Our Organization
ECofOC’s mission is to coach and mentor Orange County nonprofit managers in developing and implementing capacity building strategies that will enable their organization to do more of their good work in our community. Our vision is that every child, family and senior is living in conditions that are conducive to their being responsible and involved members of our community.
ECofOC was founded in late 2002 as an organization of experienced executives who volunteer their time to coach and mentor nonprofit managers. Click here to learn more about our services. By the end of 2003 (our first year of operation) we had six executive volunteers coaching and mentoring 11 nonprofit managers. In the next four years we grew by an average of 45% per year to having 23 executive volunteers coaching and mentoring 50 nonprofit managers. Our goal is to coach and mentor each of our clients for at least two years.
ECofOC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. Our executive coaches donate their time and pay their own expenses. Our volunteers also serve on committees that perform all the functions we need to sustain ourselves. We do not have any paid employees. We do not lease office space. Our organization design enables us to offer our services free of charge to nonprofit managers who work full-time in Orange County, California.
ECofOC works in collaboration with four other Orange County nonprofits:
- CONNECT: Partnership for Nonprofit Solutions (www.connectoc.org) was a co-founder of ECofOC. They offer nonprofits training seminars and workshops, organizational assessments, business planning assistance and access to other resources that can help nonprofits (including ECofOC’s coaching services).
- The Orange County Community Foundation (www.oc-cf.org) helped us get established in Orange County. A donor advised fund at OC-CF provides us with about $5,000/year of funding for office supplies and promotional materials.
- The Orange County SCORE Chapter (www.score114.org) offers for-profit start-ups and small businesses a wide variety of workshops and counseling services. Most of our executive coaches are recruited from the SCORE membership.
- The Social Enterprise Institute (www.se-institute.org) organizes forums (peer-to-peer learning groups) of nonprofit managers who want to build a sustaining, fee-for-service revenue stream. ECofOC provides a business advisor for each of their four Orange County forums.
Most of the processes that leading nonprofits use to market their services, generate revenue and manage people, programs, finances and technology are very similar to those used by successful corporations in the for-profit sectors. However, the nonprofit culture, values and vocabulary have some unique attributes that for-profit executives must appreciate in order to be effective as coaches and mentors to nonprofit managers. Click here to learn how we recruit, select and train for-profit executives to be coaches and mentors to nonprofit managers.
Staff Development
Most of ECofOC’s staff is recruited from the Orange County SCORE chapter (www.score114.org) because we know that their members have already made a commitment to serve as volunteer counselors to small business. We seek out SCORE members who are likeable and experienced general managers, especially those with a sales and marketing background. This is the knowledge and skill set most nonprofit managers want to acquire in order to build their organization’s capacity to serve our community.
Interested prospects submit a written biography (Click here to see the executive credentials of our staff) and are personally interviewed prior to being accepted as a provisional member. New members are paired with an experienced member who serves as a mentor in guiding them through their three months of nonprofit orientation consisting of:
- Studying our 130 page Nonprofit Coaching Resource Book
- A PowerPoint presentation on the nonprofit culture (Click here)
- A PowerPoint presentation on nonprofit capacity building (Click here)
- Observe two new client interviews that help us match a client with a coach
- Observe two coaching sessions being conducted by an experienced coach
- Coach a peer for three sessions, following our personal coaching guidelines
- Be coached by a peer for three sessions to help develop client empathy
- Attend at least two monthly coaches’ meetings and make one presentation.
When a new member completes this orientation and feels they are ready, they are assigned a nonprofit client. Our experienced members coach and mentor one to five clients (Click here for a partial listing of our past and current clients).
The Executive Coaches of Orange County meet on the second Monday of every month to continually develop our knowledge of the nonprofit community and its management. We have a guest speaker at most of these meetings. Half of the presentations are by outside experts on a nonprofit management issue and possible coaching approaches. Other presentations are by clients on their nonprofit’s mission, capacity building strategies and current issues.
We measure the quality of our work by our coaches’ ability to retain clients and their clients’ willingness to refer potential clients to us. Currently our 59 active clients have been with us for an average of 29 months thus far and 71% of the nonprofit managers who applied for a coach in the first 8 months of 2011 were by referral.
Staff Credentials
ECofOC has 25 executives who volunteer their time to coach and mentor nonprofit managers in Orange County. Their executive credentials are pretty impressive:
John Benner started his career as a CPA with Price Waterhouse and held financial and general management positions with major retailers, finishing his career as Senior Vice-President Administration, Lucky Stores Division of American Stores. Since 1995 he has been a strategic planning consultant to non-profit organizations.
George Blanc owned and operated a gourmet French restaurant on Sunset Strip for 14 years. He then spent 24 years managing $4.5 million of Orange Coast College’s non-academic programs including five non-profit businesses, its week-end swap meet, its performing arts events and its adult education program.
Lois Carson worked at Taco Bell as a Senior Manager, Product Development. She then became an Internal Corporate Coach, providing coaching to employees, while being responsible for ingredient cost savings and product improvements. In 2009, she started her own coaching firm. Lois is an Associate Certified Coach.
Dan Charobee co-founded Ameriforce Publishing Inc. in 1999 publishing magazines for active duty military personnel, the Reserve & National Guard, and their families with a combined worldwide circulation of over 2 million. In 2007, he founded EXLint, Inc., providing consulting and marketing services.
Kay Childs was the executive in charge of Human Resources and the construction of a 106,400 square foot office facility in Northern California for Shaklee Corporation. Prior to Shaklee, Kay was a Human Resources executive for BT North America (a subsidiary of British Telecom), McDonnell Douglas and Varian Associates.
Judy Combs was the Executive Director of the California Academic Decathlon and consultant to other local and national Academic Decathlon organizations. She has over twenty-five years of experience in nonprofit organizations as an Executive Director, Development Director or Marketing Director.
Bob Cryer worked for Procter & Gamble for 34 years managing departments that provided analytic consulting services to P&G’s sales, marketing and product development divisions. In 1994, he founded an Investment Advisory firm that built its assets under management to $60 million. In 2002, he founded ECofOC.
Adrianne DuMond was responsible for Executive Development and Succession Planning at Owens-Illinois, First Interstate Bancorp and McDonnell-Douglas. She has a Ph.D. in Organization Development from USC and has served on the Boards of the United Way, Family Services of Orange County and Wiseplace.
Jim Evans, after getting his Ph.D. in Executive Management from Claremont, had a thirty year career in city management. The last 15 years were as City Manager and Executive Director of Development for Eureka and Glendora. He is currently a Senior Associate at Citygate where he specializes in municipal consulting.
Harry Greenberg was President of Levi’s Outlet Stores and President and Chief Operating Officer of Miller’s Outpost. Previous to that, he was President of Foxmoor (young junior apparel) and Chess King (young men’s apparel). After retiring from Levi’s, he consulted for Britannia and Denim Works and Designs.
Howard Hawkins was a Vice-President of Security Pacific Bank and then became a Vice-President of the Industrial Bank of Japan. His departments were responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of loans that were used to finance offices, shopping centers, land development, hotels and single and multi-family homes.
Patrick Kelly had a variety of management assignments in the insurance industry from 1961 to 1979. He then became a partner in a start-up insurance company that grew to 30 offices and $1 billion in annual revenues. In 1995, he sold his interest in that company and became the CEO of an insurance brokerage firm.
Moty Koppes is a professional coach. She has a B.A. in psychology from Oregon, two certificates from the Sorbonne in France, a Masters in clinical and experimental psychology from the University of Geneva in Switzerland, a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine, and is a Master Certified Coach.
Bob Lichtsinn was the President and a partner in the North Star Company, Inc., that made custom roll forming metal products in Gardena, CA. Prior to that, Bob worked for the local gas company, promoting the use of gas rather than electricity with building contractors, appliance dealers and commercial cooks.
Jerry Margolin was a Vice-President of sales and marketing for Bell Garden’s Metal Services, responsible for over $12 million of annual sales. He was a planning commissioner in Garden Grove for 12 years, was chairman for four of those years, and was a president of a Kiwanis Club and a Chamber of Commerce.
Joel Mascitelli was the Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer of Ultramar Inc., which was a $1.5 billion, 2000 person petroleum refining and marketing operation of Ultramar Corp., a NYSE traded company in the Fortune 200. After leaving Ultramar, Joel became an oil industry investor and Board member.
Robin Noah was the Executive VP of Human Resources of a commercial insurance company. Prior to that, she managed field and staff operations for Pacific Telephone for 30 years. Robin is a certified mediator and has an independent consulting company specializing in management and personal growth systems.
Tara Norton has over 18 years of experience as a senior organization development, talent management, business development, and human resources professional. Tara is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) and has a Masters in Human Resource Management.
John Pricz has held a variety of line and staff positions in finance, operations, HR, consulting, training and organization development at Johnson & Johnson, Supermarkets General Corp. and Carter Hawley Hale Stores. He is a court appointed mediator and volunteers at Human Options and Meals on Wheels.
Chuck Reich rose through the ranks at Sears to become General Merchandise
Manager for the west coast. After Sears, Chuck managed the Norwalk Square shopping center in. He also spent 2 years as General Manager of restaurant in the Pacifiic Northwest and spent 14 years operating non-profit thrift stores.
Martha Ryan was the Vice-President of Information Technology and the CIO of
Shaklee Corporation in San Francisco. Prior to that, she was part of the ATKearney consulting practice working with large corporations on turnaround management and coaching assignments.
John Seelinger was the Executive Vice President and Senior Lending Officer of New Jersey’s largest state bank. Prior to that, he was the Senior Vice President of Corporate Banking for an east coast regional bank. John was also a trustee of the Tri-County Scholarship Fund which awarded scholarships to inner city youth.
Christine Steele was the Executive Director of the Orange County Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs. She then launched her own consulting business where her clients included the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, the American Heart Association, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and two private Orange County Schools.
Larry Tucker had a 25 year career with Hewitt Associates, a human resources consulting firm, as one of their principal owners, as a consultant, as a manager, as a coach to executives, and as a business developer. His clients included Walt Disney, Mattel, Northrup Grumman, SC Edison and Fluor.
Our Clients
This is a partial list of our current clients and clients that we have served previously:
Access Center for Education, Brenda Rogers, Exec. Director
AccessOC, Jenifer Shimabukuro, Executive Director
Affordable Housing Clearinghouse, Brenda Rodriguez, ED
Algalita Marine Research Found., Marieta Francis, Director
All-American Boys Chorus, Tony Manrique, Executive Director
American Coast Theater Co., Susan Berkompas, Exec. Dir.
American Red Cross, Bill Stout, Disaster Services Director
Anaheim Ballet, Larry Rosenberg, Executive Director
Arts & Learning Conservatory, Debora Wondercheck, ED
Association of Fund Raising Professionals Monthly Meeting
Backhaus Dance, Jennifer Backhaus, Artistic Director
Backhaus Dance, Jeremy Hunt, Executive Director
Body of Christ Ministry, George Kantano, Vice-president
Boys and Girls Club of Cypress, Ann Hertz, Executive Director
Boys and Girls Club of Laguna Beach, Pamela Estes, ED
Breast Cancer Solutions, Anna Bell, Executive Director
Bring a Smile Foundation, William Brown, Executive Director
Center for Cardiovascular Wellness, Gena Kadar, Exec. Dir.
Child Guidance Center, Hank Paris, Executive Director
Child Guidance Center, Lori Pack, Executive Director
Circle Painting, Anicha Tammy Ha, Manager
Clear Hope Assn., Joy Pedersen, President
Coastal Mountain Youth Academy, Kelley White, ED & Founder
Community Action Partnership, Delores Barrett, Srvcs. Dir.
Community Senior Serve, Randy Platt, Executive Director
Corazon, Maria Mazzenga, Executive Director
Cordelia Knott Wellness Foundation, Jean Sedbrook, ED
CREER, Communidad Y Familia, T.J. Gause, Executive Dir.
CSP Wraparound Program, Suzanne Brodsley, Program Dir
CSU Fullerton Auxiliary Service, Melissa Runcie, Prog. Coord.
Deborah's Palm, Katie Richey, Founder Executive Director
Earth Resources Foundation, Stephanie Barger, Exec. Dir
Earthroots Field School, Jodi Levine, Executive Director
Education for Successful Parenting, Ursula Luciani, VP Devel
El Viento, Greg Baird, Board Chair
El Viento, Zayda Garcia, Executive Director
Eli Home, Lorri Galloway, Executive Director
Fair Housing Council, Connie Detorossian, Comm. Rel. Dir
Falling Apple Science Institute, Tom VanDamme, ED
Families Uniting Families, James Schrage, Exec. Director
Family is Home Partnership, Camilla Hill, Coordinator
Family Support Network, Linda Smith
FISH Harbor Area, Dana Timmermans, Executive Director
Foster Care Auxilary of OC, Kathy Harvey, President
Fountain Valley Music & Art Foundation, Cindy Sun, President
Goodwill of OC, Cassandra Tobey, Microenterprise Mgr
Grupo de Autismo Angeles, Estebon Fuentes, Executive Dir.
H.I.S. House, Teri Neibur, Executive Director
Hands Together, Cindy Albertson, Executive Director
Hart Community Homes, Carissa Hart, Executive Director
Health Care Council of OC, Felix Schwartz, Executive Director
Helping Others Prepare for Eternity, Gayle Knight, Exec. Dir.
Heritage Museum of Orange County, Colleen Mensel, ED
Heritage Pointe, Michael Halpern, President & CEO
Human Options, Belinda Villalpando, Program Supervisor
Human Options, Carol Tyron, Program Coordinator
Human Options, Darla Olson, Chief Develoopment Officer
Human Options, Gina Villarrago, Outreach Coordinator
Human Options, Maricela Rios-Faust, COO
Human Options, Marissa Walker, Office Manager
Human Options, Mindy Weinheimer, Director of Administration
Human Options, Roe Piccoli, Program Director
Human Options, Stacy Bridgeford, Associate Director
Human Options, Zee Uranga, Manager
Human Options, Zena Vevaina, Program Coordinator
Institute for Women Entreprenuers, Kari Caldwell,
Kathy Tillotson, Build Futures, Executive Director
Legal Aid Society of OC, Anna Lisa Biason, Fund Dev. Dir.
Lutheran Social Svcs of SC, Ellen Waild, President/CEO
Materials Matter, Alison Riback, Executive Director
Monks Without Borders, Zach Pearlman, Founder & CEO
National Assn. of Music Merchants, Melanie Ripley, Ass. Dir
New Directions for Women, Sandy Peffer, Development Dir.
Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, David Muller, Exec. Dir.
Next Up Foundation, Vinicius Tinaco, CEO & Founder
Nhan Hoa Clinic, Tricia Nguyen, Executive Director
OC Asia-Pacific Islanders Alliance, Mary Anne Foo, Exec. Dir.
OC Catholic Chorale, Christine Blodgett, Executive Director
OC Conservation Corps, Dick Dittmar, Board Chair
OC Conservation Corps, Jerom Luedtke, Director of Education
OC Health Needs Assessment, Courtney Billings, Prog. Coord.
OC Human Relations Council, Iliana Welty, Comm. Bldg. Dir.
OC Theraputic Arts Center, Ana Jimenez-Hami, Exec. Dir.
OCDE Friday Night Live, Pam Rima, Program Manager
OCDE Inside the Outdoors, Christie Pierce, Project Assistant
OCDE Inside the Outdoors, Kelly Connell, Project Assitant
OCDE Inside the Outdoors, Pam Johnson, Administrator
OCDE Inside the Outdoors, Stephanie Smith, Operations Mgr.
OCDE Peer Assisted Leadership, Kris Powell, Administrator
Orange Children & Parents Together, Robin Class, Exec. Dir.
Orange County Children's Book Festival, Pat Burns, ED
Phenominal Women Inc., Tanya Hutchison, Founder
Philharmonic Society, Sabra Bordas, Board Chair
Prevention Coalition of OC, Susan Zapata, OC Health Care
Project Access, Lane Kiefaber, Executive Director
Project Access, Mark Lee, Regional Manager
Project Access, Rocio Flores, Program Coordinator
Project Access, Sara Wall, Pogram Director
Project Cuddle, Debbe Magnusen, Founder & CEO
Project Hope School Foundation, Pam Allison, Executive Dir.
Project Independence, Debbie Marsteller, Executive Director
Project Management Institute, Victoria Flanigan, Exec. Dir.
Project Self Sufficiency, Brigette Beisner, Prog. Coord.
Rancho Santiago College Dist, Debbie McBee, Director
Rancho Santiago College Dist, Zeferina Gonzalez, Assoc. Dir.
Rancho Santiago Comm. College Dist, Dee Tucker, ED
Saddleback Master Chorale, David Linnig, President
Samoan Senior Community, Paoqoui Su'a-Filo, Exec. Dir
Santa Ana Adult Day Care Ctr., Louise Obester, Program Dir.
Shanti Orange County, Sarah Kasman, Executive Director
Shea Theraputic Riding Center, Susan Martin, Sr. Dev. Mgr.
Social Enterprise Institute, Orange County Arts Forum
Social Enterprise Institute, Orange County Forum #1
Social Enterprise Institute, Orange County Forum #1
Social Enterprise Institute, Orange County Forum #3
Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, Shannon Santos, Gen. Mgr.
South Coast Dance Arts Alliance, Nannette Brodie, Exec. Dir.
South OC Chamber of Commerce, Tanya McElhaney, CEO
Stand Up for Kids, Kathy Tillotson, Volunteer
Stanton FRC, Jim Box, Stanton Recreation Superintendent
Taller San Jose, Juana Perez, Dir. of Workforce Development
Taller San Jose, Karyn Mendoza, Director of Student Services
The Advancement Academy, Will Ferguson, Executive Director
The Alliance of Abilities, Dominic Tartaglia, HR Manager
The Cambodian Family, Sundaram Rama, Executive Director
The Center Orange County, Ginger Hahn, Executive Director
The Innocence Mission, Elaina Kroll, Founder and CEO
The Wooden Floor, Dawn Reese, Gen Mgr/CFO
Tri-School Theater, Hillary Pearson, Executive Artistic Director
UCI Business School, Mitchell Spann, Sr. Development Dir.
UCI Merage Business School, Allison Cunha, Assoc. Dir.
UCI Merage Business School, Donna Mumford, Assist. Dean
United Cerebral Palsy of OC, Kathy Chennault, Dev. Dir.
Us Too Gymnastics, Vicky Simpson, Executive Director
Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Judy Secor, Board Chair
Vital Link Orange County, Kathy Johnson, Executive Director
Volunteer Center of OC, Dan McQuaid, Exec. Director
Western Youth Services, Lorry Leigh, Executive Director
Women Helping Women, Brateil Aghasi, Program Director
Working Wardrobes, Megan Klink, Client Svcs. Director
Working Wardrobes, Stephanie Reyes, Store Manager
YMCA Child Healthcare, Nicko Streitfeld, Health Consultant
Y-ME Breast Cancer, Adrienne Stokols, Executive Director