Ryan VanOmmeren, President
Ryan VanOmmeren is the Associate Vice President of Operations and Planning at California Lutheran University. He has worked at California Lutheran University since 2000 and assumed his current role in 2006. His direct responsibilities include food service, facilities management, facilities planning, and campus safety. He also has leadership roles on campus in sustainability and risk management. Ryan has been an integral part of the planning and construction of an aggressive institution master plan adopted in 1998. Since the approval of that master plan, the university has doubled in size both in terms of square footage and enrollment. Significant projects include a new science building scheduled to complete in Fall 2020, work with the Los Angeles Rams to create a practice facility on the campus, and of course, work with CRPD to construct a community pool at CLU! Ryan received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota State University and his MS in Construction Engineering from UC Berkeley. Outside of work, he is involved in the Thousand Oaks community on a variety of non-profit boards and citizens’ advisory groups, and he has a particular passion for bicycle-commuter advocacy. Ryan is married to wife Patricia (30 years in November 2019) and has one child, Bailey, who recently relocated to Minnesota for full-time employment.
Tom Hare, Vice President
Tom Hare has over 30 years of public service and has been with the Conejo Recreation and Park District since 2006 as the Administrator of Parks and Planning. Tom is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the MBA program at California State University at Fullerton. A Newbury Park resident since 1996, he was formerly active as a coach in multiple youth sports. He has been married to Lori since 1992, and he is the father of three, Emily (born 1994) and twins Elvis and Priscilla (born 1995).
Sheryl Lewanda, Treasurer
Sheryl has over 22 years in public service, the last 10 of which have been as the Management Services Administrator at Conejo Recreation and Park District. She holds a B.S. from Cal Poly Pomona and is a certified public accountant (CPA) and Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO). Sheryl sits on the board of Hospice of the Conejo. She enjoys traveling, hiking and scuba diving…taking to heart her mom’s admonition to “go play outside”!
Rochelle Callis, Secretary
With a degree in Child Development from California State University of Fullerton, Rochelle has more than 25 years' experience with youth and families through recreation and community programs. During that time, she has served communities in Orange, San Luis Obispo, and San Benito counties, and now works in Ventura County. Rochelle is currently Administrator of Recreation and Community Services for Conejo Recreation and Park District. She has volunteered with Big Brother Big Sister, The Rape Crisis Center in San Luis Obispo, Orange County Juvenile Hall, Fullerton School District and she is Past President of the Hollister Rotary Club. She is passionate about making a difference in the community, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Martha Farwell
Martha Farwell, a retired attorney, has lived in Thousand Oaks since 1986 where she and her husband, Bill, raised their three children. The Farwell family has spent many hours enjoying our local parks, and as a result, Martha brings to the Play Conejo Board her love of our parks for their beauty, their wonderful programs, and their unifying impact on our community. Before settling in Thousand Oaks, Martha’s legal career included working at law firms in Los Angeles and the Hughes Aircraft Company in El Segundo. In 1998, she started her law firm as a State Bar Certified Specialist in estate planning, trusts, and probate law. As a prolific volunteer, Martha has developed programs serving women and obtained grant funding for them. She has volunteered in our local schools, the PTA, and community sports and youth programs.
Jim Friedl
Jim is the General Manager of the Conejo Recreation and Park District. He has lived in the area since 1977 attending local schools and working in local government for the past 21 years. He enjoys coaching youth sports and hiking. Jim has been married to Tracy for 22 years and together they are trying to raise their four teenagers without losing their minds.
Brigid Kettenburg
Brigid Kettenburg is a graduate of Newbury Park High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Cal Poly SLO in Business Administration. Ms. Kettenburg spent a year studying in Germany and speaks three languages. Brigid joined Adidas and worked her way up to Production Manager overseeing a $100 million division, and regularly interfaced with manufacturing factories in China. In 2015, Ms. Kettenburg was recruited by Eli Lilly as a Senior Specialty Sales Executive supporting a complex diabetes portfolio throughout the Conejo Valley and neighboring communities. As a working mother and wife, Ms. Kettenburg’s current role in the pharmaceutical industry allows more time for community service and increased time with her children. Ms. Kettenburg has two sons who attend Carden Conejo School in Westlake Village. Ms. Kettenburg chairs a biannual fundraiser committee at school and has raised money for several local non-profit organizations, including MyStuffBags, Rotary Dreamcatcher Playground, Ride On Therapeutic Horse Riding Center, and Play Conejo.
Bryan McQueeney
Bryan is the co-founder and Executive Director of Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship, a local non-profit serving disabled children. Bryan is an active horseman who enjoys trail riding, hiking in our open space, camping, and golf. He has a degree in political science from Occidental College.
Mary Power
Ms. Power held various positions at the Global Information Company, J.D. Power and Associates for more than half her life. It was a family owned and operated business until the company sold in 2005 to The McGraw-Hill Companies. Ms. Power continued working at JDPA through the summer of 2010. During her tenure with the firm, her most recent position was senior research manager for the Global Travel and Hospitality Practice. She sits on the Board of Trustees of Mary Health of the Sick, Antioch University Los Angeles, Conejo Senior Volunteer Program, as well as the Southern California Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Mark Sellers
Mark Sellers is a real estate attorney with the Jackson | DeMarco | Tidus | Peckenpaugh law firm in its Westlake Village office. He is an Adjunct Professor of Land Use Law at Pepperdine Law School. Mark and his family are longtime residents of Thousand Oaks and he was the City Attorney for the City of Thousand Oaks from 1983 to 2004. He has been involved with the development of and fundraising for California State University Channel Islands and the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza theaters (the Alliance for the Arts Foundation). He is a member of the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce and Thousand Oaks Rotary. Mark has coached many youth basketball teams in the Conejo Youth Basketball.
Roslyn Stewart
Roslyn is an inactive attorney having practiced law for 20 years in the South Bay where she was instrumental in the establishment of a day program for developmentally disabled adults. Before that, she taught school at UCLA’s experimental school, UES, and at Round Meadow School in Las Virgenes USD. Roslyn currently is a volunteer at Sycamore Canyon School assisting in her grandson’s classroom, the Garden Project, and as Secretary of the PTSA. She is also a frequent volunteer with the Therapeutic Recreation Unit of the Conejo Recreation & Park District. Roslyn enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, working out at the YMCA, reading, cooking, gardening, hiking, and traveling.
Your generous contribution to Play Conejo can do so much:
Inspired by Vietnam War Memorial's architect Maya Lin's Peace Chapel, the Gratitude Circle is a 30-foot diameter circle of natural stones set into grade at a height to allow seating and incised at the cardinal points by steel panels with space to acknowledge the generosity of financial donors to Play Conejo. Prominently located at Conejo Recreation and Park District's most popular park, Conejo Creek North, the Gratitude Circle is a simple, natural, and utilitarian improvement to the facility.
DETAILS:
"Recreation and parks are an important part of this community. Positive recreation experiences help young children mature, grow and become productive caring citizens in society. I ask that you join me as a member of Play Conejo. Your membership will help place a child into a recreation program and improve your local parks."