WESTLAKE VILLAGE — Step back in time and experience a decade full of glitz, glamour and old-fashioned fun during the 16th Annual ‘Stand Up for Kids’ Gala Dinner & Auction hosted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley. Centered around a 1920’s theme, the event takes place on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village.
The annual Gala Dinner & Auction is the largest fundraising event for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley. Evening highlights include a silent & live auction, gourmet dining, entertainment, and dancing. The Gala helps support over 4,200 children in quality before and after school programs, sport leagues and summer camps.
The 2018 Gala Honorees are Tom & Shelley Schlender and the Cal Johnston Award will be presented to Joe Seetoo. Erika D. Beck, President of California State University Channel Islands will be Master of Ceremonies and Jeff Tanenbaum will serve as the auctioneer.
About Event Honorees – Tom & Shelley Schlender: Tom and Shelley both grew up in the West San Fernando Valley, just a few miles apart.
They met in high school through mutual friends. Following high school Tom joined the U.S. Navy, serving two years active duty and two years in the reserves. When he returned home, Shelley had graduated high school and they were married in January of 1968. Their first son, Shayne, was born in December of 1969. His brother, Kelly, followed 18 months later in June of 1971. While Shelley was raising the boys, Tom was working in the Aero Space industry and attending Pierce College in the evenings. He majored in Business. Tom began his business career as a retail appliance salesman and then moved to a manufacturer’s representative. Eventually he opened his own retail appliance store. Over the years he expanded to seven retail locations, from Torrance to Santa Barbara. Son’s Shayne and Kelly are CEO and CFO respectively in the family business. Shelley graduated with a nursing degree in 1974. She began her nursing career at Los Robles Hospital specializing in Pediatrics. In 1990 Shelley retired from nursing to help Tom in his rapidly growing business. Two years ago, Shelley retired from the family business which gives her ample time to enjoy her hobbies. Shelley is an avid golfer, reader, Mahjong and Canasta player. Tom is also an avid single digit golfer. Together, they enjoy travel, golfing, camping and the annual family vacation that always includes their only granddaughter, Riley.
Joe Seetoo
About Joe Seetoo: Joe Seetoo is a Partner & Vice President with 20 years of experience in developing investment strategies for affluent business owners and high net worth families. Prior to joining Morton Capital Management in August 2007, he served as the Director of Investment Research for Georgina Asset Management, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor located in Santa Monica from September 2003 until July 2007 and as the Director of Operations from May 2000 until September 2003. He started his investment career with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., Inc. in 1998. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a member of the CFA Institute and the Los Angeles Society of Financial Analysts. Additionally, he is a Certified Financial PlannerTM and a member ProvisorsTM . Seetoo earned his Black Belt Degree in Krav Maga and was an instructor for nearly a decade. He successfully completed Sealfit Kokoro Camp 37 in June 2015. He has served a number of philanthropic organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley, Water Buffalo Club, Project ECHO & the Dubinoff School for Child Development.
He received his Bachelors degrees in Economics and International Relations from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. He is married, has 2 daughters and resides in Agoura Hills,
Dr. Erika D. Beck
About Erika D. Beck, Ph.D. President, California State University Channel Islands: Erika D. Beck began her tenure as President of California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) in August 2016. Prior to her appointment, she served as Provost and Executive Vice President at Nevada State College. President Beck is deeply committed to the community and sits on the Ventura P-20 Council, the Santa Barbara Zoo Board of Directors and the Dignity Health Ventura County Community Board of Directors. She is an ex-officio board member of the Channel City Club and an honorary board member of the Gold Coast Veterans Foundation. A native Californian, President Beck holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego, an M.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of California, San Diego where she also served as a faculty fellow. She was selected as one of the Top 50 Women in Business by the Pacific Coast Business Times, a Woman of Distinction in Education by the National Association of Women in Business Leaders and as a Top Female Business Leader in Education by the Las Vegas Business Press. A devoted mother of two young boys, President Beck enjoys running, yoga, and perpetual conversations with her children about how many more minutes until “we get there.”
About Jeff Tanenbaum, Auctioneer: An Auctioneer for over 30 years, Jeff Tanenbaum has dropped the gavel over 250,000 times in his career, selling over $500 million of property at auction. He is a leader and innovator in both the charity and commercial auction industries, providing consulting and advisory services to clients ranging from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to Apple Computer. Jeff applies his marketing and operations savvy and his keen sense for what motivates people to bid to help local and national organizations to raise millions of dollars for their causes. Whether selling dates with firemen or a million-dollar piece of machinery, Jeff enjoys both the behind-the-scenes development of his projects and the face-to-face interactions with a room full of inspired bidders. Jeff serves as President of Rock the Gavel — a charity auction firm and Executive Managing Director of Tiger Group – a national valuation, disposition and advisory firm. You can learn more about Jeff at www.rockthegavel.com.
Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are available. For more information, call the Boys & Girls Clubs at 818-706-0905 or visit the website at www.bgcconejo.org.
About the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley are open before and after school, during lunch, on weekends, throughout the summer for the camp program and all-day during school vacations with tours of the Clubs available upon request. For more information about supervised youth programs, to donate, volunteer, or register online, please log onto www.bgcconejo.org or call 818-706-0905.