Al Abdallah, Board Chair
President and CEO, Urban League of San Diego County
Al Abdallah currently serves as the president and CEO of the Urban League of San Diego County. Abdallah worked for State Farm Insurance Auto for 26 years, first as an Auto Underwriter and then as an Auto Claims Adjuster, Claim Support Services Supervisor, and Auto Claims Team Manager. While working at State Farm Insurance, Abdallah joined the Board of Directors of the Urban League of San Diego County and served as Board Chair six years after which he left the board for his staff position as Chief Operating Officer and now president and CEO.
Larissa Batoyon Fuchs, CPA, Treasurer
Advisory Senior Manager, EisnerAmpner
Larissa Batoyon Fuchs is an accounting and assurance senior manager with over 10 years of experience in public accounting providing audit and assurance services. She graduated from California State University San Marcos with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Accountancy. Larissa joins EisnerAmpner (formerly Lindsay Brownell, LLP) from BDO USA, LLP and specializes in audit and assurance services for closely-held businesses across a variety of industries, employee benefit plans, and non-profit organizations. She focuses on providing high-quality client services by understanding the business needs of each client and providing practical business solutions to meet those needs.
Jan Dziewior, RN, BSN, Board Secretary & Advisory Council Chair
Healthcare Executive
Jan Dziewior is a registered nurse with more than 25 years of management experience in healthcare, working both in business and hospital intensive care settings. Her clinical experience spans the critical care and trauma arenas while her business experiences span multiple positions across clinical, sales, marketing and quality functions. Management positions have included both domestic and international responsibilities spanning over 14 countries across England and Europe.
Lyz Boltz, President, Family Association
Regional Assistant, Community Montessori, Santee Learning Center
Lyz Boltz is regional assistant at Community Montessori, Santee Learning Center. She is an active community volunteer, including serving as committee chair for CYT, parent educator through the Positive Discipline Association, and volunteer lead at Legacy Church, La Mesa. Living in San Diego with her husband Scott, she is a mother of three, and grandmother of two. Her involvement with San Diego Children's Choir began when her youngest daughter, Bailey, joined Preparatory Choir in 2016. Lyz's daughter Bailey is currently in Premier Choir.
Katina Mitchell
Dr. Katina Mitchell is a musician and teacher based in San Diego. She began her singing career as a chorister in the San Diego Children's Choir and has since sung professionally as a soprano with organizations such as San Diego Symphony, Monday Evening Concerts, MicroFest LA, Mainly Mozart Festival, Volti, and Lautten Compangey Berlin. A lover of choral music, Katina has sung as both soloist and chorister with the San Diego Master Chorale, Sacra/Profana, and the Schola Cantorum of St. James-by-the-Sea. Katina holds degrees in music from Rice University and the University of Southern California. She is a member of the music faculty at Palomar College and teaches voice privately.
Kathleen Ogilvie, PhD
Senior Director, Translational Pharmacology, Kalika Biosciences
Dr. Kathleen Ogilvie is the Senior Director, Translational Pharmacology for Kalika Biosciences. In that role, Kathy leads the effort to predict the effects of potential therapeutics in the human body. She currently serves on the Salk Women & Science subcommittee for mentorship and has previously served the San Diego chapter of the Association for Women in Science in several roles, including 2 terms on the board of directors as Treasurer. In the course of her 20-year career in San Diego pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, she has received several performance-related awards, led or made major contributions to 14 clinical candidates, published more than 30 papers, and mentored numerous scientists to promotions and graduate school. Kathy’s son is an alumni of the San Diego Children’s Choir.
Ruchika Rastogi, Family Association Treasurer
Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Business Development, Becton Dickinson
Ruchika Rastogi is currently the Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Business Development at Becton Dickinson, where she leads strategy projects in new growth areas and works with key stakeholders on the development of Becton Dickinson’s strategic plan. Prior to Illumina, Ruchika spent four years at West Health, overseeing national collaborations to progress the fields of home-based primary care and palliative care as well as guiding investments in the development of new entities for the aging population. She has previously held roles in joint ventures, new program development and corporate strategy for a health system and several years in management consulting. Ruchika has an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BA in Biology & Economics from Claremont McKenna College. She resides in Carmel Valley with her husband and twin daughters. Her daughters are currently members of Intermediate Choir.
Philomena Walsh
Marketing Strategist
Philomena Walsh is a sales and marketing professional with more than 25 years of experience in technology, life sciences and biotechnology firms most recently as Sr. Director of Corporate Marketing at Illumina, Inc. Philomena’s marketing experience includes global marketing strategy, digital marketing, and integrated communications. She spent 10 years in various sales roles including account management, sales training, and sales management. Philomena graduated from San Diego State University with a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. She is passionate about creating meaningful messaging and communications campaigns that promote awareness, drive growth, and improve audience engagement.