Board of Trustees

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.

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.

As Audit Shareholder with LevitZacks, Bryan works primarily with government contracting/​DOD, manufacturing, including the craft beer industry, and employee benefit plans. He identifies opportunities to improve internal controls and accounting processes. Bryan also identifies clients’ specific needs and helps them make connections with people who can address those needs.

Bryan graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of San Diego, receiving a Bachelor of Accountancy with an emphasis in Real Estate and a Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance and Information Technology.
In addition, Bryan obtained a Professional Certificate in the Business of Craft Beer from San Diego State University. Since 2016, he has served as Treasurer of the San Diego Brewers Guild. Bryan participates in the CalCPA’s mentorship programs, which provide guidance and advice to college students and young professionals. Through Junior Achievement, he also teaches financial literacy to second graders in economically disadvantaged areas.

Bryan enjoys trekking on glaciers, climbing volcanos, and discovering waterfalls and hot springs around the world, as well as visiting his hometown of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to hike and kayak with his parents. He joined LevitZacks in 2008.

Dr. Bush has more than 20 years’ experience contributing to the field of informatics, using large healthcare databases, and examining human/​computer interaction in multiple healthcare settings. She has initiated and developed nationally funded clinical research studies as well as provided statistical consultations for projects in research areas as varied as patient-centered outcomes, women’s health, traumatic brain injury, and birth defects.

Building on her work creating community partnerships and using patient portals to support patient engagement, her current projects focus on digital health education, patient-centered responses in the electronic health record, and structured electronic data capture. She has served as a member of the American Medical Information Association (AMIA) Academic Forum and provided AMIA Nursing Information Program Director leadership. Dr. Bush has authored multiple peer-reviewed articles on the topics of health informatics, patient engagement, adolescents, and patient portal use. In 2018, Dr. Bush was part of the inaugural cohort of the AMIA Fellows program.

She received her bachelor of arts degree, cum laude, from Princeton University, her master of art degree from the University of London while on a Rotary Internation Fellowship, and her master of public health degree from the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego state University, where she received the Outstanding Epidemiology Student award. She completed the UCSD/SDSU Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health and was awarded dissertation funding from the NIH National Center for Research.

She is currently a tenured professor in the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science at the University of San Diego.

Janice Charley has spent a parallel career doing volunteer work, serving the communities in which she has lived. Since childhood, she has regularly visited her local libraries for continuing education and personal enjoyment. Bringing together volunteer work for the San Diego Public Libraries is a perfect combination for her. Janice served on the Audit Committee before joining the Board as Audit Chair. Her other volunteer work includes being on the Audit Committee of SDCERA and chair of the Governance Committee and Board Member of Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation. Janice has a 30 year in corporate finance in executive roles for both private and public companies, is a CPA and has an MBA from Santa Clara University.

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.

Katherine Johnston is a seasoned nonprofit and public affairs professional with extensive experience in public policy development, strategic communications, and community outreach. Currently, Katherine serves as a Strategic Advisor to District 6 Councilmember Kent Lee. Previously, Katherine has served in various public affairs and nonprofit roles. Most recently, Katherine served as the Executive Director of the San Diego Parks Foundation. In this role, Katherine was able to accomplish several important initiatives. The organization’s accomplishments include: planting more than 200 trees, advocating for the passage of the first Parks Master Plan since the 1950s, launching of a youth recreational corps program that provides job and leadership training to low-income youth, installing free public Wi-Fi in more than 50 individual park locations, supporting free swim lessons, and implementing Come Play Outside, a youth recreational initiative that provided summer enrichment programs for more than 16,000 youth.

From 2018 – 2021, Katherine was a consultant to the San Diego Library Foundation. She supported creating the LibriariesTransformSD advocacy campaign that restored more than $7 million in budget cuts to the City of San Diego Library Department. At the Comic-Con Museum, Katherine helped the organization secure $3 million in public grants to revitalize its historic location in Balboa Park. At The San Diego Foundation, Katherine played a leading role in developing and launching the Early Childhood Initiative. Additionally, Katherine has worked with the Downtown San Diego Partnership to activate public spaces downtown and represent them in lease negotiations with the City of San Diego Department of Economic Development.

Before her work as a consultant, Katherine served as a senior policy and communications advisor to the Mayor of San Diego. In this role, she managed the development and legislative approvals of the City’s annual $3.3 billion budget, oversaw the administration’s economic development and workforce development initiatives, and spearheaded major capital and environmental projects. Katherine volunteered as the Chair of the City of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation Committee and Balboa Park Committee from 2016 — 2023.

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.

Gregory Markow grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He has lived in Boston, Washington DC, and Chicago. Gregory moved to San Diego at the end of 2000 and is pretty sure this is the terminus of his moves.

Gregory has been a lawyer for 32 years. Since moving to San Diego, he has been a litigator working for clients in the real estate industry. Before becoming a lawyer, he was an advertising account executive selling dog bones and cereal.

Gregory served on the Board of Second Chance San Diego for ten years and chaired their board. He served on the executive committee of the real property section of the State Bar of California and chaired the section. He served on the board of Congregation Beth Israel for eight years, was treasurer, and served on the Executive Committee. He has been on the board of Art for Elan for nine years and chaired the board.

He has been married to Julianne Markow for 35 years and has two adult sons.

In addition to reading, Gregory keeps bees, takes lots of mediocre photographs, hikes, searches for tacos, and is a devotee of dive bars.

Melissa Peterman is a native San Diegan. She holds a Bachelor’s in political science from San Diego State University and a Master’s in political theory from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For over 10 years, Ms. Peterman has worked in affordable housing and homelessness solutions with Father Joe’s Villages, the San Diego Housing Commission, and Townspeople. As Vice President of Homeless Housing Innovations with the Housing Commission, she led teams responsible for managing multimillion-dollar projects, including the citywide strategic initiatives, Housing Our Heroes and Housing First – San Diego, to permanently house 4,000 individuals experiencing homelessness. Prior to joining Townspeople, Ms. Peterman served as Vice President of the Comic-Con Museum, where she was responsible for leading the project’s strategic operations, which resulted in more than $7.5 million in funding commitments, nearly 14,000 Charter Members, as well as programming and exhibits experienced by thousands of visitors.

As Executive Director for Townspeople, a San Diego-based affordable housing and homelessness solutions nonprofit, Ms. Peterman provides executive leadership for housing solutions designed to help realize the organization’s vision of a fully housed San Diego. In alignment with Housing First, examples of these solutions include affordable housing, supportive housing, non-congregate emergency housing, and the San Diego Shared Housing Collaborative. 

Samadi (Sam) Yoeuth is a Library Foundation Trustee and a Marketing & Communications Committee member. She also serves as the President of the Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Friends of the Library and manages their official Instagram page. She has worked in the Aerospace industry for over 15 years as a Materials and Processes Engineer and has had a lifelong passion for her role as an avid reader since childhood. Besides reading, her hobbies include sending New Yorker comic clippings via snail mail to friends, buying books for strangers at restaurants, and watching her husband cook.

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.