Board Members

• CRB Seeks Nominees for Board (PDF)

The Citizens' Review Board on Police Practices is comprised of twenty-three (23) members who represent a diverse cross section of San Diego's citizens. Board members were appointed by the Mayor to serve terms of one year. The Mayor also appointed a high ranking civilian employee as Executive Director to the Board.

Additionally, up to twenty-three (23) members may be appointed each year as prospective members. These prospective members attend Board meetings and receive training but cannot vote on cases. They are appointed to the voting Board as vacancies occur.

If you are interested in applying for Board appointment, call the Citizens' Review Board Coordinator at (619) 236-6296 or email a letter stating your interest in serving and attach a current resume or biography that includes your name, address, and phone number to citizensreviewboard@sandiego.gov. Your name will be put on a list to receive information during the next recruitment period.

Brief Member Profiles

FY-2010 EXECUTIVE TEAM

Sandra I. Arkin
Chair

Strategic Planning Consultant. Ms. Arkin works with not-for-profit organizations as a facilitator in strategic planning, governance and fundraising. She is affiliated with numerous community based organizations including LEAD San Diego, where she was the 1996 Graduate of the Year. Appointed 01/01/2005

Daniel H. Frazee
1st Vice Chair

Deputy Director, Airport Noise Mitigation, San Diego Regional Airport Authority. Mr. Frazee has many years experience in aviation and airport operations. He is also trained as a counselor and mediator and has a broad background in crisis counseling and conflict resolution both as a practitioner and trainer. Appointed 07/01/2005

James E. Kaese
2nd Vice Chair

Managing Member and Co-Founder of Athletic-Minded Traveler, LLC, a web based health and wellness company that provides premium content to individuals and Fortune 500 corporations. Mr. Kaese, an attorney, is the former Founder and President of a Chicago law firm bearing his name. After tremendous growth, his law firm merged with another Chicago firm in 2001. He is a former sponsored All-American triathlete, Triathlete magazine Travel Columnist, and Business Travel columnist for Inc.com. Mr. Kaese received a B.S. in Finance from Indiana University-Bloomington and his J.D. from DePaul University in Chicago. Appointed 07/01/2005

TEAM 1

P. Darrel Harrison

Darrel Harrison is a Tenured Professor and Department Chair at Miramar College. He developed and manages the ABA Approved Para-Legal Program at the college. He also manages the same program at City College. He is a former Marine Corps Drill Instructor and has MBA and Juris Doctor degrees. He is a graduate of LEAD San Diego. Appointed 08/3/2007

Lucille Pearson

Retired University of California San Diego official, serving 14 of her 33 years at UCSD as Director and Associate Director of the Human Research Protections Program. The Human Research Protections Program is a regulatory office that promoted high quality, ethical research while serving as advocates for the rights and welfare of persons who participated in UCSD research. She is a member of the Latino-American Political Association (LAPA), currently holding the office of Vice President. Appointed 07/01/2008

Aya Malhas-Kassidi

Aya works in the field of media and communications. She has focused on multiculturalism and has considerable international experience. She received her B.S. in Marketing from San Diego State University and she is currently pursuing an MBA in International Business. Aya is affiliated with several San Diego based nonprofit organizations and spends many hours volunteering. Appointed 01/01/2009

TEAM 2

James Herrera

James Herrera has been a resident of City Heights for 18 years. He has been employed by Solar Turbines for 26 years. He is active in neighborhood affairs as a member of the Mid-City Community Court and the Prostitution Impact Panel. He has two grown children and two grandchildren. He has for many years been a High School Football Referee and Baseball Umpire. Appointed 08/03/2007.

Stuart Simmons

Mr. Simmons was appointed Executive Director of Congregation Beth Israel of San Diego in January 1988 and served in that capacity until his retirement in June 2007. At that time, he was honored with the title Executive Director Emeritus, only the third professional staff person to receive such designation in the 140+ year history of the Congregation. He is a former Board member and retired senior member of the National Association of Temple Administrators and a past member of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Inter-Agency Safety & Security Committee. From 1970 to 1987, he worked in Los Angeles at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple serving in the dual positions, of Assistant Executive Director and Administrative Director of its two resident summer camps. From 1965 to 1968 he served on active duty in the U. S. Navy during which time he was deployed twice to Danang, Vietnam for a cumulative total of fourteen months with a Navy Seabee Battalion. For seven of those months he performed language interpreter duties working with the Battalion Chaplain and Medical Staff. Appointed 07/01/2008

Benetta Buell-Wilson

Ms. Buell-Wilson is a native San Diegan, and has undergraduate degrees in German and Microbiology and a Masters of Education degree in cross cultural language and academic development and holds a teaching credential. She worked in biomedical, clinical and forensic laboratories and as an educator. She is currently a small business owner and an advocate for consumers and people with disabilities. Appointed 08/21/2009

TEAM 3

Dian Black

Ms. Black, a certified Paralegal, is a legislative advocate, experienced in research, review, and evaluation of existing public policy and regulatory measures. Her areas of expertise include Consumer Affairs, Health Care and Public Safety. Appointed 07/01/2004

Charles W. Kim, Jr.

Mr. Kim is an Attorney with Yelman and Associates. He has been extensively involved in community and legal affairs in San Diego. He served as a member and Chair of the Citizens' Advisory Board on Police Community Relations, has been an Adjunct Professor at University of San Diego, Thomas Jefferson and California Western Law Schools. He is a Past President of the Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego and Asian Pacific Bar of California. Appointed 07/01/2006.

Jude Litzenberger

A retired U.S. Navy officer and trial attorney with the San Diego based Law Offices of Judith A. Litzenberger. Her practice primarily assists service members and veterans in a variety of courts/boards including courts-martial throughout the country. Jude also recruits, trains and coordinates attorney volunteers who staff the legal tent advising homeless veteran clients annually through Operation Stand Down. She served two years as Chairperson of the Military Law Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association, and is an appointed Community Advisory Board member at the UCSD Injury & Traumatic Stress Clinical Consortium. Past community service includes six years on the board of Walden Family Services, a treatment level foster care and adoption agency serving special needs children. Jude is also a speaker and writer advocating for solutions that treat combat stress (PTSD) and prevent homelessness among veterans. Appointed 03/04/2009.

TEAM 4

Kathryn Vandenheuvel

Ms. Vandenheuvel is an Environmental Engineer with Tetra Tech EMI of San Diego. She is a graduate of Cornell University and a member of the San Diego Chapter of the Women's Environmental Council, Association of Hazardous Materials Professionals, Golden Hill CDC and the Society of American Military Engineers. Appointed 07/01/2005.

Myra Tetsuko Harada, Ph.D.

Academic Manager, Curriculum and Instructional Services, San Diego Community College District. Dr. Harada has been an educator and educational administrator in San Diego since 1977. She is a graduate of LEAD San Diego and previously served the City of San Diego as a Parks Commissioner. Her professional affiliations include; American Association of Higher Education, Association of California Community College Administrators and the Asian-Pacific Administrators in Higher Education. Appointed 07/01/2006.

James D. Bray

Jim Bray is a retired US Navy Captain and Gulf War veteran with over 26 years of experience in various Command and Staff positions, including command of USS TARAWA (LHA-1), an Amphibious Assault Ship, with a crew of over 1,000. Currently a Visiting Teacher with the San Diego Unified School District. Previous community involvement includes: Distinguished Lieutenant Governor for 16 San Diego East County Kiwanis clubs, PTA President and School Site Council Rep, Website Developer and Webmaster and Assistant Coach of Patrick Henry High School Varsity Tennis. Holds a Master of Arts in National Security Affairs. He is a 17-year resident of the San Carlos community. Appointed 08/21/2009.

TEAM 5

Barbara J. Penn

Mrs. Penn is a retired Civil Rights Coordinator and Investigator with the San Diego County Health and Human Services Department. The grandmother of 4, she is a long time community volunteer in San Diego. Appointed 07/01/2005.

Yuki Marsden

Business Officer at UCSD's California Institute for Telecommunications & Information Technology (Calit2). She currently oversees the administrative and operational activities of programs involving multi-million budgets and has over 18 years of experience in financial and budgetary management for public and private business entities. She is a graduate of LEAD San Diego. Appointed 02/01/2008.

Briggett Mitchell

Briggett Mitchell is a highly motivated and results-driven professional with more than 24 years experience in the health care industry. Ms. Mitchell has served as a Service Representative for Kaiser Permanente in San Diego since 1985. In this role, Ms. Mitchell participates in various coordination and communications capacities while also scheduling patient surgeries, coordinating special equipment for the General Surgery Department, and interacting with diverse health care professionals including physicians and staff. In May 2009, Ms. Mitchell received a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resources from the University of Phoenix. She is also currently active with Stand Up for Kids San Diego, an organization serving San Diego's homeless and at-risk youth. Appointed 10/28/2009.

TEAM 6

William R. Yee

Mr. Yee is an Associate Project Manager with the Center City Development Corporation. Educated at Santa Barbara City College and San Diego State University he has lived in San Diego for 20 years. He is a member of the International Right of Way Association and a committee chair of the local chapter. Appointed 01/10/2005.

Caroleen L. Williams

Vice President, Government and Media Relations, QUASAR Federal Systems. Ms. Williams has many years experience in government and industry. She has served in senior staff positions in both the US Senate and House of Representatives and was a long time Foreign Service officer with the Department of State. Appointed 07/01/2006.

David Brown

David L. Brown is an environmental scientist with over twelve years experience in the environmental consulting field. Mr. Brown has participated in and managed emergency responses, fund-lead and PRP-lead removal actions, federal disaster response, and enforcement response. He earned a BS in Geography/Environmental Science at Western Kentucky University. Appointed 11/01/2007.

TEAM 7

James E. Kaese

Managing Member and Co-Founder of Athletic-Minded Traveler, LLC, a web based health and wellness company that provides premium content to individuals and Fortune 500 corporations. Mr. Kaese, an attorney, is the former Founder and President of a Chicago law firm bearing his name. After tremendous growth, his law firm merged with another Chicago firm in 2001. He is a former sponsored All-American triathlete, Triathlete magazine Travel Columnist, and Business Travel columnist for Inc.com. Mr. Kaese received a B.S. in Finance from Indiana University-Bloomington and his J.D. from DePaul University in Chicago. Appointed 07/01/2005.

Nancee S. Schwartz

Attorney in private practice. She served on the Rampart Independent Review Panel as a member of the Disciplinary Committee which analyzed the work of the Internal Affairs Division of LAPD. Ms. Schwartz has served on the Boards of Senior Community Centers, United Jewish Federation and The Ecology Center as well as several others. Appointed 01/31/02.

Harry J. Bonnell, M.D.

Forensic Pathology Consultant. Dr. Bonnell is the former Chief Deputy Medical Examiner for the County of San Diego. He is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the National Association of Medical Examiners. He is an Associate Clinical Professor, Pathology, UCSD Medical School. Dr. Bonnell was recognized as Physician of the Year by the San Diego County Child Abuse Coordinating Committee in 1999. Appointed 07/01/2005.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Patrick A. Hunter

Mr. Hunter was appointed Executive Director of the Citizens' Review Board on Police Practices (CRB) for the City of San Diego in September 2007. He became involved in civilian oversight of law enforcement in 1997, accepting appointment as a Board Member on the CRB. During his 8-year tenure he served on Board committees dealing with Training, Outreach, Rules and Regulations, and Policy; chairing both the Training and Policy Committees. Mr. Hunter was elected Chair of the CRB for the 2003-2005 terms. While still serving with the CRB he was appointed to the County of San Diego Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) where he served from March 2005 until September 2007, serving as the CLERB Board Secretary in 2006-2007.