Board of Directors

Twelve talented and dedicated individuals serve on our Board of Directors.

Vinette Brown, Chair
Vinette is a Senior Resource Development Officer with Family Health International. Previously, she was the Associate Director of Development for Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, and she has also worked for the Academy for Educational Development. Vinette is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, having spent two years in Haiti as an Agricultural Extension Volunteer. She has also served as a mentor, tutor and youth counselor with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America and the I Have a Dream Foundation, and she is on the Board of Directors of the Educated Consumer Project. Vinette graduated with a BA in International Relations from Boston University, and an MA in International Development Studies from George Washington University.

Ryan Huff, Vice-chair
Ryan is a project manager and consultant with Junction Solutions, an e-commerce software company. Previously, Ryan managed web projects for companies including IBM, Mitsubishi Motors, Asics America, and Isuzu Motors. Ryan is an avid cyclist and triathlete. He recently developed RouteSlip.com, a website for cyclists to share bike routes. Ryan graduated with a BA in Business Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and he is currently pursuing an MBA from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California at Irvine.

Josh Kashinsky, Secretary
Josh is an award-winning playwright and a director. He is currently pursuing an MFA in theatre from Sarah Lawrence College. Previously, Josh worked for Santa Barbara Hillel and the Center for Jewish Life at Princeton University, where he was involved in programming, fundraising, board development, and fiscal management. He has also worked for the University of California at Santa Barbara in the areas of academic advising and residential life. Josh graduated with a BA in Philosophy and Dramatic Art from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Jan Koorn, Treasurer
Jan is a manager in the finance department of Aspen Skiing Company in Aspen, Colorado. Previously, he worked in accounting for ski companies in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Australia. Jan is an avid snowboarder, mountain biker, and triathlete. Jan graduated with a BA in Business Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and an MBA in Accounting from the University of Phoenix. During college, Jan spent a year in the study abroad program at the University of Lund in Sweden.

Benny Abe
Benny was born in Tokyo and grew up in both Japan and the US. He is an associate at Goldman Sachs in San Francisco and part of the West coast healthcare investment banking practice. Previously, he worked for Citigroup Asset Management as a buyside equity research associate covering media and entertainment companies. Benny graduated with a BA in International Relations, Economics, and Japanese from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Eric Godlove
Eric is a McDonald's Owner/Operator in Sacramento, CA. Previously, Eric worked at a technology startup in Silicon Valley. He enjoys fishing, running, spending time with his family, and doing home improvement projects. Eric and his wife, Lisa, have one child, Jackson. Eric graduated with a BA in Communications from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Greg Maskel
Greg just graduated from Fordham University School of Law, where he was the Managing Editor of the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal. In the fall, Greg will work at the law firm Jones Day. Prior to starting his legal career, Greg was a graduate student with a research emphasis in biophysics and is the co-author of several scientific papers. Greg graduated with a BS in Physics from the University of California at Santa Barbara and an MS in Applied Physics from Cornell University.

Rebekah Puckett
Rebekah is a third-year law student at the University of Houston Law Center where she is associate editor of the Houston Journal of Health Law and Policy. She also works as a research assistant in the Health section of Vinson & Elkins LLP. During the summer of 2006, Rebekah interned with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps in Heidelberg, Germany. Prior to starting law school, she worked for a WIC Clinic (Women, Infants, and Children) in Waco, Texas. Rebekah graduated with a BA in Spanish with minors in Medical Humanities and Chemistry from Baylor University.

Avin Sharma
Avin is an associate at the law firm of Morgan Miller Blair in Walnut Creek, CA. He is a member of the firm's Business & Technology and Real Estate practice groups, focusing on representing companies and individuals in a various types of complex litigation. Avin is licensed to practice in California. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California, and the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area where he serves as a co-chair on the Judiciary and Public Appointment Committee. Avin graduated with a JD from UC Hastings College of the Law where he was a member of the Hastings International and Comparative Law Review. Avin was a judicial extern at the San Francisco Superior Court for the Honorable A. James Robertson II, the Honorable James J. McBride, and the Honorable Ronald E. Quidachay. He was also a judicial extern for the Honorable Saundra B. Armstrong of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Avin graduated with a BA in Business Economics and a BA in Political Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Ana Zepeda
Ana works in the Office of Dropout Prevention/Reduction with the Austin Independent School District in Austin, TX. Previously, she worked for five years with nonprofits serving children and adolescents with mental health diagnoses. Ana graduated with a BA in Psychology with a minor in Special Education from Southwestern University, and an M.Ed. in Special Education with a focus on Rehabilitation Counseling from The University of Texas at Austin.

Peter Westen
Peter is a software developer at Apple Inc. In addition to being an engineer, Peter is an experienced interaction designer, with the philosophy that creating a user interface should always begin with a story rather than a picture. Peter graduated with a BS in Symobolic Systems and an MS in Computer Science from Stanford University.

John Whidden
John is an associate at the law firm of Inman Thomas, LLP in Roseville, CA, just outside of Sacramento. His practice focuses on real estate litigation, real estate development, and homeowner association law. John graduated with a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. During law school, he worked for a year with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California in the Department of Justice. John graduated with his undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Spanish from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and he had the wonderful opportunity to live abroad in Madrid, Spain during his last year of college. John enjoys speaking Spanish, traveling, playing music and cooking.