Board Chair

Keith, along with his wife, Judy, co-founded the Keith and Judy Swayne Family Foundation. Prior to retirement from his business career, he served as CEO of Case Swayne Co. a major developer and processor of specialty sauces and seasonings for the food service and industrial markets and the successor company, Universal Food Solutions, a subsidiary of BestFoods/Unilever. Since retirement he has remained active in the community, and business, serving on a number of private company boards and non-profit boards, including, most recently, as Chair of the Orange County Community Foundation Board of Governors.

Keith, in 1997, was a regional winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was recognized by the California Association of Human Rights Organizations for his work in the Human Rights field. He was named Philanthropist of the Year at National Philanthropy Day in 2019. He has received numerous other awards for his work in the non-profit field.

He has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Oregon and an MBA from UC Berkeley. He served as an officer in the Navy with duty in Vietnam. He was married 50 years to Judith, who passed away in 2014 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. They have two children and one lovely granddaughter.

Board Treasurer

John has worked with Orange County nonprofits for over 20 years. He is a volunteer consultant with the Executive Coaches of Orange County (ECofOC.org) providing executive coaching and other consulting services to nonprofit organizations. He has enjoyed extensive experience serving on Boards of Directors including Hoag Hospital, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, Charitable Ventures, Executive Coaches of Orange County and The Cambodian Family.

John has over 30 years of business experience managing all facets of administration, strategic planning, and corporate finance. His experience includes direct planning and implementation of major financial transactions (acquisitions, divestitures, financings, and corporate restructurings). John spent 24 years of his business career with American Stores Company (ASC), then the nations 3^rd largest food/drug retailer. He is a Certified Public Accountant formerly with Price Waterhouse LLP.

John has an MBA degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and a BSBA degree with honors from the University of Missouri. He and his wife Linda reside in Irvine, California.

Board Secretary

Shawna Smith is the Executive Director of Hope Builders. For more than twenty years, she has lead the development of numerous strategic initiatives including the organization’s nationally recognized model for workforce development and educational pathway programming. In 2011, she launched Hope Builders Construction Company, a successful employment social enterprise and licensed general contracting venture that created jobs for participants completing Hope Builders’ training programs. In 2018, she relaunched the enterprise as a talent pipeline resource for employers in southern California as a fee for service business. Hope Builders has grown significantly during her tenure, including expanding operations into Anaheim, California in 2015.

Shawna received her degree in English from Santa Clara University. Additionally, she served as a Marano Fellow with the Aspen Institute from 2006-2007. In 2012, she was named a 40 Under 40 Orange County by the OC Metro; and in 2015, received the Community Inspiration Award from the USC School of Social Work.

Member at Large

Dr. Jerome Hunter was born in Birmingham, Alabama and spent his early years in the segregated South.

In 1963, in a program sponsored by the youth of the Unitarian Church, he migrated to Santa Barbara, California. He graduated from Santa Barbara High School and took courses at Santa Barbara City College. He continued his education in Southern California receiving his A.A. in Liberal Arts from Santa Ana College, B.A. in Political Science from U. C. Riverside, M.A in Urban Studies from Occidental College and Ed. D. in Higher Education from the University of Southern California.

Upon graduation from U.C. Riverside, he was drafted by the US Army & served from 1969 – 197l as Radio teletype operator in support of an infantry battalion. After working in a variety of jobs in both the public and private sector, in 1971 he became an adjunct faculty member at Santa Ana College. In the years that followed he progressed from a classified employee to the President of two Community colleges – Mira Mar College & San Diego City College.

In 2008, he retired as Chancellor of the North Orange County Community College District after thirty-seven years in education.

Dr. Hunter’s professional and community involvement have included:

California Community Colleges Chief Executive Officers’ Board, Chancellors’ Executive Committee, American Association of Community College President’s Roundtable, CORO Foundation National Board of Governors, Orange County Human Relations Community Partners Advisory Board, Orange County Business Council Workforce Development Task Force, Center for Occupational Research & Development Board of Directors, Southern California College of Optometry Board of Directors, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Nature Bridge Southern CA Board.

He retired in 2015 as the Distinguished Lecturer in the College of Education at California State University Fullerton.

A Viet Nam veteran, Dr. Hunter and his wife of forty-eight years, Adleane, reside in Fullerton, CA. They are the parents of three children: Chrystal, Jamila & Lawrence; six grandchildren – Christopher, Alexandria, Kennedy, Nia, Asha & Amayhra.

Member at Large

Currently serving as Director, Programs and Partnerships for the St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund, Jason designs, implements, and supervises innovative initiatives that will positively impact the health of the region. This work requires the creation of meaningful partnerships with community organizations and institutions and re-envisions the role of a Funder as a collaborator.

Over the past 20 years in both the nonprofit and philanthropic fields, Jason has been dedicated to efforts that build community capacity, allowing organizations, neighborhoods, and diverse partnerships to become more stable, self-sustaining, and better advocates for regional needs. Additionally, he values the importance of collaboration across all sectors in achieving programmatic and policy-making success.

Jason has been recognized as Health Educator of the Year by the Society of Public Health Educators and was a recipient of the Civil Rights Leadership Award from the California Association of Human Relations Associations. Jason graduated from UCLA with a Master’s in Public Health.

Member at Large

Edson McClellan has over 20 years of experience representing companies in high-stakes civil litigation and employment matters. He has significant experience in cases involving theft of company trade secrets, employee raiding, noncompetition agreements, breach of fiduciary duty, and contract disputes. Edson’s practice also involves all areas of employment law, including counseling and litigation. He is an accomplished trial attorney, with victories in cases involving claims for discrimination, retaliation, and wage-and-hour, among others. He is the former Chair of the Firm’s Employment Department.

Edson regularly counsels employers on a variety of topics including terminations, wage-and-hour issues, employment agreements, leaves of absence, and accommodating disabilities. He has represented employers in lawsuits by individuals and class actions involving claims for unpaid wages, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination. He regularly litigates in both federal and state court and before various administrative agencies. In addition, Edson defends retailers, restaurants, and other places of public accommodation in lawsuits alleging disability access violations under the ADA and California law.

He has substantial experience conducting workplace investigations, including investigations involving allegations of workplace misconduct, harassment, retaliation, and other matters. In addition, Edson represents executives in compensation negotiations and disputes.

Edson is a frequent speaker on employment matters to professional groups, attorneys, and managers. He has authored several articles in local publications and law reviews, including the San Diego Law Review, the Southwestern Law Review, and the University of West Los Angeles Law Review.

Member at Large

Jake is retired after a business career which combined both for-profit and nonprofit experience. He held marketing and general management positions with Clorox, Memorex, and Weyerhaeuser. His nonprofit experience included volunteer leadership positions for Stanford University and Hoag Hospital); Hoag Hospital Foundation board membership; and finally a full time position with Hoag Hospital Foundation. After retiring in 2009, Jake began consulting and coaching nonprofits in fund development and strategic planning with The Olin Group and with Executive Service Corps. He has been a Charitable Ventures board member since 2012.

Member at Large

Susanna Vakili is a marriage and family therapist in private practice. She works with adults, families, and children, and is passionate about helping people experience happiness and well-being in their relationships. Prior to joining the field of psychotherapy, Susanna worked for many years as a management consultant and was a partner at KPMG and Deloitte. Susanna has served on the boards of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, Human Options, and the Orange County Community Foundation. She received a bachelor’s degree in information and computer science from the University of California, Irvine and a master’s degree in marital and family therapy from the University of San Diego.