Serving
Riverside County
President – Tammie Blackmore (Riverside Council) has been involved in PTA for 19 years. She has served in most positions including unit president, council president, and vice president for 23rd District PTA. Tammie also served for a year on the California State PTA Board of Managers when she was the state PTA convention chairman. Married for 28 years, Tammie has one son, Steven who is a local EMT. Tammie is currently serving at the unit, council and district PTA levels. She would like to encourage all parents to be more proactive in issues encouraging student success and parent involvement. She also enjoys scrapbooking and cardmaking, and has been a scrapbook consultant for 19 years.
Vice President – Bennee Hetzner (Riverside Council) has been involved with PTA for 19 years and has served at the unit, council and district levels of PTA as a unit president, treasurer, parliamentarian, and VP of programs. Bennee is a past council president for Riverside Council, as well as leadership vice president, and most recently as their parliamentarian. Bennee is also a past district parliamentarian and regional liaison. She has been married to her husband Tim for 26 years and has two son's, Andrew (23) is a Midshipman at the United States Naval Academy who will graduate and commission as a Naval officer May of 2010, and Matt (20) is attending RCC. Matt is working toward a career as a Fireman. She enjoys working on her stained glass, gardening, traveling, and spending quality time with family.
Leadership Director - Sandra Ramirez (Riverside Council) is a mother of six who has been happily married for 20 years. Her PTA career began 13 years ago as secretary for a unit in Jurupa. She has served as Membership VP, Programs VP at the elementary level and President at the elementary, middle and high school levels. For Riverside Council Sandra has held the positions of Leadership VP and Programs VP and last year she organized a fabulous event for 23rd District's annual dinner. Sandra serves in her church as Children's Ministries Director and in a local Bible Study.
Membership Director -- LaDonna Jempson (Moreno Valley Council) has been married to Jackie for 24 years and has four children, all graduates, who were previously active with PTSA. She is the immediate past President of Moreno Valley Council PTA. In addition to being Membership Director and Scholarship Chair for 23rd District PTA, LaDonna serves as the Moreno Valley Council Legislative Chair. She is the Secretary of Moreno Valley's Promise which is an important organization linking YOUth to the Community. She also serves the community as Chair of the Citizens Oversight Committee, and Secretary of the Employer's Advisory Council. All this is done after she puts a full day in the office as Human Resources Manager for Flexsteel Industries, a great company supporter of PTA.
Advocacy Director – Mary Ambra (Lake Elsinore Council) has been involved in PTA for 20 years. When her children were in school, she saw a need and offered to help fill it. Now her grandchildren are in school and she is still helping out. Mary's children are Christopher (33), Vincenzo (26), Eva (25) and Elyzabeth (24). Her goals for this term are to help gather and impart important information on changes in education.
Communication Director – Hal Byers (Riverside Council)
Convention Director – Heidi Pyle (Corona-Norco Council) began her PTA volunteering ten years ago at her very first PTA meeting when she was voted in as president at her children’s elementary school. She has held many positions including unit president, EVP, treasurer, historian, programs, parliamentarian, and council historian, secretary, VP Leadership and immediate past Corona-Norco Council PTA President. Heidi and her husband Lonnie have 3 daughters, Kristina (21), son in law, Brandon who married this past year and granddaughter Hannah (3 months), Kendal (18), and Kati-Lynn (8), and just celebrated their 23nd anniversary. Heidi is also very active in her church.
Secretary– Janis Russo (Corona-Norco & Riverside Council) Janis has over eighteen years experience in PTA, most of which were in Corona-Norco Council. Janis moved to Riverside in January 2006 after living in Norco for 25 years. Most recently serving as Membership Director, Janis has held many positions at unit, council and district levels, including unit president, auditor, treasurer, parliamentarian, historian and leadership but prefers financial. Janis works as a bookkeeper and office manager at their family owned business in Riverside. She has two children, Rose, a third grade teacher in Fontana and Vincent, recently honorably discharged from the Navy after 5 years of service.
Treasurer – Denise Moore (Out of Council) In 1997, Denise’s children started public school in the Val Verde Unified School District. That was her introduction to PTA! She began her career as a PTA volunteer immediately and assisted in many events. Her first elected PTA position was President at the newly chartered Sierra Vista Elementary PTA. She went on to become Treasurer. She later served as secretary for Val Verde Council. Denise’s goal is to “learn all I can in order to fulfill my position and be a valuable asset to the district PTA team.”
Auditor – Debra Sirotnak (Lake Elsinore Council)
Historian – Melanie Tyrell-Yost (Alvord Council)
Parliamentarian – Janet Rose (Riverside Council) has been involved with PTA for 15 years; her first office was ways & means vice president when her daughter entered kindergarten. Since then she has held a variety of offices including secretary, treasurer, and president at the various school levels. She became active at the Council level 13 years ago, and has served as Council president. This past term, she served 23rd District as parliamentarian. Janet and Neil, her husband of 31 years, have two children, one of whom is a junior in college and the other a junior in high school. When not working on PTA activities, Janet enjoys selling on eBay, genealogy, reading, needlework, baseball, and Sudoku
Consultant - Mimi Badura (Hemet/San Jacinto Council) During her eleven years in PTA, Mimi has served as council president, unit president, recording secretary, treasurer, Membership VP, parliamentarian, 23rd District Leadership Director and the immediate past 23rd District PTA President. Mimi and her husband Richard have one daughter, Zoie, who is a Junior at Hemet High School and has recently earned her black belt degree in Tae Kwon Do. She is a Certified Parent Liaison thorough the California Parent Center, San Diego State University. Professionally, Mimi has a BS in Dental Hygiene.
Financial Consultant - Rhonda Torrez (Moreno Valley Council) worked full time as a banker and found it very challenging to work and be involved in her daughter’s education. Then her local PTA needed a treasurer. With her banker background, Rhonda was a shoe-in. Since then, she has served as treasurer and president at the elementary, middle and high school level. She is currently serving as president at Valley View High School and treasurer at 23rd District! She has also served in Moreno Valley Council PTA as treasurer and president, and is currently their parliamentarian. Rhonda’s family knows the value of the countless hours she spends volunteering. They truly believe she can make a difference.
Awards Chairman - Mary Ybarra (Corona-Norco Council)
Community Concerns Chairman - Dru Farrell (Temecula Valley Council)
District Dinner Chairman - Debbie Rawley (Riverside Council)
Education Chairman - Margaret Taylor (Lake Elsinore Council)
Insurance Commissioner - Erin Parsons (Murrieta Valley Council) has been involved with PTA for 11 years and spent much time volunteering in her daughter's special day class; her oldest is Autistic. The more time she spent volunteering the more she heard about PTA. She really liked what the PTA was doing on behalf of all the children and attended her first meeting. She has held many different positions at the unit and council levels and is now the council president. Erin is married to Keith and they have 2 daughters Brittany (16) and Victoria (13).
New Unit Coordinator - Laurie Melton (Moreno Valley Council) has been active in PTA for 20 years. She has held numerous positions at the unit, council and district levels including four years as unit president and 2 years as Moreno Valley council president. Laurie and her husband Ron have three children: Stephanie (and son-in-law Greg), Robbie and Bryan and three grandchildren, Derick, Delana and Kevin. When not volunteering, Laurie enjoys spending time with her kids and traveling the world with Ron.
Parent Involvement Chairman - Ellen Larson (Murrieta Valley Council) has been involved in PTA for 25 years, ever since she saw her oldest son go off to kindergarten and wanted to be involved. Ellen and her husband, Alan, have four children. Youngest daughter Claire recently served as a student representative on the California State PTA (CSPTA) Board of Managers. Ellen is a past district president and served for 6 years on the CSPTA board as a Leadership Commissioner and as Membership Chairman, along with holding a large variety of unit, council and district positions. She was the charter president of Murrieta Valley Council which was named "California State PTA Outstanding Council" in 1994, its second year of existence. She is a Certified Parent Liaison thorough the California Parent Center, San Diego State University.
Programs Chairman - Emmett Keith Jones (Temecula Valley Council)
Outreach - Nancy Borquez (Corona-Norco Council)
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