Five business leaders and entrepreneurs are among the incoming members of Cal State Fullerton’s Philanthropic Board of Governors, the nonprofit auxiliary organization established to build and strengthen relations with the community and encourage advocacy, investment in and support of the university.
Among the newly elected board members are:
Robert Jechart ‘79 (B.A. business administration-accounting), founder and CEO of Irvine-based RJE International, Inc.
Scott O’Brien ’77 (B.A. business administration-marketing), chairman of the Safariland Group
Sonny Nguyen, cofounder, Vietnamese Youth Foundation and 7 Leaves Café in Garden Grove
George L. Pla, president and chief executive officer, Cordoba Corporation
Paul Treinen ’90 (B.A. business administration-accounting), managing partner of White Nelson Diehl Evans LLP
Appointed to the board are:
- Alumni representative — Sylvia Contreras ’96 (B.A. communications–advertising), marketing administrator, Controlled Motion Solutions, Inc., immediate past president of the Cal State Fullerton Alumni Association Board of Directors
- Student representative — senior psychology major Aaron Aguilar, president of Associated Students Inc.
- Faculty representative — Bonnie Williams, associate professor of English, comparative literature and linguistics
Chairing the 34-member board is Kerri Ruppert Schiller ’82 (B.A. business administration-accounting), senior vice president and CFO of CHOC Childrens.
Members of the organization’s 2019-20 Executive Board:
- Chair Elect —Joseph Hensley, president of US Bank, Orange County
- Immediate Past Chair/Vice Chair, Nominations and Governance — Jeffrey S. Van Harte ’80 (B.A. business administration-finance), chairman and chief information officer, Jackson Square Partners LLC
- Co-chair, Nominations and Governance — Ernie Schroeder ’67 (B.A. business administration) president and chief executive officer, Schroeder Management Company, Inc
- Vice Chair, Finance and Investment— Gina Fales ’94 (B.A. business administration-accounting), managing director, Janus Capital Group
- Vice Chair, Audit — David Doran ’75 (B.A. business administration-accounting), managing partner (ret.), White Nelson Diehl Evans LLP)
- Vice Chair, Advocacy — Tam Nguyen ’05 (MBA), president, Advance Beauty College
- Vice Chair, Titan Pride/Marketing/Public Relations — Paul Carter ’92 (B.A. political science), partner, Bergkvist, Bergkvist and Carter LLP
- Vice Chair, Titan Board Ambassadors — Gary Green ’80 (B.A. business administration-finance), executive vice president and manager, California Bank and Trust
- Member-at-Large — Jon C. Smith ’02 (B.A. business administration-accounting), partner, assurance practice, Ernst & Young LLP