Valerie Lezin

Founder, President, Lead Docent

Valerie Lezin has been sharing artifacts from around the world with students since 1990. She combined her long-standing interest in other cultures and new-found teaching skills to prepare multicultural events at the local public schools her children attended.

Ms. Lezin has been recognized for her many volunteer efforts. In 1999, she received the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. The Los Angeles Tenth District California Congress of Parents, Teachers and Students awarded her Volunteer of the Year in 2003. Ms. Lezin earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communications from Stanford University. She earned her Juris Doctor from University of Illinois.

Jennifer Chiang

Member of the Board

Jennifer Chiang is an associate in the Trial and Global Disputes practice group in the Los Angeles office of international law firm King & Spalding LLP.  Jennifer represents clients in complex commercial and securities litigation as well as governmental regulatory and enforcement proceedings.  She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley (Go Bears!) and her Juris Doctor from Fordham Law School in New York, New York.

Upon returning to Los Angeles, Jennifer was introduced to and inspired by CCMM’s vision of developing awareness, understanding, and respect for cultural diversity.  She is honored to be part of CCMM’s efforts to bring its vital educational programs to students across the greater Los Angeles area.

Lisa Gaynor

Member of the Board

With a wide range of professional and volunteer endeavors, Lisa has exceptional insight into the human experience. In both settings, Lisa has been dedicated to increasing community awareness of the issues and challenges facing the underprivileged in our community. She has volunteered for many organizations, spanning services related to mental health, addiction and recovery, healthcare, hospice, and education.

With certificates in nonprofit development and fundraising from Loyola Marymount University and UCLA, and experience as a nonprofit consultant, Lisa is a valuable asset to the many organizations with which she works.

Donald Goldman

Secretary and Treasurer

Donald Goldman is a retired partner of the international law firm McDermott, Will & Emery. A former Deputy Attorney General for the State of California, in private practice he specialized in health care law, representing large health care companies including many non-profit institutions. He served on his firm’s management, executive, and compensation committees. He is a co-founder of CCMM and serves in a volunteer capacity as a board member and as CFO.

Mr. Goldman completed both his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and his Juris Doctor from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Murray Heltzer

Member of the Board

Murray Heltzer has always been a part of the Los Angeles community. He, along with his wife Gail, attended Fairfax High School and UCLA, where he studied political science and accounting. For 20 years, Murray was an executive in the savings and loan industry, followed by another 10 years as a consultant to savings and loans, commercial banks and FSLIC. In 1990, Murray turned his attention to the world of law firm administration, and he completed his career at McDermott, Will and Emery (where he worked with CCMM founder Don Goldman).

Volunteer work has been an important part of Murray’s life. He is a former board member of the Los Angeles Fair Housing Congress and the San Fernando Valley Fair Housing Council. Since retiring in 2012, he has served on the board for the Therapeutic Learning Center for the Blind. He also volunteers for Center Theater Group and for the Museum of Tolerance. He is also an active volunteer for CCMM.

Marlene Wagner

Member of the Board

Dr. Marlene Wagner’s career as a senior administrator at the University of Southern California spanned more than three decades. She is currently engaged in an “encore career,” guiding memoirists to write their autobiographies around prescribed themes. She teaches Thematic Autobiography in the USC Emeriti College and also privately.

A board member for Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum, she is also on the boards of the Phi Kappa Phi All-University Honor Society, USC Chapter; the USC Saks Institute for Law, Mental Health and Ethics; and formerly the YWCA Santa Monica/Westside.