Who We Are

Rich is a 20-year entertainment, consumer products, and sports marketing veteran who has conceptualized and executed award-winning product launch campaigns. He is currently the Chief Brand Officer at the Los Angeles Football Club. Prior to LAFC, he co-founded American-made menswear brand Exley, Vice President of Marketing at Warner Bros. Television, and Executive Director of Advertising and Promotion at CBS Paramount Television. Rich is a co-founder of the LAFC Youth Leadership Program and a member of the Delta Aeromexico Latino Outreach Leadership Advisory Board.

Maki, a Senior Relationship Manager at American Business Bank, is a seasoned financial professional with over two decades of experience guiding businesses through complex economic landscapes. With a deep understanding of the financial services industry, Maki has successfully served clients ranging from mid-sized family-owned business enterprises to large complex corporations. Prior to joining American Business Bank, Maki held strategic roles at prominent financial institutions such as Comerica Bank, U.S. Bank, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Her expertise in crafting tailored financial solutions has earned her a reputation for delivering exceptional results. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Maki is actively involved in her community. She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Bresee Foundation, demonstrating her commitment to making a positive impact. In her leisure time, she enjoys exploring new culinary delights, discovering fine wines, and immersing herself in the vibrant cultures of international travel.

Heidi is a partner in the PwC deals practice. For over 16 years, she has advised public and private companies primarily in the entertainment, media, and technology sectors. Heidi is a certified public accountant and a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She attended UCLA and graduated with high honors, majoring in business economics and minoring in accounting, with a specialization in computing. She is fluent in English and Chinese.

Juan is a banking professional, strategic advisor and wealth manager with over two decades of experience. He received his M.B.A from the Johnson School at Cornell where he was the first Latino President in the school's history. He obtained a B.A in History with a Psychology and a Business concentration from the University of San Diego, where he was a member of the Division I soccer team. Within his community, Juan serves on various non-profit boards and volunteers (since 2000) at St. Francis High School’s soccer program where he attended during his formative years.

Linda is a SVP; Employee Network Support, Implementation & Sustainment with Bank of America Private Bank. Linda’s main objectives are to help identify their needs, provide guidance and coordinate with the appropriate representatives of the Bank of America Private Bank platform of extensive resources to support each client’s overall wealth strategy. Linda is a four-time recipient of Bank of America’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Award. Linda has been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2020 for Women’s Leadership “Volunteer of the Year” finalist. Linda earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Portland State University and an MBA from the Executive program at USC Marshall School of Business.

Hailing from Belfast, N. Ireland, Tim moved to the U.S. in 1982, working in the restaurant industry before entering the tech industry in 1994. In 2001, he founded DataMate Global, Inc. providing one of the first Corporate Instant Messaging platforms. Since 2009, he has been leading the Business Development team in the U.S. for Treaty Software. In addition to sitting on Bresee’s board, Tim mentors several young tech entrepreneurs, and he is on the Board of Directors for The Martin Trust and helped establish the LAFC Youth Leadership Program.

Craig is a Partner in KPMG’s Private Equity practice. He serves as the global lead partner on some of the Los Angeles office’s largest and highest priority private equity clients and is focused on bringing the best of KPMG’s talent and information to private equity owned companies and their capital providers. In addition to his service on the Bresee board, Craig serves as the Partner Sponsor for the Los Angeles Chapter of KPMG Family for Literacy, where he's part of a commitment to provide over 60,000 books to students in the LA school system.

With over 25 years of experience in the private wealth management, trust, and legal industries, Ramon serves as a trusted advisor to high-net-worth individuals and families in his role as Wealth Strategist at Northern Trust. He specializes in working alongside clients to help them identify and achieve their financial and related goals. Ramon is skilled at assessing a client's objectives, assembling a customized team, and overseeing the delivery of Northern Trust's expertise and services.

Chris is the Community Reinvestment Officer and Foundation President of Banc of California. He maintains company-wide responsibility for community reinvestment performance in lending, investments and services with a primary focus on low and moderate income individuals and communities. Chris was introduced to Bresee thru the Bank’s partnership with the LAFC and the YLP program. He is inspired by the work that Bresee does in a community that lacks exposure to opportunities and works to further their mission and vision in the battle against poverty.

Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Mirei is a marketing strategy and consumer insights consultant, and is the founder and CEO of Illumirai, LLC. In her work, she focuses on helping organizations understand cross-cultural differences in people’s psychology and behaviors. She has always been passionate about education and social equity, and is inspired by the lasting positive impact Bresee makes on the community it serves and beyond. She earned her PhD and MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management, and her BA in psychology from Cornell University. She also holds a certificate in sustainability from UCLA.

Jennifer is an account manager at Western Audio Visual, and has served on the Bresee Board of Directors since 2004. Her involvement with Bresee started in 1999 and for Jennifer, it was both the programs and staff that captured her attention, both of which strive to meet the people at their deepest needs and make those needs their own. Jennifer is inspired by the way the Bresee affirms the dignity of all people, and is able to motivate them to take responsibility for and improve their situation.

John is an American songwriter and recording artist from Los Angeles, California whose music has been featured on various television shows, as well as multiple short and feature length films. As a songwriter, John has received numerous honors including a John Lennon Songwriting Award, an L.A Stage Alliance Ovation Award, and nominations by the American Independent Music Awards. He’s a founding member of the indie folk band, Towers of Temple City. Most recently Torres co-composed the music and lyrics to the now award winning musical theater adaptation of the 1980 Warner Bros film “Bronco Billy.”.

Remco Waller is born in the Netherlands and is a seasoned global executive with more than 30 years’ experience in industry leading manufacturing, retail, consumer goods and commercial real estate companies including senior roles in Europe, USA and Asia (China and Korea). He moved with his family in 2006 to Los Angeles to start the Fresh & Easy grocery business and is currently an advisor and Board member of MGM Transformers He has a passion for excellent education / development in all our communities and serves on multiple education related non-profit Boards. He loves all racket sports, hiking, biking and skiing and is a passionate world traveler. Job role: Board member MGM Transfomer

Jose is the Unit General Manager overseeing sales and operations in San Fernando for PepsiCo. In his role he directly and indirectly manages 340+ employees. He is passionate about his teams and helping them grow and develop leadership skills. Jose also leads a team of board members within a PepsiCo Employee Resource Group named Adelante that supports their Hispanic employee base. He is currently completing his MBA from the University of Arizona.

Ani is a Sr. Vice President and Relationship Manager for City National Bank’s Commercial Banking Group, focusing on middle market companies in Los Angeles with revenue of $20 million to $500 million. Ani is responsible for leading a team of specialists focused on understanding each client’s unique needs to deliver strategic financial guidance and solutions. With 29 years of experience, Ani began her banking career at Bank of America where she spent most of her time, joining City National Bank in 2024. Ani was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated with a B.S. degree in Business with an emphasis on Business Law from California State University, Northridge.

Frank Chen leads his family office, FMC Capital, LLC, with a diversified portfolio of real estate and equity investments. With more than twenty years of real estate experience, Frank has strategically grown the real estate portfolio focusing on industrial and retail investments domestically and globally. In addition to real estate asset management, Frank is Executive Chairman of Pioneer Industries Inc., a leading manufacturer of kitchen and bath fixtures. Frank’s true passion is in education and youth, particularly working with underserved communities. He has worked with Bresee since 2015 in various roles and recently joined the Board.