Board and Management Team

CVE Board

Robert Weinberg - Certified Mortgage Planner and Loan Consultant, Americorp Funding, San Francisco.
Chairperson
Robert Weinberg is a Certified Mortgage Planner and Loan Consultant with the Americorp Funding, a leading provider of mortgage loans in San Francisco. He also consulted for 9 years with the Generative Leadership Group, focusing on executive coaching and strategic planning. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from UC Berkeley and his B.A. in Biology from Brown University.

Dena Graff - Attorney, Judicial Council of California
Vice Chair
Dena Graff is an attorney with the Judicial Council of California, where she focuses on employment law. She received her J.D. from the Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley, and her B.A. in Communication Studies from UCLA.

Lou Magallon- President and CEO, Valencia Financial, Inc.
Interim Treasurer, Business Advisor
As President and CEO of Valencia Financial Inc., Lou Magallon manages a rapidly growing provider of residential and commercial mortgages in San Francisco. Prior to working at Valencia Financial, Lou spent nine years working as a banker and financial consultant for Wells Fargo. Lou received his B.A. in Economics at the University of California, San Diego.

Steven Malcolm Berg-Smith - Founder and CEO, Berg-Smith Training and Consulting
Secretary, Client and Staff Development Advisor
Steven Malcolm runs his own consulting practice as a mentor and lifestyle change coach, as well as working as a health counselor for Kaiser Permanente. In addition, he has had extensive experience working as a health educator, drug and alcohol prevention specialist, school counselor, and researcher. Steven holds an MS in Community Health Education and Counseling from the University of Oregon, and a BA in Psychology from the University of Redlands.

John Brauer- CEO, NW Works
Fundraiser/Donor Advisor
Since 1989 John Brauer has helped individuals with disabilities reach their employment goals through the creation and oversight of non-profit social enterprises. John is currently the CEO of NW Works in Winchester VA, a non-profit providing training, support and employment services for individuals with disabilities and mental illnesses.

From 1986-2001 and 2003-2004, John served as president and CEO of CVE. During his 15 year tenure with CVE, John grew CVE from a two-person, singly-funded agency with an annual budget of $90,000, to an organization with a staff of more than 70 employees, over 400 trainees, and a yearly budget of $3.5 million with multiple funding sources.

John has provided trainings to both academic and community groups on the topics of social entrepreneurship, SROI (social return on investment), effective team building, job burnout, leadership through change, and other related topics. Mr. Brauer holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from John F. Kennedy University in California.

Michele Tatos - Community Gatepath
Business Advisor
Michele Tatos began her non-profit career with CVE in 1992, holding a variety of positions from Youth Coordinator to Director of Business Enterprises. She briefly left CVE to gain business experience with two companies: GMO, an advertising agency, and 4Charity.com a software company focused on charitable giving applications. Subsequently, however, Michele returned to her true passion, CVE, as CEO. Ms Tatos holds a BS in Business Management and earned her MBA while at CVE. In January of 2006, Michele left her role as CEO to pursue an opportunity at Community Gatepath, but continues to kindle her passion for CVE through her membership on its board.

Keith Kennard- Child Family Therapy Center
Client Advocate
Keith Kennard currently works as an Administrative Assistant in San Francisco’s Child Family Therapy Center. Keith has an immense and rich life experience background in the area of mental health. He earned his Master’s degree in Economics and Finance from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Nichelle Cole
Board Member
Nichelle Cole is the Human Resources Manager at the California State Automobile Association. She has seven years of Human Resources Management experience and brings to CVE valuable expertise in the behovioral health field through her work as a youth advocate and outreach counselor. Nichelle has a BA in psychology from Webster University and a certificate in Human Resources Management from UC Berkeley.

CVE Management Team

Lorna D. Jones
Chief Executive Officer
Lorna D. Jones has worked as a senior-level health care professional for over 20 years. She has managed a variety of health and human service organizations in the Greater Boston Area and has consulted to organizations nationwide. Ms. Jones has extensive experience in change management, strategic planning, executive coaching, teambuilding and communication and leadership skills training. She also has helped several agencies significantly improve their fiscal and contracts management, inter-agency network development, systems design and developed culturally competent systems of care. Ms. Jones has a Master’s degree in Education in Rehabilitation Administration and a MBA from Northeastern University

Beth Urfer
Chief Operating Officer
Beth Urfer has worked for CVE since 2005. She has over 15 years of experience working in mission-driven non-profit agencies in roles both as program director and counselor. Beth is a skilled administrator and clinician, proficient at insuring regulatory compliance, and program development. Beth holds Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology with emphasis in Drama Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco.

Laura Congdon
Director of Business Enterprises
Laura Congdon, Director of Business Enterprises, began working at CVE, Inc. in September of 2005. Laura has fifteen years of hands-on managerial experience in the private and non-profit sectors. Laura has been managing or overseeing Social Enterprises in San Francisco since 1996. Laura also has extensive experience designing and implementing training curriculum and training programs for at-risk/marginalized populations.

Patrick Regan
Vice President of Community Relations
Patrick Regan has been with CVE since 1999. Before coming to CVE, Patrick has seven years of sales experience with Southwestern Bell Corporation and four years as the sole proprietor of a marketing and sales consultancy in real estate. In addition to his duties at CVE, Patrick is very involved in the community. His volunteer efforts include Board Secretary for the Mental Health Association San Francisco, the San Francisco Mayor’s Committee for Employment of Persons with Disabilities, and the JOBS Committee with the California Department of Rehabilitation.