Andrea Cockrum has over 30 years of nonprofit management experience, including major fundraising, and over 40 years of management experience. She started her professional career in 1964 in flight services management working for United Airlines for 13 years based in Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles. In 1978 she was hired by UCLA as the Volunteer Coordinator of its Rehabilitation Center and then the Executive Director of the UCLA Program for Developmentally Handicapped Children and it’s S.P.R.I.N.T. (Special Preventive Research and New Technology) Program for infants.

Andrea became the founding CEO of The Fulfillment Fund in Los Angeles in 1988, an organization which provides mentoring, college preparation classes, college counseling and college scholarships for over 2,000 traditionally underserved students annually in Southern California. Andrea retired from the Fulfillment Fund in 2008 after 20 years of tremendous growth and success for young people, their families and communities. She joined the board of New Designs Charter School in 2003 and became board president in 2005.

 

Mr. McKinney has over 25 years experience in Global Supply Chain Management. He is a leader with a proven track record in the ability to lead high performance teams. His skills include special projects management; proposal planning and preparation; administrative and financial management and project planning and control. Mr. McKinney is a skilled negotiator and customer/supplier interface manager.

He is currently responsible for all aspects of the subcontract management activities for Advanced Mission Programs in the Payloads and Sensors Subcontracts organization for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. In that capacity he develops acquisition strategies and proactively manages the surveillance over cost, subcontractor interfaces, technical, schedule and contractual performance of an approximate $200M portfolio.

Mr. McKinney currently serves on the Advisory Boards of the, New Designs Charter School, and the Finance Committee for the WATTSTAR Theatre Project. In these capacities he advises on strategic planning, fundraising, marketing, finance and program development.

Mr. McKinney has served on the boards of Los Angeles Urban Youth Golf, the Su Casa Family Crisis and Support Center, the WATTSTAR Theatre, and the Venus and Serena Williams Tennis Academy. Other interests include music, golf, billiards, and tennis.

Lloyd is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and currently is a mentor in its Career Advantage Program (CAP). He has successfully completed the following programs: The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Graduate School of Business and Management’s African American Leadership Institute; the UCLA - Professional Designation in Government Contract Management and the UCLA Professional Certification in Accounting.

 

In 1976, K. Sam Essien enrolled in the Department of Russian Language and Literature, Voronezh State University in central Russia, in the former Soviet Union. Five years later, he graduated from Rostov-on-Don Technical University, excelling in water treatment and sewage engineering.

After holding various job positions in the former West Germany and West Africa, Mr. Essien accepted an engineering position from Tri-Valley Construction in Covina, California, initially as a Cost Estimator and later as a construction supervisor.

In 1986-87, Mr. Essien worked as a substitute teacher in both the West Covina and Compton, California Unified School Districts.

Driven by an unflinching desire to offer his services to those who seek them, Mr. Essien answered President Bill Clinton’s call for the private sector to assist in providing housing for the needy in our society. The Clinton Administration’s GORE (Government Owned Real Estate) program had just been unveiled and Mr. Essien was among the first respondents in California. Using private and government resources, Mr. Essien built or completely renovated a total of 405 (four hundred five) homes and apartments and resold them to needy families throughout Southern California.

True to his vision, Mr. Essien sold those homes and apartments and structured the resale transactions that resulted in several millions of dollars donated to deserving buyers as gifts for down payment or closing expenses, making homeownership a dream-come-true for hundreds of families who otherwise would probably rent perpetually.

Beginning in 2001, Mr. Essien has taught real estate evening classes to some 600 students. Of those, about half went on to pass their California State license and are now actively promoting lending and real estate development in their communities. One thing to note: Mr. Essien has not charged a penny for his teaching services.

Currently, K. Sam Essien is the Broker and President of American Federal Funding, Inc. and CasaHome Realty Corp. He is also the president of Casa Por Menos (Home for Less), still working tirelessly in the provision of affordable housing to the Spanish community in Southern California.