2005 - 2006 Class XXI Bios & Photos

	Adema - Craig = Page 1	Gomez - Polse = Page 3
	Danielson - Goddard = Page 2	Ramage - Verutti = Page 4

LETICIA GOMEZ Manager, MACSA San Jose Youth Services Leticia G. Gomez has lived in Watsonville for twenty-five years. Her small family includes her parents, a younger brother, and a lovable West Highlander Terrier mix dog. Leticia enjoys traveling, music, outdoor activities, and working with children. In 2001, she graduated from Cal State University Monterey Bay with a B. S. in International Entrepreneurship and a B.A. in Human Communications. Leticia has volunteered for many non-profit agencies. Currently she works as the Manager for MACSA San Jose Youth Services. She researches community needs and then seeks the funds to implement services that will provide opportunities for youth and families to improve their assets and quality of life. Leticia has been a part of many collaborative and partnership agreements throughout Santa Clara County, including the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Taskforce, Region V Collaborative, Strong Neighborhood Initiative, and Mayfair Adult Learning Taskforce.

ADAN GOMEZ-PARRA Program Specialist, City of Watsonville Parks and Community Services Adan Gomez-Parra is from Watsonville and is the younger of two siblings. He is a student at Cabrillo College, majoring in architecture. Adan’s hobbies are playing guitar and piano; and he is a black belt in Taekwando, plays soccer, coaches football, and enjoys working on art. Through the years, Adan has been very involved in the community through his hobbies, school, and work. He has enjoyed the opportunities to work with his community and wants to learn more about it and the surrounding area. Adan felt Leadership Santa Cruz County would be a great avenue to learn more about the unknown resources and needs of his community so he can get more involved.

MARTIN GUERRERO BIO PENDING

ANGELICA HARO Administrative Assistant, Driscoll Strawberry Associates, Inc. Angelica has lived in Watsonville for 10 years and has also worked for Driscoll’s for 10 years. She attended English classes at Cabrillo College and earned a certificate in Human Resources Management from UCSC Extension in 2002. Angelica enjoys working on projects that involve helping others. The accomplishment she is proudest of is learning English in a very short time. Even though she thinks she still has a lot to learn, she’s able to express herself with no problem. Angelica is looking forward to participating in Leadership Santa Cruz County and to meeting other people who have similar interests. She hopes to learn more about what is going on in her community and to find a place where she can share what she learns.

JANET JOHNSTON Human Resources Manager, Central Coast Alliance for Health Janet was born and raised in England. She arrived in the USA in the summer of 1969 as a foreign exchange student. On her return to the States in 1974, she made her way to Santa Cruz where she has lived on and off for over 30 years. Her work life in England included a position at the US Embassy in London as a liaison for US military personnel in and around Southern England. Janet has worked as a volunteer for the county’s Meals-On-Wheels program, and has recently been honored as the Second Harvest Food Bank’s Holiday Food Drive Coordinator of the Year for 2004. Janet works as the Human Resources Manager for Central Coast Alliance for Health, a locally managed non-profit health plan whose programs include Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, Healthy Kids, and In Home Support Services (IHSS). She has been a proud employee of the Alliance for 7 years.

SANDY KAPLAN Santa Cruz Association of Realtors Sandy has been a resident of Santa Cruz County since 1974, and a local realtor for 22 years. She is co-owner of Santa Cruz Properties and is known with her business partner as “The Sandy Team.” She is currently the 2006 President-Elect of the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors and a director of the California Association of Realtors. Sandy has a B.A. degree in Administration and Community Development from Antioch University, and has always been active in her community. She has been a community organizer, served on the county Women’s Commission, been active in local school issues, and is currently working on the lack of affordable housing. As a trustee of the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors Housing Foundation, her goal is to bridge the gap to home ownership. Sandy is participating in Leadership SCC to gain further knowledge and contacts to improve her effectiveness serving the local community.

SHANNA McCORD Reporter, Santa Cruz Sentinel Shanna McCord is a graduate of Cal State Sacramento and Stanford University. For several years she worked as a news reporter for television stations in Arizona, Oregon and the Salinas-Monterey area. After earning a master's degree in journalism at Stanford in 2002, Shanna switched her reporting career to newspapers. Prior to moving to Santa Cruz in January 2004 for a position at the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Shanna covered crime news for the San Diego Union Tribune. Currently, she is the city government reporter for the Sentinel. Shanna volunteers as a big sister with the Big Brother/Big Sister program of Santa Cruz County.

ELLEN McGIBBEN Realtor, Sherman and Boone Real Estate Ellen McGibben, a 28-year resident of Santa Cruz County, spent 17 years working as a registered nurse. The time was split between Watsonville Community Hospital and the Santa Cruz Surgery Center. She is currently a realtor with Sherman and Boone Real Estate. With a strong focus on customer care, Ellen enjoys the process of issue spotting and providing for the needs of her clients. Ellen is the mother of three grown sons and, with her husband, Dennis, welcomed their first grandchild in August.

KATHARINE P. MINOTT Foglady Design, llc Katharine, a fifth generation Californian, has lived in Aptos since her childhood. Raised in an academic and politically active family, Katharine was encouraged to develop a keen advocacy for improved human rights and environmental law. Katharine earned a B.A in Psychology from UCSC and holds certification as a substance abuse counselor. She attended postgraduate studies in Land Use Law and Environmental Policy. Katharine’s focus of interest is in upscale designs for seniors with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Katharine is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the International Association of Color Consultants and Designers (IACC). Katharine currently serves as Chairperson on the Santa Cruz County Parks Commission.

ANDREAS MUELLER Chief Strategist, Bloofusion, Inc. Andreas grew up in Germany and has lived in France and Japan. He met his wife, Suzanne, during their graduate studies in 1986 at UC Davis. They are now raising two kids, eight and twelve, in Rio del Mar. Andreas began his career in 1989 at Seagram’s in San Francisco, marketing wines from France and Germany in the US. In 1994, he worked for Esker, a French software company in San Francisco, heading up the marketing department. In 1997, he joined JSB, a UK software company located in Scotts Valley, as its VP of Marketing and the whole family moved down from Mill Valley to Santa Cruz. There he got hooked on surfing. JSB changed names to SurfControl, went public, and Andreas decided to switch gears in 2001 and co-founded Bloofusion, an online marketing agency. Andreas is interested in networking and connecting people, thus joining Leadership was an easy decision.

GRACE MUNDY Residential Real Estate Specialist, Bailey Properties Grace graduated from San Jose State University and received a B.A. in psychology, with a minor in business. She worked as an operations manager for Mervyn’s Department Stores for 10 years. In 1985, she moved to Aptos, obtained her real estate license the following year, and joined Bailey Properties in real estate sales. About that same time, she joined the Aptos Chamber of Commerce. Since then, she has served on various committees and has chaired several of them. In 1995, the Aptos Chamber of Commerce named her Woman of the Year. She is a past president of the Aptos Chamber and continues to serve as a member of their board of directors.

POKI STEWART NAMKUNG, M.D., M.P.H. Health Officer, Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency Dr. Namkung is a first generation immigrant who came to medicine late in life after many years of political activism. After medical school at UC Davis, she trained in Obstetrics and Gynecology for one year, also at UC Davis, and then took a hiatus from career to raise a family. During this period, she maintained her commitment to women's health by involving herself in the life of her community by serving on many boards and commissions, including chairing the PTA and the Parks and Recreation Commission for the City of Berkeley. Her volunteer activities reflect her long-standing and abiding interest in the health of her community with a particular interest in the well being of women and children. Dr. Namkung was the Health Officer and Director of Public Health for the City of Berkeley Public Health Department and became the Health Officer of Santa Cruz County in June of 2005. The California Public Health Association-North honored her in 2003 with their Public Health Leadership Award. In July, 2005, Dr. Namkung became President-Elect of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).

KARLA NORTON Pastor, Trinity Presbyterian Church After over 20 years in the healthcare field working as a clinical laboratory scientist, Karla felt God calling her to serve as a minister. After attending seminary school, she was fortunate enough to be called to serve in her hometown. Karla has been at Trinity Presbyterian since February 2004. Karla has a strong passion for social justice and looks forward to engaging with those in leadership roles in the community. She hopes to learn how to work more effectively on issues that concern her, as well as discover the concerns of the people in the community around her.

DEENA PAIS Realtor, Karon Properties Deena has a diverse personal history and extensive business background. Raised largely in Ethiopia and Jamaica, and well traveled throughout Europe, she readily embraces the differences that make Santa Cruz unique. A graduate of the University of Redlands, Deena has utilized her marketing and customer service skills while working at Fortune 500 companies such as Bank of America and IBM as well as in family-owned businesses such as The Magic Castle, a premier private club in Hollywood. However, it was the magic she found right here in Santa Cruz for the past seven years that has made Deena an enthusiastic supporter of our local community. She is a member of the National Association of Realtors and the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors. She is married to David Pais, an environmental health and safety manager, and has two young daughters.

BARBARA PERMAN Manager of Training and Development, UC Santa Cruz Barbara manages the Training and Development Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is responsible for designing the training strategy and course offerings for more than 3500 staff employees. She holds a Master’s degree from Yale University and a Bachelor of Art from the University of Minnesota. Barbara has worked in training and development in the Bay Area for 15 years, including working as a seminar leader for the Tom Peters Group delivering programs on leadership, communication skills, team building and delivering legendary customer service. Formerly a hospital administrator in Boston, she enjoys being of service to the community and hopes to find opportunities to get involved in Santa Cruz County through the LSCC program. Barbara was raised in the Midwest and has lived in Santa Cruz for four years. She enjoys Scottish folk dancing, vintage European cars, visiting cathedrals and hiking along the beautiful Santa Cruz coastline.

RICK POLSE Attorney Rick and his wife, Robin, have lived in Santa Cruz County for over 25 years. Robin writes and directs children’s theatre productions at the Santa Cruz Montessori School. They have two adult daughters: Annie, who is a third grade bilingual teacher, and Lara, who is a senior at UC Davis. Rick has been an estate planning attorney for the past 27 years. He recently sold his practice so he could make a career change into the world of philanthropy and community development. Rick is a past board member of the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County. He also envisioned and directed the Planned Giving Center at the Foundation. He appreciates LSCC providing the opportunities to learn from recognized experts about different aspects of living in our county, and to get to know a diverse group of classmates who share common concerns.

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