Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Kelly Wachowitz
Board Co-Chair, Chief Financial Officer for Planetary Hydrogen
True believer in the power of people and ideas to change the world. Currently serving as CFO of XPrize winner Planetary Technologies, developing a low-cost solution for carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere using ocean chemistry for permanent, safe, and durable storage. Favorite ocean phenomenon include cuttlefish, siphonophores, and the languages of fishes. Co-founder of Catch Together, an impact investment platform financing fishing quotas and permits in North America in exchange for conservation. Lead the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Vibrant Oceans Initiative (www.investinvibrantoceans.org) to develop six sustainable fisheries investment opportunities in Chile, Brazil, and the Philippines. Advised foundations and NGOs on sustainable fisheries investment opportunities in twelve countries. Served as member of the Global Think Tank for the World Bank’s Ocean Partnerships for Biodiversity Conservation, and as judge for the Economist World Ocean Summit Ocean Innovation Challenges. Prior roles at Encourage Capital (Partner), AllianceBernstein’s US Real Estate Fund (MD and COO), iStar Financial/Timberstar (acquiring and managing forestland), NYC EDC, and Goldman Sachs. Received a BA in History with Honors from the University of California in Los Angeles, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Maria Pappas
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Board Co-Chiar, Chief Philanthropy Officer, The Tech Interactive
Maria has a 30 year history in nonprofit where she began her career at the American Heart Association learning the basics of fundraising, board development and community engagement. She was Development Director, Executive Director and Senior Business Development Director while at the AHA. Maria joined The Tech in 2012 as Vice President of Development and has recently been promoted to Chief Philanthropy Officer. Maria leads the development team and has been responsible for The Tech raising over $150M from 30,000 donors during her tenure. Maria's CASC involvement started when she was 16 years old and attended a summer conference at Stanford. She then went on to become a counselor and gamma. Maria was part of the international team that developed Agenda 21, proposals which were presented to Secretary-General Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow and President Ronald Reagan in Washington DC in 1988. Maria earned her BA degrees in Sociology and Psychology with a business emphasis from UCLA and recently completed her Masters in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from Arizona State University.
Derek Yung
Secretary-Treasurer, CFO of TransForce
Derek Yung was elected to the CASC Board of Directors in December 2022 and will serve on the Marketing Committee. He was recently named Chief Financial Officer of TransForce. Previously, he was CFO at wine.com. Derek holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Derek served CASC as a trainer and trainer of trainers for our leadership conferences and was involved with our work with the Association of Young Leaders based in Moscow, Russia.
Derek Yung is the Chief Financial Officer for TransForce, a leader in commercial driver solutions and operates a nationwide network for drivers to match truck drivers through an online marketplace. Derek has a history of impactful CFO roles at technology-driven companies, including Wine.com, eHealth, Hotwire (part of Expedia Group) and Ticketfly (acquired by Pandora Media). Derek began his career as a management consultant at Accenture and Alvarez and Marsal, where he specialized in partnering with Fortune 500 companies to develop and implement technology enabled business strategies. Derek has an MBA with Distinction from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Computer Science from Stanford University.
For almost a decade, Derek served CASC as a trainer, trainer of trainers, and assistant director for leadership conferences. Derek was also involved with CASC partnerships with the Association of Young Leaders, a Russian-based youth leadership organization, and with Earth Train, a worldwide campagn by youth to youth to ensure a liverable planet.
Hamilton Yuan
Board Member
Krystal Lomanto
Board Member, Krystal Lomanto, San Benito County Superintendent of Schools
Superintendent Lomanto is in her 33rd year in education. Superintendent Lomanto started her career as a high school science teacher, a coach, class advisor, and served as a teacher on special assignment.
Superintendent Lomanto held several administrative roles before being elected as the first woman county superintendent in 2015. Superintendent Lomanto was the principal of a large comprehensive high school for seven years, serving over 2,200 students. Superintendent Lomanto led the site during the 2008 recession, helping to close the achievement gap for English Learners and Hispanic students. Superintendent Lomanto was a champion for equity and access for all students and has carried that same passion into her Superintendency at the County Office.
Superintendent Lomanto was recently elected to her third term as County Superintendent of Schools. Superintendent Lomanto leads with experience, accountability, and provides strong leadership for the districts and community she serves. She is passionate about her work with the districts and community and because of her strong leadership, she has been awarded several distinguished awards; Association of California School Administrators Region 10 Superintendent of the Year, San Benito County Chamber Women of the Year, selected as the Trail Blazer of the Year by Senator Caballero, and League of United Latin American Citizens Women of the Year.
Superintendent Lomanto has led the County Office of Education with a strong commitment to meeting the needs of all students across the county. Under her leadership, the county office has developed and implemented three crucial initiatives: Building Bridges 2 Literacy, Healthy Minds Healthy Lives, and Arts Forward. Superintendent Lomanto has focused on building the leadership capacities of the San Benito County Office of Education administrative team to ensure the team leads with consistency, integrity, and compassion. She is extremely proud of the Local Control Accountability Plan approval team, Differentiated Assistance, and Comprehensive Support and Improvement teams, for their incredible work utilizing the improvement science model.
Superintendent Lomanto currently is a member of the California County Superintendents and sits on numerous committees within the organization. She is a board member of the K12 Highspeed Network board, was elected as the Region 10 ACSA State Legislative Committee representative, is a representative on the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence Advisory Board, and was selected be a representative on State Superintendent Thurmond' COVID response and Literacy task forces, just to name a few.
Eric Schwartz
Board Member, Director of Marketing for Clorox
Eric leads successful consumer product portfolios. At Tyson, Hillshire, Henkel & Clorox, Eric has owned P&Ls of up to $3 billion and led teams including R&D, Food Service, Analytics, Insights, Project Management, Marketing and Innovation, with indirect leadership of Manufacturing, Logistics, Financial Planning and Accounting. He has led diverse Food and Household product portfolios including breakfast sandwiches, poultry, breakfast meats, corn dogs, waffles, frozen desserts, water filters, trash bags, detergents, fabric softeners, air fresheners, hard surface cleaners and insecticides.
Eric’s multi-chapter career began in CASC programs at age 15. He was a CASC summer programs delegate before any involvement in student leadership, and went on to serve as a student member of hi school board, as student body president, and as a staff member for CASC programs. His involvement with the CASC organization intensified, and – like for many CASC alumni – became a personal and professional formative experience that continues to pay dividends in workplace setting decades later, including instilling an unbreakable habit to work with others to drive change.
Rupesh Shah
Board Member, Granular
Rupesh currently leads Product, Analytics, and Customer Support for Granular, the software arm of Corteva Agriscience, a leading agricultural company. Rupesh has 20+ years of product experience, striving to solve significant customer problems by developing deep customer empathy and working closely with design, engineering, and data science to design and build innovative software and data products for end users. Previously, Rupesh held leadership roles in product development at Khan Academy, Infusionsoft, LAUNCH, Simpa Energy, and Intuit; he has also led sustainability and solar initiatives at Simpa Energy and Intuit. In addition, Rupesh is on several boards, including De La Gente, a coffee cooperative and wholesaler based in Guatemala, Nexleaf, a global health company working to ensure the high potency of vaccines, and is an advisor to several high-potential social enterprises through Rippleworks. Rupesh holds a BA in Sociology from UC San Diego and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Randy Bangs
Board Member
Loretta Whitson
Board Member
Dr. Loretta Whitson is the founder and executive director for the California Association of School Counselors, the largest state association representing school counselors in the nation. CASC guides schools towards linking school counseling to their overall mission and vision, as well as leading school counselors in engaging in high caliber, research-based practices. In 2000, Whitson led the effort to establish CASC as the nationally chartered school counseling association for California. Dr. Whitson, well regarded within the profession of school counseling, provides policy recommendations and advises state and local decision-makers on educational issues that include school-based mental health services and college and career preparation. She earned her Ed.D. in 2014 in Organizational Leadership from the University of La Verne. Prior to receiving her doctorate, Whitson spent 25 years as a school district administrator and school counselor in the Monrovia Unified School District. Dr. Whitson's work in Monrovia was instrumental in the interconnections between school- and community- based mental health services. She designed and administered a number of mental health and physical health programs, creating child serving systems that included after-school programs, community-based health clinics, and child nutrition programs. She also served as a Commissioner on the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and was an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Educational Counseling Program at the University of La Verne.
Kristie To
State President
Kristie To (she/her) is a senior at Northwood High School in Irvine, Orange County. Prior to being the CASC State President, she served as the State Development Director, led the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force, and worked on the Board of Directors and Legislative Policy Committee. In her free time, she enjoys playing percussion and pursuing her passions of youth empowerment, political advocacy, and advancing racial justice.
Amira Hutcherson
Secretary/Treasurer
Amira Hutcherson (she/her) is the current Secretary/Treasurer and a senior at Shasta High School in Redding, California. Besides CASC, Amira enjoys reading and writing, but also volunteering in her community. In the future, she wishes to major in international relations and further her passion for global politics and cooperation. You can reach her at amira.hutcherson@casc.net with any questions or concerns.
Travis Hodges
Governmental Affairs Policy Director
Travis Hodges is a current junior at Monte Vista High School in Danville, CA. With a passion for encouraging youth civic engagement, Travis hopes to use his position as Governmental Affairs and Policy Director to shape policies that will empower youth to be change makers within their communities. Outside of CASC, Travis focuses his advocacy efforts within key education non-profits, where he specializes in promoting legislation that protects youth rights and student preparedness for the workplace and adult life. In his free time, Travis enjoys getting involved with on-campus events and activities at his high school, playing school sports, working out, and being with friends and family. You can contact Travis at travis.hodges@casc.net
Michelle Lee
Communications Director
Michelle Lee is the Communications Director for the 2023-24 term. Michelle goes by she/her pronouns and is a senior who attends Sunny Hills High School in Orange County. Aside from CASC, she is a part of her district's GENup team as the political director and is also an editor for her school yearbook. In her free time she enjoys reading the news, updating her spotify, drawing her friends, film photography, and people watching. You can reach her at michelle.lee@casc.net.
Helios Lung
Development Director
Helios Lung is a sophomore at Monte Vista High School. He is the current State Development Director, and previously served as the Region 4 Development Director. In his free time, he enjoys watching early 2000s romcoms and playing chess.
Executive Director
June Thompson, Ph.D.
Board of Advisors
Liebe Geft, Director
Museum of Tolerance
Ted Lempert, Executive Director
Children Now
L. Karen Monroe, Superintendent
Alameda County Office of Education
David Nakashima, Consultant
Jack Russi, National Managing Partner
Deloitte & Touche
Robert Sternfels, Director
McKinsey & Company