Board of Directors
RUSSELL HOSSAIN - Chairperson of the Board
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.
Richard Pimentel - CFO & Secretary
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.
PETER BROWNING
Browning Family Foundation & Vice President of Cerritos Acura
Information coming soon.
ERIK HELMSTETTER
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.
STACY HENNINGS
Stacy has been in the Pharmaceutical/Biotech industry for 20 years. She was born and raised in Southern California and graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in BioPsychology. Stacy lost both her Grandmother and Grandfather to cancer and her father is a cancer survivor. Stacy was first introduced to Walk with Sally when fellow Board Member Rich Pimentel introduced her and her husband Erik to Nick Arquette at one of the wonderful South Bay fundraising events. It was then that Stacy knew she needed to be involved with such a compassionate and amazing charity. The positive and lasting impact that WWS has on children and their families is what drives Stacy. She is focused on expanding the reach of WWS, so no child is alone during the cancer journey.
ELLEN ROBBINS
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.
ED VUKMIROVICH
Diamond Hill, CIMA, Director – Relationship Management
Ed serves as Director – Business Development at Diamond Hill, a public (Nasdaq, DHIL), independent active asset management firm based in Columbus, Ohio. Diamond Hill provides valuation-driven investment management services in U.S. equity, international equity, and fixed income to clients including investment advisors, broker/dealers, and institutions.
Ed joined Diamond Hill in 2010. As Director of Business Development, Ed proactively develops, maintains, and enhances the firm’s client relationships by seeking to understand the needs and evolving priorities of the firm’s clients. He provides value-add solutions that leverage the capabilities of the entire firm.
From 2007 to 2010, Ed was a Regional Vice President with Transamerica Investments. From 2005 to 2007, Ed was a Regional Vice President with Old Mutual Investment Partners. From 1999 to 2005, Ed was a Regional Business Consultant with Munder Capital Management. 1997 to 1999, Ed was a Financial Advisor with Prudential Securities. Ed has a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Technology & Operations from Western Michigan University and holds a Series 7 and 63 FINRA securities licenses. Ed obtained his CIMA in 2017 and has 25 years of industry experience which began in 1997 with Prudential Securities as a financial advisor.
Outside of work, Ed has been a mentor with Walk With Sally (WWS) since 2016 and joined their board of directors in 2023. WWS is a non-profit organization supporting children and families impacted by cancer.
