Burt Arnold, B.A., is the chairman of the Marymount College board of trustees. Professionally, he is the principal of BMA Securities in Rolling Hills Estates, a full-service brokerage firm offering a wide array of financial services for individuals and corporations. During his career, Burt has been instrumental in taking several companies public, including many listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, the Bulletin Board and the American Stock Exchange. Burt has actively participated in activities of the Palos Verdes Chamber of Commerce, the BRAVO and the Encore Circle support groups of the Norris Center for the Performing Arts, the Palos Verdes Sunset Rotary, the Sisters of Charity of Rolling Hills and the Community Helpline. He is an alumnus of Marymount College and California State University, Dominguez Hills with a degree in political science and a minor in economics.

Michael S. Brophy, Ph.D., M.F.A., President Dr. Michael Brophy serves as the sixth president of Marymount College. President Brophy's Bio

Sister Antoine-Marie Baurier RSHM, Ph.D., Secretary, received the 2009 Founder's Award following the Founder's Day Mass on March 25, 2009. In 1969, Sister Antoine-Marie was teaching in Paris when she was asked to travel to America to teach at Marymount High School in Palos Verdes. This one-year assignment lengthened until, in 1972, she joined the faculty at Marymount College. In 2009, Sister Antoine-Marie celebrated 40 years as an educator in California. She is a cherished member of the Marymount community.

Ty F. Bobit is president and CEO of Bobit Business Media. Founded in 1961, the company has its headquarters in Torrance, CA, and and 15 regional offices throughout the United States. Bobit Business Media provides news and knowledge to people within specialized business industries through publications, trade shows, websites, research and associations. Ty is a member of the College’s Media Studies Advisory Board and has been providing insight and counsel into the design of facilities and curriculum for the College’s Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Program. He attended the University of Colorado and earned an MBA at Pepperdine University.

Alexander L. Cappello, founded the Cappello Group, Inc., a global merchant bank that operates in over 50 countries, providing strategic advice to companies, governments and banks on mergers and acquisitions, placements of institutional capital, and restructuring. The firm’s principals have conducted more than $100 billion in transactions.

Alexander's current and past board positions include: trustee at the University of Southern California, the City of Hope and Pacific Council on International Policy (PCIP); board member of the RAND Corporation’s Center for Middle East Public Policy and the RAND Russia Forum, California Republic Bank and lead director of Cheesecake Factory. Alexander was also past chair of YPO International, Inter-Tel and Intelligent Energy PLC. 

Alexander has his B.S. from the Marshall School of Business at USC and an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree from Goodwin College in Hartford, CT.

Patricia Dilligan, M.A., began her career in education as a biology teacher at Ossining High School in New York. She moved to the West Coast and held positions with Stephen White Middle School in Carson and Manual Arts Senior High School in Los Angeles. While at Manual Arts, Patricia was the Title I coordinator with responsibility for budget management, hiring, district reports and accreditation. In 1995, Patricia moved to the Venice High Foreign Language/International Studies Magnet School, with responsibilities for student recruitment, district reports and accreditation.

Rick Edler is co-owner of Peninsula Sotheby's International Realty, a firm specializing in properties of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Torrance. He has 18 years of real estate experience including the distinction of being Realtor of the Year in 2009, awarded by the Palos Verdes Board of Realtors. Rick serves on the professional boards of the California Regional Multiple Listing Service, a real estate technology firm providing MLS services to more than 70,000 agents as well as with Merryweather Properties, Inc., a real estate investment firm.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Edler completed a double major in entrepreneurship and international marketing.  Living in Palos Verdes for much of his lifetime, Rick attended Palos Verdes intermediate and high schools.

Richard D. Farman, LL.B., B.A., received his B.A. in 1957 from Stanford University and his LL.B degree from Stanford School of Law in 1964. During his business career,  Dick held various executive positions with Pacific Enterprises and its subsidiaries, including chairman and CEO of Southern California Gas Co. In June 1998, Dick became the first chairman and CEO of Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based Fortune 500 energy services holding company. Now retired, he is currently chairman emeritus of Sempra. Dick also served as lead independent director of two New York Stock Exchange companies and serves on the board of trustees of several community organizations.

Bonifacio Garcia, J.D., Bonifacio Bonny Garcia, J.D., is a founding partner of GCR LLP. Although he heads the firm's Los Angeles office, Garcia represents clients throughout the state of California. Garcia has extensive experience representing school districts, community college districts, cities and other governmental entities. Bonifacio has served on the boards of the Skirball Institute of American Values and of The Advancement Project, a public interest litigation group that promotes equal opportunity in American political and educational institutions. A magna cum laude graduate of Loyola Marymount University, Bonifacio earned his law degree at Harvard University.

Richard Grotz, B.S.E.E., was associated with AiResearch in Torrance where he was manager of major subcontracts, including that of the F-16 that was co-produced in Denmark, and the uranium enrichment program for the Department of Energy. Prior to AiResearch, Dick was employed by Astronautics Corporation of America and General Motors, where he contributed to the early space programs including Gemini, Apollo, and to the F-14. In 1983, Dick and his wife Arline founded a Christmas-tree-producing company in Bigfork, MT. In 1992, they retired and both became very active in local philanthropy and politics. Richard started his service with Marymount College’s board of trustees in 1998. He attended Marquette University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering.

Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, Ph.D., serves as the president and a professor of English at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. She served for nine years prior as president of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana. Growing up in Albany, N.Y., she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1965. Sr. Joan holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in english from the College of St. Rose in Albany, N.Y., and a Ph.D. in British literature from Brown University.

Brian W.G. Marcotte is the CEO of Titan Oil Recovery, Inc. He has extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, ranging from technical positions to executive management. During his 34-year career with Unocal Corporation, he held the positions of president, Unocal Thailand; president, Unocal Indonesia; president, Unocal Netherlands; corporate vice president, Public Policy, Health Environment and Safety; vice president, Unocal US Western Region; vice president, Technology and Asset Management; and chairman of the Unocal Foundation. Brian serves on the College’s Business Advisory Board, a group of accomplished business professionals in management, marketing and higher education that provides guidance to the College’s four-year business program.

William P. McGinn has been a practicing attorney in the Los Angeles area for more than 35 years and is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Torrance Bar Association. He is also an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association and Superior Court. William's community involvement is extensive, with participation in the Palos Verdes Breakfast Club, the Lions Club, and with the BRAVO support group of the Norris Center for Performing Arts. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Southern California.

Sister Alice F. Molina, RSHM, has spent the last 12 years with the diocese of San Bernardino — first as the director of the Office of Religious Education and Formation, and most recently, as the director of the Ministry of Educational Services. Prior to 1997, Sister Alice was involved with the hispanic ministries at both the diocese of San Diego and at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles. She served many years as religious education director at dioceses throughout California, and in Arizona. After graduating from Santa Clara University in 1971, Sr. Alice taught elementary school in Cupertino and in Los Angeles, CA. She received her master’s degree in 1984 from Fordham University in Bronx, N.Y., and completed postgraduate studies at Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union in 1992.

John Murnane is the deputy program manager and product team leader for the F/A Trustees 18 and F-5/T-38 programs in the aerospace systems sector of Northrop Grumman, based in El Segundo. As deputy, he oversees all aspects of Northrop Grumman’s work share of the F/A-18 Program and its F-5 and T-38 Programs. As the product team leader, his responsibilities entail assurance of customer satisfaction, and management of cost, schedule, technical and quality components for the program. He executes new business and follow-on business strategies, including the management of discretionary company research, development and marketing investments. John has served Northrop Grumman in varying leadership capacities for 28 years, most recently as its director and deputy program manager for one of the corporation’s largest programs.

John serves his community as an active volunteer for LA Works and the USO. Hailing from Palos Verdes, CA, he graduated from Marymount College in 1983, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California, and earned his master’s in business administration from the University of Redlands. Additionally, he holds certificates in systems engineering from CalTech and in executive management from the Anderson School of Business at the University of California, Los Angeles. John resides in Rancho Palos Verdes with his wife, Sandra, and their two children, Kasie and Alyssa.

Sister Gregory Naddy, RSHM, is a trustee-emeritus of the Marymount College Board of Trustees. She celebrated her 60th anniversary, her diamond jubilee, with the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary in 1997. Sr. Gregory began her service with the Marymount College Board of Trustees in 1995 and retired from the board in June 2001. She was a member of the College faculty and administration, followed by volunteer service for nearly 20 years.

Sister Mary Leah Plante, RSHM, M.T.S., has served as the president of the board of directors for the Collaborative Project for Aging Religious, co-chair of the board of directors for the South Central Los Angeles Ministry Project and provincial councillor for the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. She has worked full-time as a teacher in both primary and secondary schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in theological studies.

Lia V. Reyes is president of LVR International, a parking and transportation management consulting firm. She has over 20 years in in senior executive level positions for parking operations management and consulting, transportation planning, and strategic land-use development working with the public and private sectors in the United States including California, Georgia, Indiana, New York as well as in Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, and Japan.

Lia's extensive years of management experience include responsibilities such as the implementation of operations initiatives, developing talented staff, P&Ls, and enhancing the bottom line of over $100M revenue. She specializes in providing innovative parking and TOD solutions, developing creative and customized approaches while building firms through parking management operations, and consulting for mixed-use and transit-oriented developments, airports, conventions centers and stadiums. In addition to Marymount College Lia is an active board member of California Transportation Foundation, WTS Los Angeles, and participates in the National Parking Association and the International Parking Institute.

Thomas S. Ricci, B.S., Vice Chair, is executive vice-president of Thomas Properties Group Inc., Los Angeles, where he is responsible for development, redevelopment and construction management. Prior to joining Thomas Properties in 1998, he was vice-president of planning and entitlements at Maguire Thomas Partners, Playa Capital Company, where he worked on a number of large mixed-use and commercial projects. Thomas served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force and was involved with the implementation and construction of medical facilities in this country and abroad. He graduated from the New York Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree and a second bachelor’s with honors in architecture.

Caroline A. Sayers, J.D., an alumna (1993) of Marymount College and, at one time, served on the faculty of the College. Her academic achievements include a bachelor’s in philosophy from Georgetown University, a teaching credential from California State University, Long Beach, and her law degree (cum laude, 2000) from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Caroline is a litigation attorney in both state and federal court. Her mother, Professor Kari Sayers, is on the faculty of Marymount College.

Sue Soldoff, Ph.D., taught psychology at a number of higher education institutions for 10 years before embarking on a wholesale travel business, Sue’s Safaris Inc., from which she is now retired. She has served her community for more than three decades, including involvement with the Norris Center for the Performing Arts, Las Candalistas and the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy. An undergraduate alumna of the University of California, Berkeley, Sue received her master’s degree and a doctorate in experimental psychology from the University of Southern California.