Engaging, elevating, and serving the California human resource community

The most powerful way to develop as a leader is to volunteer. PIHRA provides members with opportunities to hone their leadership skills through volunteerism in various functional areas at our 17 chapters and at the board of directors level. Our leaders gain visibility in the community and the skills necessary to advance their career.

PIHRA Board of Directors

Leading PIHRA into the future 

Gateway Cities, Inland Valley, Los Angeles

	President	Tara Fournier, SPHR, SHRM-SCP Global Head Of Human Resources Amobee
	Vice President	Susan Bowman, SPHR, PHRca, SHRM-SCP Senior Human Resources Manager Rite Aid
	Immediate Past President	Patti Sprinkle Human Resources Director Retired
	Treasurer	Ray Cooke, PHR, SHRM-CP Human Resources Consultant L3 Technologies
	Secretary	Kristina Hess Risk Advisor & Insurance Broker Lockton Companies
	Regional Representative Valley Region Burbank/Glendale, Pasadena, Woodland Hills	Karen Boublis, SPHR, SHRM-SCP Principal HR Business Solutionz
	Regional Representative Central Region Gateway Cities, Inland Valley, Los Angeles	Lauren Sweeney Vice President Rise Up for You
	Regional Representative Eastern Region Coachella Valley, Riverside, Temecula Valley	Christina Gonzalez-Hicks, SPHR Owner Human Resource Plus
	Regional Representative Northern Region Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita, Ventura County	Jeannette Cook, Ph.D. Director, Talent Management Learn4Life Network
	Regional Representative Southern Region North OC, San Diego Community, South OC	Ailene Dewar, aPHR Vice President of Sales, California Engage PEO
	Regional Representative Western Region Long Beach, South Bay, West Los Angeles	Karen Whittaker, SPHR, SHRM-SCP Vice-President, Human Resources Big 5 Sporting Goods

2022 Committee Chairs

Fostering PIHRA’s growth & development

	Membership	Matthew Paletz Partner Lockton Companies
	Programs	Baskaran Ambalavanan, SPHR, PHRca, GPHR, SHRM-SCP Principal Consultant  Hila Solutions, LLC
	Government Advocacy Team	Dana Mayhew, MPA, PHRca, SPHR, SHRM-SCP Consultant TDC Consults
	Emerging Leaders	Elizabeth Bolaños, SHRM-CP HR Operations Manager Traffic Management, Inc.
	College Relations	Maru Trevizo, PHR, SHRM-CP Vice President Human Resources Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)
	Organizational Continuity	Open
	Club PIHRA	Jay Lewis Owner Lewis Events

2022 Chapter & Community Chairs

Building robust local HR communities

Our Chapter Chairs each lead their chapter’s board of directors, serving HR professionals all over Southern California with innovative programming, community resources, and hybrid social events.

	Antelope Valley Chair	Wandala Johnson, SHRM-CP Director of Human Resources Careismatic Brands, Inc.
	Burbank/Glendale Chair	Armine Muradyan, MBA-HRM, CUHRcp, PHRca, HRSM Vice President, Human Resources Los Angeles Federal Credit Union
	Coachella Valley Chair	Jason Press President Cake and Ice Cream Inc.
	Gateway Cities Chair	Rob Boldt Executive Vice President, Employee Benefits Bolton
	Inland Valley Chair	Cindy Kao Business Development Manager Accounting Principals
	Long Beach Chair	Oscar Velasco Business Development Specialist  LBS Financial Credit Union
	Los Angeles Chair	Robert Hawkes, CEBS, SHRM-SCP Executive Vice President, Employee Benefits Bolton
	North OC Chair	Ron Herrera, PHR, SHRM-CP  Vice President, Employee Benefits Consulting McGriff
	Pasadena Chair	Joel Riegsecker Vice President – Employee Benefits Leavitt Group
	Riverside Chair	Merrell Botello Account Executive Burnham Benefits Insurance Services, Inc.
	Santa Clarita Chair	Open
	South Bay Chair	Edgar Garcia-Mora Associate Vice President, Employee Benefits Bolton
	South OC Chair	Liz Flores, HRM, WCCP, CRTO Director of Human Resources Don Roberto Jewelers
	Temecula Valley Chair – Interim	Susan Wright, PHR Manager, Human Resources Nittobo America Inc
	Ventura County Chair	Mary Valdivieso, SHRM-CP Employee Benefits Sr. Account Executive AssuredPartners
	West Los Angeles Chair	Patrick Guthrie Employee Benefits Broker Bolton
	Woodland Hills Chair	Alison Norrup, SPHR, SHRM-SCP Senior Human Resources Business Partner Health Net/Centene Corporation

PIHRA Foundation

Serving Southern California Workforce Readiness

The PIHRA Foundation provides scholarship and educational opportunities for emerging HR professionals and HR professionals in transition. Learn more about the PIHRA Foundation at pihra.org/foundation. 

President

Ed Johnson, SPHR Principal Human Capital Strategies, LLC

Running for a Board Position

As a current, voting member of PIHRA, you have the benefit of running for a leadership position on the PIHRA Board of Directors or on a PIHRA Chapter Board. The elected positions range from one – two year commitments. There are also standing committee chair positions on the PIHRA Board of Directors. These are appointed positions and lead the following areas for the association: Professional Development, Membership Development, Organizational Continuity, Legislative Affairs, College Relations and Emerging Leaders.

To find out more about the annual election process, including contact information for the nominations committee, please visit the PIHRA Volunteer page.

We look forward to your contribution in helping take PIHRA to its next stage of development.

PIHRA Past Presidents

Volunteers are seldom paid; not because they are worthless, but because they are PRICELESS!