Senior Vice President Business Development, Cross Country Mortgage
After moving to Southern California from Chicago in 2009, Russell fell in love with the South Bay community. He has over 23 years’ experience in the mortgage industry and is currently SVP Business Development Officer for Cross Country Mortgage where his focus is on Sales and Secondary Marketing. Previously he served as an EVP for Bank of Manhattan in California where he launched the mortgage banking platform for the bank. He met Walk With Sally Founder Nick Arquette in 2010 while working at Bank of Manhattan. Once he learned about Walk With Sally he immediately wanted to get involved and helped Bank of Manhattan become one of the main corporate sponsors for Walk With Sally’s annual White Light White Night event. Although there are many worthy charities, Russell feels that Walk With Sally is unique because of its heartwarming mission to help kids who have or have had an immediate family member diagnosed with cancer. He looks forward to working with Walk With Sally and growing the organization nationally.
Community West Bank, Chief Financial Officer
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Community West Bank and has been in the banking and financial services industry for 22 years. He was born and raised in Southern California and graduated from CalPoly Pomona with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Real Estate and Law. He lives in Redondo Beach and has been a resident of the South Bay for ten years. Richard was first introduced to Nick Arquette and Walk With Sally in 2014 and served on the advisory board prior to becoming a board member in 2020. Richard is focused on helping the team grow beyond the South Bay and is enjoys contributing to this unique cause that has a positive lifelong impact on children and their families.
Browning Family Foundation & Vice President of Cerritos Acura
Information coming soon.
Founder and CEO – The Art Box Academy
Lauren is the Founder and CEO of The Art Box Academy and has provided school districts, private schools, public schools, camps, resorts, and pediatric hospitals on-site Art Education, Deluxe Art Activity Boxes, amd Art Kits since 2000. Lauren and her team have worked with tens of thousands of children ages 2-18 years old enhancing and supporting Life Essential Skills through their art-based curriculum.
Lauren received her BA in Fine Art from the University of California, Santa Barbara, her Textile Design degree from the prestigious Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design, and studied at the American University of Paris, France in Art History immersion programs.
In November of 2023, The Art Box Academy received the Excellence in Business Award from the Palos Verdes Chamber of Commerce, and in 2021, Miss Perelmuter was a nominee for the Los Angeles Times Inspiration Women’s Awards.
Lauren is thrilled and honored to be on the Executive Board for Walk With Sally, bringing her years of experience working with children and families directly to the Walk With Sally community.
Growing up in the South Bay, one of Lauren’s favorite things to do is to walk at the beach with her two boys, ages 17 and 21, and their beloved golden retriever, Bodie.
Partner with Oder Investment Management
Erik is a partner with Oder Investment Management and has been in the financial services industry for 22 years. He was born in Tokyo, Japan and lived there for 11 years before moving to San Diego. Erik graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Business Specialization. While at UCLA he also played on the golf team. Erik met his wife and fellow board member, Christi, at UCLA and the couple has 2 daughters. Erik is also on the board of directors of the Helmstetter Family Foundation which his parents established to help less fortunate children. Erik’s mother passed away from cancer in 2008 and his father is a cancer survivor, so working with Walk with Sally is something he is very passionate about.
Managing Partner at Inception Financial
Jesse has two decades of finance, business development, and sales expertise spanning multiple industries, with over a decade of leadership positions at numerous clean technology firms including Inception Financial and Tesla. He has been active with Walk With Sally for over a decade and has served as and Advisory Board member for the past five years.
Akerman LLP, Partner
Ellen was born and raised in Chicago, receiving her degree in Business Administration from University of Illinois and from there attending Harvard Law School, graduating magna cum laude in 1991 with classmates Barack Obama and Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. Ellen is an equity partner at Akerman LLP, where she practices commercial litigation handling large complex cases. Ellen was recently recognized among the Los Angeles Business Journal Leaders of Influence – Litigation & Trial Attorneys. Moving to Hermosa Beach in 2014, Ellen first read about Walk With Sally in the Beach Reporter and couldn’t wait to get involved, initially supporting the cause through donations and attending events such as While Light White Night. Once she qualified after her father passed away from kidney cancer in 2017, Ellen completed the training to volunteer as a Walk With Sally Mentor, first mentoring a 15 year old girl whose mom was battling lung cancer. Ellen currently mentors a 13 year old girl whose father succumbed to cancer 2 years ago. Ellen also previously served on the Advisory Board and has enthusiastically led the Strikes for Sheldon team at the Friendship Bowl for several years. Ellen’s passion for Walk With Sally stems in large part from the close knit community throughout all aspects of the organization, and the unique opportunity to become part of another family during difficult times. She is thrilled to join the Board of Directors and is excited about the prospects for growth and expansion of the organization.
Netflix, Senior Director of Advertising
Nicole has spent over two decades in entertainment marketing, connecting consumers and advertisers to the brands they love. Currently at Netflix, she values collaborating with the teams to push creative boundaries to break through. Nicole has been active in Walk With Sally for six years as both an advisory board member and a dedicated mentor to her amazing mentee, Deborah.
Diamond Hill, CIMA, Director – Relationship Management
Ed is the Director of Business Development at Diamond Hill, a Columbus-based asset management firm. Since joining in 2010, he’s been instrumental in building and enhancing client relationships, providing value-add solutions across the firm’s offerings. With over 25 years in the industry, Ed holds a Series 7 and 63 FINRA securities licenses, a CIMA since 2017, and a Bachelor’s in Aviation Technology & Operations.
Outside of work, Ed is deeply involved with Walk With Sally, mentoring since 2016 and joining their board in 2023.
