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Philanthropy & Nonprofits

The Community Foundation Welcomes New Board Chair and Two Board Officers

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Riverside, CA – The Community Foundation serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties is pleased to announce that J. Sergio Bohon has been selected by the Board as the new Chair of the Board of Directors effective January 1, 2019. Bohon will succeed outgoing Chair, Sean Varner. The Foundation also appointed two new officers, Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds, as Vice Chair, and Nefertiti Long as Secretary.

“I want to thank Sean for his leadership and support, which has been deeply valuable during my inaugural year at the Foundation,” said Michelle Decker, President and CEO of The Community Foundation. “As we begin 2019, I’m looking forward to working with Sergio and his skills as a people manager and wealth investor. Sergio’s passion shines through in his many philanthropic investments and we are deeply grateful for his support and commitment to TCF, especially in a time of great growth and positive change.”

  1. Sergio Bohon is Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo Advisors and has been a Board Member of The Community Foundation for the past six years. Mr. Bohon has been in the financial services industry for over 30 years, managing assets for individuals, trusts, charitable organizations and businesses. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona and a Master’s from the College of Financial Planning, earning him the designation of Certified Financial Planner (CFP®). His philanthropic support helps programs working in the areas of diversity and inclusion, the developmentally disabled, and animals and he pilots charitable missions. His family also started a scholarship fund at Chaffey College to assist dreamer students.

Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds is a longtime Board Member of The Community Foundation, having recently served as Secretary of the Board. Dr. Brown-Hinds is also the founder of Voice Media Ventures and the second-generation publisher of the VOICE and Black Voice News. The multi-media company includes news weekly print and digital editions, film and new media content production, and a strategic communications firm specializing in community outreach and engagement. She has won statewide and national awards for her column Rants & Raves. As an educator, she teaches an annual course at UC Riverside connecting students in media and the arts with the broader community.

Nefertiti Long joined the Board of The Community Foundation in 2017. She is a resident of Lake Elsinore and Chief Operating Officer of Alta Loma Enterprises in Rancho Cucamonga. Ms. Long has worked for several public and private companies, with most of her experience in the food industry. Her professional associations include Alliance of Black Women Accountants and the National Association for Female Executives. A resident of Lake Elsinore, Ms. Long’s community involvement includes supporting the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, United Negro College Fund, and the March of Dimes. Ms. Long holds a B.A. in Accounting from California State University, Pomona and an M.B.A. from California State University, Fullerton.

The Community Foundation’s Board Officers for 2019-2021 are:

Chair – J. Sergio Bohon, Wells Fargo Advisors
Vice Chair – Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds, Voice Media Ventures
Chief Financial Officer – Tami Sipos, Cryoworks, Inc
Secretary – Nefertiti Long, Alta Loma Enterprises

 

About The Community Foundation

The Community Foundation is the oldest and largest community foundation in Inland Southern California (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties).  Established in 1941, at 77 years old The Community Foundation stewards more than $100 million in assets and provides college scholarships and grants to nonprofit organizations across the two-county region and beyond. Since its founding, the Foundation has awarded more than $100 million to support programs that strengthen the community.  For more information visit The Community Foundation’s website at www.thecommunityfoundation.net. Be a part of our conversation on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The Inland Empire Business Journal (IEBJ) is the official business news publication of Southern California’s Inland Empire region - covering San Bernardino & Riverside Counties.

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Philanthropy & Nonprofits

The OTIS Academy Launches in Zambia, Africa

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In March of 2023, Eddy Sumar of ERS Consulting Services, in conjunction with the Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce (IERCC), traveled to Zambia, Africa, to bring the OTIS Academy, the Power Project/The Power of the Dream, and the value of Financial Freedom to the youth of Zambia. 

On Tuesday, March 14, he met with CEO Chansa Mwila of the American Chamber of Commerce in Zambia (AmCham), where he presented her with an honorary membership to the IERCC. He also presented certificates of membership to Mr. Derby Chipwande and Mr. Edwin Mukwamba, Partners for the OTIS Academy in Zambia. All were very excited to be a part of IERCC and the OTIS Academy Project in Zambia. On the next day, Wednesday, Mr. Sumar and Mr. Mukwamba visited two schools, The Multisensory International School and Litewu School, where they demonstrated what the OTIS Academy can do for their students. They were very excited and impressed by the depth and quality of the programs offered.

The next few days Mr. Sumar took a side trip with his wife and Mr. Chipandwe and Mr. Mukwamba and his wife to Livingston, where they witnessed the Mighty Victoria Falls at the strongest it had been in decades. Next to the Falls is the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, where they encountered Cape and Forest Buffalo, Vervet Monkeys, Impalas, Baboons, Zebras, and the endangered White Rhino. They also crossed the border into Botswana, where warthogs and mongooses wandered among the human population.

Back from that little side trip, Mr. Sumar and Mr. Mukwamba visited two more schools on Monday, March 20. The first was Quickstep School Limited, the second Rockview University. Again, the reception to the program was very positive. So with this trip, one can say: the IERCC has gone global, the OTIS Academy has gone international, and both have arrived in Zambia!

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People On The Move

Children’s Fund Appoints New President & CEO

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Veteran Non-Profit Leader, Cesar Navarrete, to Guide Organization Helping Children

Kristin Pierce, Chair of Children’s Fund Board, a San Bernardino County nonprofit, has announced the appointment of Cesar Navarrete as the new president and CEO of that organization.

For the last eight years, Navarrete has served as Executive Director of Child Advocates for San Bernardino County, a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. Over that period, he doubled the capacity of that organization to improve the lives of children and youth in foster and juvenile care. Child Advocates, under his leadership, was awarded the prestigious Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Award in 2020. 

For eight years previous, he served the Family Service Association, a Riverside County nonprofit. Fresh out of college, he started as a program coordinator at the Mead Valley Community Center, rising through the organization to Director of Programs Administration.

Navarrete is a Moreno Valley resident. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a Master’s of Public Administration from Cal State University, San Bernardino. He is a member of the public administration adjunct faculty there, teaching a course on Nonprofit Management and Leadership. He is also a member of the School of Public Administration Advisory Board.

He serves with several organizations throughout the county, including the San Bernardino County Children’s Policy Council and the San Bernardino County Foster Care Advisory Council. Children’s Fund and CASA have a history of supporting each other in their mutual goal of helping foster youth.

“Cesar impressed the search committee with his abilities as a visionary builder and his compassion for children and families,” said Board Chair Pierce. “He is the ideal person to lead us into a new era of service to the San Bernardino County.”

Navarrete was drawn to Children’s Fund because of its breadth of programs helping children. “Children’s Fund is a pillar in the community that works tirelessly to provide the help and support that our children, youth, and families need, not only to meet their basic needs, but to inspire hope, by breaking down barriers and creating new opportunities,” Navarrete said.

Navarrete replaces  Ciriaco “Cid” Pinedo, EDD, the new CEO of the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation.

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Philanthropy & Nonprofits

Entrepreneurship Center awarded $500,000 to support Inland Empire BIPOC small business owners and entrepreneurs

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The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at California State University, San Bernardino has been awarded $500,000 in unrestricted funding from the Citi Foundation to reach and serve more local Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) entrepreneurs and small businesses.

The Citi Foundation issued a $25 Million Small Business Technical Assistance RFP earlier this year and awarded 50 organizations nationwide with funding to support continued work in providing technical assistance to BIPOC-led small businesses that have been disproportionately affected by the unprecedented health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“BIPOC small businesses and entrepreneurs are vital to our local economy, and they have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mike Stull, director of the IECE“Prior to the pandemic, the number of new Black-owned businesses and new Hispanic-owned businesses were growing at a more rapid pace than the overall business growth rate. New and early-stage businesses face numerous challenges and the pandemic has compounded those challenges. The timing of the Citi Foundation award comes as a critical time as the economy is opening up, and businesses are rebuilding and responding to new market opportunities.”

The IECE, housed in the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration, delivers innovative programs and educational resources to entrepreneurs and small business owners through a broad range of community and campus programs. As the leading entrepreneurial support organization in the Inland Empire, the IECE is also one of the largest University-based Entrepreneurship Centers in the world and has been recognized by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) as a top 35 program for fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. 

“This recent award from the Citi Foundation is a testament to the importance of BIPOC businesses to economic growth in the region, the strong reputation IECE has built as effective stewards of funds and the significant impact both will have on the surrounding communities,” said Shanthi Srinivas, interim dean of the Jack H. Brown College.

“Innovative organizations like IECE are providing pivotal support to small businesses as they navigate an ever-changing economic landscape,” said Brandee McHale, head of Citi Community Investing and Development and president of the Citi Foundation. “The Citi Foundation is proud to be supporting IECE and other change agents with the unrestricted, flexible funding they need to deliver specialized support to more minority-owned small businesses in their communities .”

IECE operates the Small Business Development Center, the Women’s Business Centers and California State Trade Expansion Programs in the Inland Empire region, which operate from full-time offices in Colton, Ontario, Palm Desert, Riverside and 10 part-time offices throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The programs have a long history of delivering free business counseling, mentoring and training to existing and aspiring small business owners and entrepreneurs. Collectively, the programs have provided support to over 10,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs in 2020.

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