UCO Board of Directors

Andrea Friedenthal, Volunteer Executive Director, is the Operations Manager for Off-Road Adventures
Magazine (a magazine for off-roaders). She also finds the time to participate in numerous community
activities. She has been a donor chairperson for various non-profit, humanistic organizations such as the
Ocean Park Community Center, Abused Women and Childrens Home, Red Cross Disaster Relief, and
the Temple Israel Mitzvah Day Chair, where she coordinated 14 new projects and more than 200
volunteers. As a pilot, Andrea was the coordinator for the Flying Samaritans, where she coordinated
monthly international mercy missions of medical teams to remote areas. She is a charter board member
and president emeritus for Grandparents as Parents, and was instrumental in getting some of the initial
funding, hiring a grant writer, writing the brochure and helping in setting up the original website.

Nancy Valencia, D.A.Y.S. Program Director, is a native of Long Beach, CA, and a graduate of CSULB
with a degree in Criminal Justice. She worked with female offenders, reuniting the women with their
families, providing resources for employment, housing, drug counseling and parenting classes. Is
passionate about issues relating to children and social justice. Taught elementary school in Long Beach;
served as member and later Director of the Governing Board of the Downtown Associated Youth Services
(DAYS). Currently serving as member of Long Beach City Fine Arts Foundation Board, the Dorothy and
Edwin Baker Foundation, the Progressive Christians Uniting Board, Rick Rackers, and the Karen and
Richard Carpenter Center Board.

Randolph Nielson, Treasurer has been employed by California State University, Long Beach (CSULB)
for the last six years. For the last two years he has been the Cashiering Supervisor, where he coordinates
the efforts of 8 individuals who are involved in customer service, accounts receivables, reconciling the
general ledger, and preparing daily deposits of on average $200,000.00. Mr. Nielson graduated from
CSULB with a BS in Business Administration. He also has a MBA, in Business, from Pepperdine
University.

Gary Shelton, Secretary, is a community activist and organizer with Long Beach Housing and Long
Beach Coalition for the homeless. He attended Drake University for 4 years. He received the Marion
Morgan Peace & Justice Award, First Congregational Church of LB and is proficient in Spanish. He
helped organize the computer lab for the Drop-in-Center and runs it most Sundays. He is active in the
majority of organizations in the city of Long Beach dealing with the homeless and low income issues.

Teri Brewster, MBA, has been a member of First Congregational Church LB since 1982 and is currently
assistant treasurer. She has a BA from Cal State Fullerton, a California teacher's credential in Elementary
Education from Cal Poly Pomona, and an MBA from the University of Southern California. She was a
legal assistant for Mutual Service Corporation for four years and is currently an office assistant for KFICO.

Larry Forester, Mayor of the City of Signal Hill for the third time while having served as a couciman for
the past 12 years. Graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a BS in Civil Engineering and
Catholic University of America with a MS in Ocean Engineering. Worked for 25 years as an Engineer and
a Sales Engineer retiring in 1995 due to AIDS. Helped found and served as Chair of "Being Alive Long
Beach" and "Being Housing" ... an HIV/AIDS support organization and residential housing for HIV/AIDS
patients. Currently serving on the Board of the Conservation Corps of Long Beach serving as Chair for
years...helping young, 18 to 24 disenfranchised adults return to a productive life and in most cases finish
High School. Member of First Congregation Church of Long Beach for the last 3 years and following it's
commitment to "Social Justice."

Brad Lara-Gagne, D.I.C. Program Director, is a former educator who has worked as a professional
organizer in the non-profit sector as well as having over 30 years of food service experience and currently
is owner/chef of Bootstrap Catering. He is the Director of the Drop-in-Center (DIC) and has helped to
implement cooperation between restaurants, Farmer's Market, and the University of Cal State Long
Beach Presidents’ Scholars program plus many other groups to increase the effectiveness of DIC.

John Taylor Kness retired as a Director of Current Schedules from America West Airlines in September
of 1999. He has been in the airline industry since 1967. Since retirement, he has done consulting work
with Sabre Technologies in Bahrain and Polar Air Cargo in Long Beach. Mr. Kness has a Masters Degree
in Education from Northern Illinois University. He is a Viet Nam veteran. He has been a member of First
Church for eight years.

Rev. Jerald Stinson was a magna cum laude graduate of Occidental College and the Divinity School at
Harvard. He is Senior Minister of First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ. He has served as
a United Church of Christ minister for 35 years. He is an Associate Fellow of the Westar Institute (Jesus
Seminar) and just completed his term on the Board of Directors of Progressive Christians Uniting. Rev.
Stinson is a member of the Christian Muslim Consultative Group of Southern California, the Jewish-
Christian-Muslim Leadership Forum of Long Beach and the National Advisory Board of Americans United
for Separation of Church and State. He is on the Steering Committee of the City of Long Beach Ten Year
Plan to End Homelessness.

Dr. Mary Ellen Kilsby, Advisor, a resident of Long Beach, CA, received her B.A. from Pomona College
(Phi Beta Kappa and Cum Laude) and an M.A. and Doctorate in Ministry (with Honors) from the School of
Theology at Claremont. She was the first woman to received the Wilshire Preaching Award, given to a
graduating senior from the School of Theology, and a has been ordained by the United Methodist Church
(1975) and the United Church of Christ (1978). Dr. Kilsby served as Senior Minister of First
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Congregational Church of Long Beach, a United Church of Christ, from 1988 until 1999, when she retired
and became Minister Emerita. She is currentl active in the Long Beach community in the arts , religious
endeavors and various foundations.

Michele Wilson, Esq, Advisor, is a native of the City of Long Beach, California. She began her career as
criminal defense attorney with the public defenders' office; then she joined a large, corporate firm in the
civil defense area defending physicians, acute hospitals, nursing homes, skilled nursing Facilities and
their staff. In preparation for her professional career, she worked for 11 years as a law clerk and project
attorney in a small civil practice in Long Beach that served low income and disadvantaged citizens.
During her years of education she gained extensive experience with public policy administration and
within the political arena. Currently she has her own practice, the Law Offices of Michele Wilson.

Each board member contributes annually to Urban Community Outreach.