| JOHN RUHLEN,
PRESIDENT |
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John Ruhlen and his wife, Gail,
moved to Westchester in 1967. They have two
grown sons and one grandson. In 1978 John Ruhlen
& Associates, Inc., a space planning and
commercial interior design firm was established
in Westchester. Clients included Western Airlines,
AT&T global Communication Centers, Korean
Airlines, Delta Airlines, Los Angeles World
Airports, banks and churches.
In 1983 John became involved in the community,
volunteering his time and talents by serving
on many organizations including the Board of
Directors of the Westchester/LAX-Marina del
Rey Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Airport
Relations Chamber Committee, and President of
the Westchester Vitalization Corporation.
Additional community involvement includes serving
on the Coastal Transportation Coalition; serving
on the Westchester Mobility Action Committee;
serving as a member of the Gateway to LA Century
Corridor; serving as an Advisor to the Council
Office on the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission
from 1991 to 2001 and was in charge of their
city wide art competition program for elementary
schools.
John spearheaded the formation of the Westchester
Town Center Business Improvement Development
along with property owner Mr. Howard Drollinger
and serving as Secretary of the BID. He as served
on the Neighborhood Council of Westchester and
Playa del Rey, representing Residential District
7 and co-chaired the Neighborhood Council's
CDO ad-hock committee for Playa del Rey.
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| SUE PIERVIN,
TREASURER |
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Sue
Piervin has been resident of Westchester since
1993. She has a B.S. degree in psychology from
the State University of NY at Oneonta with graduate
work in social work, psychology and computer science
at Adelphi and Hoftsra Universities in NY, and
UCLA .
Sue's past employment includes serving as a Children's
Services Caseworker, Vocational Rehabilitation
Counselor, Administrative Analyst for the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. She retired in 2008
after 27 years as a Programmer/Analyst and Project
Leader in Healthcare IT at Ronald Reagan/UCLA
Medical Center.
Sue became involved with the Westchester Streetscape
Improvement Association in 2005 after organizing
a local neighborhood group, and working with City
Councilman Bill Rosendahl's staff in a continuing
effort to improve the appearance of their Westchester
street.
She has volunteer experience with more than a
decade of involvement in annual fundraising, and
participation in the Revlon RunWalk for Women
in support of research for women's cancers. She
has also served as a condominium board treasurer
and event planner for business and related functions.
Sue's volunteer work also includes working with
the outreach team for PATH (People Assisting the
Homeless).
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| JACK DAVIS,
SECRETARY |
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Jack Davis is currently the Secretary of the Board
of Directors of WSIA. Jack joined the Board in
2007 as a President's appointee, and then was
elected to a full 2 year term in 2008.
Jack and his wife Laura are well known realtors
in the community, and have lived in Westchester
for 18 years. They have two children both of whom
have been students at local schools, and they
are involved in many other civic activities. Laura
is a docent in support of the Westchester Mental
Health Guild's annual fund raiser, and Jack is
the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Managers of
the Westchester Family YMCA. They both love Westchester
and all the great progress they have seen over
the past many years, and look forward to all of
the great things to come. Especially the repair
of the horrific sidewalks along Sepulveda between
Howard Hughes Parkway and Manchester.
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| Marc Huffman |
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Marc Huffman is Vice President of Planning & Entitlements at Playa Vista, and has been with the project for 13 years. Marc has played a key role in the approval and implementation of both phases of development at Playa Vista.
Marc is a Westchester resident and an active member of the community, having served on the Lincoln Streetscape Ad Hoc Committee and Planning and Land Use Committee of the Westchester/Playa del Rey Neighborhood Council, the Westchester/LAX/Marina del Rey Chamber of Commerce, the Culver City Chamber of Commerce, the Pacific Area Community Police Advisory Board, and the Board of Directors for the Alcott Center for Mental Health Services.
Prior to joining Playa Vista, Marc worked as a planning and environmental consultant for seven years. During that time, he was involved with a wide variety of projects throughout California, including major office, retail and mixed use projects, residential subdivisions, affordable housing and mixed-income housing developments, several hospital and medical centers, and a number of educational projects.
Marc received both his Bachelors Degree in Business and Masters Degree in Urban Planning from USC, and is a member of the American Planning Association and the Urban Land Institute. |
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| STEPHEN
BENTLEY |
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Stephen
Bentley, an independent health insurance adviser,
has lived in Westchester for the past 24 years.
He represents the Loyola Village neighborhood
on the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa.
In addition, Stephen is a board member of the
Westchester Vitalization Corp. and an active volunteer
at the Westchester Senior Center.
He is originally from NY, born in the Bronx and
raised in the suburbs northwest of NYC. He attended
college and graduate school at Florida State University,
earning degrees in Social Work and Social Sciences
before coming to Los Angeles in 1977.
He is married to Susan Gordon and has two
grown sons, Jason and Will.
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| KAREN DIAL |
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Since 2006, Karen Dial has
served as President of H.B. Drollinger Co. She
began working with her father, Howard, at the
company in 2004 and has served as a member of
the company's board of directors since 1997.
H.B. Drollinger Co. is the largest property
management firm in Westchester Town Center and
has been in business since 1947.
Karen's grandmother, Ella Drollinger, developed
the first commercial building in Westchester
- the Jim Dandy Market. Her mother and father,
Jewel and Howard Drollinger, have been guiding
forces in the development of Westchester since
Howard founded H.B. Drollinger Co. in 1947.
Karen currently serves on the Westchester Streetscape
Improvement Association (WSIA) board of directors.
In that capacity, she works with the non-profit
organization to enhance and beautify boulevards
throughout the community. WSIA has just completed
working on a more than $11 million project enhancing
the travel and aesthetic appeal of Sepulveda
Boulevard and breathing new life into the downtown
area.
As a compliment to her role on the board of
WSIA, Karen is on the Board and President of
the Westchester Town Center Business Improvement
District (WTCBID) which was created to maintain
improvements made to Sepulveda Blvd. and further
upgrade the street appeal for our local businesses
by providing upgraded sanitation and maintenance
services for Westchester Town Center.
Karen is also member of the Women's Leadership
Council of Loyola Marymount University (LMU),
a member of the Westchester Vitalization Corporation
board of directors and the managing director
of the Drollinger Family Charitable Foundation
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Karen resides in both Playa del Rey, California
and Missoula, Montana. Karen's husband, Ken
Dial is a Professor at the University of Montana
and she also has a son Terry Dial a graduate
of LMU and a daughter, Natalie Dial who attended
LMU and is now attending the University of Montana.
In addition to her community and career commitments,
Karen takes great joy and pride in her domestic
endeavors of providing a warm and loving home
for her family, cooking and entertaining family
and friends, traveling, gardening, yoga and
reading.
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| BARBARA
MUSELLA |
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Director of Operations, Bob Hope USO at LAX
Washington State University Southern California
Leadership Council
Past President, Westchester Streetscape Improvement
Association
Resident of Westchester over 35 years
Married, two grown children
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| DON DUCKWORTH |
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Don Duckworth serves as the
Executive Director of the Westchester Town Center
Business Improvement District and is a Principal
of Duckworth Consulting, a firm specializing
in business improvement district formation,
redevelopment, community participation, municipal
finance, and real estate consulting. He has
thirty (30) years of experience in municipal
government in northern and southern California,
having served as City Manager, Assistant City
Manager, Department Head and staff assistant
for a number of local agencies. Mr. Duckworth
has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science
and an MPA from California State University
at Northridge.
Don also serves as a member of the Westchester
Family YMCA Board.
Relevant experience includes:
- Business improvement district formation projects:
Westchester Town Center (LAX), University Village
(Westchester), San Pedro, Koreatown / Olympic,
Sunset & Vine (Hollywood), Canoga Park,
Ojai, Studio City, Granada Hills, and Burbank.
- Strategic Plan facilitation for the Downtown
Burbank Stakeholders' Association, the City
Council and Department Heads of the cities of
Desert Hot Springs, Atascadero, and the City
of Santa Clarita Community Recovery Agency.
- Real estate asset management and financing
services for various private clients and institutions.
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