Commission Members
Dr. Michael A. Moodian, Chairperson
Public Member – Appointed by the Governor
Appointment began July 16, 2015
Reappointed on February 21, 2017, and April 29, 2021
Term ends February 28, 2025
Honorable Lisa B. Lench, Vice-Chairperson
Superior Court Judge – Appointed by the Supreme Court
Appointment began May 1, 2019
Reappointment began March 1, 2023
Term ends February 28, 2027
Mr. Alton L. Garrett, Jr.
Public Member – Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly
Appointment began February 18, 2025
Reappointment began March 1, 2025
Term ends February 28, 2029
Rickey Ivie, Esq.
Attorney – Appointed by the Governor
Appointment began May 27, 2021
Reappointment began March 1, 2023
Term ends February 28, 2027
Ms. Kay Cooperman Jue
Public Member – Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly
Appointment began March 7, 2019
Reappointment began March 1, 2023
Term ends February 28, 2027
Honorable Julia C. Kelety
Court of Appeal Justice – Appointed by the Supreme Court
Appointment began March 1, 2025
Term ends February 28, 2029
Mr. Richard A. Long
Public Member – Appointed by the Senate Rules Committee
Appointment began April 4, 2024
Term ends February 28, 2027
Honorable Kimberly Merrifield
Superior Court Judge – Appointed by the Supreme Court
Appointment began March 1, 2025
Term ends February 28, 2029
Mani Sheik, Esq.
Attorney – Appointed by the Governor
Appointment began May 26, 2023
Term ends February 28, 2025
Mr. Gerald C. Shelton
Public Member – Appointed by the Senate Rules Committee
Appointment began November 14, 2024
Reappointment began March 1, 2025
Term ends February 28, 2029
Ms. Beatriz E. Tapia
Public Member – Appointed by the Governor
Appointment began April 29, 2021
Reappointment began March 1, 2023
Term ends February 28, 2027
Members’ Biographies
DR. MICHAEL A. MOODIAN, CHAIRPERSON, was appointed to the commission as a public member by the Governor July 16, 2015, and reappointed February 21, 2017, and April 29, 2021; his term ends February 28, 2025. He was elected chairperson of the commission in 2023, and served as vice-chairperson of the commission from 2020 to 2023. He resides in Orange County. Dr. Moodian is a faculty member of Chapman University’s Attallah College of Educational Studies, and a cofounder of the Orange County Sustainability Decathlon, which took place in October 2023. He edited a textbook in 2009 that examines the application of cultural comprehension to organizations and the measurement of intercultural competence. The book is cited by the Association of American Colleges & Universities in establishing national learning standards. Dr. Moodian has presented his research at various national and international conferences and has served as an expert commentator on several television and radio programs. The Orange County Register named him to its Most Influential People in Orange County list three consecutive years (2021-2023). Dr. Moodian earned a Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University, and a Master of Arts degree in Communications and Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Sociology from California State University, Fullerton.
HON. LISA B. LENCH, VICE-CHAIRPERSON, was appointed to the commission as a superior court judicial member by the Supreme Court May 1, 2019, and reappointed to a term commencing March 1, 2023; her term ends February 28, 2027. She was elected vice-chairperson of the commission in 2023. Judge Lench serves as a judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court, to which she was appointed in November 2001 and sworn in the following January. Judge Lench is currently assigned to a complex criminal trial court. She has had a variety of assignments on the bench, including a criminal master calendar court, felony trial court, and misdemeanor calendar and trial courts. Judge Lench serves on the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Code of Judicial Ethics. She was previously chair and vice-chair and was a member of the California Judges Association’s Judicial Ethics Committee, was a member of the Center for Judicial Education and Research Ethics Advisory/Curriculum Committee, and is an ethics instructor for the Center for Judicial Education and Research. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Lench was a deputy chief for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California in the Narcotics Section. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Law School, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine.
MR. ALTON L. GARRETT, JR., was appointed to the commission as a public member by the Speaker of the Assembly February 18, 2025, and reappointed to a term commencing March 1, 2025; his term ends February 28, 2029. Mr. Garrett is the Managing Partner of Garrett Management Group (GMG), LLC. GMG develops, executes, and manages festivals for clients and produces events under the banner of GMG. Mr. Garrett is a small business consultant and political advisor. Mr. Garrett previously served as an Incident Management Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employee with the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency. He was responsible for developing and coordinating congressional strategies to provide information to, and build relationships with, constituencies involved in agency disaster response and recovery programs. In addition, he coordinated over twenty-five Congressional Delegation (CODELs) visits to declared disaster areas. Mr. Garrett served as Senior Advisor to U. S. Senator Barbara Boxer, where he advised the Senator on matters relative to military and veterans issues. Mr. Garrett is a graduate of California State University, San Bernardino, with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, and of Southern Illinois University, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Workforce Education and Development. Mr. Garrett retired from the military on June 1, 1989, after serving over 27 years of faithful service to his country. Mr. Garrett retired in the grade of Chief Master Sergeant (E-9). He received numerous decorations and awards during his military career, including the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with seven oak leaf clusters, Vietnam Service Medal with one silver star, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm. He is also the recipient of the Outstanding Airman Ribbon.
RICKEY IVIE, ESQ., was appointed to the commission as a lawyer member by the Governor May 27, 2021, and reappointed to a term commencing March 1, 2023; his term ends February 28, 2027. He resides in Los Angeles County. Mr. Ivie is a Founding Partner of Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell & Diggs, a practicing Litigation Attorney, and a Community Leader passionate about diversity and serving others. IMW is a multi-cultural law firm. Since joining IMW in 1980, Mr. Ivie has remained dedicated to building and leading a diverse legal team that excels in providing legal services to the diverse global community. Under his leadership, IMW has grown into a secure and inspiring workplace for all employees. Mr. Ivie provides legal service to individuals, government entities, and well-known businesses including restaurants, entertainment companies, insurance companies and commercial construction businesses. He handles a range of legal cases related to personal injury, wrongful death, civil rights violations, contract disputes, trademark, copyright, corporate and commercial litigation. Over four decades, Mr. Ivie has tried numerous jury and court trials, including precedent-setting cases that have changed the practice of law and improved the lives of millions of people. Mr. Ivie received his law and undergraduate degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. He served as Chairman of the Board of the UCLA Black Alumni Association for over 10 years, working to maintain diversity at the University and raise funds for scholarships for African American students. Mr. Ivie is a member of the State Bar of California and is admitted to the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He has spoken at State Bar of California events on topics such as ethics, effective fee agreements, interacting with judges and opening a law office.
MS. KAY COOPERMAN JUE was appointed to the commission as a public member by the Speaker of the Assembly March 7, 2019, and reappointed to a term commencing March 1, 2023; her term ends February 28, 2027. She resides in Los Angeles County. Ms. Jue was a securities law paralegal with a Los Angeles law firm before retiring in 2019. She has been interested in the law since her college days. After graduation, she worked as a newswire and newspaper reporter specializing in covering courts and legal affairs, including reporting on dozens of court hearings and trials and conducting interviews of judges and attorneys. In 1983, the Orange County Bar Association honored her with its Media Award for Excellence in Legal Reporting. She switched to television news, where she worked as a news writer, field producer, associate producer, and producer. She won an Emmy Award in 1993 for best 60-minute newscast in the Los Angeles market. After 20 years in news, Ms. Jue switched to public relations, working first at UCLA and later as a sole practitioner managing media relations for a law firm and a law school among other clients. She became a paralegal in 2011. In November 2020, Ms. Jue concluded two terms on the Palos Verdes Library District Board of Library Trustees after declining to seek re-election. Ms. Jue earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and political science from California State University, Long Beach. She earned her paralegal certificate, graduating with distinction, from UCLA Extension’s Paralegal Training Program.
HON. JULIA C. KELETY was appointed to the commission as the Court of Appeal judicial member by the Supreme Court March 1, 2025; her term ends February 28, 2029. Justice Kelety was nominated for appointment to the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division One by Governor Gavin Newsom on January 27, 2023, and took the oath of office on April 7, 2023. Before appointment to the Court of Appeal, for over nineteen years, Justice Kelety served as a judge of the San Diego Superior Court, where she presided over probate and juvenile dependency matters. For three years, she served as Presiding Judge of the Superior Court’s Appellate Division. Justice Kelety earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Arizona in 1982. In 1985, she graduated from Cornell Law School, where she served as Articles Editor for the Cornell Law Review. She clerked for the Honorable Mary M. Schroeder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In 1990, Judge Kelety became an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) for the Southern District of California. As an AUSA, she received the Department of Justice’s Directors Award for her prosecutions of fraudulent telemarketers. Justice Kelety was in private practice before and after serving as an AUSA. Justice Kelety served as board member for the Board of Trustees of the San Diego County Public Law Library from 2007 to 2023 and is a past president of the Board. In 2016, the Judicial Council of California, the California Judges Association, and the State Bar of California presented Justice Kelety with the Benjamin Aranda Access to Justice Award for a long-term commitment to improving access to the courts.
MR. RICHARD A. LONG was appointed to the commission as a public member by the Senate Rules Committee April 4, 2024; his term ends February 28, 2027. Richard served as an upper elementary school teacher, junior/senior high school counselor, and assistant principal in charge of discipline and security at Redlands High School. He was president of the Redlands Teachers Association during the passage of the original collective bargaining legislation in the early 1970s. Mr. Long recently retired as Professor Emeritus of Counseling at San Bernardino Valley College and also served as president of the San Bernadino Community College District Faculty Association with extensive work in negotiating and grievance. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Counseling from the University of Redlands. He maintains California State credentials in Multiple-Subject Teaching, Secondary Counseling and Secondary Administration. Richard’s wife is chair of the piano department at the University of Redlands; both are concert pianists and remain active in the arts education of the local community.
MANI SHEIK, ESQ., was appointed to the commission as a lawyer member by the Governor May 26, 2023; his term ends February 28, 2025. He resides in Marin County. Mr. Sheik has been the principal at Sheik Law, Inc., since 2014. He was an Associate at several firms between 2006 and 2014, including Miller Law Group, Curiale Hirschfeld Kraemer LLP, Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP, and Reed Smith LLP. Mr. Sheik earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law; a Master of Public Health in International Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine.
MR. GERALD C. SHELTON was appointed to the commission as a public member by the Senate Rules Committee November 14, 2024, and reappointed to a term commencing March 1, 2025; his term ends February 28, 2029. Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mr. Shelton completed his undergraduate and graduate education in the University of California system, served as an instructor at U.C. Davis for four years, and was a professor at C.S.U. Sacramento for 14 years—all in economics with a specialization in state and local government finance and public policy. He worked in the Department of Education from the early 1990s until 2006, serving as the department’s chief financial officer. In that capacity, he represented the department in the Legislature on the state budget, fiscal policy, and education finance, and managed over $70 billion in state and federal funding flowing into and through the department. Mr. Shelton also served from 2006 through 2012 as the chief consultant to the California State Assembly Committee on Education, where he advised the Legislature on all K-12 education policy and finance issues. In 2012, he became a founding partner of Capitol Advisors Group, a lobbying and consulting firm, specializing in educational policy and finance, and representing California school districts, county offices of education, and other educational entities. Mr. Shelton remains as partner emeritus with that firm.
MS. BEATRIZ E. TAPIA was appointed to the commission as a public member by the Governor April 29, 2021, and reappointed to a term commencing March 1, 2023; her term ends February 28, 2027. She resides in Los Angeles County. Ms. Tapia has been Chair of the Department of Chicana/o Studies at East Los Angeles College since 2019 and a Professor in the Department since 2007. She was Adjunct Faculty for the Women’s Studies Program at Santiago Canyon College in 2007. Ms. Tapia held several positions at California State University, Fullerton from 2005 to 2007, including Adjunct Professor for the Women and Gender Studies Department, Chicana and Chicano Studies Department and Sociology Department. She was a Lecturer for the Chicana/o Studies Department at California State University, Los Angeles from 2001 to 2003. Ms. Tapia earned a Master of Arts degree in Ethnic Studies and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a member of the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies.
