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2008 BOR MEMBER BIOS |
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Les Robbins — Chair |
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Mr.
Robbins´s 27+ year career with the Los
Angeles County Sheriff´s Department has
been very impressive. He also has contributed
much of his life to active participation within
a variety of public offices. His contributions
have helped improve LACERA while serving on the
Board of Retirement since 1998; and the Board
of Investments 1999 - 2003.
Here are some of his notable accomplishments:
- Deputy Sheriff, promoted to Sergeant
- Elected to the Board of Directors of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS)
- President of ALADS for 7 terms
- Past Councilman for the Fifth District of the Long Beach City Council 1988 - 1998
- Chair of Council's Traffic and Infrastructure Committee
- Vice Chair of the Public Safety Committee
- Past Chair of LACERA's Board of Retirement
- Member of the Economic Development and Finance Committee
- Member of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor
- Member of the Southern California Alliance of Law Enforcement
- Member of the California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations
- Military Policeman for the U.S. Army with a one-year tour in Vietnam
- AA Degree from Long Beach City College
- BA Degree from California State University, Long Beach
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Simon S. Russin — Vice
Chair |
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Mr.
Russin's contributions have helped improve LACERA
while serving on the Board of Retirement continuously
since 1983 and the Board of Investments from
1985 - 2003 and since 2006.
Here are some of his notable accomplishments:
- Helped negotiate settlement of AB 399 to provide $1 billion for LA County Workers and Retirees.
- Helped negotiate adoption of the Pension Obligation Bonds that fully funded system and created additional surpluses for the employee benefits and vested medical plans for retirees
- Former Secretary, Board of Investments and Board of Retirement
- Past Chairman and Vice-Chairman, Board of Retirement
- Chairman, Operations Oversight Committee for LACERA Board of Retirement
- Current Chief Environmental Health Specialist, Los Angeles County
- Member, SEIU Local 660 Board of Directors, 15 years
- Member, Chicano Employees Association
- Associate member, Retired Employees of Los Angeles County (RELAC)
- Advanced Workshop on Money Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- Stanford University Fiduciary Law for Trustees
- Graduate, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA
- Graduate work, New York's Long Island University, Marine Science
- Graduate work, M.A. Degree in Public Administration, California State University at Los Angeles
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Yves
Chery — Secretary |
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Mr.
Chery has been serving the Los Angeles County
community as a Deputy Probation Officer for over
17 years. His experience includes helping at-risk
youths, along with a quarter century of advocacy
for working families. He is also a strong supporter
of LACERA’s Outreach
programs and was instrumental in equipping Outreach
specialists at County worksite counseling seminars
with LACERA’s online calculator. Mr. Chery
is a real asset on the Board of Retirement.
Here
are some of his notable accomplishments:
- Deputy
Probation Officer II currently assigned to Camp
Vernon Kilpatrick
- Vice-President,
AFSCME District Council 36
- Treasurer,
L.A. County Probation Officers Union, AFSCME Local
685
- Delegate,
Los Angeles County Federation of Labor
- Member,
AFSCME State & National Public Pension Program
- Member,
SEIU Local 721 Capital Stewardship Program
- Chairman,
Operations Oversight Committee, LACERA Board of
Retirement
- Secretary,
LACERA Audit Committee
- Member,
State Association of County Retirement Systems
(SACRS), By-Laws Committee
- Member,
SACRS Nomination Committee
- Associate
Member, Retired Employees of Los Angeles County
(RELAC)
- Member,
Mexican-American Correction Association (M.A.C.A.)
- Member,
Asian Pacific Probation Association
- Graduate,
CALAPRS Principles of Pension Management Program
- Graduate,
IFEBP, Master Trustees Program
- Graduate,
Stanford University’s Fiduciary College for
Trustees
- B.A.,
California State University, Northridge
- MFA,
California Institute of the Arts
- Former
Treasurer, Lake Balboa/West Van Nuys Neighborhood
Council
- Phi
Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (3-19-07)
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Mark
Saladino |
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Mr.
Saladino is an ex-officio trustee of LACERA's Board of
Retirement and Board of Investments, as an extension
of his role as the Treasurer and Tax Collector of Los
Angeles County. He has a legal background coupled
with extensive experience within finance and investments,
and treasury related issues. His contributions
have helped improve LACERA while serving on the Board
of Retirement and the Board of Investments since 1998.
Here
are some of his notable accomplishments:
- Principal
Deputy County Counsel, specializing in the areas
of finance and investments
- Successful
private practice at Hawkins, Delafield & Wood
in New York City and at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue
in Los Angeles
- Public
speaker on topics related to public finance
and investments for the California Association
of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors,
the University of Southern California, the
University of California, Los Angeles, the
National Association of Bond Lawyers, the
California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission,
and the California State Association of Counties
- Drafted
California legislation regulating certain sales
of local government securities
- Testified
on securities issues to the California Legislature
and the United States Congress
- BS
Degree (with high honors) from the University of
Illinois
- JD
Degree from New York University
- Admitted
to practice law in New York, California and the
District of Columbia
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William
de la Garza
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Mr.
de la Garza had an accomplished 35-year career
with the Department of Parks and Recreation.
He retired in 1991. His long tenure was devoted
to serving the leisure and recreational needs
of the citizens of Los Angeles and its neighboring
counties. He was elected to the Retirement Board
in 2003 and is recognized for his continued service
as a retiree advocate. His background in serving
people and the community along with his management
and administrative skills have been very valuable
to the Retirement Board. We are glad to have
him on board at LACERA.
Here are some of his notable accomplishments:
- Retired
from his position of Deputy Director of Parks
and Recreation in 1991. During his career with
the Department of Parks and Recreation, he
quickly came up through the ranks and served
as a Park Director, Sports Specialist, Director
of Sports and Aquatics, Superintendent of Regional
Recreation Services and Regional Operations Manager.
- Guest
Lecturer, Sports and Recreation Administration:
Cal State Los Angeles and Dominguez Hills, Cal
Poly Pomona, U.S.C., El Camino, and Golden West
Colleges
- Instrumental
in the development and passage of the Los Angeles
County Scuba Diving Ordinance
- Authored
three recognized publications on Sports Officiating
- Member
of the Southern California Committee for the
Olympic Games that was responsible for bringing
the 1984 Olympics to Los Angeles
- Served
as President and Director of the Southern California
Municipal Athletic Federation
- Worked
closely with sports greats Jesse Owens and
Pele in bringing National Youth Sports Programs
to Los Angeles County
- Served
as Chairman and Board Member of Southland Credit
Union for over 25 years
- Served
as President of the California Retired County
Employees Association (CRCEA)
- Served
as President and Board Member of the Retired
Employees of Los Angeles County (RELAC)
- Honorary
member, Latino Peace Officers Association
- Past
member, Los Angeles County Interagency Gang
Task Force
- Attended
El Camino College and the University of Southern
California
- Happily
married to his wife, Rachel, for 46 years and
has one son named John
- Hobbies
include participation in civic organizations,
golf and U.S.C. Football (11-13-08)
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Simon
Frumkin |
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Mr. Frumkin has a wide range of global professional and unique life experiences to contribute to our Board of Retirement. He has been an appointed member since 2003, and we appreciate his insight and contributions.
Following are some of his notable accomplishments:
- Participated in the first Union of Councils meeting in the Soviet Union in 1989
- Host and interpreter for Russian dignitaries visiting Los Angeles
- Taught college-level courses on Eastern Europe, Jewish History, and the Middle East
- Currently the associate editor and columnist for the California-based Russian-language weekly, “Panorama” and the weekly “Heritage,” in addition to being a freelance contributor to a number of national publications
- Appointed to the L.A. City Human Relations Commission in 1993 by Mayor Riordan
- Acts as an integral part of the Simon Wiesenthal Center Outreach program, speaking to thousands of California students on the Holocaust
- Participated in the “Meet a Survivor” program at the L.A. Museum of Tolerance
- Took part in international missions to China and Japan to participate in the opening of Holocaust exhibits
- Graduated from New York University in 1953
- Master's Degree in history from California State University Northridge
- Mr. Frumkin is married, with two adult sons and two grandchildren, and lives in Studio City with his wife Ella and three dogs (4-8-03)
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J.P. Harris |
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Mr. Harris has made many outstanding contributions to the community of Los Angeles County during his 33 years of service with the Sheriffs’ Department. Currently he is the Aide to the Chief in the Office of Homeland Security. We welcome him to the Board of Retirement and look forward to working with him in his new role as the Alternate Safety Member.
Here are some of his notable accomplishments:
- Elected Member of the Board of Directors
and former President of Association for Los
Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS)
- Elected
Trustee and former President of the Sheriffs’ Relief
Association
- Lifetime
Member of the California Peace Officers’ Association
- Member
of the Professional Peace Officers’ Association
- Member of the Peace Officers Association
of Los Angeles County
- Graduate of the 20th Session of the Supervisory
Leadership Institute
- Graduate
of the 215th Session of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation’s National Academy
- Graduate
of the Police Executive Research Forum’s
Senior Management Institute for Police
- Certified
as a Workers’ Compensation
Claims Associate and Workers’ Compensation
Claims Professional with the Insurance Education
Association
- Graduate
of Sheriff’s Academy Class
170
- B.S. Degree from California State University
Los Angeles
- A.A. Degree from Pasadena City College
- Happily
married to Diane, a detective with the Sheriff’s
Department
- Member of the Pasadena First United Methodist
Church
- Completed
7 marathons, even more half marathons, and countless
10k’s
(3-17-08)
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Ed Morris |
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Mr.
Morris is a native Californian. His Los Angeles
County career spanned over 38 years. He currently
holds the Alternate Retired Member position on
the Board. His previous experience
in retirement benefits administration is a real asset to the board.
Here are some of his notable accomplishments:
- Worked in the Offices of the County Auditor and County Treasurer
- Manager, Retirement Benefits Division (LACERA)
- Board Member and Past Chairman of the Fiscal Credit Union
- Member of the Board of Directors, RELAC
- Member of the Glendale Elks Lodge for 48 years
- Attended Glendale College and UCLA
- Mr. Morris has been married for 48 years, and has 3 children and 7 grandchildren
- Hobbies include traveling by motorhome and sports (1-21-05)
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William R. Pryor |
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Mr. Pryor has served the people in the community as both a firefighter and paramedic. His
contributions have helped improve LACERA by serving
on the Board of Retirement since 2000 and on the
Board of Investments since 2005. Mr. Pryor is currently Chairman of
the Board of Investments, and Chair of the Disability
Procedures and Services Committee.
Here are some of his notable accomplishments:
- Firefighter with the City of Hawthorne which was annexed to Los Angeles County
- Currently assigned to the Willowbrook Fire Station as a firefighter/paramedic
- Vice President LA County Firefighters Local 1014
- He and his wife, Michelle, have two sons, Jack and Henry
- Plays hockey on an all-firemen's team which travels to the East Coast and Canada for tournaments (4-20-05)
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Edward
L. Blecksmith
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Mr. Blecksmith's career includes more than 30 years
of business management experience with various firms
as well as outstanding service with the Marine Corps
and as a White House staff member. He has also played
professional football for the L.A. Rams and at USC.
His wide range of experience is an asset to the Board
of Retirement.
Here are some of his notable accomplishments:
- Partner
- Larsen, Whitney, Blecksmith, and Zilliacus,
Inc.
- Managing
Partner - Korn/Ferry International Inc.
- Managing
Director - Russell Reynolds Associates Inc.
- Served
two years as White House Staff Assistant to the
Director of Communications for Executive Branch,
two years at the Commerce Department, and one
year as Director of Communications for the President's
Commission on Olympic Sports.
- Marine
Corps - Commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant and served
as Platoon Commander with the 3rd Battalion,
5th Marine Regiment in Vietnam.
- Aide
to Director of Command and Staff College in the
Marine Corps
- Received
two Purple Hearts
- MBA
Degree from USC
- BS
Degree from USC
- Graduate
Assistant Football Coach while attending USC
- Drafted
by the Los Angeles Rams in 1964
- Mr.
Blecksmith was married to his late wife,
Pam, for 32 years. They have three children:
Christina, Alex, and James Patrick, and a granddaughter,
Molly Kate. (11-17-08)
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Sadonya
Antebi |
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Ms.
Antebi has been interested and helpful in improving
LACERA's retirement issues even before she was
appointed as a board member. Her
contributions have helped improve LACERA while
serving on the Board of Retirement in 1996 -
1998, 2000 - 2005, and since 2007.
Here are some of her notable accomplishments:
- Chief of Disaster Planning and Operations for L.A. County, Dept. of Health Services
- Instructor at the L.A. County School of Nursing
- BA Degree from Brooklyn College
- MA Degree from Cal State, Los Angeles
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1/6/09
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