Theme: The Other Things

In his famous 1962 “Moon Speech” United States President John F. Kennedy said “We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

Join us this April 29 as we share and celebrate a new generation of ideas worth spreading, the challenges, and "the other things" that we are today willing to accept, unwilling to postpone, and intend to win.

Zapara School of Business: La Sierra University
4500 Riverwalk Pkwy
Riverside, California, 92505
United States

Al Zelinka

Al Zelinka is passionate about towns and cities, and loves working with people to make places the best they can be – over the past 25 years as a practicing city planner and urban designer, he has faithfully upheld his original career objective: to “make a difference” in communities. Al is presently one of three Assistant City Managers for the City of Riverside, California, where he is responsible for public infrastructure and investment, including the departments of Community & Economic Development, Public Works and Innovation & Technology, as well as the Office of Communications. Al started his service to the City of Riverside in 2012 as its Director of Community Development. In his view, working as a member of the City of Riverside team represents public service in the truest sense; each and every day, he is focused on advancing public interest, facilitating and pursuing change for public benefit, and keeping ethics front-and-center.

Debra Postil

Debra Postil sees writing and speaking about trauma and abuse from different perspectives as a way to educate the public, build empathy and resilience, and break the silence of domestic violence. She is a veteran county prosecutor in Riverside, the Co-Founding Executive Director of Women Wonder Writers, a mentoring nonprofit organization, and Co-Creator of The Write of Your L!fe™, an expression, esteem and empathy building youth program. At the District Attorney’s Office, she works with school districts and juvenile justice professionals to implement alternative youth programs to suspension, expulsion and incarceration. Previously, Debra has handled Parole Hearings and cases involving sexual assault and child abuse, domestic violence, political corruption, group home fraud, gang crimes and homicides. Debra has won numerous awards including Community Hero, Young Professional of the Year, Bulldog: Stick it To Em, and is a two-time recipient of the Prosecutor of the Year award.

Iris Landa

Three years after her husband’s death from cancer in 1997, Iris Landa transformed a brown room in her home with bright colors. She called it her Happy Room. She enjoyed seeing the smiles and hearing laughter as people entered the room. So after she retired, her passion became Happy Rooms Around the World. In the past 7 years, she has directed over 30 Happy Room projects in 11 countries.

Jon Harris

Jon Harris works to achieve peace in his community by maintaining open dialog, implementing advantageous interventions for at-risk youth residents, and promoting interactions that are sensitive to all communities and cultures. His work has been recognized for bringing unification of leaders in city politics, school board, police, churches and the community and continues to develop and implement new programs in line with its mission. In honor of this contribution, Pastor Harris has received several awards of recognition including the Whitney M Young, Jr Service Award in 2015 from the California Inland Empire Boy Scouts of America. Harris is also the father and step-father of five children and loves his pastime recreation of riding and caring for his 13 horses.

Karen Tilstra

Karen Tilstra wants to live in a world where work is fast, people are free, and chocolate is devoid of calories. Founder of the Florida Hospital Innovation Lab – FHIL, Co-creator of the nation’s first undergraduate degree at Rollins College in Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation. Karen is a licensed Educational Psychologist plus holds a PhD in Innovation & Leadership. She has spoken and published nationally and internationally. When she’s not creating experiences that ignite creativity she’s hanging out with family, friends and Nick, the world’s wackiest dog. Her latest project, the Orlando Magic Innovation Lab, just celebrated its first birthday.

Kevin McCarthy

Kevin McCarthy has served in leadership roles with nonprofits and community organizations since 1978. He served with the United Way Worldwide movement for 25 years. In the course of his career he raised over $100 million on behalf of his communities. He taught nonprofit management at Angelo State University in San Angelo, TX. He served as the President and CEO of the United Way of the Inland Valleys. He served as the Board Secretary and Chair of the Professional Council of the United Ways of California (of which he is a co-founder). He was a member of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce where he served on the Economic Development Committee and the Business and Education Partnership. Today, Kevin continues to serve his community and teaches Management and Leadership in the Zapara School of Business at La Sierra University.

Klarissa Bietz

Klarissa Bietz is a Senior Management and Marketing double major graduating in June 2016 from La Sierra University. Klarissa believes in using fashion as a way to empower all people using green and ethical sourcing, fair labor practices, and inclusive model casting. She founded a website, The Modish Iconoclast, as a way of working towards these objectives and often features driven, passionate women who are pursuing an education or who have started their own businesses. Klarissa is the 2016 President of REVO, an organization that throws charity events to raise money for different causes each year. The finale fashion show each spring aims to use music, art, and talented designers to promote a sense of community and healing on the local and international levels.

Warren Peters

If asked, he will tell you that the first part of his medical career was in general surgery, where “if something is wrong with you, I will cut it out." The next was dedicated to lifestyle and natural medicines, where “if something is wrong with you, just try harder." And finally, the last part is dedicated to the molecular and genetic basis of obesity, where "if something is wrong with you, it is the fault of your parents and the changing environment." Within these three perspectives, reside the virtues of common sense and wisdom. He obtained his medical degree from Loma Linda University, his surgical training at the Mason Clinic in Seattle Washington, and, his Master’s degree in biostatistics and epidemiology from Loma Linda University. He is privileged to travel and lecture nationally and internationally on topics of nutrition, wholeness, and wellness. He has practiced surgical care, wholistic care, and, primary care in Washington, Maryland, Virginia, and California.