Class Photos & Bios

2002 - 2003
Class Bios & Photos

	A through C = Page 1	L through R = Page 3
	D through K = Page 2	S through Y = Page 4

Ruby Lipsenthal,
Workshop Coordinator,
University of California, Santa Cruz

Ruby was raised in Bonny Doon. She graduated from Santa Cruz High and moved south to attend UC San Diego. She spent her junior year abroad studying in Salamanca, Spain, and traveling all over Europe. After graduating with a degree in U.S. History, she seized the opportunity to move to Vail, Colorado, to snowboard for the winter. Two years later, in 1998, she moved back to Santa Cruz, where she still had many friends and family. Ruby partnered with a friend and published The Wedding Companion, a popular local wedding guide, as well as worked at El Palomar. She currently works at UC Santa Cruz as a workshop coordinator in Training & Development, part of Staff Human Resources. Her free time is spent playing soccer in the local recreational leagues, mountain biking, snowboarding, gardening and learning to surf.

Nancy Liverani, Director of Nurses,
7th Avenue Center

Nancy Liverani was born and raised in New York. She graduated from Molloy Catholic College for women with a B.S. in Nursing and has been a registered nurse for over 20 years. She arrived in Santa Cruz in 1997, after spending several years in Sedona, Arizona, and Maui, HI, where she did extensive spiritual work. Nancy is currently the Director of Nursing at 7th Avenue Center, a locked psychiatric facility. She is also the mother of three almost grown children and is planning to get married in the very near future to a wonderful man named Phil. Her hobbies include traveling, hiking, dancing, movies and reading. Nancy and Phil have recently purchased 10 acres of land in Costa Rica. The land is rich with flowers, monkeys, birds and butterflies galore. Nancy and Phil plan to build a beautiful jungle retreat center over the next few years.

Edward Martinez III,
Marketing Director, The Spot, Inc.

Ed Martinez has always believed that if you can imagine a thing, that thing is inherently doable. He listens to his dreams and trusts his instincts. Originally planted in good New England soil, Ed was harvested, thrown to the wind and re-planted in Santa Cruz in 1981. He stayed at Cabrillo College as long as he possibly could. His work experience grows from a non-profit and fund raising base, with Real Estate, Marketing and Advertising Sales thrown into the package along the way. Ed has come to truly love advertising, both as a method of communication and an art form. He was hired by John Cirillo of The Spot, Inc. in January of 2002. Ed is a lifelong water man, adventure seeker, and dedicated father of one very tall ten-year old boy, upon whom the sun rises and sets.

Cynthia Mathiesen, Production Manager
Driscoll Strawberry Associates, Inc.

Cynthia was born and raised in the Pajaro Valley and is a direct descendant of pioneers who originally settled Freedom, CA. She graduated from San Jose State University in May 2000 with an MBA, and has worked for Driscoll Strawberry Associates, Inc. for 13 years. As a Production Manager, she is responsible for completing North and South American grower contracts in English and Spanish for production and sales of Driscoll's proprietary and public varieties of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Cynthia also allocates over 250 million plants each year from the company's nurseries to its growers for the next season's production. Outside of work, Cynthia enjoys teaching the youth at church and getting involved in community outreach programs sponsored by the church. She especially enjoys pursuing her passion in ballroom dancing, including American Smooth and Rhythm, and International Standard and Latin dances and regularly participates in Pro-Am competitions and performances.

Kenneth Meshke, Partner,
Orchard Hill Partners

Ken Meshke spent his first eighteen years on a family farm in north central California. Inspired never to again raise cattle or potatoes, he got a chemistry degree from San Jose State University. At the time there was no apparent fortune to be had for chemists, so he bought a waterbed retail/manufacturing business. He sold the business and tried his hand at industrial sales in the Silicon Valley. Three years and two jobs later, he started his own manufacturers rep. firm. He sold his share five years later and returned to SJSU to get a teaching credential. He taught chemistry and physics for eight years until he got accepted to graduate school at UC Santa Cruz. He re-connected with SJSU's science education department, working part time as a University Supervisor. He and his new wife, Barbara, started Orchard Hill Partners, doing property investment and in-fill property development.

Tim Miller, Executive Director,
Santa Cruz County Red Cross

Tim has served as the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz County Red Cross since September 2001. Prior to this, he worked in agriculture in the Salinas Valley and the Central Coast. From 1996-1999, he was the Country Director for a refugee relief/farmer focused non-profit agency in Azerbaijan. Previous to this he served as the Regional Representative for Asia for the same agency from 1993-1996. Born in San Jose, Tim holds a B.A. in Political Science from UC Santa Barbara and an M.A. in International Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He is the proud father of an 8-year old girl and a 1-year old boy. They live in Marina where he serves on the City Services and Improvement Commission. He also chairs Marina's Greenbelt Committee. His wife, Lara Magnusdottir, was born in a small fishing village in Iceland and loves the international flavor of the Central Coast.

Kathryn Nation, Executive Assistant,
Office of State Senator Bruce McPherson

Kathryn Nation is a native Californian who moved to Santa Cruz County in 1975. After living in many places throughout the state, she decided Santa Cruz County is where she'll stay. She is a member of Senator Bruce McPherson's staff, and has worked for him since 1993. Previously, Kathryn worked in Presales Support for The Santa Cruz Operation, and was an Engineering Assistant for an electronics company in Scotts Valley. She is continuing her education at Cabrillo College and will go on to pursue her bachelor's degree at San Jose State University. Kathryn's hobbies include golf, gardening, reading and spending time with friends.

Susan Negro, Branch Manager
Bay Federal Credit Union

Susan was born and raised in San Diego. She moved to Santa Cruz right before her 20th birthday and has stayed for over 19 years. She attended San Diego City College and Cabrillo College. She worked her way into management at Mervyn's and ended up in retail management for 15 years. She has been in banking for close to five years with two and half of those years with Bay Federal Credit Union. She loves helping people both in her job and in the community. She donates time and money to several nonprofits in the area. She loves Santa Cruz County because of its diversity and the ocean and mountains. Susan has been married for 16 years to her husband, Wayne, and has an 11-year old daughter, Kendra. She also has two chocolate labs that are a big part of the family. Her hobbies include camping, hiking, reading and shopping with her daughter.

Joe Nugent,
Maintenance & Operations Director, Cabrillo College

Joe was born on Long Island, NY, but relocated to southern California in his early teens. He comes from a large family (one of eight) and feels a strong sense of community no matter where he is. Joe's professional accomplishments include working his way through the ranks of the construction industry as a carpenter and then licensed general contractor. In his early thirties, he became a building inspector for private and public agencies, including the State Architects Office. Project Management was also a part of Joe's interests and business ventures which, coupled with school inspections, got him involved with Cabrillo College and its Capitol Outlay and Construction Program. Due to an opening at the College in 2000 he has most recently become the Director of Maintenance and Operations. More importantly, Joe's beautiful wife, Dee Dee, and his two young children, Lily and Kamele, are what he lives for.

Will O'Sullivan, Director,
Community Recovery Services (CRS)
Santa Cruz Community Counseling Center (SCCCC)

Will, his wife, Martina (a Leadership Program graduate), and three daughters moved to Santa Cruz in 1983 from their hometown Detroit, MI. He worked in the community corrections field as a probation officer and manager for over 30 years, primarily with Federal Probation in Detroit and San Jose until April 2002. He started his "local career," directing a variety of programs at CRS/SCCCC serving the needs of chemically dependent adults and their families. Si Se Puede, Sunflower House, & Alto Counseling Centers deliver services from facilities in Watsonville and Santa Cruz to hundreds of drug/alcohol abusing clients and families committed to the recovery process. SCCCC has been a major force county-wide in substance abuse recovery and treatment since 1973. CRS targets services to individuals that might otherwise be under served including criminal justice referrals. Will and Martina are active at Resurrection parish in Aptos. Will loves family, jazz, sports and all combinations thereof.

Kelly Rider, Sales Coordinator,
Driscoll Strawberry Associates, Inc.

Kelly, a native of Watsonville, recently graduated from UC Davis with a degree in English. During her time at UCD she wrote for the school newspaper, where she had her first taste of municipal government while covering city council meetings. After moving back to Watsonville, she took a job as a Sales Coordinator for Driscoll's. She has been with the company one year and hopes that she will serve the business for many years to come. She continues to toy with the idea of one day going back to school and hopes to continue to work in the agricultural community. Her hobbies include reading, camping, and playing tennis.

Carmen Robles, Senior Analyst
Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency

Carmen Alicia was born and raised in Oakland, CA. She attended UC Berkeley and moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, upon graduation. She attended the University of Regina and graduated with an M.S.W. Four years ago, she earned an M.B.A. from Simmons School of Management, an executive program for women in Boston. In 1998, she moved to Santa Cruz with her wonderful husband, Richard, and is currently employed with the County of Santa Cruz, Health Services Agency. She is the Director of the Long Term Care Integration Pilot Project and is collaborating with Monterey Bay region stakeholders and policy-makers to redesign a system of care for seniors and individuals with long term care needs. She is a member of many professional and community organizations, and is the treasurer and boardmember of the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union. Her interests include fiber arts, exercising, reading and spending time with Richard, family and friends.

Joseph Rossi, Vice President of Finance,
Santa Cruz Seaside Company

Joe was born and raised in San Mateo and has lived in Scotts Valley for the last 23 years. His heritage in the San Lorenzo Valley dates back to the late 19th century. After graduating from Serra High School, he attended San Mateo Junior College and Santa Clara University where he graduated in 1970 with a BA in Business Administration. He is a Certified Public Accountant who has always enjoyed the diversity and challenges of his profession. In 2000, he joined the Santa Cruz Seaside Company as the Vice President of Finance. Joe is married to Diane (Bryant), who was born and raised in Santa Cruz. They have two daughters, Teresa and Julia, who have graduated from Harbor High School and are attending college. Joe's leisure time is spent restoring old air-cooled automobiles, working on home construction projects and playing softball.

Berta Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst,
Paharo Valley Water Management Agency

Berta relocated to Santa Cruz in 2000 from Albuquerque, NM, where she worked for 14 years as a corporate paralegal at Sandia National Laboratories. Berta's first job in California was as paralegal supervisor at Calpine Corporation, San Jose. She then joined Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency in May 2002 as an Administrative Analyst. She now lives in Watsonville, and commutes one mile to work. Born in Brownsville, TX, she is the youngest of four children. In 1993, she earned her B.A. from the College of Santa Fe, NM. She was very active in New Mexico, serving as State President of Business and Professional Women, as well as serving at the local and national level with MANA, a Latina advocacy group. She seeks to resume her political activism in California. Her greatest joys are her grandchildren - who motivated her to move to this area.

David Rowan, Risk/Project Manager
Cabrillo College

Originally locating in Santa Cruz County in the early seventies, Dave and his wife, Linda, have followed careers out of the area twice only to end up orchestrating opportunities to return. Following a ten-year career with West Marine, a national boating retailer head-quartered in Watsonville, Dave recently made a mid-life career change to join Cabrillo College as the district's Risk and Special Projects Manager. Dave appreciates the way Cabrillo College serves the community in so many ways and is especially enthusiastic about the facet of his job associated with assisting in the execution of the district's Facilities Master Plan. His personal interests include babies, motorcycles, and gardening. Dave is a former Big Brothers volunteer; he and Linda have been foster parents for medically fragile infants in the recent past, and they plan to continue caring for babies in the future.

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