCI conferences and learning seminars, and sharing the knowledge with members and looks forward to networking with as many SCI and affiliate members as possible.
Judy Maculsay has been a member of the Tachikawa-San Bernardino Sister City Committee since 1992 when her daughter was chosen to represent San Bernardino and spend a month in Tachikawa, Japan. Judy has served as the chairperson of the committee and has traveled to Tachikawa, Japan for the 45th Anniversary. She co-chaired the 50th Anniversary celebration between the two cities, which was held in San Bernardino. Recently, she has been the chairperson for selection of students to go to Tachikawa. She works alongside Jeanette Avila and is actively involved in fundraising projects. She most recently worked with Jeanette and Michael Avila to raise funds for the Sister City Sign Post which won an award at the Sister Cities International Conference 2014.
Judy taught eighth grade special education for twenty-seven years in Fontana, Calif. and has been retired since 2008. She loves playing golf and being with her grandchildren. Recently Judy and Jeanette Avila shared the Citizen of Achievement Award 2014 presented by the League of Women Voters of San Bernardino, in recognition of their contributions that improved the quality of life in the community.
Jeanette Avila SOCAL Sister Cities Board of Directors
Jeanette Avila is an active member of Tachikawa San Bernardino Sister City Committee, Inc. She began her involvement in 1980 when she was selected by the committee to travel to Tachikawa, Japan as a student ambassador. She continued her involvement through her college years while attending the University of California, Riverside where she attained a Bachelor of Science degree in business. She married her husband, Michael Avila and raised their three children, Christopher, Jennifer and Michael Jose while operating her own business. Her daughter, Jennifer was a student ambassador in 2009 and is currently the program’s College Mentor. Her family is actively involved in the Tachikawa San Bernardino Sister City program and they enjoy participating in the program’s many fundraisers which Jeanette has implemented during her committee involvement.
Presently, Jeanette homeschools her son, Michael Jose, cares for her family and devotes many hours to the Tachikawa San Bernardino Sister City Committee, Inc. She is a board member and serves as the treasurer-corporate secretary. Fundraising is the primary focus of her 35 years of involvement.
She, together with Judy Maculsay, received the Citizen of Achievement Award in 2014 from the League of Women Voters of San Bernardino. She has been recognized by many city and state organizations for her outstanding contributions to the community.
Jennifer Avila SOCAL Sister Cities Board of Directors
Tachikawa-San Bernardino Sister City Committee
At a very young age, Jennifer Avila became involved with the Tachikawa San Bernardino Sister City Committee, Inc. Her family’s involvement began with her mother, Jeanette Avila, a past Tachi-kid of the 50+ year exchange program. Jennifer will be graduating with her Associate’s Degree in Biological and Physical Sciences. She will transfer to Cal State University San Bernardino in Fall 2016 where she will attain her Bachelors of Science in Computer Science, specializing in Cyber Security. She is currently the lead College Mentor and Historian for San Bernardino’s exchange program. Having been an exchange student herself, she understands the special bond created between families in different countries despite the language and cultural barriers; as well as what it takes to keep these exchange programs going strong. She hopes that her enthusiasm and passion for international friendship and exchange inspires others to step up and volunteer.
Carla Boykin SOCAL Sister Cities Board of Directors
Pasadena Sister Cities Committee
Carla Boykin is a member of the Pasadena Sister Cities Committee. She is relatively new to the organization joining in 2018 with the selection of Dakar-Plateau, Senegal, as Pasadena’s newest Sister City, and first African country. She was on the planning committee to organize the visitation by the Senegalese delegation, and the official signing ceremony. She is the education lead for the Senegal subcommittee, and traveled with a delegation of twelve Pasadena community members to Dakar-Plateau, Senegal in March 2020, along with councilmember John Kennedy and former Mayor Terry Tornek. She received the 2019 Citizen Ambassador Award from the Pasadena Sister City, at the board members installation ceremony.
Carla is a longtime resident and teacher in Pasadena, Ca. She is a current commissioner and former chair with the City of Pasadena Northwest Commission. She enjoys travelling, camping and visiting national parks around the country.
Marti Correa de Garcia SOCAL Sister Cities Board of Directors
Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta Sister City Committee
Marti Correa de Garcia is and has been an active part of the Santa Barbara Community since 1979. She has served on numerous community non-profit boards; she currently serves as a board member of the Friendship Center of Santa Barbara, La Vista Foundation, and Southern California Sister Cities Association. She is also an active Rotary Club member, she is the president-elect for 2022-2023 and treasurer of the Los Fiesteros Dance Club. Marti and her husband enjoy collecting Mexican artwork, their collection of lithographs has been displayed at the Westmont College Art Museum and the Mexican Counsel in Oxnard, CA. She has served as the administrator of Garcia Architects, Inc. since 1979. Ms. Correa was a founding member and board member of Business First Bank. She launched T.Y.R.E.S. Inc. a tire recycling company and ran it for six years before selling the company. Along with two other minority women she was a general partner of Coast TV, a company that received a permit to build a television station in Santa Barbara from the FCC, after building a broadcast tower the permit and tower were sold to a major broadcasting entity, Univision. Marti served as Chairman of the Board for the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce in 1998, is a past-president of the Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities Committee and past-president of Zona Seca, a substance abuse counseling center. Marti is the recipient of numerous community awards including 1994 Women of Distinction-Tres Condados Girl Scout Council, 1996 Santa Barbara News-Press Lifetime Achievement Award, 1998 Girl’s Inc.-Saluting 40 years of Service Award, 1998 Business Digest-Latino Business Person of the Year, and 2006 Sister Cities International-Distinguished Volunteer Award.
Connie Goertz SOCAL Sister Cities Board of Directors
San Diego/Leon, Guanajuato Sister Cities Society and El Cajon, San Diego de Alcala, Azusa, Downey, Santa Barbara Sister City Committees
Retired from City of San Diego City Attorney ’s office. Involved with Sister Cities programs activities since 1975. Current Vice President of San Diego/Leon, Guanajuato Sister Cities Society. Also, member of El Cajon, San Diego de Alcala, Azusa, Downey, Santa Barbara Sister City Committees. Volunteer at Hamilton Glaucoma/Shiley Eye Center, Vietnam Veterans of S.D. and Volunteers of America. Junior Partner of Wits II Women’s Investment Club. Member of UCSD Oceanside, International Friends, Garden Club and Winetasters.
Nia Lyte SOCAL Sister Cities Board of Directors
Sister Cities International Country Representative for Colombia
La Cañada Flintridge Sister Cities
Nia Lyte is a TED Talk speaker, producer and author. She is a President & C.O.O. of The Shinca Group responsible for overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations of its entertainment and international consulting businesses in the U.S., Japan and Colombia. She became a published author of a book called “The Power of Your Inner Beauty”, distributed nationwide in English and Japanese through Barnes & Noble and Amazon. She is a co-founder and President of Koyamada International Foundation (KIF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with its offices in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Bogotá. Nia is Sister Cities International country representative for Colombia, and a member of La Cañada Flintridge Sister Cities, Women in Cable Telecommunications Southern California Board of Directors and the Japan America Society of Southern California’s Women’s Leadership Counts committee.
Michael McQuary SOCAL Sister Cities Board of Directors
Sister Cities International Board of Directors
San Diego Sister City Association Chairman
Michael McQuary received a BA from UC-Berkeley, an MA from Fresno State, a Doctorate from University of Southern California, and Post Doctorate Training at Harvard University. He had pre-professional job experience as a Railroad Fireman, Home Construction, and Manufacturing Quality Control Inspector (Titan Missile, Polaris Missile, Off Shore Oil Rigs, San Francisco BART Tunnel) before initiating a professional career as Teacher, Principal, District and County School Administrator; as well as, international service with the Tibetan Children’s Village, in Dharamsala, India. Retiring in San Diego, California, Dr McQuary has been active in his community with multiple local, county, state, national, and international organizations, including service with Rotary (President), Democratic Party (Club President, County Central Committee-Director of Clubs, and California Democratic Council President), Pacific Beach Town Council (Director), San Diego Unified School District (School Board Member and President), California School Board Association (Delegate), San Diego International Sister Cities Association (Chair), Sister Cities International Southern California Chapter (Director), and Sister Cities International (Co-Chair Sister Schools Initiative).
Margaret Saavedra SOCAL Sister Cities Board of Directors
Santa Barbara / Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities Group
After 30+ years as a school office manager and 20+ years as a member and president of the Classified School Employees Union, Margaret Saavedra retired from the local city schools in 2011. She then joined the Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities Group and is currently in her second year as president. She attended the Sister City International Conference in Washington DC in 2016 where her club received the Award for Best Overall Program with a population of 50,000 to 100,000. Margaret is also a member of the Assistance League of Santa Barbara, a philanthropic organization that helps many lower income families, seniors and other worthwhile organizations. She particularly enjoys being a member of Kids on the Block, a program that uses life size puppets to teach safety rules and good behavior to preschool and primary school students.
Board of Governors
Chester Chong Board of Governors
Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles
Chester Chong is the Chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles. He was raised in Hong Kong and moved to the U.S. in 1982. During his youth, he gained leadership experience through joining various academic and community activities. From 1990 to 2017, he served in leadership roles as Director, Vice-President and President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles. Chester Chong’s leadership guided the chamber to achieve success through following its mission of cultural exchange. He has traveled across five continents pursuing cultural exchange missions and serving as a university guest speaker. He has received numerous business and community awards for his various roles in community service, including serving as U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol-Captain, American Angel Flight Mission Pilot, and County of Los Angeles Sheriff Department S/R Commander.
Gil Garcia Board of Governors
Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta Sister City Committee
Gil Garcia is a Past President of Sister Cities International Southern California Chapter and is an architect intensely involved in civic affairs. He started his firm, Garcia Architect Inc. in 1977. He has designed and built various single-family residences and multi-family residence projects in Santa Barbara in addition to commercial and institutional buildings throughout California. Gil is an active member of Rotary Club Santa Barbara North serving as president in 1989 where he generates cooperative alliances with Sister Cities and other organizations for the development of Social and Economic impact projects and programs in Mexico and Africa. He was appointed and then elected as a Council Member of the City of Santa Barbara and during his 10 years (1992-2002) in public office he was active in the League of California Cities serving as president on the Community Services Policy Committee, president of the Local Government Commission, and Vice President of the National League of Cities Human Development Policy Committee. His sister cities activities include: Past board member of Sister Cities International (2013 to 2015), Past President of Southern California Sister Cities International (2013-2016), current member of Santa Barbara/Patras Greece and Toba Japan Sister City Committees. His activities in US/Mexico relations include: Past board member and president of US/Mexico Sister Cities Association, Current board member of the Federation of Jalisco Clubs of Southern California, current Honorary board member Sister Cities International serving as Senior Liaison US/Mexico relations, President MEXUSA International Foundation and, Delegate to the Mexico Sister Cities Association of America where his responsibility is to assist the president in organizing citizen based sister city committees in cities throughout Mexico. He is current board member and past president of Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Sister City Committee. Mr. Garcia is a recipient of numerous community awards, including University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Honorary Alumni Award, Santa Barbara News-Press 1996 Life Time Achievement Award, 1993 Santa Barbara Man of the Year award and various other civic awards and honors.
Oscar Gutierrez Board of Governors
Santa Barbara City Council Member
Oscar Gutierrez considers himself very lucky to have been born and raised on the American Riviera and knew what he wanted to do with his life since he graduated with honors from San Marcos High School Majors Program in Arts and Media. He then graduated with three national awards from the Journalism Association of Community Colleges (J.A.C.C.) for his work in Broadcast Journalism at the School of Media Arts, Santa Barbara City College. After his success in journalism, Oscar graduated at the top of his class from University California Santa Barbara with some of the highest honors their Film Department had to offer, along with UCLA’s Best Documentary award for his senior film project. In Oscars’ 19 year career he has worked for some of the nation’s top educational institutions like SBCC and UCSB in the fields of Journalism and Videography as well as conglomerates such as ABC, Warner Brothers, and Univision. His work has been nominated and awarded over 30 times for national and regional awards in the fields of Journalism, Film, and Television. Due to his dedication to his community and his work with local government, public service and media coverage of politics in Santa Barbara Oscar decided to step up and serve as the first millennial elected to the Santa Barbara City Council. He strongly believes that one’s career should be more than just a way to pay your bills, it should define who you are.
Tom Hersant had previously served Sister Cities International as Membership Chair and is a founding director and the current president of the Carlsbad Sister City Ambassadors (CSCA) of Carlsbad, CA. Carlsbad has two sister cities: Futtsu, Japan and Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. Tom spent his career as a public administrator with the State of California as Regional Manager for Child Care Licensing for San Diego and Imperial counties and a similar position of residential care facilities for dependent adults and children, and the State Personnel Board. He is a KPBS reader and recorder of books; and actor with several local theater groups including the CSCA plays at Schulman.See pictures of the cities and the visits at: carlsbadambassadors.us
Jim Kelly Board of Governors
H.I.S. International Tours Global Market Department Vice-President
Jim Kelly grew up in Boston, where his exposure to first generation Irish and Italian immigrants instilled in him the desire to travel and explore other cultures. He graduated from Georgetown University with degrees in Marketing and International Management. He then joined the Peace Corps as a volunteer and spent two years in the Philippines working on a Central Bank of the Philippines loan program. He was based in their regional office in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental and did feasibility studies for loans in cottage and agro industries for countryside, low income borrowers. After the Philippines, he spent two years in Japan on his own to learn to speak Japanese which began a lifetime relationship with Japan and the Japanese people. From Japan he moved to Los Angeles where he opened, co-owned, and operated six retail travel agency locations in Southern California for over 25 years. The agencies serviced the Japanese/Japanese speaking market from Japan, as well as the local Japanese population living in the USA and their travel needs. After the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake, he travelled to Japan with his then 16-year-old son and did hands-on volunteer relief work in the tsunami-devastated city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Japan. On the same trip, he visited Bangladesh orphanages and schools, and with the help of BRAC Bank, also met with microfinance borrowers in the slums of Dhaka, as well as far-flung countryside villages. He has travelled to 35 countries and truly believes and understands the importance of face-to-face cross-cultural communications. Jim is currently the Vice President of the Global Marketing Department with H.I.S. International Tours (NY) Inc. He is so happy to be associated with Sister Cities International Southern California Chapter and looks forward to advancing Sister Cities International’s motto of “Promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time.”
Shin Koyamada Board of Governors
Sister Cities International’s National Board of Directors
Shin Koyamada is an actor, producer, philanthropist and entrepreneur. Koyamada became best known to global audiences after his co-starring roles in the Warner Bros. blockbuster Tom Cruise film The Last Samurai, with a worldwide box office of $456 million. He became first Japanese to star in the Disney Channel worldwide hit television movie Wendy Wu Homecoming Warrior, which had over 5.7 million viewers at its premiere, making it one of the highest viewed Disney Channel movies in the United States and the highest rated kids channel in Europe, U.K. and Japan. Since its Hollywood debut in 2003, Koyamada has appeared in many award-winning American movies and television shows. Founded in 2005, Koyamada is Founder & CEO of The Shinca Group headquartered in Los Angeles. Its businesses include entertainment & arts, and international consulting. The group consists of Shinca Pictures, Shinca Enterprise, Genji Comics, Meiji Studios, Shinca Japan and Shinca Colombia. The clients include a wide range of companies from a Fortune Global 500 company to a startup company in the U.S., Asia, Latin America and Europe. In addition to his acting career and Shinca’s businesses, Koyamada is noted for his philanthropic causes. Founded in 2008, Koyamada and his wife started Koyamada International Foundation (KIF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Los Angeles, inspiring tens of thousands of youth to achieve their dreams and goals through its programs in the United States, Japan and Colombia.Koyamada became the first native Japanese as Sister Cities International’s National Board of Directors and Country Representative for Japan and East Asia. He was first introduced to a sister cities program when he was invited to support his hometown Okayama for the 61st San Jose-Okayama Sister Cities Anniversary in San Jose, CA. He also serves as the first Japan-America Society of Southern California Special Ambassador. In Japan, Koyamada currently serves as Kyoto City International Ambassador, Okayama Prefectural International Ambassador, and Karate Special Ambassador for Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. He is married to his Colombian wife Nia Lyte.
Ray Musser Board of Governors
Former Mayor of Upland
A long-time advocate of sister cities, Ray Musser served as Mayor of Upland from 2011 – 2016 after serving on the Upland City Council from 1998-2011. He is currently a member of the Upland Community Foundation, Azusa Pacific University Board of Trustees Emeritus, Upland Kiwanis Club and Pomona Valley Estate Planning Council. He had previously served as Data Processing Manager for Sunkist Growers, City of Riverside Systems Analysis Manger, San Antonio Regional Hospital Cardiac-Care Club Chairman, and Upland Community Housing Trustee.
Bret Russell Board of Governors
Bret has over 45 years of fire service and law enforcement experience and is currently serving as the Fire Chief of Carefree, Arizona. Bret currently teaches for the of State of California Fire Training, as well as the fire academy at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, CA. He is also currently the Program Director for the Fire Science and Emergency Medical Program for the Capistrano School District. He spent 35 years with the Orange County Fire Authority, and retired from the Anti-Terrorism Unit as an Officer/Investigator for the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC), U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Outside of the public safety services, he is a successful business owner, and held the position of Director of Emergency Medical Operations for a worldwide student travel company, Instructor for the Saddleback College Paramedic Program, as well as holding positions on multiple EMS advisory boards and training committees. Bret has over 30 years teaching experience. He holds a California State Professional Teaching Credential and earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Cal State University Long Beach. Bret is also a Certified California State Fire Training Officer/Fire Instructor, teaching for fire, police and sheriff’s departments, fire academies, public schools, colleges, private companies, as well as the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In 2008, Bret was nominated “Fire Rescue Magazine’s Company Officer of the Year” for leadership, incident command, commitment to safety and training, professional development, and dedication to the community. Bret was awarded the Capistrano School District’s “Teacher of the year”, and was a finalist for the 2015/2016 “Teacher of the Year” for the Orange County Department of Education. Bret is president of Russell Fire/Arson Investigations and Consultants and is also the president and CEO of the non-profit, International Firefighters Training Association. He has volunteered as a Little League Board member, Orange County Big Brothers, UCI Burn Center, Fire Explorer Program, Red Cross, Project Together, Saddleback Hospital, Children’s Hospital Orange County and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Bret’s professional affiliations include: National Fire Protection Association, Arizona Fire Chief’s Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Arson Investigators, CTE Teachers Association, National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications, Oregon State Fire Chief’s Association, Sworn member of the Rotary Club International, California Conference of Arson Investigators, Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA), National Association of Fire Investigators, Orange County Fire/Arson Task Force..
Nathanial “Nat” Trives Board of Governors
Former Mayor of Santa Monica
Nathaniel “Nat” Trives, who is known as “Mr. Santa Monica”, has served in a number of community roles — in the field of Criminal Justice, as a practitioner in Law Enforcement with the City of Santa Monica; and as an emeritus professor of Criminal Justice at California State University, Los Angeles. While at Cal State LA, Nat also served as a Special Master for the Northern District Federal Court overseeing the Consent Decree governing the resolution of race and gender bias issues in the San Francisco Police Department. He also served as a member of the senior staff at the Santa Monica Community College District, as Deputy Superintendent and Chief Government Relations Officer with responsibilities for the College Foundation and all external relations. He served on the national boards of both the National Urban League and the National Conference of Community and Justice (NCCJ); and on national committees of the National Association of Independent Schools, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National League of Cities. He was a member and Chair of the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training; he was a member and Chair of the Los Angeles Regional Criminal Justice Planning Board. Nat was a member of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and chaired its Public Safety committee. He was elected to two terms on the Santa Monica City Council, where he served as Mayor Pro-Tem and then Mayor. He has served as a member and Chair of the Personnel Commission for both the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District and the Santa Monica Community College District. He served on the California Commission on Judicial Performance. Nat is Past President of The Rotary Club of Santa Monica and has been an active member since 1976. Nat is currently serving as a member of the Board and Past President of the Santa Monica Family YMCA. He has served on the Board of the Santa Monica Historical Society Museum. He is Past Chair of the Board for Santa Monica Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and Past Chair of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce for 2004-05. Nat also enjoyed his role as Chair of the Board of the Center for Healthy Aging which has merged WISE & Healthy Aging. His dedication to education also includes having served as President & Board Chair of Crossroads School, where he enters his 40th year of volunteer service. He is the founding Board President & Chair of the Board of New Visions Foundation, as well as being the founding President and Chair of the Board of Trustees of New Roads School. He is a founding Board member and past Chair of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition. He was a member and past President of the Santa Monica Gems, a local philanthropic scholarship organization which provided thousands of dollars to black students attending Santa Monica area schools and Santa Monica College prior to its dissolution.
David Zanatta Board of Governors
JCA Resources Sr. Vice-President
David Zanatta serves as the Sr. Vice-President of JCA Resources, an international trade, real estate development and marketing company that has collaborated on multiple trade and development projects throughout the Southern California, Mexico and Asia. During this time he developed a JCA non-profit, development arm (ACCORD Community First), helping to secure and manage more than 2.75 million in public and private workforce and development grants from the U.S. Department of Labor, State of California and City of Long Beach. Mr. Zanatta was appointed by the Mayor of Long Beach as Vice-Chairman of the City of Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Commission overseeing the City’s Park System and Marina, which is the largest municipally owned Marina in the United States. He previously served as the Director of Public Affairs and Communications at the Port of Long Beach, Director of Public Affairs at the Port of Jacksonville & International Airport in Florida, member of the Sister Cities International Southern California Chapter Board of Directors, Chairman of the Board and President of the City of Long Beach Sister City Program. He serves on multiple community, charities and industry boards throughout Long Beach and southland.
SoCal Sister Cities Young Professionals
Anthony Al-Jamie, Executive Chair
Steven Trinh Young Professional College Chair, Youth Leadership Summit
Michael Avila Young Professional Outreach Chair, Youth Leadership Summit
Youth Ambassadors
Maya Al-Jamie Youth Ambassadors High School Chair, Youth Leadership Summit
State Representatives
Kathleen Roche-Tansey SCI – State Representative – Southeast: Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial Counties to the Arizona Border
kroche.tansey@gmail.com Kathleen is a graduate of the University of Southern California. She did post-graduate studies at the University of Valencia in Spain and the Goethe Institute in Berlin. Kathleen is a retired educator and District Counselor for San Diego Unified School District. She lived in Berlin for two years, teaching at the US Department of Defense school. Kathleen is the former Chair of the International Affairs Board for the City of San Diego. In 1993, she was elected founding President of the San Diego International Sister Cities Association. In 2001, she was elected to the Board of Directors of Sister Cities International (SCI) for two terms and served as Secretary of the Board. Since 2007 she has been a State Coordinator for SCI and a member of the Conference and Membership Committees. She is a member of the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club and serves as Co-Chair of the International Service Committee. Through Rotary she has raised funds for water and sanitation projects at five schools in Indonesia and an HIV/AIDS Clinic in Bali. Most recently she supported the introduction of a digital learning project to a rural area of Fiji. Her Rotary Club is supporting her Sister School project in San Diego and their partner school in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
Elena Galvez SCI – State Representative – Central, North and Northwest: Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties
Elena Galvez is a founding member of the Santa Clarita Sister Cities program, helping launch the nonprofit organization in 2001. Elena played an active role in establishing Santa Clarita’s Sister Cities relationships with officials in Tena, Ecuador and Sariaya Philippines. Over the years, Elena has served on the Santa Clarita Sister Cities board in each officer position, including President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. She currently serves as Vice President. Elena has travelled on several global collaborative projects including a medical mission in Tena, Ecuador and Literacy mission in Granada, Nicaragua. Elena is also actively involved in Santa Clarita’s international collaborations with schools in Nicaragua, India, and Japan. Elena works for the City of Santa Clarita, serving as a Management Analyst in various City Departments and is currently a Project Manager with experience in finance and budgeting, project management, strategic planning, and community outreach.
In Memoriam: Don Goertz (1930-2023) SOCAL Sister Cities Board of Directors
San Diego/Leon, El Cajon, Azusa, Downey, San Diego de Alcala and Santa Barbara Sister City Committees
San Diego International Affairs Board
Don Goertz, a graduate of Kansas State University (Architecture & Engineering), is a member of AIA (American Institute of Architects) and CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) as well as a retired Navy Captain. Involved with Sister City Programs since 1975, he is Past President of the U.S./Mexico Sister City Association, Past President and member of the San Diego International Affairs Board, Vice President of the U.S./Mexico International Board and member of the San Diego/Leon, El Cajon, Azusa, Downey, San Diego de Alcala and Santa Barbara Sister City Committees. Outside of sister cities organizations, he is a volunteer at Vietnam Veterans of San Diego and Volunteers of America.
Past Presidents
Gil Garcia Santa Barbara Past President May 2013-2016
Michael Vaughn Long Beach Past President May 2012-2013
Frank Tripicchio Bakersfield Past President May 2011-2012
Stelle Feuers Los Angeles Past President May 2010-2011
