Board President
Past Vice President, First Future Credit Union

Michael Sterns is past Vice President of Marketing and Planning for First Future Credit Union, now California Coast Credit Union. Michael has served on the Board of Directors of the Urban Corps since 1991 and prior to his current position as Board President, Michael served as Vice-President and Board Treasurer. Michael has worked for Price Waterhouse, San Diego Trust and Savings Bank and as a marketing consultant to a number of Credit Unions. In addition to the Urban Corps, his community involvement includes the Girl Scouts, PTA, youth sports, trails, the Golden Hills Community Planning Group, and most recently the Descanso Community Planning Group.

Board Vice President
Past Vice President Communications, Titan Corporation

Wil Williams is past Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for Titan Corporation (now L-3 Communications). He joined the Board of Directors in 1999. Wil has served in various public affairs and communications positions in government and industry, ranging from the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs to prominent Fortune 500 companies. He is a former and retired Air Force officer and pilot.

Board Treasurer
Vice President Community Development, Bank of America

Angie Lucero is Vice President Community Development Market Manager for Bank of America. In her role as Market Manager she covers both San Diego and Orange County. Angie joined the Urban Corps in 2004, and is serving as Board Treasurer. Angie also sits on the board of directors of the City/County Reinvestment Task Force, Chicano Federation and is an alternate board member of LISC San Diego.

Board Secretary
San Diego Housing Commission, Community Liaison

Daniel Morales has been the Community Services Liaison and Ombudsman for the San Diego Housing Commission for the past 10 years . As a former City Council representative, he worked hard to help start the Urban Corps in 1989. Daniel not only supports the Urban Corps through his voluntary work on the Board of Directors, but goes above and beyond in his commitment to the youth of San Diego. Daniel continues to volunteer as an umpire for North Park Little League and has done so for over 15 years. He resides with his wife, Anne, and son, Carlos in the community of North Park.

Board Member
San Diego Unified School Board, District D

Richard has been elected to the San Diego Unified School Board, representing District D, which includes the neighborhoods of Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, Stockton, Sherman Heights, Golden Hill, South Park, North Park, Hillcrest and City Heights. Richard also serves as San Diego Regional Director for the Service Employees International Union, United Healthcare Workers.

Previously, Richard served as the San Diego-Imperial Counties Regional Director for the United Domestic Workers of America (UDWA), representing over 20,000 homecare workers who take care of low-income elderly and disabled citizens. Richard developed and directed a community-based organizing strategy of homecare workers, and negotiated the UDWA’s current contract with the County of San Diego.

Before joining the labor movement, Richard served for five years as the President and Executive Director of the Consensus Organizing Institute, a national community-organizing group. At COI, Richard created and implemented community-based approaches to the development of affordable housing, supporting welfare recipients in their transition to work, improving inner city schools, and increasing civic and voter participation. Richard has designed and managed large-scale community organizing projects in San Diego, Chicago, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Long Beach, and New York.

In addition to the Urban Corps, Richard currently serves on the boards of the Cesar Chavez Service Clubs, the League of Conservation Voters San Diego chapter, the San Diego Unity League, and the San Diego Cooperative Charter School. A proud graduate of El Cajon Valley High School, he holds a bachelors degree in history from UCSD, and a masters in public policy from Harvard University. Richard lives in Golden Hill with his wife Kim and his sons Jeffrey and Jesse.

Board Member
Vice President, National University

Bob Benson is a Vice President at National University where he develops, leads, manages and administers the University's non-degree educational services including continuing education, international partnerships, public, corporate and special event learning programs. He currently serves on the Urban Corps of San Diego Board of Directors, the Community Resource Center Board of Directors, and has been appointed by the City of Carlsbad mayor and city council to the Carlsbad Library Board of Trustees where he serves as Vice Chair.

He is a graduate of the City of Carlsbad Citizens’ Academy and the LEAD San Diego Program where he was awarded the LEAD San Diego Herbert G. Klein Visionary Award for making significant leadership contributions to the San Diego community. He served in Bolivia as a Peace Corps Volunteer and as a member of the Butler University Board of Directors.

Bob was also selected as a “Power to Be” in the December 2008 issue of the San Diego Magazine. He has a B.A. in International Studies & Political Science from Butler University and an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of California San Diego. Bob is married to Sarah Benson and has two wonderful boys, Palmer and Reece.

Board Member
Principal, Leon Brooks & Associates

Leon Brooks is the Principal of Leon Brooks & Associates, Designers - Planners.  He has been on the Board of Directors of the Urban Corps since 1995. Leon also serves on the County of San Diego’s Planning Commission, and is a member of the San Diego Unified School District's Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee [ICOC] for Proposition MM School Bond.

Board Member
Vice President, Fund Development, ARCS Foundation, Inc. - San Diego Chapter

Diane Annala Chalmers received her undergraduate education at Denison University, a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University, and post-graduate certification in Arts Administration from Harvard University. In her professional career she has held a variety of positions in higher education, arts management, non-profit management and government. These include serving as Director of University Events at UCSD, as Chief of Staff for a San Diego Councilmember, Executive Director of the San Diego Performing Arts Foundation and as Director of Development for the College of Professional Studies at SDSU. Most recently she has served as Development Director for the Louisville Orchestra and as Executive Director of the Louisville Ronald McDonald House. While in Louisville, Diane also taught Non-Profit Management at Bellarmine University. In the course of filling these positions she has traveled extensively, including the former Soviet Union to select arts groups for the San Diego Russian Arts Festival, and several trips to China as a planner for an International Conference on Rehabilitation of the Handicapped.

In 2004 Diane returned to San Diego after an absence of a few years and lives in La Jolla with her husband, Joseph Chalmers. Dr. Chalmers is a Visiting Scholar at UCSD and San Diego State University and retired Chairman of the Department of Physics at the University of Louisville. Diane is currently retired but remains involved as a member of the Board of Directors of the San Diego chapter of the ARCS Foundation, Inc., serves on the Advisory Council of the ATHENA project at UCSD Moores Cancer Center, and Chairs the Concert Committee at La Jolla Presbyterian Church in addition to serving as Board Member of Urban Corps.

Board Member
President and Chief Operating Officer, San Diego Padres

Dick Freeman joined the Padres as Chief Financial Officer on January 1, 1981. Prior to joining the Padres, Dick served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, as a CPA with the firm Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co. (Today’s KPMG) and Controller and Treasurer of Central Federal S&L of San Diego.

Dick became president of the Padres in September 1988 and served as president until 1995. He became Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1996 serving in this capacity until 2002 when he returned to the Padres as President and Chief Operating Officer.

Dick currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Salk Institute and the National Board of the March of Dimes Foundation, the San Diego Economic Development Corp. and the San Diego International Sports Council. He and his wife Judi have one daughter, Heather. She and her husband Rob are attorneys living in Boston. The Freeman’s live in La Jolla, CA.

Board Member
Senior Policy Analyst, Environmental Protection Agency (Retired)

Clarice Gaylord joined the Urban Corps Board in 2002 after retiring as Senior Policy Analyst from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Clarice is also an advisor to the San Diego Foundation’s Environmental Board.

Board Member
Retired

Charlotte Nielsen was born in Missouri, raised in Hastings, Nebraska and came to San Diego in 1936. Here she met and married her husband, S.Falck (Neil) Nielsen, a native of Norway. They had 5 children and started their construction business in 1945, which eventually became the largest construction firm in San Diego.

In addition to raising her 5 children and serving as Secretary/Treasurer of Nielsen Construction, she has been very active in the community having chaired the Symphony Ball and Mercy Ball. A past president of the Social Service Auxiliary and the Thursday Club, she was also active in the Mercy Hospital Auxiliary and a founding member of Freedom’s Foundation, MADCAPS, USD Auxiliary and the Balboa Park Millennium Society. Previous board positions have included the San Diego Museum of Man, San Diego Hall of Champions and the San Diego Police Foundation.

She has been honored as a “Woman of Valor” by Temple Beth Israel in 1972, a “Woman of Dedication” by the Salvation of Army in 1974, the “San Diego Living Legacy Award” in 2002 and the “Millennium Award” by the Friends of Balboa Park in 2004.

Board Member
President and Owner of El Dorado Properties, Inc.

Dan joined the board in January 2008 and in addition to his service to Urban Corps he is a board member of the Grantville Stakeholders Committee, the Free Masons of California, and the Deputy Sherriff’s Association. Dan is a seasoned veteran in rehabilitation of houses, residential investment and commercial properties.