President, DEBBIE ROCCO is currently the Chief Learning officer for Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where she provides overall direction for executive development and learrning efforts across the company. Prior to joining Amylin, she held lead positions at the field and corporate levels for several large telecommunication companies, where she was responsible for leadership and executive development, organization effectiveness and operational training initiatives. Prior to her tenure in the telecommunications industry, Deborah was the Assistant Dean for Career Development & Placement at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, where she built the center responsible for the placement of the school’s Executive and Full-time MBA students. Deborah holds a Masters of Education in Human Resource Development from Colorado State University, is a certified executive coach and holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources designation.
Secretary, DANIEL WILLIAMS II is an attorney in the San Diego office of Borton Petrini, LLP. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California , Davis , in the areas of Political Science and Communications, both with honors. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law, receiving a Faculty Fund Scholarship and being honored with a C.A.L.I. Award for Academic Excellence.
During law school, Mr. Williams actively competed for the Negotiations Team, and won the 2001 University of San Diego Negotiations Team Competition. He was also a finalist in the annual Thorsnes Closing Argument Competition.
Mr. Williams' primary practice areas include business litigation and insurance defense. He has handled cases involving personal injury, product liability, homeowners association law, employment law, medical malpractice and construction defects. Prior to joining Borton Petrini, LLP, Mr. Williams focused on insurance coverage litigation, medical malpractice defense, and patent infringement litigation.
Mr. Williams is a member of the San Diego County Bar Association, The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the Cabrillo Civic Club of California, and the Barristers Club of San Diego. He is also a contributing author for the California Defense magazine, and lectures on business entity selection and formation.
When not at the office, Mr. Williams can be found snowboarding the local mountains (during the winter) and leaving divots in the local golf courses (during the summer). He also maintains an extensive music collection and promotes various Deejays throughout California.
Treasurer, LISA WRIGHT has more than 25 years of banking experience in sales, marketing, management and training – getting her start while attending college as a teller for Bank of America. After ten years, she was recruited to then San Diego-based HomeFed Bank and later moved on to work for Home Savings of America and Washington Mutual Bank. Ready to take on the challenges of a smaller financial institution, she joined San Diego National Bank in 2002 as their Vice President, Director of Training. In her position there, she earned the Bank ASTD’s “Organization of the Year” Award and also authored the Bank’s “Best Places to Work” proposal which earned a first place award from the SDBJ. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business with an emphasis in both marketing and real estate and has held a California real estate broker’s license since 1994. A member of the American Society for Training and Development, board member for the San Diego Workforce Partnership and transenDANCE Youth Arts Council, and past parent volunteer for The Gathering Youth Ministry, Lisa has been married for 26 years and has a 20 year-old son attending college.
Board Member, GEORGE BILLINGSLEY, is a native San Diegan having had a wondrously wholesome childhood in Coronado, California. After graduation from Mission Bay High School with honors he attended several colleges, a seminary and universities on academic scholarships. Some of these institutions included Claflin University, South Carolina State, Howard University, Morehouse and San Diego State University. He has a bachelor degrees in Philosophy, Mathematics, Religion and Secondary Education. He has worked as a business and personnel administrator for American Stores for 20 years and retired in 1993. In 2000, he started his own business, My Back Yard Nursery, and am considered one of the best landscape designers in San Diego County. Also, he recently started a second business called Ever Life Scapes, which provides to the families of those interned at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. He has long been a community activist and a familiar person of interest with our local and state elected officials and has served many years on the boards of the North Park Neighborhood Association, North Park Maintenance Assessment District, South Park Business Association, North Park Rainbow Business Alliance and the City Heights Business Association.
Board Member, CATHERINE CORRAL, received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and holds a professional certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy from UC San Diego. Catherine has received training in arts education from City Moves!, San Diego City Schools Visual and Performing Arts Department, The Galef Institute, Center for Creative Dance in Seattle, WA, and at the International Dance and the Child summer institute in Salvador, Brazil. She recently returned to Salvador, Brazil in the fall of 2005 to work with Projete Axe and Centro De Referencia Integral De Adolescentes, two internationally recognized arts/community development programs. Ms. Corral has ten years of experience in the social services/mental health field. She founded and directed the ELEVATE Teen Dance Troupe in City Heights with SDYCS from 2003-2005. Most recently, Ms. Corral co-founded transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project and is working as the CEO and Artistic Director.
Youth Board Member, JUAN OSEGUERA, is currently attending San Diego State University and graduated from Hoover High School. He plans to major in Political Science and to minor is Performing Arts. Juan is bilingual and was born in Mexico. He is a dancer with the transcenDANCE YouthPerforming Group and is looking forward to contributing artistically and administratively to this new program's success. Juan has participated in a variety of student leadership programs and has volunteered as a mentor/tutor in the City Heights community. He currently works part-time at the SDSU Child Development Center.
Board Member, T. FORD. Professor, Grossmont College
Youth Board Member, RODRIGO JIMENEZ is a 16-year-old junior at Herbert Hoover High School in the City Heights community. Born and raised in San Diego by immigrant parents from Mexico City. After graduating high school he plans on attending a four-year university hoping to graduate as a double major in sociology and political science. Rodrigo got his first year taste of the arts when he was nine years old with a community produced performance at the Performance Annex in City Heights. This is his second year in the transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project and he hopes to continue to be a part of the program. Rodrigo has dedicated the majority of his time to community activism working with various organizations to create programs for the benefit of the City Heights youth. “transcenDANCE has offered constant support throughout my activist journey; they have guided me through my discovery and understanding of the arts in order to utilize them for the good of my community.”
ADVISORY Board Member, TIVEEDA STOVALL, is currently the Executive Director/Founder of Excel Youth Zone -- a non-profit for youth-led community service-learning projects. Ms. Stovall is also a part-time professor at Southwestern Community College. She has had 20 years of social work and counseling experience with children, adolescents and families in a variety of settings. She has served on the Board of Directors for Coalition for Positive Families and has consulted to schools, public health departments, medical professionals and community organizations on psycho-social issues of youth and families. Tiveeda Stovall earned her master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
ADVISORY Board Member, DANAH FAYMAN, has been a tireless contributor to and social conscience for San Diego’s arts community since she came to her adopted hometown in 1954. Ms. Fayman earned her bachelor’s degree from San Diego State in 1957 and immediately went to work at the Museum of Contemporary Art, where she established and held the position of public relations director for three years. In the decades since, she has volunteered for or served on the boards of some three dozen local arts groups and civic associations, from the Old Globe Theatre to UCSD’s Chancellor’s Associates. Ms. Fayman founded the San Diego Foundation for the Performing Arts, the Partners for Livable San Diego, and served on the board of trustees for Partners for Livable Communities. She currently serves on the San Diego Performing Arts League Advisory Council. Ms. Fayman was recently named one of “50 San Diegans Who’ve Mattered” in San Diego Magazine.