2009-2011 Board of Managers

The following is a list of the Board of Managers officers in the 17th District PTA. Click on the E-mail link to send an e-mail to the officer. Click on the arrow next to a position name to show a short description of what the officer does.

Position:	Officer:	E-mail:
President	Colette Rudd	E-mail
The president presides over the 17th District PTA, and is responsible for running meetings of the district and the Board of Managers, directing the district, and representing it at State PTA meetings and other events as well.
1st VP: Programs & Convention	Sara Otus-Green	E-mail
The Programs & Convention Vice President is responsible for organizing district programs and other events along with the chairmen of the events. In addition, the VP organizes the district's representation at the annual California State PTA Convention and chairs the Convention Hospitality Committee.
2nd VP: Leadership	Pam Selli	E-mail
The Leadership Vice President provides leadership services and other assistance towards units and councils, as well as assisting with units changing status and prospective new units.
3rd VP: Member Services	Virginia Chang-Kiraly	E-mail
The Member Services Vice President organizes the hospitality for district meetings, and is in charge of making the reservations and other arrangements for district meetings and certain other events.
4th VP: Communications	Emily Sarver	E-mail
The Communications Vice President oversees the 17th District publications, such as the Seventeena newsletter and the website. The VP is also responsible for publishing the annual 17th District directory.
5th VP: Education	Lori McBride	E-mail
The Education Vice President heads the Education Commission, which oversees 17th District's efforts in parent education, etc. Also part of the Education Commission is the Reflections program and the Student Involvement Committee.
6th VP: Health & Community Concerns	VACANT	E-mail
The Health & Community Concerns Vice President works with issues affecting the health of children, and other issues affecting the community. The VP works with other organizations and attends events to obtain and provide information about Health & Community Concerns.
Secretary	Elizabeth Luaulu	E-mail
The Secretary is responsible for taking the minutes of district meetings, as well as keeping the original, permanent records of the district.
Treasurer	Helen Geimer	E-mail
The Treasurer is responsible for managing the finances of the district, including making monthly reports to the board, completing taxes, and writing checks. The Treasurer also provides financial advice to units and councils in need of it.
Financial Secretary	Susan Bell	E-mail
The Financial Secretary is responsible for handling and depositing money that has been submitted to or collected by the district, and working with the Treasurer and the board to fill out Payment Authorization forms, as well as making monthly reports to the board.
Auditor	Myra Gruschka	E-mail
The Auditor is responsible for auditing (or coordinating the audit of) the records of the district. In addition, the Auditor is responsible for collecting the semiannual audits of the units and councils within the district.
Historian	Linda Benedetti	E-mail
The Historian keeps track of volunteer hours and other significant district accomplishments during his/her term. The Historian also submits the District Annual Report Form and collects Annual Report Forms from units and councils at the end of each school year.
Parliamentarian	Kathryn Cross	E-mail
The Parliamentarian is appointed by the President in order to provide assistance on parliamentary procedure during meetings. In addition, the Parliamentarian provides parliamentary trainings and bylaws workshops to units and councils, and is responsible for reviewing bylaws that have been submitted to State PTA for approvalal.
Outreach Chair	Jennifer Blanco	E-mail
The Outreach Chair is responsible for helping to provide outreach, resources, and assistance to less represented groups of parents and community members within the district.
Membership Chair	VACANT	E-mail
The Membership Chair organizes the annual membership challenge and assists units in recruiting PTA members. The Membership Chair is also the district's OMDR (Online Membership Data Reporting) expert, and assists units and councils with utilizing the system.
Legislation Chair	Deborah Kemper	E-mail
The Legislation Chair reports on the status of local and state legislation impacting children and families, as well as reporting on California State PTA's positions on various state legislation. The Legislation Chair also assists in the organization of candidates forums and other related events when necessary.
Superintendents Luncheon Chair	Christine Semenza	E-mail
The Superintendents Luncheon is an event organized in November, providing an opportunity for PTA members, principals, and others to meet local superintendents and the county superintendent, along with 17th District board members.
Founders Day Chair	Olga Keeney and Melissa Perez	E-mail
Founders Day is held each February as a luncheon event which includes the district's general meeting, Honorary Service Award (HSA) presentations, and (during odd-numbered years) nominations and elections.
Honorary Service Awards Chair	Pat Targgart	E-mail
Each year, 17th District honors a number of people who have contributed significant work towards supporting children and families. For each Honorary Service Award given, a donation is made in the recipient's name to the California State PTA Scholarships & Grants program.
Spotlight on PTA Chair	Sara Otus-Green and Keiko Smith	E-mail
17th District's annual May Event, "Spotlight On PTA," is an end-of-the-year officers training provided by the district, which also includes a general meeting and (during odd-numbered years) the installation of hew officers for the following term.
Student Aid/Community Schools Chair	VACANT	E-mail
The Student Aid/Community Schools Chair manages the district's Student Aid fund, as well as the district's donations to local Community School programs, such as the "Seed to Table" program that the district supported in 2006-07.
Reflections Chair	Contessa Messiana	E-mail
The Reflections Chair promotes PTA's annual Reflections Program, collects the entries, coordinates the judges at the district level, and forwards winning entries on to State PTA for the next level of competition. The chair also organizes the end-of-the-year Reflections Artwork Event showcasing the Reflections entries from the district.
Student Involvement Chair	VACANT	E-mail
The Student Involvement Chair heads the Student Involvement Committee, which works to promote student involvement among the units and councils in the district, as well as provide the Board of Managers with input from students' points of view.
Seventeena Editor	VACANT	E-mail
The Seventeena editor is responsible for collecting articles and editing the district's monthly Seventeena newsletter.
Mailing Chair	VACANT	E-mail
The Mailing Chair is responsible for addressing and mailing the monthly Seventeena issue as well as any other mailing that may be deemed necessary by the Board of Managers.
Webmaster	Douglas Bell	E-mail
The webmaster is responsible for maintaining the district's website, 17thDistrictPTA.org, including keeping it up-to-date and managing the hosting and domain name subscriptions on behalf of the district.

Council Presidents and Area Counselors

Most units are governed under a PTA council consisting of officers and representatives from the units they govern. Out-of-council units are assigned a counselor from 17th District PTA. Below you can see and/or contact the council president or area counselor for your unit. To determine what council or area you are in, see our Units and Councils page.

Help Wanted at 17th District PTA

We still have a number of openings on our board! We are desperately seeking out volunteers to fill positions for 3rd Vice President of Member Services, 6th Vice President of Health & Community Concerns, and Treasurer. We’re also looking for volunteers to help fill a number of chairmanship positions (help coordinating annual events or other ongoing duties). If you’re interested in filling any position, please contact Colette Rudd, 17th District President, and let her know that you may be interested.

Students are welcome on the board, too! The 17th District PTA is eager to have students participate on its Board of Managers! Participating in PTA not only offers you many benefits as a student, but it also enriches the quality programs that 17th District PTA puts on! For more information on how students can participate in 17th District, please contact us.

We hope you will be willing to join us! We are a fun group!