Wade works closely with charter school operators, community organizations, and local elected officials to maximize the positive impact of charter schools in the region and to ensure that all students and families have access to high quality school options.

Craig is a graduate of UCSD with a degree in Biology. He joined his father at Barrett in 1978 and immediately went into outside sales and engineering. His interests range from skiing and tennis to sailing and scuba. He is also a member of various mechanical engineering associations.

Tom grew up in the great state of Iowa, and he also graduated from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. He provides Park West Dental with knowledge in a wide range of services, including root canals, dentures, and Invisalign®. In his free time, Tom enjoys traveling, playing ice hockey, reading, and exploring the outdoors of California.

Miguel graduated from University of Lima in Business Administration, and his years as a top-performing sales rep in the health industry prepped him to streamline customer contracts for each building’s specific needs. Miguel has assembled a dedicated team to assist him in giving their clients the best service possible.

John Burnham is a native San Diegan, whose educational background includes Point Loma High School and United States International University. Throughout his career, John has had business interests in various fields: real estate development and property management; the Savings and Loan industry; non-profit event management; and non-profit fundraising. John is also an accomplished sailor and was a professional captain. John has been affiliated with The UPS store for twelve years. His association began with Mailboxes Etc. in 1996 in the MEE Center in the uptown Hillcrest area. In April 2003, John and other franchisees were invited to change the name of their stores to The UPS Store. Based on his business savvy and experience, John has built a successful business in this central location. John and the UPS Store have memberships in numerous local business organizations which include the Better Business Bureau, and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. John has also served on the Board of Directors of the Ryan Family YMCA for over 26 years.

Danielle is a renowned expert in the field of brain power and has been helping people improve their mental performance for over 35 years. In France she spent 12 years successfully managing a healing retreat center, as well as heading a non-profit organization serving remote villages in Africa.

Tonya brings 14 years of seasoned experience to both residential and commercial transactions, and her performance has earned her local and national recognition. Tonya is also a licensed attorney and real estate broker and prides herself on being detailed, creative, trustworthy and – most importantly – having integrity.

Marie Crivello is a Senior Vice President at First Pacific Bank in San Diego. She joined the company in 2022 and is responsible for sourcing new business opportunities in the Greater San Diego region, with a focus on commercial banking clients. Marie has twenty years of banking experience covering underwriting, financial analysis, consumer and commercial lending, private banking and more.

Adrian moved to San Diego from Big Bear Lake, CA in 2012 and established Five Star Transportation Services. His focal point is providing exclusive Five-Star Service to its customers. His company has been awarded the title of Best Limousine Service by the San Diego Awards for 3 consecutive years.

FYI Systems is a MSSP (Managed Service/Security Provider) servicing the San Diego metropolitan area and Orange County. FYI Systems provide consulting services, computer management and support services for SMB (Small/Medium Business) clients. Each of our clients is unique and requires a specific and custom set of computing solutions to meet their technical needs. We support on-premise, cloud, and hybrid computing environments hosting Microsoft domains, open-source platforms, and vertical markets. FYI Systems manages a diverse range of business clients from various industry groups including; construction, financial, medical, retail and engineering. FYI Systems is a partner with Citrix, Microsoft, Duo Security, Fortinet, Xen Orchestra, and XCP-ng. Jim has a wide and diverse career over the past four decades. Diversification of skillsets and wide variety of requirements has allowed a multitude of projects over time. We currently have three support engineers servicing client systems throughout Southern California. We are dedicated and committed to providing secure and efficient I.T. systems and solutions.

Byram’s full-time career with Frost Hardwood Lumber Co. started in 2006 and he has since filled roles in the Yard, Sales and Accounting departments. He currently is the Company Treasurer in addition to holding General Manager responsibilities and serves as the face of change in adapting old principles to new ideals.

John Galkowski brings 31 years of mortgage experience as President and Founder of One Easy Fee Home Loans. After graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, John entered the mortgage industry as a loan officer. Over the years, John has partnered and started a mortgage brokerage as well as a mortgage bank. John combines his experience with today’s innovation to create a high-performing platform for his clientele. He is bringing transparency using technology and providing a user-friendly approach to mortgage lending.

Greg earned a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA and an M.B.A. from the University of Redlands and offers clients over 33 years of expertise in the credit management field. He has served on numerous organization boards including The Executives’ Association, where he also served as President. He also officiates college basketball in his spare time.

The Best to You began as a hobby in 1984. Soon, creating festive gifts for special people became a passion and a business. Linda & Barry enjoy cruising, nature, photography, music, networking and getting together with friends. They have a beautiful daughter and a very multi-talented 27-year-old grandson.

Mr. Gray has extensive experience with the machinery that “Keeps Things Moving!”. Having been with Sloan Electromechanical Service & Sales (formerly known as Sloan Electric) for 4 decades, his company has been involved with commercial, industrial and municipal organizations of all sizes solving problems on the application and reliability of electric powered machinery with sales and services of motors, pumps, controls, blowers, generators and related components from 1 HP to 5000 HP, 12VDC to 13.8 KV AC. Internal capabilities include the full range of service skills required including machining, dynamic balancing, rewinding, manufacturing parts, vibration analysis, controls applications, and on-site work. ISO9001-2015 registration and Contractors license 286497.

Barry is a native San Diegan who attended Patrick Henry High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology and chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis, where he graduated magna cum laude, and earned his medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine.

Chris Hart joined Sharp Business Systems in 2008. He is the Director, Enterprise Business Group. Chris’ group has been instrumental in the growth of Sharp Business System in Southern California. His team increased Sharp’s market share in Southern California by 350%. New enterprise accounts added over the past decade include Scripps Health, the City of San Diego, San Diego Unified School District, LPL Financial, Southern California Edison, the County of Orange and the County of Los Angeles. Prior to joining Sharp, Chris was a Regional VP for CitiFinancial Auto.

Steven is a San Diego native who was raised in Point Loma. He has literally grown up in the auto body shop business and has worked at his family owned and operated body shop for 40 years. Steven’s life-long hobby has been collecting and restoring his own classic cars, most of which he saved from being scrapped.

Jennifer moved to San Diego from Northern California in 1986 to attend SDSU. Her first “real” job landed her at SDEA in 1988 where she has worked towards success in various positions during her 30+ years with the Association.

Janine has been a member of the Kahala Travel team since 2001 and has been president since 2008. Over the past 19 years, her clients have included large and small groups, families, and couples. She works hard in building relationships with Kahala’s travel suppliers so their agents can offer excellent value and unique experiences to their clients.

Bill started his career in 1968 out of his Claremont Men’s College dorm room. Keane Studios is the largest independent high school senior photographer in the region. His personal love is for family portraits, a tradition that started in his family in the 1880’s! He and his wife Mary live in Carmel Valley, love to travel and visit the grandkids!

Bill began his career as a financial advisor in 1989. He and his clients have faced and overcome multiple market cycles together. Experience is one of Bill’s strongest assets, and he loves to educate his clients by passing on his experience, wisdom and knowledge – a passion he values strongly.

Debbie joined Pay it Forward because she identified with the mission of the company. Her passion for helping other businesses become efficient and save money made it a perfect fit. Providing excellent customer support and assisting businesses with streamlining their processing to add to their bottom line.

Steve Michna is the CEO of BRR Contractors (Best-Rate Repair) and has been with the company for over 3 years. Steve joined Best Rate Repair as the successor to Jeff Mudd, who still has a minority ownership in BRR Contractors and has stepped back into retirement. Before joining Best Rate Repair, Steve spent over 20 years in the Contract Office Furniture industry, managing and owning companies. Steve is a southern CA native born in Long Beach, then spent a couple of years in Monterey before moving to San Diego at the age of 3. Unlike most Navy brats, Steve’s family stayed in San Diego while his dad spent a lot of time at sea in order to keep his family put. After attending the University of San Diego High School, Steve earned a degree in Business Economics from the University of California Santa Barbara. Steve had two children: Justin, a senior at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and Jade, a sophomore at Drexel in Philadelphia, PA.

Mark was born and raised in Point Loma and grew up in the family business, having worked for The Brigantine for 35 years. He is married and has two children. When not busy with the restaurants, Mark enjoys being with his family, golfing, and anything in or around the water!

Gary joined the firm in 1989 after working for a boutique tax firm in San Diego. His background also includes a stint with the Internal Revenue Service. Gary received his undergraduate degree in accounting from Arizona State University and his law degree from the University of San Diego, from which he also holds a Master’s of Law in Taxation (LL.M.).

Rachel founded MMG in 1988 and has won many awards as a certified list broker and direct mail specialist. She was an art teacher before getting into advertising. Rachel is also an actress and recently wrote a screenplay that is scheduled for production this year.

Charles is a California native and a third generation realtor. He and his wife Bonnie have a son Thor, a daughter Ava, and three Bengal cats which are part Asian Leopard. Charles has varied tastes and enjoys working out, snorkeling/scuba, opera and art.

Linda founded Brilliant Marketing Ideas in 1999, specializing in marketing and promotional products for all sizes of businesses. Known for innovative ideas, Linda has received international recognition as well as created award-winning programs. She understands innovation and creativity and turns that into enhancing clients programs.

Duncan, a British expatriate, moved to California in 1982 where he gained much experience in the construction and home remodeling industry. In 1993 he opened Newman Window & Doors to create a company with a difference, offering high-quality products with professional in-house installation at a competitive price.

Steven has been working as a group health insurance broker for over twenty-five years. He is a member of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) and the local chapter, San Diego Association of Health Underwriters (SDAHU). Steven received his B.S. degree in Marketing from San Diego State University.

Jamie began working summers at Lloyd Pest Control when he turned 16 years old and attended the University of California, Davis, majoring in managerial economics. After serving as marketing manager (1994) and termite department manager (1996), he took a short sabbatical to finish his MBA in 1999 and became President in 2000.

Javier is a Certified Pool Operator, a California Licensed Contractor and has held leadership roles with various professional pool organizations. Javier is most proud of his work in drowning prevention, working with Safe Kids San Diego, National Drowning Prevention Alliance, Independent Pool and Spa Service Association and Pool Safely.

Mr. Prabhakaran is an experienced executive with over 20 years of leadership experience across a wide range of industries and technologies, which he applies to help others achieve their dreams and goals by introducing new web & mobile technologies. His background includes solving operational challenges for small to large companies through the development and implementation of software solutions aimed at process improvement, modern technology architecture, and eliminating human errors targeting fleet management, vehicle location, and business management within various industries, such as FinTech, Marketing, Commercial Landscape, Construction, Corporate cleaning services, Healthcare, Legal, etc. He holds nine U.S. patents in the areas of fleet management and GPS/mobile data technologies.

Jon Ray first started painting houses in college at Seattle Pacific University. He was hired to run a franchise outlet of a large, national painting company. In that role, he learned not only how to paint, but many aspects of operating a small business. In 1999 and 2000, his franchise outlet earned “Quality Outlet of the Year” for the Western Division of College Pro Painters. After finishing university and working for several Fortune 500 companies, he returned to his love of entrepreneurialism and founded PaintGreen in 2006. After slowly building the PaintGreen brand and a wide base of happy clients, Jon merged PaintGreen with Peek Brothers Painting in 2022. Together, the two companies have become one of the largest and most reputable residential painting services in San Diego.

Randi Rose is the co-founder of Thrive Business Services and a 2023 Top 100 QuickBooks Proadvisor. Beyond being a seasoned accountant with a BS in Accounting, Randi has extensive experience in helping businesses grow and thrive from the ground up. She has spent many years working with business owners to help them understand their numbers and how to use them as a guide to make growth-oriented business decisions. Randi has always had a passion for education, training, and development. At the age of just 23, she was recognized as the world’s youngest Seminar Leader for Landmark Worldwide. In the last 25+ years, she has become a Certified Coach with Inspiring Champions, as well as a Certified Life Coach with Accomplishment Coaching. Randi is currently a business educator in the beauty industry and is a primary leader for the Inspiring Champions Cash Flow Camp which is geared towards having business owners dramatically increase cash and profit. When she’s not working with clients, you can find her spending time with her two beautiful children.

Ken has been representing and advising clients in all facets of commercial real estate since 1998. He specializes in providing innovative commercial real estate solutions for his clients and has a proven track record in sales and leasing of commercial and industrial properties.

A Southern California native, Michael grew up in a little North County town called Valley Center. He graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law, is married, and has two kids. When not playing with the kids, reading, or pulling weeds, Michael loves to go hiking. He also does volunteer work for his church and other community organizations.

Ellis graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Business Administration, University of California Los Angeles and then pursued graduate studies at San Diego State University. He is currently a Trustee for the San Diego History Center and a Board Member of the San Diego Employers Association.

Ryan started with the company in 2002 and has owned the business with his wife Esmeralda since 2007. He grew up in Scripps Ranch and graduated from Scripps Ranch High School in 1996 and San Diego State University in 2000. When he has extra time, Ryan tries to stay active playing softball, golf, volleyball and any other sport chasing a ball!

Dan brings over 16 years of customer service, marketing, sales, scheduling and dispatching expertise. He has been an Associate member of the Executives’ Association since 2006 and a Past President of the Board Of Governors. Dan is a San Diego native and enjoys the beach, outdoor activities, and spending time with his family.

Don Teemsma Jr., President/CEO of Ideal Plumbing Heating Air Electrical, is a San Diego native, husband, and father of five. Don feels very fortunate to work in the third generation family-owned and operated business, with his wife Melissa, two sons David and Dustin, and brother Dan. In 2018 he was named “Contractor of the Year” by the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association of California. In that same year, Ideal was the recipient of the San Diego BBB Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. Don believes in giving back to the community. He is a member of San Diego Rotary Club 33 – the 4th largest Rotary club worldwide. Don serves on the boards of Mt. Helix Park Foundation and San Diego Fire Rescue Foundation. At Mt. Helix Park, he is currently helping with the cross restoration project. Don also supports many community organizations and events such as Allied Gardens First Fridays Summer Concerts in the Park, Allied Gardens Little League, Allied Community Gardens, Patrick Henry High School Alumni Association, San Diego Food Bank, and Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego.

During his 32 years in public accounting, Nick has acquired widespread experience in all areas of business, accounting, auditing and taxation. Outside of work he enjoys following most sports, golf, and bowling and with his wife Mary, hiking, biking, movies and the theater, as Nick is the volunteer treasurer of the Scripps Ranch Theatre.

Ruben Villegas has over 25 years’ experience in the insurance industry. He is a graduate of DePaul University in Chicago. Ruben is an active swimmer and also enjoys running, having competed in 10 half marathons since 2014 and completing his first full marathon in 2015 in Berlin. Ruben has 4 nieces and 1 nephew that he likes to spoil as much as he can.

Simon White is a 17-year veteran of the high-tech world and has worked as both an engineer and technical marketing manager. Simon has also owned his own retail store with over a dozen employees, so he understands the problems that small business owners face.

Chip Wilson has been practicing Landscape Architecture in California for thirty-eight years and is the owner and sole proprietor of Landscape Resource Group. His Landscape Architectural / Garden Design project experience includes theme park design and large-scale master planning; luxury hotels, multi-family housing developments; commercial and industrial developments; academic projects, streetscape master planning and custom single-family residences. His current project load includes custom residential homes, small scale condominiums and commercial redevelopment projects.

Glenn and his wife Bridget lead a team of dedicated professionals who continue a tradition begun in 1914 of helping others to feel safe and secure. This is the “why” of their business: to provide this sense of security for as many companies and individuals as possible.