Board of Directors
Duke Sobek
Board Chair
Chief of Staff and General Manager for the Neighborhood House Association (NHA)
Duke Sobek is Chief of Staff and General Manager for the Neighborhood House Association (NHA) which is one of the largest multi-purpose human service organizations in San Diego County, focusing on health, youth, child development, seniors, mental health, and nutrition. He oversees NHA’s Employee Wellness Program and Nutritional Services Program which serves nutritional meals to six thousand people a day (1,000,000 a year) to low-income children and seniors throughout San Diego County. He oversees NHA’s Safety Program, which has been recognized by the insurance industry due to a consistent annual drop in the number of employee accidents. Sobek came to NHA with extensive experience in the field of hospitality management including over 30 years with Atlas Hotels, Inc. He was Vice President and General Manager of the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego from 1990-2008, directing the operations of the 1,000-room flagship property. As Director of Operations for Azul Hospitality Group in San Diego from 2008-2010, he was responsible for establishing, overseeing, and evaluating operational procedures to ensure superior customer service and effective resource management policies for all properties and resorts in development. He has a proven track record of maximizing efficient management in such varied fields as finance, marketing, operational analysis, human resources, and customer service. In 2016 he was recognized by California Head Start as the Safety Ambassador of the Year for the implementation of an exemplary safety program at NHA.
Sobek is a current member of San Diego Rotary Club and has served as Co- Membership Chair, Membership Chair, Senior Services Co- Chair and and serves on numerous committees, which are committed to the community, for one of the largest Rotary Clubs in the world. In 2019 he joined the Board of Directors of Generate Hope, an anti-human sex trafficking organization. He currently serves as Chairperson of The Board. Duke has served on various civic boards including March of Dimes, Project Employment Opportunity, Ronald McDonald House, and Accessible San Diego. He was the past president of The San Diego Hotel and Motel Association and has served on the San Diego Convention Center Corporation Board of Directors for twelve years, serving on two Super Bowl Executive Committees. He was the recipient of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau 2004 Partnership of the Year Award and in 1996 was recognized by the San Diego Hotel and Motel Association as Hotelier of the Year. He is a past Regional Commissioner of the American Youth Soccer Organization and youth sports coach for many years. He served two terms as President of the Tierrasanta Lutheran Church Council.
Sobek received his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management at Arizona State University.
Sobek resides in San Diego and is married to Carol, retired Head Counselor for San Diego Unified School District. They have two adult children, Randy who is an Executive with LAZ Parking Company, and Allison Roach (Riverside County Deputy District Attorney), the mother of his two grandchildren, ages 13 and 15. Duke is an ex-college athlete and avid sports and fitness fan, particularly watching his grandchildren play youth sports.
Justine K. Wong
Partner
Higgs, Fletcher, Mack
Secretary
Justine Wong is an Intellectual Property Attorney at Higgs Fletcher Mack (HFM). Justine represents clients in corporate and intellectual property materials, working to protect her clients’ work product and brand identities.
With a Master of Science Degree in biology, Ms. Wong truly understands the biotech and life sciences space and has the ability to expertly navigate developing industries. Prior to
joining HFM, she founded Innovative IP Solutions, PC, where she represented start-up companies with their domestic and international intellectual property matters and managed their worldwide intellectual property portfolios. Her other experience includes prosecuting medical device patents at NuVasive, Inc. and serving as a law clerk with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Civil Division.
While in law school, Ms. Wong served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Nita L. Stormes, where she drafted orders and reports and recommendations for complex civil cases. She is the recipient of an Academic Excellence Award in Advanced Negotiation, Federal Income Tax and Patent Law from her alma mater, California Western School of Law. Ms. Wong was selected to the 2021 and 2022 Best Lawyers in America© “Ones to Watch” list, recognizing lawyers who have been in private practice between five and ten years. This award highlights the most promising younger lawyers in the country.
Justine is a member of the State Bar of California Association, International Trademark Association, International Association of Privacy Professionals and San Diego Rotary, Club 33 Co-Chair, Rotary Cares.
Quyen Leba, CPA
Partner
Duffy Kruspodin, LLP
Treasurer
Quyen is a Tax Partner in DK’s La Jolla office and a leader of its International Tax and Professional Services practice groups. He is also an active member of the Firm’s Real Estate practice groups.
Quyen is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. He was also the Treasurer for the Kiwanis Club of South Bay.
Quyen graduated from Colgate University with a BA in History – not the typical background for a CPA. However, his history degree has given him skills that have made it easier for him to tackle whatever challenges he faces in the professional world.
Mary G. Colacicco, Ph.D.
Nonprofit and small business executive
Mary Colacicco is an experienced nonprofit executive with 30+ years of operational experience in the San Diego community. In additional to her experience as president of a national nonprofit, she was Chair of the San Diego County Regional Task Force on the Homeless for ten years where she was responsible for assisting in the development and implementation of programs for the unhoused, battered women and those in poverty.
For several years, Mary was a co-owner of a boutique executive search firm focused on the life sciences and nonprofit spaces. Here she was instrumental in leading CEO searches for nonprofit organizations including Alzheimer’s San Diego and the American Lung Association of San Diego and Imperial counties.
She is currently a member of the Board of the San Diego Council on Literacy and on the Board of the Rotary Club of San Diego. Her Rotary experience includes the Peace Committee, the Projects Allocations Committee and the San Diego Rotary Stem Scholarship Committee. Her corporate involvements locally have included board participation in Nonprofit Solutions and Rachel’s Women’s Center/House of Rachel.
Her local and national awards include: The John V. Naish Award of Honor for Distinguished Volunteer service (United Way); the Ben Polak Award of Excellence for Outstanding Professional Leadership (United Way); and a Certificate of Appreciation (UCSD Cancer Center Foundation).
Mary received her Ph.D. from Purdue University and her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia University.
Vicki Gee Horiye
Marketing Executive
Vicki Gee Horiye is a marketer by passion with more than 30 years of corporate, non-profit, and leadership experience, including Fortune 100 and 500 companies. For 18 years, she served as the Director of Brand Marketing at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) – the global leader of education, laboratory services, and research for the gem and jewelry industry that is most well-known for creating the 4Cs of Diamond Quality (Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat Weight). Vicki has also served as Director of Marketing at Del Mar Database (now Fiserv, Inc.); Associate Product Marketing Manager at Kimberly-Clark Corporation; and Assistant Vice President of Marketing at Scripps Bank (now U.S. Bank).
Vicki is a member of San Diego Rotary. While she serves on several committees, her greatest dedication is chairing the Rotary Cares Committee, a club service group that offers member support through outreach and rideshares, along with expanding to new offerings to reinvent the level of service provided to the club’s members. She is also a member of the Asian Business Association Foundation Scholarship Committee. Vicki has also given her time to the San Diego Foundation, Jackie Robinson YMCA, and Francis Parker School.
Vicki received both a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and a Community Economic Development Practitioner’s Certificate from San Diego State University (SDSU). She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of California San Diego (UCSD).
In her spare time, Vicki enjoys trying new recipes, both cooking and baking. She has recently taken up lettering, which is artfully drawing letters. While Vicki is passionate about her career and involvement in the community, her greatest loves are her husband, Joe, and their son, Carter.
Susan Lew
President & CEO
Lew & Associates, Inc.
Susan Lew is the President and CEO of S. Lew & Associates, Inc. Born in Canton China, she spent her childhood in Hong Kong before immigrating to the United States in 1965. Ms. Lew embarked on a successful career in Real Estate, banking and the restaurant business, holding leadership roles such as:
- Managing a Real Estate Investment Portfolio of assets across Western United States
- Advisory Board of Director for U.S. Bank
- Board of Director for former Bank of Commerce
- Board of Director of former 1st Pacific Bank
- Founder & owner of Former Emerald Restaurant and Pearl Chinese Cuisine
Over the last four decades, Ms. Lew has served on the boards of over 30 non-profit organizations, including a previous term on the UPAC Board, demonstrating her deep commitment to community and public service.
Wendy McKinney
President & CEO
Actuate Solutions
A trusted leader in business and non-profits, a mission driven executive, an author, a co-pastor in ministry and a dedicated wife and mother of three, Wendy McKinney has mastered how to prioritize work, family and a life of service. As the former Chief Development Officer for the American Red Cross, the San Diego History Center and Development Director for the Neighborhood House Association, she raised millions to benefit the San Diego region. As a former Financial Services Executive for AIG, she successfully led the sales and marketing team. For over 30 years, she has trained hundreds in leadership through conferences, coaching, retreats and motivational speaking. As a dedicated volunteer and community connector she serves on several non-profit boards and committees including San Diego Rotary Club 33, Goodwill of San Diego, Just in Time for Foster Youth, Generate Hope serving survivors of sex trafficking, and UCSD’s Community Advisory Board for the Black Women’s Alzheimer’s Study, to name a few.
Wendy currently spearheads the San Diego History Center’s Missing Pieces Project which is designed to launch the first, ever, digital exhibit showcasing San Diego’s African-American history. Wendy and her husband Pastor George McKinney have served in ministry together for over 30 years focusing on the areas of marriage, family, finance and seniors, covering San Diego and the Inland Empire.
Wendy earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from UCLA and a Non-Profit Executive Leadership Certification from the University of Michigan.
Golby Rahimi Saylor, M.S., MFT
Executive Director
The Chadwick Center at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego
Golby Rahimi Saylor is the Executive Director of the Chadwick Center for Children and Families at Rady Children’s Health in San Diego. A licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Golby brings 25 years of experience in direct service and leadership within mental health programs, primarily focused on children’s systems of care.
She joined Rady Children’s in 2021 as Clinical Director of Operations at the Chadwick Center, supporting the Children’s Advocacy Center’s clinical programming. Previously, she served as Vice President of Clinical Services at a San Diego-based agency, overseeing programs for Children, Youth and Families, as well as Employment Services.
Golby earned her Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from San Diego State University and has been licensed since 2010. Her clinical and supervisory approach is grounded in social constructionist theory, emphasizing the role of cultural values and beliefs in shaping experiences and therapeutic relationships. She has taught Law and Ethics in SDSU’s MFT program, integrating cultural and institutional values into ethical decision-making frameworks.
Golby actively participates in Behavioral Health Services workgroups, including serving as President of the Mental Health Contractors Association Executive Board and co-chairing the BHS Financial Workgroup.