Who We Are

John graduated from Chino High School, received his AA from Chaffey College, and both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, San Bernardino. He is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces and received the Army Commendation Medal. John has been a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and district office administrator in the public schools, and a management and leadership consultant to public agencies and private industry. In 1993, he became the CEO of Advanced Education Services, a not-for-profit corporation that operated nonpublic and charter schools. He became the chief operating officer of Trinity Youth Services in 2002 and CEO in 2005. John served on the board and as president of the National Association of Private Special Education Centers, where he was honored as the Executive of the Year and also served as the president of Claremont Heritage. In 2016, John received the Social Entrepreneur Award at the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards. He is an active volunteer in his community, having served on city and county commissions, and is currently on the City of Claremont Architectural Commission.

Cher provides oversight for the Foundation team and guides the activities of the Foundation on behalf of the board of trustees. Cher has worked in the music industry and as a professional actress. Among her many academic degrees and certificates, Cher holds a BA in organizational management from Ashford University and post-graduate certifications from Cornell University and Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is scheduled to complete her master’s degree in ethical leadership from Claremont Lincoln University in 2017. Cher is also a member of the first graduating cohort in a National Human Services Assembly (NHSA) nonprofit executive leadership program; a collaboration with Arizona State University, Indiana University and the Lilly School of Philanthropy. Cher has served on a variety of nonprofit boards and currently serves on the board of directors at the dA Center for the Arts, is on the membership committee for the California Alliance for Children and Families, and is chair of the Inland Empire Alliance for Children and Families. In her spare time, Cher performs stand-up comedy professionally.

Jenelle oversees the day-to-day operations and staffing of the Foundation, which includes fundraising events, volunteer coordination, community outreach and donations. Above all, Jenelle’s focus is to identify and access resources in order to help children heal, learn and thrive. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from California State University Fullerton and has become very involved in the community. She is active in her church, owns an art gallery, organizes the local art walk and is on the executive board of the downtown district’s marketing group.

Crystal is a sociology/social services student at California Sate University San Bernardino and Dania is a communications student with a focus of Spanish at Azusa Pacific University. Our CFA interns help us with administrative support, social media, graphic design, blog writing, awareness campaigns and community outreach.

Florence has a strong commitment to helping foster youth and their families thrive and live successful lives. A former foster youth, Florence obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Communications from California State University, San Bernardino, and is a certified Holistic Life Coach, motivational writer, self-help author and celebrity interviewer. Beyond our website, Florence’s articles can be found in numerous platforms including Foster Focus Magazine, Heart & Soul Magazine, BET Centric and Huffington Post. A passionate advocate for the LGBTQ community, Florence continues to educate, support and mentor foster youth throughout Southern California.

Vicki is an artist, teacher and longtime volunteer with the Children’s Foundation of America. Vicki got involved with the Foundation when her daughter, CFA Development Specialist Jenelle Phillips, recruited her for her expertise. Over the course of her life, she has volunteered with United Way, Girl Scouts, elementary schools, political campaigns and more. Vicki leads our constituent mailing and her favorite volunteer activity with the Foundation is gift wrapping during our Holiday Heroes campaign.