Board of Visitors
Statement of Purpose
The Board of Visitors supports and advances the mission of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) and Pepperdine University. As ambassadors for GSEP, board members serve as advisors to the dean and faculty; introduce leaders in the educational, mental health and business community to Pepperdine; and assist with public relations on a national and global level. Members of the board contribute considerable personal and professional talents, contacts, and resources that are invaluable to the advancement of GSEP.
Board Directory
Dr. Yolanda Aguerrebere
Dr. Aguerrebere graduated with a Master of Science in School Management and Administration from GSEP in 1983, and earned her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from GSEP in 2009. She retired in 2010, after 35 years of service; she spent 24 years with the Los Angeles Unified School District and 11 years with the El Rancho Unified School District.
Dr. Aguerrebere has been a teacher, instructional advisor, elementary and secondary principal, mentor, consultant, researcher, and international speaker. Dr. Aguerrebere resides in Placentia, California
Dr. Fereshteh Amin
Dr. Amin received her BS in statistics from Shiraz University and graduated with an MBA in 1993 from Industrial Management Institute in Tehran. Prior to her move to the US, Dr. Amin was an organizational development consultant at the Industrial Management Institute, and an academic editor at the University Publishing Center, both in Tehran. She earned her Doctorate in Education in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University in 2006.
Since 2006, Dr. Amin has been the principal of Amin Leadership Center, a leadership development training and coaching organization focused on multicultural leadership. She has published several scholarly articles on multicultural leadership. Her dissertation was published in Germany and translated and published in Iran. She also joined California Polytheistic University Pomona College of Business Administration as an adjunct professor in the Human Resource Department in 2014-present. She lives in Los Angeles.
Mrs. Evelyn Booth
Mrs. Booth, LMFT, earned her MA in Clinical Psychology from GSEP and currently works in private practice as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Redondo Beach. Prior to entering the field of mental health, Mrs. Booth co-founded and ran one of the West Coast's earliest and most successful interactive agencies before its acquisition in 2005 by Meredith Corporation. After selling her agency, Mrs. Booth knew it was time to realize her dream of meaningfully improving the well-being of others and to that end, she works tirelessly and passionately toward bettering the lives of children and families, in whatever capacity she can.
Mrs. Booth's commitment to Vistas for Children, a South Bay non-profit, helps ensure that multi-disabled, abused, homeless, at-risk and terminally ill children receive the necessary food, shelter, medical, rehabilitative and counseling support they deserve. At her private practice, Mrs. Booth focuses more directly on the healing of couples and families through her efforts as a trained Emotionally Focused (EFT) Therapist, where she works to strengthen attachment relationships so that foundations of safety, trust, and belonging can be built. Mrs. Booth's ongoing commitment as a board committee member at the Los Angeles Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy (LACEFT.ORG) is aimed at ensuring the educational development of EFT therapists in the greater Los Angeles area. Mrs. Booth looks forward to bringing her digital marketing and clinical psychology backgrounds together to help GSEP realize its mission of fostering academic excellence, social purpose, meaningful service, and personal fulfillment.
Dr. Randy Clark
Dr. Clark earned his Doctor of Education in Organization Leadership degree from GSEP in 2005, and was formerly an adjunct faculty member at the Graziadio School of Business Management.
He has served as CEO of various produce and agriculture companies, and is currently on the board of a public company, as well as advising and consulting for a number of other entities. Dr. Clark is also on the Pepperdine Alumni Leadership Council. Dr. Clark lives in Spokane, WA.
Dr. Greg Dern
Dr. Dern works within the scholar-practitioner model of service providing consultancy in the areas of organizational design and structure. He has advised a three-time U.S. Presidential appointee on high-stakes prediction making and a police chief on team development; he has transformed California legislation into a programmatic model for the California African American Political and Economic Institute; he has provided policy research and educational program evaluation for the Los Angeles County Superior Court office of Alternative Dispute Resolution; and, recently he designed a conflict resolution education curriculum for domestic and international implementation for a large-scale NGO-University collaboration.
Dr. Dern has served the Superior Court of Los Angeles as member of the Special Panel of mediators. In 2007, Dr. Dern earned the degree of Doctor of Education from Pepperdine University; he holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Master of Arts in Education. He has served as an adjunct professor of education with Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology since 2001. He has served as a lecturer in the Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peace Building program with California State University since 2011.
Dr. James B. Douglass
Dr. Douglass received his Doctorate in Applied Statistics and Research Design from Michigan State University, has completed multiple courses of study in Oxford, and is passionate about providing mental health services to the underserved. He is an experienced financial consultant, currently serving as Second Vice President at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.
Dr. Shreyas Gandhi
Dr. Gandhi has been with Raytheon Company for 15 years and is currently a Production Program Manager on the Trident Program. The United States maintains a nuclear triad comprised of a sea, land, and air deterrent based system of delivery vehicles. The Trident is a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM), standing over 44 feet tall, with a range of > 4000 nautical miles. Prior to this role Dr. Gandhi managed the Component Engineering Department comprised of 165 employees located in CA & TX with expertise in component failure analysis, component test and evaluation, and parts & obsolescence management for Raytheon's $6B Space and Airborne Systems Division. Prior to that he was the Nuclear Survivability & Vulnerability lead on several classified programs, a deputy program manager for the Trident Integrated Support Facility, program advisor to the Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems Engineering Rotation program, and is currently an instructor for Principals of Program Leadership and the Leading with Focus courses sponsored by Raytheon Professional Services.
Prior to joining Raytheon, Dr. Gandhi spent 3 years at Lucent Technologies in the Supply Chain Network organization located at Lucent's corporate headquarters in Murray Hill, New Jersey and participated in the sale of the Oklahoma City Works factory to contract manufacturer Celestica.
Dr. Gandhi started his career at TRW's Electronic Space and Technology Division (since purchased by Northrop Grumman) in Redondo Beach, CA where he spent 5 years as a member of technical staff.
Dr. Gandhi holds a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Irvine, a Master's in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a Master's in Business Administration and Doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Global Leadership & Change from Pepperdine University, and is expecting to graduate May 2019. He joined Pepperdine GSEP as an adjunct faculty member in 2013, and teaches courses in research methods, participates in Dissertations as a committee member and chair, and administers Comprehensive exams. Dr. Gandhi was nominated to the Board of Visitors in 2017.
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Dr. Jacqueline Macias Dr. Macias is a senior executive with a proven track record in large public companies, start-ups, and non-profits, playing significant roles in strategy-setting, M&A, brand-building, and governance. Recognized for solving complex business issues and creating stakeholder value, Dr. Macias established her own consulting firm in 2014, providing C-level advisory services. Prior to consulting, Dr. Macias served as Chief Financial Officer of SeeChange Health, a start-up offering non-traditional health plans combined with consumer-driven clinical technology. Before SeeChange Health, Dr. Macias spent fifteen years at Anthem, where she was last responsible for profit/loss management, membership growth and operations of Medicaid programs, Children's Health Insurance Programs and all other publicly funded programs for uninsured and underserved populations across the nation. Prior to Anthem, Dr. Macias spent ten years in the defense manufacturing industry at ITT, where she was responsible for a variety of financial functions over the years. With a passion for health, wellness, and women's issues, Dr. Macias provides board leadership to several non-profit organizations. She has served on the board of directors of Alzheimer's Los Angeles, with the mission to improve the lives of families affected by the disease, for over eight years and has recently been appointed chair. Dr. Macias also serves on the board of directors of The Lily Project, with the goal to eradicate cervical cancer in Nicaragua by providing health services and education to women and girls living in rural communities. She is also a board member of American Women for International Understanding, focused on women's equality and empowerment, chairing the development committee and serving on the executive committee. Dr. Macias has a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Rutgers University, a Master of Science degree in taxation from American University, and a Doctorate of Education degree in the field of organizational leadership from Pepperdine University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant and Health Insurance Associate. Given her expertise and experience, Dr. Macias has been asked to speak at several healthcare forums and, as adjunct professor, instruct social entrepreneurs at Pepperdine's Graduate School of Education and Psychology. |
Dr. Rick Martin
Rick Martin has been Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Hoag Hospital since 1992. He previously served as Assistant Vice President of Specialty Care for Hoag Hospital. Prior to joining Hoag Hospital, Dr. Martin was Assistant Vice President of Patient Care Services at HCA Lewis-Gale Hospital in Salem, Virginia.
Dr. Martin was appointed to the Scott Commission and also serves on the VHA National Nursing Leadership Council, the Orange County Nurse Executive Council, and on the Advisory Board for Nurseweek. At California State University, Long Beach, Dr. Martin is on the Advisory Board and Adjunct Faculty for the School of Nursing.
Dr. Martin participates in American College of Healthcare Executives, Association of California Nurse Leaders, American Organization of Nurse Executives, National League of Nurses, American Society for Quality and Leadership Tomorrow and the Share Our Selves Clinic.
Dr. Claudette McLinn
Dr. McLinn received a Master of Science degree from GSEP in 1983, and a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership degree from GSEP in 2006. She is the executive director of the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature, an organization which advocates for multicultural children's literature. She is a life member of the American Library Associations and has chaired and served on many prestigious book award committees in the organization.
Dr. McLinn has been a teacher, school librarian, district supervisor of ESEA Title V Library Services, and field administrator for elementary and secondary school libraries in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She retired from Los Angeles Unified School District in 2011.
Mrs. Mariellen Pepperdine Ostwald
Mariellen Pepperdine Ostwald graduated from Pepperdine's Seaver College in 2000, with a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and a minor in psychology. She earned a master's degree in education with a teaching credential from GSEP in 2001. She taught at Woodland Hills Elementary (LAUSD) to a combination of general and special education students.
She has a passion for many areas of education, including the field of special education. Since having her own special needs child, she has educated herself and other parents of special needs children of their legal rights within the educational system. She advocates for these children as needed.
She currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with her loving husband and two amazing daughters. She is an active volunteer at her local church as well as her children's schools. She enjoys tennis in her spare time. Mariellen is blessed and humbled to be the granddaughter of the founder of Pepperdine University, George Pepperdine.
Dr. Richard Sherman
Dr. Sherman is a clinical psychologist who has been active in organizations serving psychologists and the consumer for many years. He served on the California Board of Psychology for five years (2007-2012), the last two as its president. He is also a past president of the California Psychological Association and the Los Angeles County Psychological Association.
Dr. Sherman has a small private practice, and has consulted with various corporations and their staff. He is an author and an occasional radio contributor. He is also active in local and national political grassroots organizations.
Dr. Earnestine Thomas-Robertson
Dr. Thomas-Robertson is an alumna of George Pepperdine College and of GSEP's Doctor of Education in Institutional Management program, for which she wrote her dissertation on Globalizing in Community College Curricula.
She is the president of the Los Angeles-Lusaka Sister City Committee, Vice President of Business Relations for Born Ready Industries, Inc., and Dean Emeritus of Los Angeles Southwest College. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Betty Uribe
Dr. Betty Uribe is the Executive Vice President at California Bank & Trust, where she leads Commercial and Personal Banking throughout Southern California. With three decades in the financial industry she is recognized as a top financial expert in her field. Her entrepreneurial background has given her a broad and universal understanding of various industries and businesses within the U.S and International Markets. A recognized authority on the psychology of leadership, organizational turnarounds, and peak performance, she has been honored consistently for her strategic intellect and humanitarian endeavors.
Dr. Uribe has worked with leaders from every walk of life – CEOs of multinational corporations, military generals, political leaders, advocates for humanity, psychologists, universities, and parents. Included in the many honors bestowed upon Dr. Uribe are "The Most Prominent Latina in Los Angeles" and "Top 25 National Corporate Elite."
Dr. Uribe is an international speaker, consultant, coach, author, and is recognized for her expertise in "Values Based Leadership." Her work has been published in four continents.
Dr. Marilyn Wright
Dr. Marilyn Wright attended BYU-Hawaii before transferring to UCLA where she graduated with a degree in psychology. Dr. Wright received both her Master's and Doctoral degrees from Pepperdine University as well as completing a two-year Psychology residency at Berkshire Medical Center in Massachusetts. For almost 20 years, Marilyn was on the Adjunct Faculty of Pepperdine and she has served on the GSEP Board of Visitors for 10 years, since its inception. In 2005, Dr. Wright was honored with Pepperdine's Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award. In 2008, The California Psychological Association awarded Dr. Wright with The Silver Psi Award.
Dr. Wright was in private practice from 1998 - 2008 in Pasadena as well as on medical staff at two leading psychiatric hospitals in the area. She is past-President of the San Gabriel Valley Psychological Association and for 11 years, Marilyn was the Director of the Los Angeles Area Chapter of AMCAP – The Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists. She currently serves on the editorial Board of the Journal "Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy".
In 2008, after 42 years of holding out for "Mr. Wright", he finally came along, and shortly thereafter, she married and moved to the East Bay. She currently resides in Moraga and enjoys navigating the wonderful world of 6 grown children and 20 grandchildren (and counting!). She has a private practice in Moraga and Walnut Creek.
Dr. Farshid Zanjani
Dr. Farshid Zanjani, Director at Samoshim Company, received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Shariff University of Technology in Iran, a master's degree in chemical engineering (process control) from the University of Wales in the United Kingdom, and an EdD in organizational leadership from GSEP. A businessman, he has served as a teacher, consultant, and chemical engineer in different industries. He is one of the founders of a private university in Iran.
Ms. Victoria Brown, Board of Visitors Scholarship Recipient
Ms. Brown is concurrently a Ph.D. student in the Global Leadership and Change program and a student in the Certificate program at the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University. She holds a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from GSEP as well.
As Chief of Staff for TheCaseMade Inc., a consulting firm in Columbia, MD, and as Consultant to the Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Equity in Long Beach, CA, she is able to exercise her passion for keeping the voices of those who are marginalized and disenfranchised at the table during community development. This passion led her to volunteer in the most rural parts of Selma, Alabama through Pepperdine's service opportunities.
Ms. Brown's research interests pertain to the social implications of Artificial Intelligence on our society as Technology, Big Data, and Robotics continue to advance, and the influence of these implications on Public Policies. Through her leadership, scholarship, and service Victoria hopes to continue to collaborate with communities by connecting them to the resources needed for systems change.
Emeritus Board of Visitors Members:
Dr. Susan Rice (founding board chairperson)
Mrs. Allie Tegner
Dr. Ziegfred and Mrs. Wendie Young
In Memoriam:
GSEP lost a dearly loved and valued member of our Board of Visitors with the passing of Dr. Rosalyn S. Heyman on November 22, 2021.
Dr. Heyman was honored by GSEP with an honorary doctorate of laws in 2008. Her career in education was long and distinguished and included positions as a counselor, department chair, budget consultant, business education and English teacher, assistant principal, and principal.
Dr. Heyman retired from her position with the Los Angeles Unified School District as assistant superintendent of secondary education in 1990. She resided in Woodland Hills, California.