Fernando Mora has been named president of the CSU Channel Islands' Alumni & Friends board of directors. Photo courtesy of CSU Channel Islands.
Fernando Mora has been elected president of the 2011-2012 Alumni & Friends Association Board of Directors for CSU Channel Islands, the institution reported on Wednesday.
“This is a very important opportunity for me to give back time and energy to the university, staff and students,” Mora stated in the release. “CI has played a crucial role in my development as an adult and as a business professional. I feel honored to help the Alumni & Friends Association continue to provide programs and opportunities to students and graduates and look forward to working alongside the executive team and the entire Alumni & Friends Board of Directors.”
Other new officers include Gary Wartik (vice president), Austin Walker (secretary), Brandon Blake (treasurer), with Leah Lacayo as immedia past president.
The Alumni & Friends’ executive team governs a 22-member volunteer board and an association composed of more than 1,200 CI alumni and friends, with the goal of keeping members connected to the university and each other, the university reported.
The association organizes special events, perks and programs throughout the year, including mentorship and career networking opportunities, baseball and hockey nights, special member discounts and newsletters. It also strives to increase membership and engagement and showcase the success of CI alumni.
Mora, of Oxnard, graduated from CSU Channel Islands in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. He is the director of sales and marketing for Sage Network Inc. in Camarillo, and has served on boards for the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo and the Camarillo Chamber Young Professionals Group. As president, Mora will preside over board and member meetings, set the tone and key focus areas for the association and report annually to the university president.
Wartik is a co-founder and senior consultant at Vision Consulting Group in Camarillo, which specializes in economic development, general business planning and business turnaround/Chapter 11 situations. He served as the Economic Development Manager for the City of Thousand Oaks between 1998 and February 2011. He holds a J.D. from San Fernando Valley College of Law, a Master’s in Public Administration from USC and a B.A. from CSU Northridge. As vice president, Wartik will lead the association in the absence of the board president and help in the day-to-day governance of the group. A longstanding “friend” and board member of the association, Wartik’s experience will help balance the talents of the younger committee members.
As secretary, Walker is responsible for meeting minutes, membership lists and records, and reports and mailings for the association. Walker is a 2009 business graduate of the university, who found his career through the Alumni & Friends mentorship program. He works as a business development manager for Dale Carnegie Training in the greater Los Angeles and Ventura County areas and lives in Newbury Park.
As treasurer, Blake will oversee financial records and accounts for the association. Blake is the chief operating officer and co-founder of the Arete companies, which acquire and invest in distressed real estate properties and also work with some of the nation’s largest health plans to identify and recover claim overpayments. Blake is a 2005 business graduate of the university and a resident of Ventura.
As Immediate past president with two consecutive terms under her belt, Lacayo will provide institutional knowledge that will carry over into the new executive team. She has been a “friend” of the association and an active supporter of the university since its inception. Lacayo volunteers her time for more than a dozen boards, committees and organizations that benefit the community, including the Congress of California Seniors, Downtown Center for the Arts in Oxnard, Ventura County Community Foundation — Destino, and the Ventura County Fair Foundation. She lives in Newbury Park.