NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Jan. 2, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Twelve distinguished professionals have made a commitment to serve as community advisors for The Junior League of Orange County, Calif., Inc. (JLOCC). They include elected officials and a superior court judge, leadership faculty, human resources and fundraising professionals, marketing/public relations experts, and executives of non-profit organizations aligned with the JLOCC mission and vision.
Each year the JLOCC seeks out members of the community to serve as consultants to the League, helping councils and committees with issues they may face that touch on their areas of expertise.
Gene Howard, the executive director of the Orangewood Children's Foundation, a non-profit organization serving abused and neglected children in Orange County, is among those accepting this opportunity who represent non-profit organizations. He joins Pat Halberstadt, chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove. She also serves on the California State School-Age Care Advisory Committee, BGCA Child Safety Committee, National Advisory Committee for Family Support and the Board of Directors for Healthy Smiles for Kids OC.
Elected officials include Irvine Mayor Beth Krom, who also serves on the board of Junior Achievement of Orange County, the Irvine Public Schools Foundation Board of Trustees, and Healing Odyssey. Orange County Superior Court Judge Pamela Iles has long sat on many commissions and committees, including the Republican Task Force on Child Abuse. She also spearheaded development of the OC Family Resource Center. Supervisor Thomas W. Wilson was appointed by former Governor Pete Wilson to the Fifth District of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Wilson has been a strong advocate for victims of domestic violence, partnering with Judge Iles to present prevention programs for teachers, the clergy and the military.
Dr. Lisa Barron is a faculty member of Organization and Strategy at the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine, and has coached and consulted with large and small organizations. Her key research and teaching areas include negotiation, communication, and leadership, relationship between beliefs and behaviors, diversity and gender in organizations, and intergroup relations. Carol Geisbauer is a professional grantwriter with 25 years of experience. She also served as executive director of two youth-serving nonprofit agencies for 16 years. Most recently, she served as a grantwriting instructor for the CSU Fullerton Summer School for Non-Profits.
June Jeong-Reifeiss is a partner with J & R Partners, Incorporated, a full-service human resources provider. She has noted strengths in management coaching and development, recruitment and retention, and strategic team building. In addition to her work in the human resources field, she volunteers for non-profit organizations, such as F.A.C.E.S. and the Providence Community Center. Janet Randolph is vice president of worldwide human resources at FileNet, an IBM company. Her expertise includes organizational development, staffing, and training. In addition, she has served on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Chapter of the American Red Cross. She is a past president of the OC affiliate of the National Human Resources Association.
Genevieve Anton is the president of Anton Communications, Inc., a public relations firm. A former journalist with more than 20 years of print and broadcast experience, including several years as a producer at Cable News Network, she now specializes in media strategy, outreach and training, as well as issues and crisis management. Deborah Mayhew is a public relations consultant and freelance writer. Prior to her consulting work, she was a director in the Southern California offices of Weber Shandwick Worldwide, an international public relations firm headquartered in New York City. Recent community involvement includes The Raise Foundation, and the Newport Community Counseling Center.
Jeff Wilcox is a Certified Fundraising Executive and the immediate past president of the Orange County Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He is the former executive vice president of United Way of Greater Los Angeles and executive director of CHOC Foundation for Children at Children's Hospital of Orange County. He is president and CEO of Executive Consulting for the Nonprofit Sector, a full-service management consulting firm exclusively for nonprofits.
The JLOCC has raised more than $6.5 million for the benefit of the JLOCC's charitable projects primarily through The Christmas Company, which is its largest fundraiser and began its fourth decade this year. As a solely educational and charitable organization, the JLOCC's trained volunteers actively support the community through collaboration with organizations that promote and support the health, safety and education of women and children including Orange County Bar Foundation, Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center, Casa Teresa Inc., Girls Inc., YMCA of Orange County, and Bear Hugs. The organization awards thousands of dollars in grants and scholarships each year.
About the Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc.
The Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and the leadership of trained volunteers. JLOCC has contributed to Orange County by helping found organizations such as Orangewood Children's Home, Orangewood Academy, and the Volunteer Center of Orange County, among others. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. A 501(c)(3) organization, the JLOCC reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins. Originally founded in 1956 as the Newport Harbor Service League, the JLOCC is a member organization of the Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. To learn more about the JLOCC, call (949) 261-0823 or visit www.jlocc.org.