OUR BOARD
Nicholas Mendelson-Ontiveros
Board President
Nicholas Mendelson-Ontiveros was born and raised in Sonoma Valley and is deeply rooted to his community and home town. Nick attended Flowery Elementary School, Adele Harrison Middle School, Sonoma Valley High School, Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University. Nick graduated cum laude from Sonoma State with a business degree and a concentration in finance. Upon graduation, he started working in finance. His mother, Leticia Ontiveros, inspired Nick to give back to the community that raised him, take action on what he believes in and to put others first. He is also a frequent speaker at clubs and organizations at Sonoma State University. Nick lives an active lifestyle and in his free time he enjoys being outdoors, working out, playing guitar, cooking and reading.
Ken Adelson
Active Board Member
Ken and his wife, Karen, bought a home on Sonoma Mountain above Glen Ellen in 1999. They moved there full-time in 2007. Ken first became involved in La Luz when Karen became a member of the Noche committee. Ken retired from the San Francisco office of Cooley LLP, a law firm, in December 2016. During the 41 years that he was affiliated with Cooley (as an associate, partner and senior counsel), he specialized in business litigation and served at times as firm-wide chair of the Litigation Department and as Partner In Charge of the San Francisco office. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1966 and from Boalt Hall School of Law in 1969. Since joining the La Luz board of directors in 2011, Ken has been the chair of the Campus Facilities Committee and a member of the Governance/Nominating and the HR Committees. He and Karen have two adult children and two grandsons. Ken enjoys working in the garden, having time for pleasure reading, and visiting nearby attractions with Karen.
Jose Alvarez moved to Sonoma Valley in 1999 from Janamuato, Michoacan, Mexico. He attended Sonoma Valley High School and Santa Rosa Junior College. Shortly after graduating from high school, Jose started his banking career and has worked in financial services for 16 years. Jose is very passionate about financial literacy and has been partnering with local organizations over the last several years, sharing vital banking and money management information with the Sonoma Valley community. Jose has been recognized at the county level providing financial education. In 2018, Jose received the Forty Under 40 Award from the North Bay Business Journal, and in 2019 he was also recognized by the Business Journal with the Latino Leadership award for his work and dedication to improving financial literacy in our community. Jose is a former board member for the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center and he also serves as a board member and is part of the executive committee for the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Bill grew up in Oakland, California and moved to Sonoma in 2011 with his wife Dorinda. In 1970 he co-founded Sokol Blosser Winery in the Dundee Hills of Oregon, building it to one of the largest wineries in the state. The winery is now operated by one of his sons and his daughter, leaving Bill time to continue his long history of public service. In Oregon, he successively served as chair of three state commissions and served on numerous industry and non-profit boards. He also worked many years for an international engineering firm; his work took him to live and work throughout Latin America. Prior to joining the Board, he served on the La Luz Latino Leadership Program committee.
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Acitve Board Member
Denise Calvillo is Branch Manager at North Bay Credit Union in Sonoma. She graduated from Sonoma Valley High School and attended Santa Rosa Junior College. She began her career in banking shortly after high school, starting as a teller and working her way up to her current position. Her first bank employer was big on supporting local communities and encouraged her to volunteer by helping with events such as "Light the Night”. Denise is passionate about giving back to Sonoma Valley. She enjoys attending Chamber of Commerce events, connecting with other local organizations, providing sponsorships and hosting financial literacy classes. Denise enjoys going to the gym, and staying active with her children on Coastal hikes and beach going.
Rayne moved to Sonoma from San Francisco, in a successful search to live in a friendly, mid-sized town. After years in management with Grand Hyatt hotels and Four Seasons hotels, she established and operated The Hospitality Group, providing temporary staffing for hotels and private clubs in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Transitioning from her career, Rayne has been active in CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate for a foster child), Sonoma Mentoring Alliance, the Ceres Project, Sonoma Teen Services, and Impact100. After participating on La Luz's Noche fundraising committee, Rayne joined the La Luz Board as Recording Secretary in 2012. In addition to her Rayne's commitment to La Luz and Sonoma’s non-profit community, she is active with local gourmet groups, her book club, and Free Spirits Choir. Rayne and her partner, Mike, enjoy being with friends and family in San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and Oregon, and spending adventurous times on international vacations.
Jennifer Gray Thompson
Active Board Member
Jennifer is a life long resident of Sonoma Valley and resides in the Springs area with her family. She attended Santa Rosa Junior College and graduated from Dominican University in 2001 with degrees in English and History. After teaching for 10 years at Ursuline and Cardinal Newman High Schools, as well as Upward Bound at Napa Valley College, Jennifer went on to earn a masters degree in Public Administration from University of Southern California’s Price School of Public Policy. Post-graduate school, Jennifer worked for District One from 2013 to 2017, covering the Sonoma Valley, for Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. After the devastating fires of October 2017, she accepted her current position as Executive Director of Rebuild Northbay Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping our region rebuild better, greener, safer, and faster..
Bill Hake
Active Board Member
Bill was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He and his wife Laurie moved to Sonoma in 2006. His involvement with La Luz began when his wife joined La Luz’s Noche Committee in 2008. Bill is a graduate of San Jose State University and UOP’s McGeorge School of Law. He has spent over 35 years as a Trial Attorney, mediator, and lecturer on various legal topics, including advocacy, corporate governance, and ethics. His teaching experience includes appointments at Harvard University, Stanford University, the University of San Francisco, and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Bill’s community involvement includes various volunteer activities and service on non-profit boards, including Valley of the Moon Natural History Association, Central Marin Soccer League, Ross Valley Soccer Club, Tidalwave Swim Club, and The American Wild Horse Campaign. His work in the non-profit sector has focused on governance and same sector partnership development. Bill serves on La Luz’s Nomination/Governance and Human Resources Committees. In his spare time Bill enjoys traveling with his wife Laurie visiting family and their grandchildren.
Active Board Member
Sydnie was born and raised in Louisiana, where her Japanese grandparents settled in 1928, one of the few Asian families in Central Louisiana at the time. An Emmy award-winning journalist, she received a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Louisiana State University and worked as an anchor and reporter for the next 30 years, covering news and newsmakers in the U.S., Asia and Europe with CNBC, CBS and ABC. She was part of the newsroom team awarded Peabody and Murrow Awards, two of the highest honors bestowed in U.S. broadcast journalism. Early in her career, she received a California Teachers Association John Swett award for her series on the struggle of immigrant children transitioning into the school system.
Sydnie began her lifelong interest in public service by working as a legislative aide while still in college. Governor George Deukmejian later appointed her to an executive communications position in a state department. Her non-profit experience includes volunteer work with Sonoma Valley’s Impact 100, Mentoring Alliance, Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley, Asia Society of Northern California, Commonwealth Club of California and the Junior League, where an after-school tutoring project resulted in a 30-year friendship with her former student.
As part of her current communications and consulting practice, Sydnie helps corporate leaders and legends tell their stories. She has developed and produced webinars, leadership and management programs, videos and special events for Fortune 500 companies and non-profits alike.
Sydnie and her husband, George, currently reside in the vibrant Agua Caliente neighborhood. She spends her free time fly fishing, enjoying her two grandchildren and running a retirement home for lazy chickens.
Active Board Member
Brian and his wife Brooke Geahan moved to Sonoma in 2018 after residing in Los Angeles and New York City for several years. The son of a Mexican immigrant, Brian quickly recognized the incredible value that La Luz was providing to the local community and reached out to get involved. He began his work with La Luz by volunteering with the organization’s microloan program and joined the Board in February of 2020. Brian is a Managing Director with Sonoma Brands, a private equity firm investing in emerging consumer brands across food & beverage, personal care and wellness. He previously spent several years at a New York based private equity firm and before that worked in investment banking in San Francisco. Brian received his B.A. from Brown University in 2004.
Beth Stelluto Dunaier
Active Board Member
Beth and her husband, Howard, have lived in Sonoma County for nearly 20 years, moving from Kenwood to Sonoma in 2019. She is a graduate of Middlebury College and the Wharton Graduate School of Business. After a rewarding career in Personal Finance as a marketing and business line executive with Charles Schwab and other organizations, Beth shifted her attention to the intersection of philanthropy and business. She currently invests in start-up organizations and serves on several non-profit boards addressing systemic change in environment, social justice and economic opportunities. Beth joined the La Luz Board in 2020 and serves on the Strategic Planning and Microloan Committees. Beth enjoys being outdoors here in beautiful Sonoma, singing with the Free Spirits Gospel Choir, learning Spanish – poco a poco, and simply enjoying life a rich network of amazing friends.
