The San Diego Diplomacy Council’s Advisory Board meets periodically to provide expert insights and feedback on the San Diego Diplomacy Council’s programs and strategic initiatives and assist the Council with identifying and fostering new connections and opportunities.
Dean J. Haas
Advisory Board Chair
Dean J. Haas is the principal/owner of DJH Coaching. In his private executive coaching practice, he works with government professionals as well as with clients in the business, educational, healthcare, high tech, think tank and NGO sectors. Dean also serves as a part-time Senior Advisor and Leadership Coach for the U.S. State Department. From 1987 to 2011, Dean served as an officer in the U.S. Foreign Service, retiring with the rank of Minister-Counselor. From 2010-11, he was Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.Read more
Rajan Agarwal
Rajan is Assistant Controller at SDG&E. He has been in the energy sector for over 20 years and has had various leadership position in the area of accounting, finance and income taxes. Prior to Sempra, Rajan was also in public accounting with the accounting firm of Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Aside from his volunteer work with the San Diego Diplomacy Council, Rajan volunteered his time and talents to Coronado School of the Arts Foundation, Grant School Community Foundation, and the San Diego Children’s Choir Parent Association.
Knox Bell
Knox Bell was a business transaction attorney in San Diego for more than 50 years, with the law firm of Gray Cary, now named DLA Piper. The law firm has more than 4,000 attorneys, in more than 45 countries. Knox’s area of legal practice has been focused on entrepreneurial technology companies, and biomedical research organizations.Read more
James C. Clark
James Clark is Managing Director and Director of Development for California/Bajio Associates. C/BA works to link academic, business, and civic enterprises between the Californias (California/Baja California) and the Bajio region of Mexico (Queretaro/Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi, Aguascalientes and Michoacan). Clark is currently serving as a Trustee for the Chula Vista Library Board of Trustees and is Senior Advisor to the Institute of the Americas. Clark is a native of Illinois, and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana with a B.S. in Marketing. Read more
Felena Hanson
Felena is a long-time entrepreneur and marketing maven. Her latest venture, Hera Hub, is a spa-inspired shared workspace and business accelerator for female entrepreneurs. This as-needed, flexible work and meeting space provides a productive environment for growing businesses. Hera Hub members have access to a professional space to meet with clients and to connect and collaborate with like-minded business owners, thus giving them the support they need to be prosperous. Over the last decade, Hera Hub and its family of brands have helped over 13,000 women start or grow their businesses. Hera Hub is a Certified Public Benefit Corporation, which commits the company to higher standards of purpose, accountability, and transparency. Felena is a published author and international speaker. Her book, “Flight Club – Rebel, Reinvent, and Thrive: How to Launch Your Dream Business” is available on Amazon.
Chinyeh Hostler
Chinyeh Hostler was born and raised in Taiwan. After finishing college, she came to the United States to pursue higher education, first studying at Columbia University in New York for a year and a half, later relocating to San Diego. Upon graduating from San Diego State University and working for large financial firms for several years, she realized her deep desire was to travel and to learn about different cultures and people. Thus, she established an import and export company which allowed her to explore many parts of the world. So far, she has been to 150 countries and is eager to visit more.
Chinyeh’s late husband, Charles Hostler, Ph.D., was a distinguished U.S. Ambassador and received medals from 9 countries and 4 religious leaders. She works diligently to carry on his philanthropic legacy at the Charles Hostler Institute on World Affairs at SDSU and the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, among other non-profit organizations. Chinyeh is working on her own philanthropic projects, and is also a member of the Advisory Board of San Diego World Affairs Council.
Kit Ladwig
Kit is a long-time member of the San Diego Diplomacy Council and its predecessor, the International Visitors Council of San Diego. Over the years she and her family have enjoyed entertaining international visitors and had dinner with our Vietnamese IVLP delegates last Friday. Her interest in international relations was sparked by a year spent studying in France on a Fulbright scholarship. She holds a BA and MA in French language and literature and, as a returning adult, studied journalism at San Diego State University.
Fernando Z. López
Fernando Z. López is a transformative leader and dedicated advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, whose career spans over two decades of significant contributions to human rights, social justice, and community empowerment. Originally from rural El Centro, California, López moved to San Diego as a homeless youth in 1999 and has since emerged as a prominent figure in the global LGBTQ+ advocacy community.
Throughout their career, López has held pivotal roles in influential organizations such as Equality California (EQCA), Marriage Equality USA (MEUSA), and the National LGBTQ Task Force. As the former Executive Director of San Diego Pride, López transformed the organization from an event-centric entity into a year-round nexus of LGBTQ+ art, advocacy, and education. Under their leadership, San Diego Pride became recognized as the world’s most philanthropic Pride organization, having contributed over $3.5 million globally.
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Jeremy Martin
Jeremy Martin, Vice President Energy & Sustainability Jeremy M. Martin is Vice President, Energy & Sustainability at the Institute of the Americas, an inter-American public policy think-tank located at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The Institute of the Americas Energy & Sustainability Program works to foster a deeper understanding of the most critical energy issues facing the Western Hemisphere.Read more
Mary McKenzie. J.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Mary McKenzie received her BA from Georgetown University and her MA and PhD in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. More recently, Dr. McKenzie received her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law. During her graduate studies, she spent several years in Germany, where she studied German foreign policy in the context of transatlantic relations. She was also awarded a MacArthur postdoctoral research fellowship at the Peace Research Institute in Frankfurt to investigate international security institutions. In 2001, Dr. McKenzie was selected to participate in an International Faculty Development Seminar on Contemporary Cuba, sponsored by the Council for International Educational Exchange.Read more
Alex Montoya
Alex Montoya is an activist, award-winning public speaker, thought leader, and director of the Alex Montoya Foundation in San Diego who focuses on inspiration, inclusion, and diversity and celebrates disability and immigrant communities. He has written eight books, including a children’s book about inclusion and has a podcast “The Alex Montoya Podcast.”
Alex has won a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the San Diego Hispanic Chamber; was given a Medal of Honor from the Colombian government; and carried the Olympic Torch in 1996. He has delivered his message for audiences including Google, NASA, Harvard, and the NFL’s Denver Broncos. Alex earned his Bachelor Degree at the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s from the University of San Francisco.
Alex is on the Board of Directors for the Gurmilan Foundation, which supports people with disabilities in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. A native of Medellin, Colombia, Alex immigrated as a youth to San Diego, California, where he resides.
Fern P. Nelson M.D.
Born in Detroit Michigan, Dr. Fern P. Nelson graduated from Wellesley College (1975) and University of Michigan Medical School (1980). Her dermatology residency was completed at University of Illinois where she remained as an Assistant Clinical Instructor teaching dermatology residents and students. She served as Division Chair of Dermatology at West Side Veterans Administration Hospital, was well as having a private practice (1984-2000). Dr. Nelson joined the faculty of the Department of Dermatology at UCSD upon her move to southern California in 2002. She was head of medical student education in Dermatology as well as teaching dermatology residents until her recent retirement in 2020. Dr. Nelson is a founding member of the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art, and member of the Balboa Park Conservancy.
Carl Nettleton
Carl Nettleton is an award-winning writer, speaker, and subject matter expert regarding water, climate, sustainability, the ocean, and U.S. Mexico affairs. His consultancy, Nettleton Strategies, helps clients to move toward the future by providing analysis, insight, and strategic problem-solving. He is also the founder of OpenOceans Global, an international NGO focused on the ocean plastic crisis. Carl serves on the national and California advisory councils for Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), a national, nonpartisan group of business owners, investors and others who advocate for policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. He is the co-chair of the San Diego Water Conservation Action Committee (CAC). Business memberships include the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce, Lambda Alpha, the South County Economic Development Council, the Border Philanthropy Partnership, and the Smart Border Coalition. As a member and past president of the Kiwanis Club of San Diego and a board member of the club’s foundation, Carl helps to serve the local community through philanthropy and service.
Sharon Payne
Sharon Payne is currently immersed in the discipline of impact investing and philanthropy with an emphasis on seeking local, national and global solutions which increase equality of opportunity, promote sustainability and eradicate poverty. She has decades of experience as a financial advisor, having operated her own certified financial planning practice specializing in socially responsible investing as well as taking an active role in her family’s real estate investment/management business and family foundation.
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Julia Rauner Guerrero
Julia Rauner Guerrero developed her extensive international business expertise through 35 years of leadership positions with the US Department of Commerce’s US Foreign Commercial Service (USFCS) in the US, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. She is a proven leader of diverse, cross-cultural teams both at US Embassies and through virtual worldwide industry initiatives.Julia retired to her hometown of San Diego, California at the end of 2022 with her husband and nearby their adult children. She volunteers with immigration and environmental entities and serves as a San Diego Diplomacy Council Advisory Board member.
Elena Salsitz
Elena Salsitz has taught International Business Protocol & Diplomacy for 17 years at SDSU. She was selected as Most Influential Professor for the International Business Dept for 3 of the last 6 yrs and was honored at 3 College of Arts and Letters graduation ceremonies. She was also recognized by the Vanguard Group as an Influential Faculty Member, and was awarded Honorary Membership in the Golden Key International Honor Society at SDSU, one of four faculty members selected annually by student Honor Society members. Read more
Jill Schillinger
Ms. Jill Schillinger currently works for the Department of Defense. Jill spent her initial years at a Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) serving as Program Manager for Foreign Military Sales. Jill represented the US government in key foreign policy security assistance efforts, including working to rebuild Bosnia, drug enforcement support in Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia, and development support in Africa. Additionally, she facilitated the successful transfer of all F-111 aircraft spare parts in the Air Force and DLA inventory to Australia. Jill received the Vice-Presidential Hammer Award for Customer Service and DLA Personnel of the Year for her contributions to the agency. Read more
Jonathan Shulman
Jonathan Shulman is the founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Citizenship at La Jolla Country Day School, where he has fostered civic engagement through partnerships with key organizations such as the San Diego Diplomacy Council, the San Diego Historical Center, and the Museum of Us. He also coordinates educational travel opportunities and serves as the Head Teacher-Coach for the Torrey Mock Trial Team. In 2020, Jonathan co-founded the Global Leadership Youth Program in collaboration with the San Diego Diplomacy Council, continuing to inspire youth across San Diego to engage with international experts and multilateral diplomacy simulations.
With a BA in Political Science from Tufts University and a Master’s in War Studies from King’s College London, Jonathan has been an educator for over two decades. He is a former President of the California World History Association and has directed academic programs for high school students at leading universities, including Brown, Georgetown, and Penn’s Wharton Global Youth Program.
Jonathan’s dedication to education and civic engagement has earned him several honors, including the 2018 La Jolla Rotary Educator of the Year and the 2021 Bak’d Apple Award, the highest distinction at La Jolla Country Day School. A movie enthusiast, Jonathan co-produced and directed the documentary Minyan In Kaifeng, about the descendants of China’s ancient Jewish community.
Yen Tu
Yen Tu was born in Saigon, Vietnam and came to the United States as a refugee with her family in 1977. She is one of 10 children. A San Diego resident since 1978, she graduated from UCSD in 1990 with a BA degree in Chinese Studies. Yen owns a consulting business focused on marketing, community outreach and special events. Her clients include the Chinese Historical Museum, City of San Diego, BAME CDC, Asian Business Association, Center City Development Corporation (CCDC), San Diego Chinese Center, I Love a Clean San Diego, and Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair. Read more