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About SMES
2011 - 2012 BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Right Reverend J. Jon Bruno, Chairman
Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.Read Bio.
Bishop Bruno was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the six-county Diocese of Los Angeles in 1999. Prior to this ministry, he served as provost of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles, and as pastor to its multilingual Congregation of St. Athanasius. During his tenure at St. Athanasius, Bishop Bruno continued his longstanding advocacy for youth and families, for gang diversion, for immigration equity and in the wider sphere of human rights. He chaired the board of the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union and was vice-chair of the Nehemiah West Housing Corp., which built 300 single-family dwellings for purchase by low- and moderate-income families. He founded the Institute for Urban Research and Development, an institution of the Diocese of Los Angeles.
Bishop Bruno has served the Diocese of Los Angeles and was an elected deputy to the national church's 2000 General Convention, having assisted in the Convention's operations and security services for several years prior. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1978 in the Diocese of Los Angeles. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Virginia Theological Seminary, which also awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 2001. The bishop holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from California State University, Los Angeles, and a license in criminology from California State University, Long Beach. Prior to his ordination, Bishop Bruno was a police officer in the city of Burbank, Calif. Having been raised in Los Angeles, he is the first native Angeleno to be elected bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, which was established formally in 1895.
Bishop Bruno and his wife, Mary, have three adult children and five grandchildren.
Mr. Michael J. Berchtold, President Read Bio.
Mr. Berchtold worked for Morgan Stanley for 20 years in a variety of investment banking roles in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong before his retirement from the firm in 2007. For more than 15 years, Mr. Berchtold was based in Asia where he served as Morgan Stanley’s Head of Investment Banking for Asia Pacific for seven years and as President of Asia Pacific for four years. In addition to his investment banking responsibilities, Mr. Berchtold was actively involved in Morgan Stanley’s private equity and real estate investing activities in Asia.
Mr. Berchtold holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Business Administration from UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Mr. Berchtold has served on the General Committee of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and currently sits on the University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management Board of Visitors. He has also served on the Board of Trustees at Sage Hill School.
He and his wife, Trish, have three children, Greg, who attends Southern Methodist University, and Katie and Amy, who currently attend St. Margaret’s.
Mr. Paul C. Heeschen, Vice PresidentRead Bio.
Mr. Paul C. Heeschen is the President and Founder of Heeschen & Associates, an investment management company. Prior to forming Heeschen & Associates, Mr. Heeschen spent nine years with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
He earned a bachelor's degree in economics and accounting from the University of Southern California. Mr. Heeschen is a Certified Public Accountant.
He is an active volunteer and serves on various boards of both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Diedrich Coffee; Chairman of the Compensation Committee. Board of Directors for PC Mall; member of the Audit and Compensation committees, Chairman of the Board of Directors for K & B Co, Board of Directors for Dermody Properties, Board of Trustees of the Orange County Community Foundation, Chairman of the Investment Committee and Member of the Finance and Audit Committees, past Board Chairman and Executive Committee Member, Board of Trustees for Environment Now, Executive Committee Member, Chairman of Investment and Finance Committees, Past Board of Trustees for THINK Together, S.P.I.N., Santa Monica Baykeeper, and California Coastkeeper.
Paul and his wife, Sara, have two daughters, Kate and Peighton. Peighton currently attends St. Margaret's.
Dr. Mohamed A. El-Erian, Corporate Secretary Read Bio.
Dr. El-Erian earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in economics from Cambridge University and a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in economics from Oxford University. He spent 15 years at the International Monetary Fund before moving to the private sector where he served as managing director at Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup in London before joining PIMCO in 1999.
He has served on several boards and committees, including the Emerging Markets Traders Association, the International Monetary Fund’s Committee of Eminent Persons, and the International Center for Research on Women. He was also a member of the United States’ Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee. He is currently a board member of the National Bureau for Economic Research, Cambridge in America and the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He chairs Microsoft’s Investment Advisory Committee.
Dr. El-Erian has written widely on global economic and financial issues, including being a frequent contributor to the Financial Times. His New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller-When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change - was awarded the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year for 2008, as well as a 2008 Best Book by the Economist and a Best Business Book of All Times by the Independent.
Mr. Bernard E. Schneider, Treasurer Read Bio.
Mr. Schneider earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Whittier College and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California. He is a Member of the State Bar of California and the American Bar Association.
He serves the St. Margaret’s Episcopal School community as Chair of the Finance Committee, Chair of the Investment Committee, and Co-Chair of the Trusteeship Committee. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors for Taller San Jose, a Santa Ana, Calif. based program. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Commerce National Bank, N.A. Mr. Schneider is also a Member of the Board of Directors of First American Trust, F.S.B. and his legal associations include serving as General Counsel for the Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club and the Honda Center.
He and his wife, Janet, have five children, including Michael who graduated in 2009 from St. Margaret’s and Katherine, who currently attends St. Margaret’s.
Mrs. Karen W. CarnahanRead Bio.
Mrs. Carnahan was a senior manager with the accounting firm of KPMG, LLP specializing in the audits of financial institutions for nine years. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business with an emphasis in accounting, marketing and management from the University of Southern California and is a Certified Public Accountant.
She has been an active volunteer and served in various capacities at her children’s former school including the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Finance Committee, Initial Accreditation Committee Member, a Founding Member of the Annual Fund Committee and the Parent Teacher Fellowship Treasurer for Our Savior’s Lutheran School.
Karen and her husband, Scott, chose St. Margaret’s Episcopal School for their two sons, Conner and Christian, because of the school’s academic rigor, small class size and warm community.
Mr. Tracy (Trace) J. Chalmers Read Bio.
Upon graduation, Mr. Chalmers was employed by Heger Realty Corporation, one of Los Angeles's leading industrial real estate, brokerage, management and development companies. During his seven-year tenure, he concentrated on properties in the industrial areas southeast of Los Angeles. Mr. Chalmers' primary focus was working on new industrial developments and the remodeling and retrofitting of larger, older buildings.
To capitalize upon his development experience, Mr. Chalmers began the Chalmers Equity Group in 1988. Chalmers Equity Group began developing industrial projects and low income, multi-family housing. Mr. Chalmers eventually entered into a partnership with one of his primary building contractors and began Chalmers & Zolg Construction in 1990. Chalmers & Zolg Construction focused on industrial building construction, renovation and tenant improvement projects. In 1992, Mr. Chalmers purchased the assets of the partnership and began the Chalmers Corporation, under the d.b.a. C.E.G. Construction. Since 1992, C.E.G. Construction has completed several hundred projects making it one of the leading industrial building contractors in the Los Angeles area. Chalmers Equity Group has also continued to identify industrial development projects and has numerous projects under construction and currently available.
Trace and his wife, Lauren, have three children, Grace and Clayton, who currently attend St. Margaret's, and Cameron.
Mrs. Raquel Christensen Read Bio.
Raquel Christensen has worked in the commercial construction industry for over ten years managing pre-construction, new construction and interior renovation projects. Her experience in project management includes completion of several Southern California projects including luxury apartments, condos, retail stores, assisted living facilities, high-security clean rooms, University laboratories and K-12 schools.
Mrs. Christensen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and is a licensed California General Building Contractor.
Mrs. Christensen has served on various boards and committees for organizations such as the Design Build Institute of America, the National Association of Women in Construction, Society of Women Engineers and Habitat for Humanity. She also serves on the Employer Advisory Board for The Central County Regional Occupational Program.
Raquel and her husband Norm have two daughters who attend St. Margaret's.
Mr. Peter J. Desforges Read Bio.
Mr. Desforges graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. He is actively involved in the community and recently completed his term as Chairman of the Board for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Orange County (BBBSOC). He continues to serve as Chairman of the Fund Development Committee for BBBSOC and also serves as a member of The Pacific Symphony Board of Counselors and the Orange County Wine & Food Society. His personal interests include golf, cycling, skiing, snow-boarding and water sports.
Peter and his wife, Suzanne, have two sons, Chandler and Luke, who attend St. Margaret’s.
The Reverend Canon Robert D. Edwards Read Bio.
Father Edwards regularly leads Lower School and Preschool Chapels, teaches Upper School summer classes, and is an Upper School advisor. He has coached girls' varsity basketball, Middle School softball, basketball, flag football, and was a coach for the first St. Margaret's CIF Championship football team.
He has served on the St. Margaret's Board of Trustees more than 10 years. He has served the Diocese of Los Angeles on the Commission on Ministry for six years and has mentored two separate classes of newly ordained deacons.
Father Edwards earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from California State University, Chico and a Masters of Divinity from The General Seminary, New York City.
He and his wife, Michele, have four children. Christina and Josiah are St. Margaret's alumni, and Davis and Jameson currently attend St. Margaret's.
Dr. Jeneen D. Graham Ed.D Read Bio.
Jeneen DiBenedetto Graham BA, Ed. D. is the Assistant Director of the Center for Research on Cognition and Learning in the Department of Education at the University of California, Irvine. Her research projects include a large-scale analysis of Spatial Temporal Mathematics software developed by the MIND institute as well as a program designed to directly enhance intelligence. Her recent doctoral dissertation research is entitled, Elements of Human effectiveness: Intelligences, Abilities and Personality Traits that Predict Success and Fulfillment in Life and was published in August of 2011. Dr. Graham recently collaborated with UCI Professor Dr. Michael Martinez on a paper presented at the Mind, Brain and Education Society conference as well as the American Educational Research Association (AERA) entitled, Strategies for the Direct Enhancement of Intelligence. Dr. Graham received her BA from Dartmouth College in Anthropology and Spanish and her doctorate in Education was completed in a joint program between UCI and UCLA.
Prior to her pursuing her doctoral degree, Dr. Graham worked as an Admission Officer at Saint Andrew's School in Boca Raton, Florida. In addition to reviewing applications and meeting with families for day and boarding school admission, she was responsible for all Spanish speaking communication and travel. Before Saint Andrews, she was the Assistant Manager of Operations at Carney, Sandoe & Associates; a consulting firm that provides recruitment, executive search and strategic consulting to Independent Schools nationally.
Dr. Graham serves on the Board of Trustees at St. Margaret's Episcopal School as well as the Board of Directors for Incourage Foundation, a charity benefitting children admitted to CHOC. She and her husband are raising two boys, Robbie and Reid (SMES 2019 and 2022).
Mr. Curt G. Johnson Read Bio.
Mr. Johnson began his career with First American in 1996, when he was hired as vice president-Builder/Commercial Services for the company’s Phoenix branch office. Two years later, he transferred to the Home Office in Santa Ana, Calif., to accept the position of vice president-California Subdivision, then was quickly promoted to senior vice president-National Subdivision director in 2000. The following year, he took over as senior vice president and director for the company’s National Commercial Services group, a position he held until being promoted to president of First American Title in 2006. He also served as a member of First American’s board of directors, and as a board member for several of the company’s subsidiaries.
Prior to joining First American, Mr. Johnson gained extensive experience in commercial real estate working for Prudential Arizona Realty Commercial Services Group and as executive vice president-designated broker for the Phoenix office of Merrill Lynch Commercial Real Estate.
Mr. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Arizona State University in Tempe. He is a Counselor of Real Estate (CRE) and a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).
During his career, he has been affiliated with numerous professional organizations, including the National Association of Home Builders, California Building Industry Association, Urban Land Institute, International Council of Shopping Centers, National Association of Industrial and Office Parks, Mortgage Bankers Association, and Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute.
Mr. Donald P. Johnson Read Bio.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from Claremont McKenna College and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering at Stanford University. In addition, he earned a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Mr. Johnson worked briefly in the aerospace industry and then for a local real estate developer before stepping out on his own. He founded Anza Management Company, a real estate management firm, in 1975.
Mr. Johnson has served on the Board of Trustees of Scripps College, one of the five undergraduate colleges in Claremont, Calif. He has served on the St. Margaret’s Board of Trustees since 2007.
Don and his wife, Elizabeth, have two sons, Colin and Braden, who currently attend St. Margaret’s.
Mrs. Flora C. Ko Read Bio.
Mrs. Flora Ko worked for Singapore Airlines and Morrison Express as ticketing, travel and cargo agent for 11 years. She also served as treasurer for Techko Inc. Currently, being a full time mom is the most rewarding and challenging job she has ever held.
Mrs. Ko and her husband Joe have established Education Foundation to build 22 elementary schools in China, to provide scholarships to assist many girls to complete their education from junior high school through graduate school. They both support the mid-way home and orphanage program of Cathwel Service in Taiwan, participated in building Chinese Culture School in Irvine and participate in community service work with the Bowers Museum.
Mrs. Ko earned a bachelor's degree in business from Province University in Taiwan. Flora and Joe have three children, George graduated from St. Margaret's in 2011, Ted and Sarah are current St. Margaret's students.
Mr. Wyatt E. Malcolm
Dr. S. Todd Newman
Mrs. Susanna V. OpenshawRead Bio.
Mrs. Openshaw earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Information and Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine.
She has recently served on the Vestry of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church and in the positions of People’s and Senior Warden. She is currently serving on other local not for profit Boards, including Human Options and the Technology for Kids Foundation.
Susanna and her husband, Eric, have four children - Maryann and William, who currently attend St. Margaret’s, and two grown children, Jade and Adam.
Mr. Kevin G. PhillipsRead Bio.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and a Master of Science in Technology Management from the University of Maryland. He completed a four-year program in Theology through the Episcopal Seminary at Sewanee, The University of the South.
Mr. Phillips’ professional associations include the American Society for Quality, the Society for Cable Telecommunications Engineers, and the Society for Human Resource Management.
He is a former Board Member of the Cox Kids Foundation, an arm of The San Diego Foundation.
Kevin and his wife, Marlett, have two daughters, Jana and Hannah, who attend St. Margaret’s.
Mr. Jason A. Weiss Read Bio.
In addition to his law practice, Mr. Weiss is an adjunct professor of business law at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. He also serves as an adjunct professor of pre-trial civil practice at Chapman University Law School. Mr. Weiss is a former Board member and advisor to The Prentice School.
Mr. Weiss earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Vermont and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California Law Center. He served as Executive Notes Editor of the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal and also served as an extern for the Honorable Alfred T. Goodwin, Senior Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Jason and his wife, Joanna, have three children, William, Leah, and Audrey, who attend St. Margaret's.
Mr. Paul C. WestheadRead Bio.
Mr. Paul Westhead is a Managing Director and the Chief Executive Officer at Rimrock Capital Management, LLC, which is a San Juan Capistrano, California based investment advisor that focuses on fixed income strategies. Prior to joining Rimrock, Mr. Westhead was a Senior Vice President responsible for marketing and client relations at Oaktree Capital Management and a Senior Vice President at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO), where he worked with several of his current Rimrock partners and was also involved in client relations and product management.
Mr. Westhead received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Fordham University and his Master of Business Administration in finance and accounting from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He is an active member of the community, currently serving as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Chadwick School in Palos Verdes, California, and he also recently completed his role as Co-chair of a Board that successfully raised $14 million for the construction of a new school facility at St. Thomas the Apostle in Los Angeles, California.
Mr. Westhead and his wife, Kia, have two children, Jack and Abby, who attend St. Margaret's.
Mr. Marcus D. Hurlbut, HeadmasterRead Bio.
Mr. Hurlbut is well known in the independent school world as an exemplary school leader. Prior to coming to St. Margaret's, he successfully led two schools as Headmaster-The Derryfield School in Manchester, N.H. for 11 years, and Friends Academy in Locust Valley, New York for nine years. He is a member of the Headmasters Association of America and the Country Day Headmasters Association, he has chaired numerous school accreditation visiting committees in New England, New York and California, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Independent Schools. He also teaches an elective in Constitutional Law to St. Margaret's seniors.
Mr. Hurlbut began his career as a teacher of history, a coach and a dorm parent. Prior to assuming leadership of The Derryfield School in 1982, he served for six years as Dean of Students at the Roxbury Latin School in Massachusetts. Mr. Hurlbut holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Union College in New York and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Dartmouth College.
He and his wife, Pat, reside in San Juan Capistrano and have five grown children, nine grandchildren and four dogs.
Mr. Joseph P. Busch III, Counsel to the Board of TrusteesRead Bio.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts with highest honors from Claremont McKenna College in l970. A 1976 graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law of the University of California, Berkeley, he was a member of the California Law Review. Mr. Busch served as an officer in the United States Navy between college and law school.
Mr. Busch is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, all state and federal courts in the state of California, the United States District Courts for the Districts of Colorado and Arizona, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third, Fifth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits, and has been admitted to practice pro hac vice in a number of other state and federal courts. He has appeared before the Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation in connection with securities cases on several occasions. Mr. Busch has been appointed twice by the Court to serve as a special Master in federal actions involving Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
Mr. Busch was President of the Board of Trustees for St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in 1996-1997 and has served on the Board since 1989. Mr. Busch has also served on the Boards of Libros y Artes de San Juan Capistrano, Calif. and the Orange County Public Law Center.
He is a member of the California State Bar, the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the Orange County Bar Association.
He and his wife, Sheila, reside in San Juan Capistrano and have two children, Anna and Jennifer, who are St. Margaret’s alumnae.