FISCAL YEAR 2023-2024 REPORT FOR THE MHC COLLEGE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Introduction:
The Board of Officers and Directors for the Club are pleased to submit this report covering July 1,2023 to June 30, 2024. We extend our sincere thanks to our Club’s Regional Connectors, Affinity Group Chairs, Newsletter Editor, Facebook and Instagram Administrators for their incredibly valuable contributions to the Club. As a team they created opportunities for engaging with each other, learning, socializing, celebrating connections to our alma mater, and broadening our relationships with the other MHC California alum clubs.
Updates on the SoCal Club’s Strategic Plan for 2022-2025
Our Club’s Strategic Plan, adopted in 2022, is now approaching its last year for implementation and a new 3 year plan will be drafted in Spring 2025. The current plan specified goals and strategies for Club Governance, Marketing and Communications, Event Planning, College Admissions, Financial Sustainability, and Philanthropy https://www.mountholyokeclubofsocal.com/overview
So over the past two years, we tightened our governance practices and procedures and developed new tactics for outreach to the membership, introducing a digital, quarterly newsletter, The MHC SoCal Digest as an example. The Board also increased the types of events and activities offered to the membership which now include both in- person and digital options. Each of the past two years we have created over 40 events, some of these are open to all members, some are held in the regions, and some are designed for special cohorts such as recent graduates, Francis Perkins Scholars, or decade classes. Survey responses from our membership had previously indicated that alums wanted the Club to establish affinity groups. We solicited alum volunteers to Chair an Arts and Entertainment, an Outdoor Activities, and a Young Alum group. We also enhanced our Regional Connector network and kept the volunteer Connectors for our 12 counties, in contact with the Board and each other, through quarterly digital meetings.
This year the Board focused a great deal of our attention on our marketing and communications tools. The Board added a specific Directorship role for marketing and public relations and engaged a Meta certified, outside consultant, Kristi Fisher, to perform an audit of all our social media platforms, our website, as well as our interface with The Gates, the college’s networking platform. The audit findings /final report were provided to the Board in February 2024. Among the recommendations were new strategies for audience targeting, better methods for managing the Club’s omni-channel social platforms, introduction of new digital tools for the various accounts, and ways to better allocate financial and human capital resources across the platforms. With the consultant’s assistance, we will be enhancing the Club’s use of our Squarespace license for our website. We have already established a new Meta Business Suite for the Club and have moved to a new Facebook Group account rather than just a page. A schedule for implementing the other recommendations from the audit has been readied for Fall 2024.
Relevant to “The Gates”, our SoCal club along with the Bay Area/NoCal clubs were selected by the MHC Alumnae Association to beta test a “Group Chat” feature. Our SoCal Chat was seeded with questions about how artificial intelligence is impacting alums’ workplaces/ workspaces. The Chat link was launched in October 2023 and was actively promoted by the College and the Club through specific messaging to our club alums. In this effort, we have worked directly with the Associate Director of Digital Engagement for the Alumnae Association meeting bi-monthly with her and representatives from the Bay Area/NoCal Club as they launched their Group Chat in March 2024.
To reach out to new alums who have moved into our Club’s 12 counties/jurisdiction, we created a special page of resources on the website https://www.hmountholyokeclubofsocal.com/newcomers ,and the Club President sent personalized letters to all with information about our club and how to participate right away.
The Board also this year focused on our long- term financial sustainability. We consulted with a development professional at our June 2023 Board retreat meeting and approved the Club’s Annual Fund campaign. In August, a tri-fold mailer was designed and distributed to the entire membership to solicit support at various giving levels. In late October, using the College’s club newsletter format and the website, the Board reminded members about donating during giving Tuesday and at the end of the 2023 tax year. Each quarterly issue of the digital newsletter also carried a request to donate. In January 2024 at the meet and great event with President Holley, held at the Los Angeles Tennis Club, we offered a raffle for those donating that evening. We thanked those alums who gave this year by personal correspondence. Their gifts helped us balance the budget and maintain a reserve of close to $2,900 as of the end of April.
Club Sponsored Events and Activities
As of the close of April 2024, we had offered 45 events and recorded 104 alum RSVP’s! Another 75 alums attended the wonderful evening event In January 2024 with President Danielle Holley, Trish Tanner, Executive Director of the Association Office, and other college staff at the Los Angeles Tennis Club. Attendees heard a presentation about the college, saw a short video, and engaged in a Q & A session with President Holley. The evening also included a social hour.
The Arts and Entertainment Affinity Group provided visits/tours/lectures/lunch gatherings at The Getty in Los Angeles (Architecture and Garden Tour); The Japanese American Cultural Museum in Los Angeles; Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House in Exposition Park, Los Angeles; the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach; and an improv workshop facilitated by Rose Donahue (class of 2015) on the eastside of Los Angeles. The Outdoor Affinity Group scheduled some fun, Fall 2023 events a special walking clinic directed by Malin Sevenson, personal trainer to Jane Fonda, Jamie Lee Curtis and other celebrities held in Santa Monica as well as an early morning walk up the steps at Kenneth Hahn Park in Baldwin Hills. In February a planned walk and lunch event at Norman Huston Park in Los Angeles, was unfortunately rained out as was a March hike in Long Beach at El Dorado Park. The Young Alum Affinity Group provided new events/activities for our grads in the classes of 2013-2023. These included a Zoom, live cooking demonstration to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month- the recipe for paella- and the demo facilitated by alum, personal chef, Begonia Martinez Lobbezoo (class of 1995); game board nights hosted by alum, Emma Boisselle (class of 2013); and a Zoom “Mary Lyon Talk” on Arts and Wellness facilitated by alum, Hilary Kern (class of 2002).
For alums in the GenX’ er and Millennial classes, we offered a special webinar facilitated by the Executive Director of the College’s Career Center, Dr. Jamie Grillo, and the Associate Director of Digital Engagement, Kate Sawicki on career transitioning. We also invited alums from the Clubs of San Diego and the Bay area to join in. The session was recorded, the link was shared with other MHC Clubs, and made available on our Club website.
For Francis Perkins Scholars and Master’s alums who are members of the Club, we offered a Zoom get together in April to learn more about their experiences at MHC! Currently we have 26 Perkins Scholars and 15 Master’s graduates in SoCal! And in Fall 2023, we offered a Zoom session for alums in the decade classes of 1960-1970.
The Regional Connectors organized events for Mountain Day and for Mary Lyon’s birthday celebrations as well as December holiday-themed parties. We thank them for their continued support of the Club and their efforts to get alums out to these types of college focused events.
The Club Book Discussion groups continued to meet bi-monthly in 3 counties throughout the year and a highlight of the March 2024 Los Angeles group was an evening spent with the author, Mary Wiggins.
In early May we held the Club’s Annual Meeting on-line. This year’s featured speakers were Dr. Olivia Aguilar, Association Professor, Environmental Studies and Leslie and Sarah Miller Director for the Miller Worley Center for the Environment at the College and her staff colleague Angie Gregory, Director of Campus Sustainability. The slate of Officers and Directors for FY 2024-2025 was also approved by the membership at this session.
Admissions Roles and Responsibilities
The Club has Co-Chairs serving on our Board to manage admissions issues with the College. The SoCal Club attended 5 college high school fairs. Activities at the fairs included communications with students and parents about MHC and connecting with school guidance counselors. We have seven SoCal students matriculating in the Fall, including one Francis Perkins Scholar. Throughout the past year the admissions team tracked applications and those accepted to the college. A reception was held in early Spring for interested, accepted students.
Building Collaborations with Other MHC California Clubs
While our geography and distances from each other make it difficult to get people together face to face, this year we coordinated several new initiatives with the Bay Area, NoCal, and San Diego Clubs to strengthen ties with their members. Members of those clubs were invited to the Fall webinar with the Career Center Executive Director, we meet regularly with teams from the Bay Area on “The Gates”, and this past spring, we were invited to join an on-line seminar given by Bay Area alums on the topic of energy resources.
Web Analytics for Our SoCal Club Site
Our website is a vital link to our membership. Between June 2023 and the end of April 2024, we had over 2,400 visits to the site with 4,600 page views. Top pageviews in their order of hits were the home page, the events calendar, the Board of Directors page, the Club Overview page, the Newsletter Archive, and the Regional Connector page. Chrome and Mobile Safari were the top browsers used by visitors, and a majority of those visitors used mobile devices or desktops to re
Analytics for Readership of The MHC SoCal Digest Newsletter
From February 22, 2023 through March 15, 2024 we provided issues numbered 2-6 of the Club digital newsletter. Each issue was opened by over half of the recipients who received it and usually within 24 hours of receiving it. The newsletter has been an important way to showcase the talent and expertise of our alums and bring the membership information about our alma mater.
Club Treasury Report
As of mid-May, the Club’s treasury balance stood at $2,943.49. From late August to present, we have raised close to $4,000 in contributions with the largest gift received of $2,000. Major expenses this year included the printing and distribution of the fund-raising brochure ($1,000) and the hiring
of an external social media consultant ($500). The College does not provide any financial support for the Club for our communications and business platforms. We incurred an annual cost for our website license from Squarespace of around $100. The fees for our Meta Business Suite are invoiced monthly ( $7.65), and when we do use Text Magic software to communicate with our young alums, the cost is fee-based per messages sent. The Board s budget a small amount for the annual planning retreat to cover the cost of a room rental of $100 and other incidentals. The Club sponsored an information table at the February meet and greet with President Holley and spent about $100 in costs for printing of materials, flower arrangements, etc. and another $150 for Club logo mugs that were then given to alums donating to the Club that evening.
MHC COLLEGE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (SoCal) ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023
Introduction:
The Club’s Board of Officers and Directors is pleased to provide this annual report on activities, events, and strategic initiatives completed this fiscal year.
Our wonderful Mount Holyoke College Club of Southern California (SoCal) was established decades ago. Today we have over 1,000 members who live and work in 12 different counties. We currently represent classes from 1939-2022, and over 170 are alums who graduated in the last 10 years. Geographically stretching as far north as Santa Barbara, as far South as the San Diego line, West to the Pacific, and East to the Nevada state line, the largest numbers of our members reside in Los Angeles, Orange, and Santa Barbara counties. Our Club roster includes those who attended as undergraduates, graduate students, foreign fellows, and Mary Lyon scholars, and we welcome all those who make Southern California their home either full-time or part-time.
In years past the Club had become inactive and the pandemic made face to face opportunities for engagement impossible. So, a group of alums felt it was time to revive, reorganize, and re-energize the Club, and we have done just that.
Priority #1: Rethinking Club Structure
The 2022 Strategic planning process revealed alums probably were not participating, because it was hard to get to events. The Club’s jurisdiction covering hundreds of miles, the challenges of traffic and commuting, and the lack of localized events in the counties outside Los Angeles were given as reasons for non-attendance. Consequently, this year was devoted to helping ease these concerns and create a regional network that is decentralized but ensures we can share in celebrations of various Mount Holyoke traditions. By assigning alum volunteers to regions by combining counties, creating frequent messaging with these regional constituencies, and delivering programming “where alums live”, we saw significant up-ticks in participation. Fairly simultaneously we held Mountain Day ice cream/hike events in several of these regions, December 2 holiday parties in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and Orange Counties, and Mary Lyon’s Birthday events in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties.
In addition, the Regional Connectors helped organize/plan book club discussions and other fun social events. As a group, they met quarterly via Zoom to swap ideas as the network took shape, and they certainly helped the Club’s Board to evaluate the network’s strength as it organically evolved as more alums started to take advantage of the event calendar/rsvp system on the Club website.
We are most grateful to those who stepped up to make this regional network a reality. They included: Julie Butash (2008) Alicia Crew (2018) Regina Figueroa (2008) Lori Graver (1991) Leslie Ito (1996) Pattie Firestone (1972) Amy Raine ((1976) Nathalie Wilson (1988).
Priority #2: Implementation of the FY 2022-2025 Club Strategic Plan
In retrospect the Club’s 3-year Strategic Plan had set forth many ambitious goals and tactics. The Board is pleased to report that 80% of the Plan we anticipated implementing over a 3- year period was in fact completed by January of 2023! And while we are delighted with our progress to date, there are still important improvements we plan to make in the upcoming year.
Creating Our Brand and Website
To begin the Club’s fiscal year, we undertook a significant branding campaign that featured a new logo (complete with palm trees) and the launch of a new website using a Squarespace platform. The latest web analytics data collected from our Fall launch through May 2023 indicates the site has had 1,800 unique visitors with around 150 visits per month! We also created letterhead and thank you notes featuring the logo for other communication purposes and ensured all the Officers and Directors had badges to wear at Club related events.
Improving Our Club Business Practices
To manage our monthly Board meetings, our Regional Connector meetings, and other digitally-focused events, the Board created a special Zoom account that was 3 then replaced mid-year by a College Alumnae Association platform reducing the costs of Zoom to our Club.
The Board also established Google docs files, drafted special forms to conduct club business, and digitally archived historical documents, photos, and materials that supported the Club’s work such as Board Meeting Minutes, Regional Connector Meeting Minutes, Strategic Planning documents, Club Infographics, and SOP’s for the website. Special thanks for these efforts go to: Oyinade Ogunbekun Wielock, Vice President (2007) Sarah Murphy, Webmaster (2012) Jennifer Symington, Secretary (1987) Mary Sheehan, ClubArchivist (1976).
Priority #3: Establishing 2 New Affinity Groups
Results from the survey and focus group work conducted by the Board with our membership in 2022 had underscored members wanted affinity groups, and the polling data supported establishing at least two of them.
The Arts and Entertainment Affinity Group was launched in November 2022 with a tour of the newly opened Cheech Museum in Riverside featuring a fabulous collection of Hispanic art. Visits to the East Los Angeles Vincent Price Museum, The Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, a collaboration with the MHC College Club of San Diego to attend a performance of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre and enjoy dinner at the historic Grant Hotel, and a docent-led walking tour of Ganna Walska’s Lotusland’s gardens in Montecito rounded out this year’s interest group events.
We formed the Outdoor Activities Affinity Group in February 2023, but the monsoon weather proved uncooperative and nixed 3 hiking events. The Board will restart this group in Fall 2023 and get our alums outside.
As noted later in this report, our event attendance data show vast improvements. Anecdotally, we learned from participants that they were introduced to several venues that were new to many of them through these Affinity Groups.
Great appreciation for planning and organizing these interest groups goes to: Leslie Ito, Chair, Arts and Entertainment (1996) Liz Herrmann, Chair, Outdoor Activities (2012) Ellen Engelke, Director Events and Affinity Groups (1979).
Priority #4: Improving Overall Communications with Our Membership
Sharing College and Club related news, speaking “boldly and authentically” about our alums here in Southern California, offering new media platforms, and increasing the frequency of messaging to the membership were all priorities of the Strategic plan and a focus for the Board’s work this year.
Introduction of the SoCal Club Newsletter
The first issue of The MHC SoCal Digest, the Club’s digital quarterly newsletter, was distributed in December 2022, the second in March 2023, and the latest in June 2023. All the issues are archived at www.mountholyokeclubofsocal.com under the “Newsletter” heading. Creating the newsletter required the Board draft and approve editorial guidelines as well as a release/waiver form for those who provided interview content for the Digest. For their creative collaboration to make this newsletter available, special thanks go to: Sue Chehrenger, Newsletter Editor (1973) Sarah Murphy, Club Webmaster (2012) and Andrea Lange, Club President (1971).
Social Media Marketing
The Club has had a Facebook account for several years, but not everyone uses it frequently. So the Board approved creation of a Club Instagram account as well as a Linked In account that will be rolled out in Summer 2023. The Club’s Facebook page was refreshed, and the Board utilized several other platforms for event notification including texting software for our young alum audience. Thanks for those efforts go to: Rosalba Gonzalez, Facebook Administrator (2015) Jennifer Symington, Instagram Administrator (1987) and Sarah Murphy, Young Alum Liaison (2012).
Adding a Board Directorship for Marketing and Public Relations
Aware of the increasing need to improve our marketing of Club events, conduct more survey work to identify members’ interests, and collaborate effectively with the new Associate Director of Digital Engagement in the Alumnae Association office, the Board approved the addition of a new Director role devoted to marketing and public relations. This Director will assume the role starting July 1,
2023.
Priority # 5 Improving Club Governance By-Laws
The Board found that the Club’s By-Laws were out of date. Therefore, a small ad- hoc committee was formed to revise/modernize them. The revisions were approved by the membership at the Club’s Annual Meeting which was held in May 2023.
The Club’s Financial Sustainability
The Board also took a critical look at the Treasury, our prior banking practices, and the lack of year- to- year budgeting. We closed the savings account that had a very small balance and transferred those funds into the Club’s checking account. The necessary transfer of responsibility to the new Club Treasurer for the Wells Fargo account was completed in a timely manner.
The Board adopted a six- month budget for January-June 2023 and approved a proposed budget for the entire fiscal year of 2023-2024. A Treasurer’s report is made at each monthly Board meeting.
Because the College does not provide financial support to its alum clubs, in January 2023, the Board launched a gifting/donor initiative under our 501 (c) (3) non-profit status. This required that we purchase PayPal software and integrate it within our website as well as make provisions to receipt donors’ gifts as charitable tax deductions.
We focused on holding down expenses where we could. While we mailed holiday cards to all alums in the classes of 1939-1950, we digitally sent cards to all those in the more recent classes. Thanks to the College, most of the expenses associated with the Interim President’s visit were covered by the Alumnae Association Office, but we did have to rely on gift donations to create a Club information table. With the aim of cost-savings, we conducted the Annual Meeting via Zoom, switched to a new Zoom account provided by the College to reduce our software licensing fees, and stayed within budget for the Board Retreat.
We are most appreciative of those nineteen alums who have stepped up already to support the Club.
The Board at its June retreat approved undertaking an Annual Fund campaign that will launch in early Fall 2023. We also will be taking under consideration charging for some events next year, introducing swag sales, and conducting an on-line auction.
Leadership Succession Planning
Most importantly, the Board instituted a leadership succession plan. At the May annual meeting a new slate of Directors and Officers was formally approved by the membership. And for FY 2024-2025, the By-Laws call for creation of a Nominations Committee to assemble a new slate to be voted on at the Spring annual meeting for 2024.
While the full Board oversaw many of these changes, a special shout-out to those who worked to integrate PayPal into our website. They were: Lilia Duchrow, Esquire, Club Treasurer (1987) Oyinade Ogunbekun Wielock, Club Vice-President (2007) Sarah Murphy, Club Webmaster (2012).
Priority #6: Our SoCal Club and College Admissions
As we acknowledge in our Club vision statement, part of our role is “to raise the profile of the College”. In this regard, support of the College’s admissions process, alum attendance at college fairs, making time to respond to questions about the college, hosting an admitted college session, and supporting students from Southern California enrolled at the college are essential to getting the word out about our alma mater.
This admissions cycle, the Club’s Board represented MHC at three college fairs which included: Vistamar High School Multicultural College Fair, Santa Monica College’s College Fair, and another at Venice High School. We answered questions from parents and potential students as well as connected with guidance counselors at these events.
In the Spring, the Co-Directors of Admissions and alum Ellen Leggett ’75 hosted an event for all accepted students and their parents.
A total of 16 students from SoCal are enrolling at MHC – 12 Fall admits, 3 Spring admits, 1 transfer student, and 1 Frances Perkins Scholar. Throughout the year the Co-Directors tracked applicants’ progress and worked closely with admissions staff. For those admitted into last year’s freshmen class, the Club offered a welcome gift.
Special appreciation for this work goes to: Rose Donahue, (2015) and Gretchen Hays, (1964) Co-Directors, Admissions.
Priority #7: Fostering Enduring Relationships with the College Staff and Faculty
Another important component of the Club’s focus this year has been connecting regularly with the staff and faculty at the College. In February we were delighted to host Interim President, Dr. Beverly Tatum, Trish Tanner, Executive Director of the Alumnae Association, Kassandra Jolley, Vice-President for College Relations, and Cheri Butler, Senior Leadership Giving Officer. Seventy-five of us enjoyed an evening of conversation and socializing at The Luxe Hotel on Sunset Boulevard.
In May, we welcomed Dr. Kavita Khory, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics and Carol Hoffmann Collins Director of the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives as the keynote speaker at our Annual Meeting. She presented on her current research focused on international migration, discussed courses she is offering, and the initiatives being undertaken by the McCulloch Center. We learned there are many ways that alums can engage with the Center and hope that many will follow-up. We had 40 alums on the session.
For ensuring our connections to the Alumnae Association are well- curated, our thanks to: Phoebe Blaisdell, Club Director, Alumnae Association Liaison (2019).
Priority #8: Adding Book Discussions Throughout the Club
The Club’s mission statement – to Connect, Engage, and Inspire- has been at the core of our book discussion expansion this year. Two new groups were formed in Orange County and in Santa Barbara County alongside the longer established group in Los Angeles County. A broad range of fiction and non-fiction titles were discussed among them were: Braiding Sweetgrass (the College’s Common Read); Like Water for Chocolate; Lessons in Chemistry; Take My Hand; Honor; The Mountains Sing; Three Little Words, and Horse. For spreading the word about book discussions, organizational details, book research, and messaging summaries of these events to the membership, great appreciation goes to: Caitlin Healy, Club Director, Book Clubs (2009) Regional Connectors: Pattie Firestone (1972) and Nathalie Wilson (1988).
Priority # 9 Greater Focus on Young Alums in our SoCal Club
We greatly value the Young Alums in our Club but need to find ways to engage them more often and create a special community for them. To that end during October 2022, the Club conducted a survey of alums from the classes of 2012- 2022, then drafted a Strategic Plan focused entirely on ways to get them involved with the Club. We also created 2 new Board Co-Directors positions devoted to implementing the Young Alum strategic goals and objectives in the upcoming fiscal years. These Co-Directors join the Board effective July 1, 2023.
The survey input suggested:
There is a high level of interest in affinity groups - Young Alum, Outdoors,Arts &Entertainment
Young Alums are interested in in-person weekend events
Top professional industries in which they currently work: the Arts,
Education, and Entertainment
And much like the rest of the club, Young Alums live and work out all over SoCal. Therefore, they want events in their specific locales.
Following this survey work, the Board appointed an ad hoc committee to create a Young Alum Focused Strategic Plan which has 5 major goals:
1)Provide opportunities for networking and ensure overall young alum engagement
2) Increase young alum participation in the Club’s Affinity Groups for Arts and Entertainment and for Outdoor Activities
3)Provide support/resources to young alums new to SoCal
4)Ensure Club communications reach young alums on familiar platforms
5)Create sense of community among SoCal’s Young Alums.
For more details on the plan and the strategies that will be pursued visit the Young Alum page.
Club Analytics for FY 2022-2023/ Events and Attendance
We all recognize that data is an important assessment tool for interpreting what worked and what did not this past year. The Board is committed to decision making that reflects data outcomes.
A final tally of Club events reveals we offered an astonishing 42 different activities for the membership to enjoy. Fifteen (15) were regionally situated. Seven (7) book discussions were held. Seven (7) member requested events (dance, movie premiers, plays, musicals) were posted on the Events Calendar. Arts and Entertainment held four (4) events, the Board offered three (3) Relationship Building Lunches (Pasadena, Pacific Palisades, and Laguna Beach). We held the February reception for Dr. Tatum and the Club Annual Meeting as full club events and offered 2 other events especially geared to Young Alums including a collaboration via Zoom with the MHC Peninsula Club. The topic “Financial Literacy 101” was led by Laura Donovan ’13 and Catherine Geeslin ’14 from Sonder Financial and focused on personal finances and best practices. And our Admissions soiree for admitted students was attended by several students and their parents and hosted by 4 SoCal alums.
As of the end of May, the attendance count for all these events was at 251.
Club Analytics for FY 2022-2023/ Web Statistics
Our web traffic data indicates that the site is being visited often and that all parts of the site are being reviewed by users. To summarize, we recorded 1,800 unique visits with most visits to the home page, followed by the Events Calendar, the Board of Directors page, the Regional Connectors page, the Earth Day celebration page, Affinity Groups pages, and the Membership page.
Most noteworthy is the data on hits to the newsletter with over half of those receiving notification about it immediately opening it.
For FY 2023-2024, the Board will make improvements to several of the pages, will find ways to educate more members about the content available, and add new features with the guidance of the newly appointed Associate Director of Digital Engagement within the College’s Alumnae Association office.
This report was respectfully submitted June 30, 2023 by The MHC College Club of SoCal Board