Board of Directors
Kevin Peterson, Chair
Kevin Peterson is the CEO and a founder of P2S Inc. headquartered in Long Beach. He currently serves as Chairman of the YMCA of Greater Long Beach board of directors, member of the board at the Memorial Medical Center Foundation, member of the board of trustees of the Long Beach Ronald McDonald House, and through many other charitable activities. He is the past chair of both the Community Hospital of Long Beach and MemorialCare Community Hospital Long Beach Advisory Board
Susan Wise, Vice Chair
Susan has been a resident of Long Beach since 1974. She and her husband, Erich, have two daughters, who attended Long Beach public schools, and four grandchildren. After practicing commercial litigation for several decades with small firms in Long Beach, she now practices law parttime and most recently has focused her practice on corporate governance and employment issues. In addition to her practice, she has a mediator for the Los Angeles Superior Court and a hearing officer for the Long Beach Civil Service Commission.
Yair Katz, CFO
Yair Katz is the chief executive for MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, and senior vice president of pediatrics for MemorialCare. He is leading the development and execution of the vision of Miller Children’s & Women’s and related medical center services, as well as pediatrics services within the health system.
Suzanne Nosworthy, Secretary
Suzanne is a long-time volunteer and has served in many capacities as a volunteer in the community. She currently serves on the Boards of the Long Beach Ronald McDonald House, Community Hospital Foundation, and the Long Beach City College Board of Governors. She is also a voting member of Assistance League® of Long Beach and has served as chapter President and National Assistance League President.
Norm Cauntay
Norm is a limited partner at Edward Jones and serves on the firm’s leadership team. He is the President of the Estate Planning and Trust Council for Long Beach and on the council for the Foundation for Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital. He also has passion for and experience in real estate for over 20 years.
Suny Lay Chang
Suny is a lifelong resident of Long Beach and the President & COO of Linc Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing developer and provider of social services. Her leadership includes service on the Boards of the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion, Long Beach Economic Partnership, Long Beach Rotary Scholarship Foundation, St Mary’s Medical Center, and United Cambodian Community.
Bryce Cullinane
Bryce Cullinane is a partner at the law firm of Keesal, Young & Logan. He practices corporate litigation, with an emphasis in employment, maritime, securities, and corporate disputes. He has been a resident of Long Beach since 2015 and is active with the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Long Beach Yacht Club.
Sharon Diggs-Jackson
A Long Beach native and USC graduate, Sharon Diggs-Jackson spent 12 years at IBM before a 20-year tenure with the Long Beach Police Department’s Narcotics and Crime Analysis Divisions.
She is the Executive Director of Elite Skills Development and co-founder of Sankofa Parent Village. Sharon serves as Vice-Chair of the Long Beach Independent Redistricting Commission and is a founding board member of the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion and the African American Cultural Center. She has also served on various civic and education boards.
Mark Guillen
Mark Guillen is the West Regional Manager of Public Affairs at Crown Castle, Int. He is currently a Board Member of The Rumba Foundation of Long Beach, the Ukleja Center for Ethical Studies at CSULB, a Finance Committee Member for the Downtown Long Beach Alliance, and on the Advisory Committee for Long Beach Community Action Partnership. Mark joined the LBCF Board in 2017.
Amanda Johnson
Amanda Johnson has worked in the non-profit industry as a fundraiser and grantmaker for both local charities such as Operation Jump Start and national organizations including The Toy Industry Foundation and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for over 10 years. She currently volunteers her time for the Ronald McDonald House and Community Action Team in Long Beach.
Amanda holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Southern California.
Brenda McDowell
Brenda is a long-term Board member of Precious Lamb Preschool and volunteer childcare specialist. She served as the coordinating pre-school teacher for Long Beach Unified School District for more than fifteen years and is an active member of the Leadership Long Beach Institute.
Jane Netherton
Jane is an LBCF Founder and past Board Chair of the Long Beach Community Foundation. She has served the Long Beach community through the Rotary Club’s Scholarship Foundation, the Long Beach Conservation Corps, and numerous impactful organizations. She is President emeritus of Southern California Special Olympics and is one of the first women to serve as a bank president in California, a title she held at International City Bank for over 25 years.
Suzie Price
Suzie served as the Long Beach 3rd District Councilmember from 2014-2022 and is a Senior Assistant District Attorney. She has served on the CSULB Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (ATOD) Advisory Board, and is a Board member for the CSULB Lois J. Swanson Leadership Center. Suzie is actively involved in local non-profit organizations including Pathways to Independence, Steel Magnolias, MADD, and Musical Theatre West.
Alfredo Velasco
Born in Mexico City, Alfredo immigrated to the U.S. as a child and grew up in Burbank, California. A UCLA history graduate, he spent 23 years with the YMCA of San Diego before becoming President & CEO of the YMCA of Greater Long Beach in 2013.
He chairs the national YMCA CEO Mid-Major Network and serves on the boards of the California State YMCA, Long Beach Rotary Club Foundation, and Bikes for Kids.
Staff
Marcelle Hope Epley, President & CEO
Marcelle Hope Epley is the President & CEO of the Long Beach Community Foundation. She has both an undergraduate degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University, Long Beach. Her small and large business experience and leadership positions served at local organizations including Long Beach Transit and the Press-Telegram bring a wealth of knowledge and valuable background to the Community Foundation. She is actively involved in the Long Beach community through a broad range of charitable organizations including Long Beach Rotary, the Long Beach City College Foundation, and Leadership Long Beach.
Header photo courtesy of Nancy Foster. Used with permission.