Pathways of Hope is led by a Board of Directors who provides the vision for a North Orange County community free from hunger and homelessness. Our Board is charged with sustaining our supporters’ trust in Pathways of Hope and maintaining the agency’s commitment to excellence in program operation and financial management. Our Board represents Pathways of Hope in the community and diversifies our supporting networks to increase our agency’s capacity for collective impact.
Executive Committee Members
Tom Pankow assumed the Chair role at Pathways on January 1, 2020. He has served continuously on the Board as Treasurer since October 2011. Tom is a retired financial executive, having worked in the supermarket industry in Southern California for over twenty-five years. Tom and his wife Carol have deep roots in the Fullerton community. Their children grew up in Fullerton and attended Fullerton public schools. Tom and Carol are both active in many local community organizations. Tom believes strongly in giving back to the community. Serving on Pathways Board provides opportunities to help address the challenges of homelessness and food insecurity in North Orange County.
Eric Higuchi served at Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. He is on the Board of Directors for HomeAid Orange County, and the Advisory and Management Committees for the Urban Land Institute Orange County District Council. Eric supports Pathways of Hope because he believes that we, as a community, have the resources to end homelessness in Orange County.
Tim Carey is a Technical Sales Leader for IBM with over 30 years of working in Analytics and Information Technology to help organizations reach greater analytical capabilities within their businesses. Tim grew up in the Fullerton area and graduated from University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from the Business School and a Master’s Degree in Information Management Science from California State University of Fullerton. Tim follows in the footsteps of his mother, Fran Carey, who was a tireless champion of helping people less fortunate with her many years of service at Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Services (FIES) and Pathways of Hope. He believes in Pathways of Hope’s mission which is dedicated to ending hunger and homelessness for people who are struggling in North Orange County and to work together with other community members to further this important cause.
Sonny Kothari graduated in 1990 from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has been a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch since 1990. Sonny has been a resident of Fullerton since 2001. He has been married to his high school sweetheart for 26 years, and the couple have three daughters together. Sonny believes in Pathways of Hope’s mission to lead a community effort to end hunger and homelessness in North Orange County and is proud to serve on the board of directors.
Members at Large
John was the Emeritus Dean of Library and Learning Resources at Fullerton College. He serves as a Chairperson of Fullerton College Friends of the Library, Chariperson of NOCCCD Chancellor’s Latino Advisory Committee, Member of the School Advisory Board for Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in La Habra, Member of the Catholic Diocese of Orange County and OLG Parish Immigration committees, Member of Los Amigos of OC Education Committee, former Chairperson of Rosie’s Garage After School Learning Center in La Habra, Docent tour ministry (bilingual) for Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, and a Member of REFORMA OC Spanish Speaking Library services professional group. John’s belief in helping the poor and less fortunate is faith and family-based. That’s why he serves as a member of the Pathways of Hope Board of Directors.
Tim Houchen is formerly homeless, having lived at the Santa Ana Civic Center between 2011 and 2015. In 2013 Tim was a co-founder of the grass roots organization known as the Civic Center Roundtable which consisted of homeless persons there with the purpose of representing the homeless community and bringing important resources that previously were not available to homeless persons there. In 2015, Tim was placed in Permanent Supportive Housing and soon founded the nonprofit organization, Hope 4 Restoration, where he now serves as the Executive Director. Tim served as co-chair of the CoC’s Homeless Provider Forum in 2018. He now lives in Anaheim and serves the City of Anaheim as a Commissioner of the Housing & Community Development Board. Tim has been the lead organizer in events recognizing National Homeless Persons Memorial Day since 2014. Tim believes that it is important to share his personal lived experience to further solutions to end homelessness.
Darren Jones is a technology executive at The Walt Disney Company where he has worked for the past thirteen years. At Disney, Darren manages the Enterprise Technology Client Engagement organization that provides technology solutions, services, strategies, roadmaps, investments and relationships in support of all Disney business Segments. Darren and his wife Tanya have raised their family in Fullerton and they support many community and educational endeavors in the city. Darren is a proud 1991 graduate of Cal State Fullerton with a Bachelors in Business Administration and he also holds a MBA in Marketing from Wayne State University in Michigan. Darren is honored to join the Pathways of Hope Board and support its important mission to end hunger and homelessness in our community.
Leslie Kaku-Sima has spent her entire career in the real estate industry. With over 30 years of real estate experience she has worked at CBRE Global Investors as the Director of Property Operations, and served as the Director of Transaction Management for CBRE’s Global Corporate Services group, working for top Fortune 50 companies managing their real estate portfolios. Prior to that, she was responsible for closing multi-family, affordable housing tax credit (LIHTC, Section 42) investments under commitment for institutional investors. Before that, she was responsible for the asset management of a diverse, commercial retail portfolio for pension funds.Leslie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.B.A from the University of California, Irvine. She lives in Orange County, CA is married to Robert Sima and has two sons, Mitchell and Bryan. She wanted to help her community and started volunteering for Pathways back in 2012 in a variety of assignments, from stuffing mailer envelopes to helping out at the HUB. She is honored and excited to help further Pathways mission to end food insecurity and homelessness in North Orange County.
Shannon Mandich is an attorney with Sheppard Mullin in Costa Mesa, California. She grew up in Orange County and attended the University of California, Irvine, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Economics and International Studies. She later attended the University of San Diego School of Law, where she received her Juris Doctor degree. Shannon practices real estate law, with an emphasis in common interest and mixed-use development and is an active member of the building industry in Orange County. She is honored to serve with other members of the Board and staff of Pathways of Hope who are all dedicated to the mission of ending hunger and homelessness in our community. Shannon lives in Foothill Ranch with her husband Greg Cronin and their cocker spaniel rescue dog.
Jo-Anne is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, whose parents immigrated from Haiti. She is a retired Registered Nurse who also holds a degree in Healthcare Management. Jo-Anne and her husband, Howard, have lived in Fullerton for the past 30 years and raised their two daughters Stephanie and Michelle through the elementary school at St. Juliana Falconieri and Rosary High School. Jo-Anne is very involved in the community. She was an active member of the Fullerton Chapter of National Charity League for 11 years, and among other offices, she served as the President. Committed to eliminating hate in Orange County, she is a member of the Orange County Human Relations Commission. As a licensed Zumba instructor, Jo-Anne teaches classes at St. Jude Wellness. She also volunteers her time teaching classes to teens at Crittenton Services for Children and Families and teaches adults at Higher Ground Orange County Family Services. Jo-Anne has received many honors and awards for her philanthropic endeavors, including being named California Assembly District 65 Woman of the Year.Jo-Anne’s passion for helping others goes hand in hand with the mission of Pathways of Hope. She is impressed with the great success of Pathways in rebuilding the lives of so many families in our community.
Lety Rodriguez was born and raised in Anaheim, California. Her parents came from Mexico and instilled the value of education, hard work and giving back to those in need at a very young age. She has lived in Fullerton for the past 16 years with her husband of 27 years and two children. She served on the Hermosa Elementary School Site Council, PTA and volunteered for the FIES HUB at Richman Park which left a strong impression as she witnessed firsthand how much need there was in her community. She also served on the boards for her children’s Fullerton Union High School Athletics Booster Clubs. Lety graduated from The University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Arts and Sciences. She has worked in Spanish Language Media for 31 years. For the past 20 years she has been a Multi-Media Platform Account Executive for Univision Communications, Inc., a company who proudly delivers on their responsibility to the communities they serve. Lety is eager and honored to serve on the Pathways of Hope Board to support their mission which is dedicated to ending hunger and homelessness in North Orange County.