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Members of the Bridges Board of Trustees

For a list of Board committees, and the Bridges bylaws, click here.

Officers elected for two-year terms beginning in August 2011

Amy Freilich, Chair

Amy Freilich is a partner at the law firm of Armbruster Goldsmith & Delvac. For over 20 years, Amy has served as lead land use and real estate counsel to a variety of private developers and public agencies, entitling and negotiating complex land and public-private partnership transactions. Amy also developed and led the original transit oriented public-private development program for the LA to Pasadena Gold Line Authority. Prior to joining Armbruster, Goldsmith & Delvac, Amy served for five years as Senior Vice President, Land Use Counsel at SunCal Companies, a master developer of mixed-use communities throughout California and the western United States, providing advice and leadership in acquisition and entitlement of master planned communities. Amy received her A.B. with honors in Public Policy at The University of Chicago and a J.D. at Harvard Law School. Amy is married to Neil Popowitz and they have two sons, one of whom attends Bridges Academy. Amy has previously served on the Board of the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Board of Trustees of The Laurence School and currently chairs the Board of Trustees of Bridges Academy.

Lary Rappaport, Vice Chair

Lary Alan Rappaport is a business litigation attorney and a partner in the law firm Proskauer Rose LLP. Lary received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and his juris doctor degree from the King Hall School of Law at the University of California, Davis. He is married to Ellen Isaacs, who is a field representative for California State Assemblymember Mike Feuer. Lary and Ellen have two sons, one a Bridges Academy graduate, Class of 2011 who is attending Pitzer College, and the other a student at the University of Pennsylvania.

Kim Vargas, Secretary

Bridges Parent Association President , Kim Vargas attended the University of Southern California where she studied music performance for flute and earned a BS in Education. She worked for Delta Airlines as a flight attendant based in Miami, Florida before returning to Southern California to pursue graduate studies. Kim received her Masters Degree in Special Education specializing in the needs of Gifted and Talented children from California State University, Los Angeles. Currently, Kim is working in her 21st year for the South Pasadena Unified School District as a substitute teacher and home visiting teacher. Kim¹s son Douglas, entered Bridges mid-year in 9th grade and is now a senior.

Richard Barnett, Treasurer

Richard Barnett is the Chief Investment Officer for the Western Region of Northern Trust and a member of the Global Investment Policy Committee and was most recently the Director of Institutional Investment Services and the Senior Investment Officer for the Los Angeles office. Richard has an MBA in Finance from the University of California and a Bachelors degree in Economics and Psychology from Claremont McKenna College. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA). Richard is past president of the CFA Society of Los Angeles, and former chair of the Technology Advisory Committee of the Chartered Financial Analysts Institute (CFAI).  He is an active leader in the Boy Scouts of America and is a former AYSO soccer coach. Richard has a 9th grader at Bridges Academy.

Margie Power

Margaret A. Power is a proposal and business capture specialist, working both as an independent consultant in Pasadena, and as an Associate with Steven Myers & Associates of Newport Beach. Her work focuses on high-technology business opportunities in aerospace, transportation, and information technology. She has served many years as a member of the Board of Trustees since 1998, serving as Vice Chair for Development in 1999, as Chair from 1999-2001, and as Treasurer from 2001-2002. Margie's son is a Bridges alumni attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Peter Schwartz

Peter Schwartz has been a member of the Board since 2006. He has previously served as Vice Chair and in addition to his position as Secretary serves as chair of the Facilities Committee. His term ends in June 2011. Mr. Schwartz operates a boutique general practice law firm in Beverly Hills, California, providing personal transaction and litigation services to small businesses and individuals. His prior experience included many years of litigation before serving as a senior officer for several multi-billion dollar public corporations where he provided operating oversight as well as strategic and acquisition/divestiture planning. Mr. Schwartz has served on the Boards of Directors for several corporations and not-for-profits. He currently is also a director (and was a founding director and Chairman of the Board) of Kidsave International, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization; domestically and internationally, Kidsave helps foster children and orphans get out of government orphanages and foster care and into loving families. Peter attended Cornell University and the University of the State of New York in Binghamton obtaining a bachelor’s degree in political science. He did post-graduate work at U.S.C. and obtained his L.L.B. from New York University School of Law. He and his wife, Barbara, an actuary and retirement benefits consultant, live in Beverly Hills, California. His son, Robby is an 11th grade Bridges student.

Tatsuyoshi Saijo

Tatsuyoshi Saijo, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Behavioral Economics at Osaka University, Japan. He also holds a position at CASSEL of UCLA as a researcher, and is an associate member of the Science Council of Japan. He serves associate editors of numerous academic journals. He is also a member of IPCC (Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, a winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize). Saijo's specialties are institutional design, public economics, experimental economics, neuro-social science, and economics of global warming. He graduated from the University of Kagawa in economics, and obtained his masters degree in economics at Hitotsubashi University. He finished his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota, and prior to his current positions, was on the faculties at Ohio State University, UC Santa Barbara, Washington University at St. Louis, and the University of Tsukuba. His son is a Bridges student.

Cynthia L. Wexler

Cynthia L. Wexler and her husband own Wexler Corporation, a property management company that oversees commercial properties and develops and rents beach vacation properties. Prior to being in the vacation rental business, they owned and operated Wexler Video, Inc., a Broadcast Equipment Rental Company for more than 25 years. Cynthia filled the roles of Director of Operations, Facilities Development and Human Resources during her tenure. The company was sold in 2007. Cynthia served on the Board of the Laurence School for 10 years and was the chair for five years. She received a BSW from Widener University in 1980.

Richard Davis

Richard F. Davis has more than 30 years of experience in the recreational and resort real estate industry and is Co-Chair of the Hotel, Resort and Club Group of the U.S.-based international law firm of Greenberg Traurig. Rick has counseled developers, investors, lenders, legislative committees and government agencies. He is a Trustee of the American Resort Development Association, a member of the Urban Land Institute and its Recreational Product Council, the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Mexican Tourism Developers, and the Caribbean Hotel Association. He has been a member of industry task forces in Florida, California and other U.S. jurisdictions as well as with respect to Mexico, the Caribbean and other foreign locations. Rick holds political science and law degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and is admitted to practice law in California, Washington D.C. and before all U.S. district federal courts, the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. Richard and wife Deborah are the parents of two boys, Brandon and Nick. Brandon is an 8th grader at Bridges.

Carl Sabatino, Head of School (non-voting)

Carl Sabatino joined Bridges as Head of School in July of 2005. He was Head of the Upper School of Lawrence Woodmere Academy in Long Island, New York, for 11 years. Prior to that, he served as the Director of Education at Sylvan Learning Center in Santa Monica for six years where he managed a staff of twenty and designed individualized educational programs. Carl holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from California State University at Los Angeles.

Tom Ropelewski

A graduate of Dartmouth College, Tom Ropelewski is a screenwriter and director who has worked in film and television for over 25 years. He has held executive positions in Current Programming at Universal Television and Drama Development at NBC. Some of his credits include Loverboy, Madhouse, Look Who¹s Talking Now and The Next Best Thing. In 2010, he produced his first documentary entitled CHILD OF GIANTS: My Journey with Maynard Dixon and Dorothea Lange which is currently screening at film festivals across the country. He is married to screenwriter Leslie Dixon. They have one son, Thomas, who is attending Bridges.

Jodi Meade Vernon

Jodi V. Meade. SCSM, CCIM, leads CB Richard Ellis’ Automotive Properties Group (APG) specializing in the real estate needs and services of the automotive industry including acquisition, expansion, leasing, relocation, disposition and auto mall development for owners, tenants, investors, developers, manufacturers and franchisees. Jodi founded and launched CBRE’s Automotive Properties Group in 2005. She also serves as Director of APG’s Western Development District operations. Prior experience includes Director of Retail Property Management with Shea Properties throughout California, and Vice President of the Commercial Properties Division at Rescor Inc. in Beverly Hills. Jodi’s son is a 7th grader at Bridges.

Suzie Wynne

Suzie is an attorney who received her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She was formerly an associate with the law firm of Frandzel, Robins, Bloom & Casto, where she practiced commercial and business litigation. She is married to Brian Wynne, an entertainment attorney. Suzie and Brian have three children, one of whom is a ninth grader at Bridges.

Annie Duke

Annie Duke has succeeded as a poker player, speaker, teacher, reality television star, business consultant, charity fundraiser, and author. She is currently Executive Vice President of Federated Sports + Gaming and Commissioner of the Epic Poker League, and author (with John Vorhaus) of Decide to Play Great Poker (2011).

Through June 2011, Annie has earned over $4.2 million in live poker tournaments. At the World Series of Poker, she has cashed on 39 occasions, made 15 final tables, and won a gold bracelet in 2004. Her televised poker triumphs include the 2004 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Championship.

Duke has used her fame to raise millions of dollars for numerous charities, founding Ante Up For Africa, serving as a board member for the Decision Education Foundation, and running fund-raising poker tournaments for, among others, Refugees International and Make-a-Wish Foundation. In 2009, she trounced the competition on Celebrity Apprentice, raising $730,000 for Refugees International.

Annie's role as Commissioner of the Epic Poker League is a natural progression in her poker career. In addition to succeeding as an individual competitor, she has always pursued the best interests of professional poker players. In November 2007, Duke testified before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, in defense of poker players' rights. She also testified before the House Financial Services Committee in 2010. Epic Poker is the realization of her efforts to raise the quality, integrity, and popularity of poker. In addition, to reward the true professional tournament poker players for being the most skilled of the tens of millions of people who play the game, and create a competition that is rewarding to watch. Annie’s daughter is a high school student at Bridges Academy.

James M. Jones

Jim is a writer and producer, who has worked in television and film for the past 20 years. Jim started in television with Ben Stiller, producing Ben’s show for MTV and his Emmy award winning show for Fox. He followed that with the movie Reality Bites produced for Universal. He then produced shows for MTV, including The Real World pilot, before producing Mad TV for Fox and creating the critically acclaimed Austin Stories. Jim went on to write shows for NBC, Fox, CBS, and ABC. Recently, he added directing as well as producing and writing to his credits with shows for Fox and Comedy Central. Jim received his BA from the University of Connecticut, then studied and taught in the graduate film division of Columbia University. His student film won the palm d’or at the Cannes Film Festival. He also co-wrote the ballet Everlast with Twyla Tharp for American Ballet Theatre. Recently, he co-founded EcoScenic, a company that promotes sustainable building practices in the entertainment industry, and has developed a scenic panel to replace the illegally forested products currently being used. Jim is married to Lauren Corrao, President of Ellen DeGeneres’ production company at Warner Bros. They have two children, a daughter who is a senior at Flintridge Prep and a son who is a sophomore at Bridges.

Brian Haskin

Brian Haskin is the Head of Investment Strategy at Analytic Investors, LLC. In this capacity, Brian works closely with Analytic¹s clients, investment consultants and prospective clients to represents the firm¹s investment strategies. Brian is also responsible for the firm¹s product development and business strategy. Prior to joining Analytic Investors, the majority of Brian¹s career was spent at Barclays Global Investors, where he held a number of senior management and business development positions in the United States, Australia and Hong Kong. He has also held senior business development positions in the U.S. at Deutsche Asset Management and Wilshire Associates. Brian holds an M.B.A. with Honors in Finance and Marketing from the University of Chicago and a B.S. ­ Business Administration/Accounting from the University of Southern California. Brian and his wife Sandra have two children. Their son is in his second year at Bridges and is in the 6th grade.

Michael Wolper

Michael Wolper is a graduate of the Executive Management Masters Program at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management with undergraduate studies from USC’s School of Cinema and Television, UCLA and Pomona College. He has produced several music videos, television pilots and served as an assistant director and assistant cameraman on several feature films. In 1982 he established and coordinated the Marketing and Public Relations Department for the developing Hard Rock Cafés existing and new restaurants. From 1986 to 1992, Michael was Director of Marketing and Promotion at Warner Brothers Records. He has founded businesses in Eastern Europe, formed strategic partnerships with Wal-Mart and K-Marts and currently is the President of Wolper Morris Entertainment, a entertainment hedge fund, and the President of Vintage Pop Media, a 360 media company currently managing the Michael Jackson Family properties. He also works with his family’s business, David L. Wolper Productions and helps develop, create, produce and oversee several business and creative facets of the company. Michael dedicates his free time to consulting corporations and non-profit organizations in strategy, fund development, and marketing. He currently sits on the boards of several companies including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, P.A.T.H. (People Assisting the Homeless), Generation 5 and Bridges Academy where he co-chairs the Development Committee.

Jason Ricks

Jason "JC" Ricks has been in the music industry for 20 years working in promotions for the Loud, Capital, Virgin, Arista, Epic and LaFace record labels. He promoted such artists as Wu Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G., Puffy, Faith Evans, Usher, TLC, Toni Braxton, Outkast, and Monica. He created a consulting company that has worked with Interscope and Universal records. He has Earfull Music Publishing and a venture deal with Warner Chappell Music. JC partnered with the producing group The Co-Stars and Doc Clark to create Van Nuys records. JC and his wife Tanisha have a son attending 7th grade at Bridges.

Elizabeth Lindell--Parents Association President (non-voting)

Elizabeth Lindell attended Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana where she studied journalism and theatre. She is a journalist, fiction writer, online columnist and has worked in the world of news media as a writer, television news producer and radio news writer for more than 18 years. Elizabeth has also worked as a dance teacher/choreographer. She recently completed a classical Pilates course through Whole Body Method Pilates and Certification Studio where she works as a Pilates Instructor. She and her husband, Chris, have one daughter, Grace, who is in seventh grade at Bridges.