Board of Trustees

Steve Hermes is the Board Chair, chairs the Foundation’s Executive Committee, and serves on the Foundation’s Strategic Planning Committee. Steve began his involvement in 2010 when he joined the Foundation’s Finance Committee. He also serves on the boards of the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum and of Guide Dogs of America. He currently chairs the Audit Committee of Alzheimer’s San Diego. He was previously on the board and Treasurer of Sustainable Surplus Exchange. He was the co-founder of Mission Edge San Diego, a nonprofit organization that provides business support services to small and mid-sized nonprofits. Retired in 2009, he was a Director and the Attest Services Practice Leader for CBIZ Mayer/​Hoffman McCann, CPAs, and a shareholder of Nation Smith Hermes Diamond, CPAs in San Diego. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and California Society of Certified Public Accountants. He has been an instructor of financial management for nonprofit organizations at the University of San Diego and of auditing, financial, and managerial accounting at the University of California San Diego Extension. He holds an MBA from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Illinois College.

Bill Pope is a Library Foundation Trustee, Finance Committee Chair, Strategic Planning Committee member, and is on the Executive Committee, serving as the Board Treasurer. As a SCORE volunteer mentor, Bill specializes in commercial insurance, business planning, buying & selling businesses, and marketing for emerging and small businesses. Bill spent 38+ years as an insurance specialist and agency owner, where he designed insurance and risk management programs for small to large businesses. He also negotiated the acquisition and sale of several businesses, including his and his partners’ company, John Burnham Insurance Services, to Union Bank of California. Bill’s community involvement includes serving on the board of SCORE-San Diego, where he was Treasurer and Secretary; Gaslamp Historical Foundation, where he was president; and March of Dimes-San Diego/​Imperial Chapter, where he was chairman. Bill graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. degree in Accountancy.

Renée Schor is a Library Foundation Trustee, serving as the Board Secretary and as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. She is a partner with the law firm Partner, Schor Vogelzang & Chung LLP. Renée has been practicing law since 1990, helping employers around the world meet their vision for an ideal work community. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1990 and her B.A. from Northwestern University in 1987. She is admitted to practice law in California. She is a member of the State Bar of California and the San Diego County Bar Association. She is also a member of the San Diego Lawyers Club.

Pat Wilson is a long-time fan and supporter of public libraries in general and the SDPL in particular; her local branch is North Clairemont, where she serves as President of the Friends of the North Clairemont Library. After a career in computer systems administration and security, she attended law school and became a licensed California attorney in 2013. Pat is a member of the Board of Directors for the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, and a member of the Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest’s Philanthropy Committee. Besides reading, her main hobby is riding horses. Pat is the Library Foundation’s Immediate Past Chair, the Advocacy & Public Policy Committee Chair, the Nominating Committee Chair, a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, and a member of the Executive Committee.

Michael Cox is a Library Foundation Trustee and member of the Marketing & Communications Committee. A native of Los Angeles, California with a background in business development, strategic communications, and multimedia, he received his BA in Small Business Administration from Northern Arizona University, MA in Strategic Communications from National University, MS in Commerce and Economic Development and MS in Innovation from Northeastern University.

Michael is currently the Owner and Publisher of The Official Black Magazine, which is a premier African American lifestyle magazine that showcases the beauty, excellence, culture, and luxury within the community. People aren’t monolithic so their stories shouldn’t, which is why his publication has special dedicated issues such as Afro-Latinx and LGBTQIA Pride.

He is the executive director of the Catalyst Black Academy which offers free entrepreneurship training to African Americans through a three-month structured program. Both businesses combine his love for storytelling and being an agent of change within his community. His goal is to be the change he wants to see in the world and that starts with assisting other African Americans to fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams by offering services that aren’t just structured but take a dynamic and holistic approach to teaching.

Elizabeth A. Hansen is the President of Southwest Strategies LLC, a senior strategist and project manager with 20 years of experience in strategic planning and the implementation of community, government and media outreach programs. At Southwest Strategies, Hansen assists a wide variety of private and public clients through the entitlement process, overseeing outreach programs related to land use, transportation and infrastructure projects for clients such as Pardee Homes, Starbucks, SANDAG, Caltrans, Poseidon Water and the City of Carlsbad. A veteran event planner, Hansen has coordinated some of the firm’s largest special events, including grand openings, community celebrations and ribbon-cuttings. Hansen is a graduate of Arizona State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. In 2018, she was appointed by Mayor Kevin Faulconer to the City of San Diego’s Board of Library Commissioners, named one of San Diego’s Most Influential Women by The Daily Transcript and received the Deborah Baker Public Relations Professional of the Year Award from the San Diego/​Imperial Counties Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Prior to joining Southwest Strategies in 2000, Hansen was a staff writer for Arizona’s leading sports magazine and a photojournalist for San Diego Magazine. Elizabeth is a member of the Library Foundation’s Advocacy & Public Policy Committee.

Arnulfo Manriquez is a Library Foundation Trustee and a 28-year veteran of the non-profit sector. He began his career with the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee on Anti-Poverty of San Diego (MAAC) in 2003 and has served as President CEO since February of 2012. Arnulfo has dedicated his career to working directly with underserved individuals, households and communities of San Diego County by promoting self-sufficiency through housing, economic, educational and employment programs. He is a community-focused individual with more than two decades of experience working in diverse and multi-cultural settings as a leader, participant, panelist, speaker, and trainer.

The youngest of five children, Arnulfo was born in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1981, when he was 10 years old. Now a U.S. citizen, he grew up in San Ysidro and Chula Vista and graduated from Hilltop High School. On weekends, Arnulfo can be found shuttling to and from numerous events for his three active children.

Arnulfo holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in urban studies and planning from UCSD and a Masters of Arts degree in leadership and non-profit management from the University of San Diego. As a first-generation immigrant who grew up in San Diego, Arnulfo understands firsthand the challenges faced by underrepresented communities and is committed to ensuring opportunities for self-sufficiency and safety for families who need it most.

Ann McDonald is a Library Foundation Trustee, President of the Friends of the San Diego Public Library, and is a current member of both the San Carlos Friends of the Library and the Mission Valley Friends of the Library. She is active in League of Women Voters and is part of their Speaker’s Bureau who presents pros and cons of ballot propositions. She is also active in both the San Diego and La Mesa-El Cajon chapters of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Ann and her late husband, Brian, are members of the Carnegie Society. Ann serves on the Library Foundation’s Advocacy & Public Policy Committee.

Judith grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in a family of journalists. After graduating from the University of Montana, she spent a year in Argentina on a fellowship from the Inter-American Press Association. She joined the staff of The San Diego Union in 1963, covering a rapidly changing city, sparked by the opening of the University of California, San Diego; the Salk Institute and other research giants of Torrey Pines Mesa. In 1975, she launched Her World, a weekly travel column in the Los Angeles Times. In 1964, Judith married Neil Morgan, columnist and later editor of the San Diego Tribune, and they traveled the world on writing assignments. Judith and Neil collaborated on articles for National Geographic and on two biographies: Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel, the life of Theodor Seuss Geisel, which was named a Notable Book of 1995 by the New York Times; and Roger, a biography of oceanographer Roger Revelle, revered as the father of UC San Diego. Judith has served on the board of Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, the Friends of the Library at UCSD, the University of Montana Foundation. She is active as a Trustee Emeritus of the UC San Diego Foundation, a Library Foundation Trustee, and member of the Library Foundation’s Nominating Committee.

As Communications Director for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Alison directs and manages media relations, member communications, outreach initiatives, and supports the Chamber’s overall communications efforts and strategic plan which includes a greater emphasis on public policy and communications. Her responsibilities also include oversight of the organization’s social media presence, website, and regularly published electronic publications.

Alison’s background includes more than 15 years of experience in public relations, marketing, and events. Previously, Alison was the Communications and Special Events Manager for the San Diego County Bar Association. During that time, she managed the organization’s large-scale events for the 10,000 member organization, contributed to public relations and social media efforts, and oversaw member communications. Prior to that she was an agency PR practitioner representing clients ranging from regional hospitality brands to national and international consumer products brands. She worked on various results-driven campaigns with projects including comprehensive broadcast, print, and web public relations campaigns, web site development, event planning, and media outreach, in addition to working on business development projects.

Alison is a 2018 graduate of LEAD’s Impact program and 2020 graduate of the Advance program. She sits on the Marketing & Communications Committee for the San Diego Public Library Foundation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Judith Wenker is a retired attorney with more than 30 years’ experience representing the government and industry, primarily on environmental issues. She graduated from USD Law School while working for a Federal Magistrate full time. She was also an instructor in the paralegal school at the University of San Diego and the San Diego State University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She serves and has served on many nonprofit boards, including the Neighborhood House Association, UCSD Chancellor’s Community Advisory Board, the Elementary Institute of Science, ElderHelp of San Diego, the Alzheimer’s Association of San Diego, and the California Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform. Judith is a Library Foundation Trustee, chairs the Library Foundation’s Governance Committee, and is a member of the Executive Committee.

Lee Winslett is the Senior Vice President and Division Manager for Wells Fargo’s New Markets Tax Credit Group where he leads a team of specialized lenders that provides debt and tax credit equity to high-impact redevelopment projects and community facilities in underserved and emerging markets. Since 2003, the group has completed over $2 billion in transactions. The portfolio includes investments in mixed-use, transit-oriented developments, high-impact real estate projects, community facilities, and financial intermediaries that provide loans to small businesses. Prior to assuming this role, Mr. Winslett held a variety of positions at Wells Fargo in its commercial and real estate lending areas representing a span of 25+ years in banking.

Mr. Winslett is actively involved in civic affairs, having served as a board member on several housing and economic development related non-profits. Currently, he serves on the board of directors for Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation, a non-profit affordable housing developer, and Craft 3, a well-regarded Community Development Financial Institution operating principally in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Winslett is also on the loan committee for Vital Healthcare Capital, a national non-profit focused on providing capital to community-based healthcare clinics, and serves on the governance committee for the Wells Fargo Foundation, one of the top corporate donors in the nation with an annual gifting budget of $300+ million.

Mr. Winslett studied applied mathematics at Stanford University and received degrees in business and economics from the University of California Los Angeles.

Lee Winslett was elected to the San Diego Public Library Foundation Board of Trustees in 2017 and chairs its Audit Committee.

Misty is the Director for the San Diego Public Library overseeing the Central Library and 35 branches. Previously, she was Deputy Director for the Central Division which included overseeing the move, opening and operations of the Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common. A graduate of the Masters of Library and Information Science program from University of South Carolina, Misty started her library career at the Greenville County Library in South Carolina. She then worked for nine years at the Charleston County Library before coming to the San Diego Public Library. Misty believes libraries are the great equalizer, always inclusive and never exclusive. She thrives on change and believes that the strength of libraries is in their ability to redefine themselves to fit public need. It is because of this that she committed herself to library advocacy. While at Charleston County Library she founded and chaired Libraries Out Loud, a grassroots advocacy program to help restore funding to the library system by promoting libraries to the public as well as legislators and other elected officials throughout the state. Misty is Past President of the California Library Association.