Board of Trustees

Miguel Santiago is now President of the Board of Trustees. Miguel has been a member of the LACCD Board since 2008.

A community organizer, educator and government representative, Miguel prides himself on working hard to empower Los Angeles’ working families. Born to immigrant parents, Miguel attended local public schools, community college and then graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) majoring in History.

A lifelong resident of the San Fernando Valley, Miguel has been an active, steady and consistent member of his community. He's a founding member and two-term past President of the Canoga Park Neighborhood Council. With his assistance, Canoga Park became a nationally recognized "All-American City".

As an educator, Miguel taught middle school at Guardian Angel Catholic School in Pacoima. Miguel also served in several capacities at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church. As Parish Director, his major accomplishments were establishing educational outreach programs for low income and immigrant communities, developing projects that increased political awareness and involvement and coordinating youth projects and charity programs. He also helped develop the church's English as a second Language Programming, Citizenship drives and voter education programs.

Miguel Santiago was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District on March 26, 2008 and was sworn in on April 9, 2008. He was elected to the Board the following year during the 2009 primary election.

Tina Park is the youngest woman and the first Korean-American elected to the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District. She is also the first Korean-American elected countywide in Los Angeles history.

Ms. Park was raised in a family of Christian educators, who instilled in her from an early age the importance of a quality education, as well as the need to help others and to give back to the community. She has volunteered in soup kitchens, mentored children in after-school programs, and has been active in Christian outreach services.

Ms. Park is grateful for the community college education that prepared her for Hofstra University in New York, where she majored in accounting.

After graduating from Hofstra, Ms. Park became a financial auditor at the New York Stock Exchange. In 2003, she participated in a $1.4-billion global conflict-of-interest settlement and enforcement agreement between the SEC, NASD, NYSE, and 10 of the largest U.S. investment firms.

Ms. Park continued her work in auditing and financial analysis when she became a consultant at the downtown Los Angeles office of one of the world's largest private consulting firms.

While campaigning for the Board of Trustees seat, Ms. Park received a great deal of support and encouragement from Angelenos throughout the District. To show her gratitude, she promises to work diligently with fellow board members, the chancellor, and the presidents of the nine LACCD colleges. Her goal is to help improve the quality of education for current and future students in the 36 cities served by the LACCD.

Nancy Pearlman is now Second Vice President on the LACCD Board of Trustees. Pearlman was elected to the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees in 2001. She chairs the Infrastructure Committee, which is charged with reviewing all construction projects under Propositions A, AA and Measure J, passed by the voters in 2001, 2003 and 2008.

Ms. Pearlman is an award-winning broadcaster, journalist, environmentalist, college instructor, anthropologist, editor, producer, on-air personality, and outdoorswoman who has made safeguarding the earth’s ecosystems both a vocation and an avocation. For forty years, she has given her time and energy to the environmental cause. She was selected by the United Nations Environment Programme as a Global 500 Laureate and has received many other honors including the Chevron Conservation Award.

Since the 1970s when Ms. Pearlman coordinated the first Earth Day in Southern California, she has worked with and continues to be involved with hundreds of conservation organizations, serving as administrator, founder, member of advisory councils, participant, and member of boards of directors. She founded the Ecology Center of Southern California in 1972, Project Ecotourism in 1993, Earth Cultures in 2004, Humanity and the Planet in 2001 and Nancy Pearlman, the Eco-Traveler in 2007.

ENVIRONMENTAL DIRECTIONS, her international weekly radio series, was started in 1977 and is now the longest-running environmental radio series in the country on broadcast and the Web. These half-hour programs, with one to three interviews per show, have featured leading scientists, authors, activists, and representatives from the business, academic, government, and nonprofit sectors.

As Executive Producer and Host of the three-time EMMY-nominated environmental television series ECONEWS, Ms. Pearlman covers every ecological issue. Since 1984, she has presented her programs weekly to more than 35 million homes via cable and broadcast television and over the Internet. More than 550 shows air on local origination, public access, governmental, school, and university channels, as well as on satellite to PBS stations.

Television specials that have won awards include “Gem in the Heart of the City” (the definitive piece on the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area), “Wind: Energy for 90’s and Beyond,” and “Population Crisis USA .” Television show honors include ACE-nominations (Award for Cable Excellence), Hometown USA Video Festival, and Diamond Awards. Nancy’s public service announcements have won numerous Buccaneer Awards from the Public Interest Radio and Television Educational Society.

As Executive Director to Educational Communications, Ms. Pearlman has edited for 37 years the bimonthly “Compendium Newsletter” and edited for 29 years the “Directory of Environmental Organizations.” She is also president of a media consulting firm which creates audio-visual materials. She has taught Cultural and Physical Anthropology, Broadcasting, Journalism, and Mass Communications at the college and adult level.

Nancy Pearlman is a member of the Gypsy Folk Ensemble, performing, and teaching ethnic world dance. Her athletic achievements include completing the Western States 100-mile run, finishing the Ironman Triathlon, climbing more than 100 listed peaks in California, winning long-distance races such as the 1980 Regional Championship 50-mile race, and performing in equestrian events.

Kelly G. Candaele was was first elected to the Board in June of 1997. He was re-elected in 2001 and again for another 4-year term in 2005.

Mr. Candaele received his M.A. degree in Counseling and Psychology from California State University, Chico in 1980. He is a product of the California community college system; attending both Hancock Community College and Butte Community College.

Upon graduation from Chico, Mr. Candaele traveled to Fairbury, Nebraska to work as a Counselor, Instructor of Psychology and athletic coach at Southwest Community College. Returning to California, he worked with disadvantaged and abandoned adolescents at the Deveraux Foundation in Santa Barbara before moving to Los Angeles in 1982.

Since the early 1980s, Mr. Candaele has worked extensively in the area of labor relations, politics and writing. He was Public Policy Director for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor before establishing his own consulting firm. During his tenure at the Labor Federation, he was appointed by Mayor Tom Bradley to "Workforce Los Angeles," a school-to-work organization established to help non-college bound youths prepare for emerging job opportunities. He was also a member of the City's Strategic Planning Committee.

Mr. Candaele is an accomplished writer and filmmaker. He has written extensively on public policy and history for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, The Nation magazine and National Public Radio. With a deep personal interest in Irish history and culture, he is also a frequent contributor to Irish America magazine.

Mr. Candaele has produced a number of award winning documentary films, including "A League of Their Own," about his mother's experience as a professional baseball player in the All American Girl&'s Professional Baseball League. His mother was a lifetime .290 hitter. Candaele wrote the story for the Columbia Picture&'s feature film, "A League of Their Own," which stared Tom Hanks and Geena Davis. He also produced and directed an award-winning film on the life of assassinated Swedish Prime Minister, Olof Palme and a film on the Chinese human rights activist Harry Wu.

For eight years, Mr. Candaele taught classes in history, politics, economics and collective bargaining in the Labor Center at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. He has a particular interest in the areas of job training, career ladders and business labor partnerships.

Mr. Candaele is on the Executive Board of Kids in Sports, and a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the Pacific Council on International Policy.

Mona Field has served on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees since 1999, and has been elected by her colleagues to serve as President twice (2009 and 2004) and Vice President (2002). She was first elected by the voters of the LACCD in 1999, and reelected in 2003 and 2007.

A lifelong resident of Los Angeles, Ms. Field received a B.A. degree in Social Relations at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, and an M.A. degree in Social Sciences at California State University. Throughout her professional career, Ms. Field has been a leader in furthering causes of social responsibility, positive labor-management relations, and excellence in education.

Ms. Field has been a professor of political science at Glendale Community College. She has taught courses in American Political Ideals, California Government, Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Community Volunteerism, and Introduction to Social Science.

She also teaches and lectures at other venues, including UCLA Extension, California State University–Sacramento in the Community College Leadership Program, and the California School Employees Association Leadership Training Program.

A prolific writer, Ms. Field writes extensively on a variety of topics relating to social, education, and political issues, including a best-selling college text, California Government and Politics Today, 12th Edition. She is also co-editor of the essay collection, The People and Promise of California. She is a sought-after facilitator of workshops and panels for a range of organizations including the Faculty Association of the California Community Colleges, the Community College League of California, and the California Studies Center.

Some of her writing topics include:

• “Leadership: Getting a New College President: Who? How? When?”
• “Should Colleges be Forced to Teach the Constitution? Think of it as a Teach-In”
• “Outside Experts or Hired Guns: How does your District Handle Labor Negotiations?”
• “AB 982: Student Health Centers: It’s Controversial, It’s Signed, and Now What?”
• “Keeping Track of Sacramento: An Ever-Challenging Task.”

Ms. Field has been the recipient of numerous awards including: Health Centers Association of the California Community Colleges Leadership Award, March 2006 for support of local funding for college health centers; Emil Freed Award for Advancing Educational Justice, Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research, March 2004; California Association of Leadership Programs Distinguished Leadership Award, March 2004; Playa Vista Jobs Vision Award, November 2002, for commitment to placing at-risk individuals in job training and work.

Ms. Field has worked on projects in the community college system to promote green building and sustainable campuses; to move welfare recipients into higher education; to develop a new generation of elementary level teachers who simultaneously gain tutoring experience and college credits; and to develop service learning curricula which encourages students to volunteer in the community while attaining academic goals.

Ms. Field has served as President of the Glendale College Guild, member of the Board of Governors of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, member of the Advisory Committee of the Center for California Studies (CSUS), and member of the Benchmarks Task Force of the Southern California Association of Governments.

Scott Svonkin was elected in May to the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees after serving on the San Gabriel Unified School Board.

His career focus has been in public service, particularly on education and non-profits, and as a businessman and experienced community activist. He served as a member of Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley’s staff. Currently Senior Advisor to Sheriff Lee Baca, Trustee Svonkin has also served as Chief of Staff for State Assemblyman Paul Koretz and was a Deputy Councilman for West Hollywood. As a chief of staff, Scott was involved in key legislative projects such as: an aggressive anti-crime program focused on getting guns off the streets, the protection of children from tobacco and its advertising arms, and support for public education and working families. As Deputy Councilman, Scott worked on important legislation, community liaison activities, inter-governmental affairs, media relations and constituent services for West Hollywood.

Trustee Svonkin is committed to promoting educational opportunities for all through various organizations. He was recently elected President of the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association and has served on the Valley College Foundation Board, the California State University, Northridge Legislative Advisory Council, the LA PROSPER Board of the Los Angeles Community College District, the Center for Southern California Studies Advisory Board and is a former Chairman of LAUSD Advisory Council District Four. As a health care executive, he arranged for his company to donate almost one thousand computers to public schools.

Concerned about public health, Scott served on the board of the Children’s Hospital L.A. Huckleberry Fund and on the California Respiratory Board where his fellow members elected him President shortly after his appointment. Scott is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the California Credit Union, a billion-dollar financial institution. He is also Chairman of the L.A. County Insurance Commission.

A former businessman with Prudential Insurance, he began in 2001 Scott Svonkin Consulting, a marketing, communications and public affairs firm.

A native of Los Angeles County, Scott attended public schools and served two terms as the Student Member of the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees. He went on to receive his B.A. from Cal State Northridge and later taught a course at Valley College.

During his six and a half years with Prudential, Scott received the company’s Community Champions Rising Star Award for his commitment to helping others, and the Hero Award for creating a voter registration and grassroots-lobbying program.

Scott and his wife Jennifer have a daughter, Rose, and a son, Sam.

Steve Veres was elected to the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees in March, 2011 for a four- year term that began in July, 2011.

A two-term member of the San Fernando City Council, Mr. Veres served from 2003 to 2011. He was the city’s Mayor from January, 2009 to March, 2010, and also chaired both the city’s Housing, Community & Economic Development Standing Committee and its Natural Resources, Infrastructure, Water Energy and Waste Management Standing Committee.

Mr. Veres’ public service work includes memberships on the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s San Fernando Valley Service Sector Governance Council (2008-10), the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (2004-2007), and of the Metropolitan Water District (2004 to 2007).

Growing up in Boyle Heights and Huntington Park, Steve attended Los Angeles Unified schools and Loyola High School, and graduated from UCLA with honors. He continued his education at that college in the Masters Program for Latin American studies with an emphasis on urban planning, then did three years of doctoral work in UCLA’s history department.

Mr. Veres taught social studies as well as a variety of history courses at the middle school and collegiate level. He has also worked as a journalist and news editor. Mr. Veres served as District Director for California State Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez and is currently the District Director for California State Senator Kevin de Leon.

Mr. Veres has been recognized both nationally and statewide for his work on the California Health Leadership Program on Diabetes and Obesity, and locally at the San Fernando Library where he promotes literacy on a volunteer basis.

He is married, has an eight-year old stepdaughter and is expecting a new addition to the family in August.

Brandon Batham is a Political Science major, currently enrolled at Los Angeles Valley College. Prior to serving as Interim Student Trustee, Brandon was appointed to serve in Fall 2011 on the Associated Student Union Executive Board as the Attorney General/Parliamentarian. He also served as Treasurer on the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) regional board, working with the nine LACCD campuses in addition to five non-district colleges. He plans to transfer to Marlboro College in Vermont in Fall 2012 to pursue his BA in Political Science and Theater Arts.

Outside of student leadership, Brandon lives an extremely involved life. A firm believer in investing time and energy in high school students as our future, he is currently serving in his second year as the head coach for the speech and debate team at North Hollywood High School. Under his watch, the school became the top-ranked team for Congressional Debate, as well as being a highly regarded team in other events, in the league it competes in, which covers Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. He also has a passion for stage acting, and has been involved in the theater department at Los Angeles Valley College for the past two years--an outstanding source of creativity and expression. He hopes to bring to the Board a unique voice for the students in the District, and looks forward to working hard to serve the students and their efforts.