COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

I am the recipient of several service awards from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and other victim advocacy centers for my investigating children’s child abuse and physical and sexual abuse of children.

• Recognized as volunteer of the year by the Ocean View School District for service to Starview Elementary School for 14 years.
• Board member of the executive board team of the local AYSO region for 6 years.
• Coached Youth soccer in a local American Youth Soccer Organization AYSO for over 15 years along with being a referee.
• Partnered with several community based organizations such as MADD, Crime Survivors, Peace Over Violence.

WORK

Decorated Detective for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and retired from the force after nearly 30 years of service, where I investigated, arrested, and helped prosecute some of the nation’s most dangerous criminals.

I began a new chapter of my career as a Senior Detective at a personal injury firm in Glendale, California. My experience includes years of investigating and closing sex crime cases and now assist the law group accordingly, given the surge in lawsuits filed following the passage of AB218.

ELECTED EXPERIENCE

President of the Parent Teacher Organization. Among other things, As PTO President, I ran meetings, help create fundraising events and help support our teachers with school supplies and provided volunteering hours.

COMMUNITY MEETS HOME

My family and I Foster parented two boys.  With a background in investigating crime inflicted on children and a growing need in our county for foster parents, my family and I chose to provide a home, love and support to children entering the foster care system.

Foster family to Vietnamese and Hispanic boys. Through our time together, I realized that one of them longed for a dad as he had never known his father.  He became a part of our family for a year, giving him a home and our hearts. I’m happy to report that his biological father was found, they were united and he then left to be with his biological father.

The nationalities of these boys are insignificant with the expectation of value and appreciation of different cultures.  Although I investigated crimes and assisted children of all cultures throughout my 30-year career, it was the role of a foster parent where I was able to spend extended amounts of time, learn from the children, and I discovered that my family needed them more than they needed us.  It helped us appreciate each other and helped us realize that we did this for a greater reward, God’s reward.