We are the CUSD Foundation...

Formed in 1992, the CUSD Foundation enhances the effectiveness of the Capistrano Unified School District by supporting a wide array of programs and services for CUSD’s 51,000+ students.

The mission of the CUSD Foundation is to raise money by developing partnerships with businesses and the community to enhance the quality of education for every student in the Capistrano Unified School District.

The CUSD Foundation is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors. Our Board Members are::

2010 Executive Committee Officers

Enzo Scognamiglio
Owner, Brio Tuscany Grille
CUSD Foundation Board President 2010

From owning four national franchises for Subway Restaurants, founding several restaurants to managing several Apartment Complexes in Southern California, Mr. Scognamiglio is an active entrepreneur, philanthropist and an icon in the community he serves. As an entrepreneur, Mr. Scognamiglio has made is mark serving people in the hospitality industry. Since 1993 he has been the owner of Brio Tuscany Grille in Dana Point, California, a popular restaurant, martini bar and nightclub. He also owned Brio Mare in Laguna Beach as well as Brio Tuscany Grille in Corona Del Mar. Prior to opening this local hotspot, he owned the Madison Steakhouse in Long Beach, the largest steakhouse in the US. He has held the Director of Food and Beverage position at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach and served as the General Manager of the Arriba Restaurant Group in Los Angeles, California. He also served as the Director of Food and Beverage at the Mayfair Hotel during the Los Angeles Olympics of 1984. Having spent over 5 years in the cruise ship industry he has mastered the art of customer service and appreciation. Born and raised in Napoli, Italy, Mr. Scognamiglio grew up in a large family where he learned the value of relationships and the importance of building a strong business through empowering people. He and is wife Jill raise their two children in Laguna Hills, California where they work together in several business. He holds a degree in Restaurant & Hotel Management from Avellino College in Napoli, Italy.

BRAD NEAL
ATTORNEY, STRADLING YOCCA CARLSON & RAUTH

CUSD Foundation Board Vice President 2010

Bradley R. Neal.  Brad Neal joined the Board in December 2008.  Mr. Neal is a partner at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth in Newport Beach specializing in municipal finance.  Mr. Neal is married with two children, Nicholas (5) and Lindsay (3) and lives in Ladera Ranch.  Mr. Neal represents numerous underwriters and issuers of tax-exempt bonds, including Capistrano Unified School District on a number of occasions and several other school districts around southern California.  Mr. Neal graduated from Notre Dame Law School in 1999 and worked for a year at Snell & Wilmer LLP in Phoenix, Arizona before joining Stradling Yocca in 2000.  Brad’s wife, Lisa, is a partner in commercial litigation at Rutan & Tucker LLP in Costa Mesa. 

 

Del Dinger
CUSD Foundation Board Treasurer 2010

Del Dinger has three children, two sons and a daughter. Her oldest son is a married adult and her middle child, a son, is a high school freshman in the Capistrano Unified School District. Her youngest child is a third grader also in CUSD. Del has been active with many organizations including the United Way, USA Army Reserve Family Readiness Group, Board of Trustee on homeowner associations, the Mako Foundation, as well as many positions on the PTA Board. Previously, Del’s work experience included over 20 years in the call center at the Southern California Gas Company. Del is happy to be serving as a board member for the CUSD Foundation and looks forward to using her learned skills wherever they are needed to help children throughout the district.

 

Blake Stephens
Architect/Professor, Saddleback College
CUSD Foundation Board Secretary 2010

Blake Stephens is an award winning architect and a professor of architecture at Saddleback College.  He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, a LEED A P, and an NCIDQ certificate holder.  Licensed in California since 1985, he has had his own practice since 1988 and has designed residences and specialty retail stores worldwide. He holds masters in Architecture from NewSchool of Architecture and Design in San Diego, and a bachelors in Architecture from the University of Washington in Seattle. 
Blake has been a Foundation board member for twelve years including six years as board president.  He is active in education as faculty advisor to college clubs, and also teaches interior design and construction management. Both of his children have attended CUSD schools since kindergarten. He and his wife, Sheila, reside in Laguna Niguel.

 

 

 

2010 General Board Members

Scot Ross
CPA & Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur and independent CPA from July 2007 to present, Mr. Ross works primarily with the founders of early stage technology and manufacturing companies to build business infrastructure and financing to support sustainable growth and profitability. In August 2004 Mr. Ross successfully completed the sale of M-Audio to AVID (NASDQ AVID) for an industry record valuation of $223 million. Mr. Ross was retained by AVID as Vice President of Finance and Business Development for the Audio Division of AVID until he resigned in July 2007. From 2002 to 2004 Ross served as executive vice president, chief financial officer and director of M-Audio/Midiman, Inc., and was primarily responsible for the worldwide finance, administration, legal and strategic planning of this $100 million international manufacturer and distributor of computer centric digital audio solutions for musicians and consumer hobbyists.

After earning his BS degree in Business/Accounting from the University of Southern California, Ross began his career in public accounting as a CPA and later worked for one of his clients, the Severin Group (the worldwide manufacturer and distributor of Gucci Timepieces) as a corporate controller. In 1992 he joined a venture capital financed technology company, CDB Infotek as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and director before engineering the sale of the business to a division of Equifax Corporation in 1996. From 1997 to 2000 Ross worked as the Vice President and CFO with Fresh Start Bakeries, Inc., (an international contract bakery supplier to McDonald's Corporation) and co-engineered a $160 million LBO from Campbells Soup Company in 1998. Prior to joining M-Audio, Ross served as President and CEO of E-Commerce Exchange from 2000 to 2002 and later sold this business to iPMT Technologies.

 

KAREN KEIGH
REALTOR, SOUTH OC REAL ESTATE

 

Arne DeWitt
Principal, The DeWitt Group RE/MAX

He and his wife Debbie of 23 years have 2 wonderful boys and live in Laguna Niguel. Arne has been in local real estate sales for the past 20 years. Handling a variety of transactions from over five million dollars to condos under $300K. Arne primarily focuses on residential sales in the South Orange County and offers his services to thousands of clients in the Orange County area. During his tenure with Re/AMX Arne has racked up an impressive display of sales production awards, 100% Club, Platinum Club, and the prestigious Hall of Fame award. The Lifetime Achievement award recognizes RE/MAX sales associates who have helped at least 1,000 families buy or sell homes during their careers with RE/MAX. Platinum Club was the highest annual award in the RE/MAX network until recently when the Chairman's Club became the highest honor. Prior to his work as a South Orange County real estate broker, Arne graduated from California State University, Northridge with a BS degree in Business Administration. Arne likes to unwind by participating in sports such as golf, fishing, and hockey. He also enjoys coaching boys' sports and spending time with his sons, Wesley and Matthew. He is active in his church and donates time and income to individual charities.

 

FEYZI FATEHI
CEO, CORENT TECHNOLOGY

Feyzi has over twenty years of experience in building high-performance businesses including multiple business units at HP and four innovative software companies in Silicon Valley and in Southern California. He was elected to the board of the Technology Council of Southern California in 2007 and the Chairman of its Orange County chapter in 2008.

Feyzi is an avid education fan. After graduating from Norman High as a national honor society member, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Solar Engineering, a master’s degree in Computer Science and an MBA in International Management. He also received his Director Certification from UCLA and is a graduate of Anderson School of Management’s M&A program.

Feyzi has been a published author of several avant -garde business and management articles and has been a keynote speaker around the globe including speaking at events by Harvard, Wharton, Pepperdine and UCLA Anderson School of Management. He lives in Laguna Niguel with his wife and two daughters both of whom are students within the CUSD.

 

Eric John Morgenson
PRESIDENT NATIONWIDE LENDING CORPORATION

Mr. Morgenson has an entrepreneurial background. This began when he founded a painting company in Dallas, Texas and a marketing company in Sydney, Australia. He is the co-founder/co-owner of Nationwide Lending Corporation (www.nationwidelending.com) in Irvine, California. Nationwide has funded over three billion dollars in closed-loan transactions to date. He is also the founder/owner of a marketing company called ListeNation.com (www.listenation.com) which won the Technology of the Year Award by IAEM – International Association for Exhibition Managers. /www.iaem.org/

Eric Morgenson studied in Sevilla, Spain and graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Communications with a minor in Business from Texas State University.

Mr. Morgenson co-founded the Labor Day Education Foundation, which funds the education of under- privileged youth. He is a consultant for Vista Research (www.vistaresearch.com ). Eric is a member of the Society of Industry Leaders, a member of BBL(www.bblforum.com ), and a member of the Mortgage Banking Association of America(www.mba.com ).

Eric Morgenson spends his time with his wife Gina and his three sons, Jack, Sam and Max.

 

John Stephens
Senior Vice President , keenan and associates

John has been in the Insurance and Risk Management industry for nearly 18 years.  John began his career with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, the 3rd largest insurance broker in the U.S. as part of their National College Internship Program and for the past 11 years, has worked with Keenan & Associates, a niche broker that works exclusively with California Public Agencies, Hospitals and Joint Powers Authorities, and  the largest privately held insurance brokerage firm in California. John is a Senior Vice President and Property & Casualty Practice Leader for Keenan and oversees the Property & Liability and Workers’ Compensation services for Keenan’s Public Agency programs, which includes approximately 600 California Public Agencies and 40 Joint Powers Authorities. 

 

Kevin Pearson

Kevin recently relocated to Orange County from Seattle, Washington with his wife Katie and their children. He has over 30 years experience in the IT industry, 12 of which were as a senior executive with the Microsoft Corporation. During his tenure he managed a number of regions around the world and received numerous sales and management awards. Originally from South Africa, Kevin immigrated to the US with Microsoft in 1995. Prior to Microsoft he spent 10 years developing his own computer business with two partners. The business was very successful and was regarded as the leading computer services company in Durban, South Africa.

 

Advisory Board Members

CHARLIE WARE
DIRECTOR, RANCHO MISSION VIEJO COMPANY

Charlie has lived in Laguna Niguel with his wife and three children for over 30 years and a South Orange County resident since 1965. All three children have attended CUSD schools and his daughter is currently pursuing a Masters Degree and teaching credentials with hopes of teaching in the district one day. He has been employed by the Rancho Mission Viejo Co. as the Director of Governmental and Community Relations for over 15 years and represent the company to the CUSD Foundation Board as well as several other local community service organizations. He enjoy volunteering in my community as well as traveling and boating with family and friends.

KEN MADDOX
PRESIDENT, MADDOX GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Ken Maddox is the President of Orange County based public policy and communications strategy consulting firm, Maddox Government Relations.  He also serves as Senior Advisor, Legislation and Tax Policy for Board of Equalization Member Michelle Steel.
He was first elected to office as a Councilman for the City of Garden Grove.   He was elected to represent Central/West Orange County in the California State Assembly where he served from 1998-2004. While in the legislature, he served on a variety of policy committees to include Insurance, Utilities and Commerce, Governmental Organization, Environmental Safety and Toxics, Agriculture, Education, and Local Government.  He was also a member of the Select Committee on the California Highway Patrol and the Speakers Commission on Police Conduct.
Ken was recently elected to the Governing Board of Directors for the Capistrano Unified School District.  His colleagues selected him to be their Delegate to the California School Board Association. Once a volunteer firefighter, he attended the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Academy and worked two years as a deputy sheriff. He then served 15 years as a police officer with the City of Tustin.  He is a past vice-president of a nonprofit dedicated to improving California’s environment.  Ken authored ocean water quality legislation specifically aimed at protecting OC’s coastline. 
Ken and his son reside in the Aliso-Niguel Community.

Staff

LINDA WRIGHT
FOUNDATION MANAGER

Linda was born in Michigan and raised in Oklahoma. Her mother was born and raised in Germany where Linda spent many childhood summers staying at the home of her Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. She had the wonderful opportunity to travel Europe with this extended family. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma Linda moved to Southern California where she combined her fashion business degree with her love of designer fashion in high end retail manangment. She took an extended absence from working to be a stay at home mom to her only son, Jake, who has been in CUSD throughout his school years and will attend Dana Hills High School next year. Linda became a substitute teacher with CUSD when her son was in first grade and enjoyed 7 years with the district before coming to the CUSD Foundation. Because of her experience as a substitute, she  knows firsthand how fortunate CUSD is to have quality teachers in our classrooms and looks forward to supporting both teachers and students in her new role with the foundation.In addition to substitute teaching, she also holds a real estate appraisal license. An avid runner for over 20 years, she is grateful to live in this beautiful community where she enjoys running along the picturesque shores.

SHEILA SHARIFI
OPERATIONS MANAGER

Sheila Sharifi has been an education advocate for her entire adult life. She conducted summer camps for students in Massachusetts when her college was in recess and volunteered as tutor in multiple local schools when she worked in Silicon Valley.  She has been assisting the CUSD Foundation for the past few years after she and her family moved to SoCal. Sheila graduated from Sacred Hearts in Newton, MA with honors and earned a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from Boston University. She worked as an Engineer and Manager for GTE, Apple Computer and HP.  Sheila and her husband live in CUSD where their two daughters attend CUSD schools.

BETH WEBER
CPA

A long-time CPA, Beth has been self employed for almost 20 years.  She and her husband, Tom have been Laguna Niguel residents for 15 years where their both of their children were educated at CUSD schools.  An advocate of community involvement in education, she is also a school volunteer and active PTA member.  She specializes in income tax preparation and accounting assistance to individuals, small businesses and tax exempt organizations.