Ellen Mitgang, President

Ellen Mitgang graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a degree in Elementary School Education and Early Childhood Psychology. She spent the next 20 years working in advertising and broadcast production first in New York and then in Los Angeles. After moving to San Diego in 1991 Mitgang created the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation, helped to develop an immersion study program at Del Mar Hills Academy, and introduced and implemented after-school programs and a lunch program in the Del Mar school district. She served two terms as the Del Mar Hills Elementary PTA president, 1995-1997 and again in 1999-2001. Mitgang is a founding member of the Canyon Crest Academy Foundation, a current member of Canyon Crest Academy chapter of Dollars for Scholars and currently serves as the Canyon Crest Academy representative on the San Dieguito High School strategic planning committee. She is an active volunteer with the Words Alive Early Literacy Intervention program and chair of the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship committee.

Kamie Cicinelli, Past President

Kamie Cicinelli is the founder of The CiCon Group, a marketing and e-commerce consultancy. Previously, Cicinelli was on the founding teams of both Travelocity and the joint venture that brought Sabre to China. She remained with Sabre Holdings for 10 years where she held positions in sales, marketing and business development. After leaving Sabre, Cicinelli spent eight years at Yahoo! as the general manager where she helped build Yahoo! Travel into one of the world's leading travel vertical search destinations. Cicinelli holds a bachelor’s degree in business and hospitality from Florida International University. She is a Words Alive Early Literacy Intervention volunteer, chairs the fundraising and development committee and also volunteers her time with the YMCA.

Brian Miller, Secretary

Brian has been involved with Words Alive for more than five years as a boutique vendor, committee member, donor, and advocate. Brian is the founder and owner Geppetto's, a San Diego Toy store chain eight locations sprinkled throughout San Diego County.  Geppetto's focuses on wholesome, healthy, creative, non-violent playthings (which is a natural complement to the work of Words Alive).  Brian has served on several Boards and Committees in the non-profit sector including Jewish Federation of San Diego, Jewish Community Foundation, Kids Included Together, Lawrence Family JCC and Torrey Pines Elementary School.  He has also been on several professional boards including American Specialty Toy Association, The Good Toy Group, and Promote La Jolla.  Brian grew up in San Diego, attended Patrick Henry High School and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.  He currently lives in La Jolla with his wife, Danielle, and two sons, Nathan, 10 and Jared, 7.

Susan Hird, Treasurer

Susan Hird earned her bachelor’s degree in economics, with a minor in Spanish, from the University of California, Berkeley.  She completed the Security Pacific Bank Management Training Program and worked there for two years before returning to school to earn her master’s degree in business administration, specializing in real estate and finance, from the University of California, Los Angeles. Subsequently, Hird worked in real estate development for Copley Real Estate Advisors in Boston and for The Baldwin Company in San Diego before having children. As a community volunteer, Hird has been involved at her childrens’ schools in the classroom and as a supervisor of her son’s Robotics team. She has also been a treasurer for the Boy Scouts of America and Destination Imagination, and served on a committee to help with the Word’s Alive Author’s Luncheon. Hird is currently an active volunteer for the Rancho Coastal Humane Society and the Rolling Readers program.

Linda Cipriani

Linda Cipriani earned her bachelor’s degree in English, with a minor in French, from the State University of New York at Albany.  Subsequently, she earned her law degree from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.  She started her legal career in the Houston office of the Department of Energy before becoming an Assistant United States Attorney, also in Houston.  After moving to private practice as a litigator with the law firm Mayor, Day, Caldwell, and Keeton in Houston, she joined Crowell & Moring in Irvine, CA for three years, specializing in environmental insurance litigation. Over the years, Cipriani has been involved in San Diego with Del Mar Hills Elementary School,  Boys and Girl Scouts, Canyon Crest Academy, and Rady Children’s Hospital.  Most recently, among other organizations, Cipriani has helped to form Strong Healthy Empowered (SHE), an education and outreach program at  Project Concern International, and also works with the San Diego Humane Society in their pet therapy, education, and outreach programs.

Laurie Doyle, M.B.A.

Laurie Doyle earned her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and master’s degree in business administration from Pepperdine University. A graduate of the Security Pacific Bank Management Training Program, Doyle also worked as a media buyer for Western International Media in Los Angeles. As a community volunteer, she was instrumental in introducing Kids Korps, a social action program for children, to schools in Solana Beach. For her work on that project and others, she received the 2001 Volunteer of the Year Award from the Solana Highlands School. She has also been an active volunteer for the Helen Woodward Animal Center, United Jewish Federation Women’s Division and Torrey Pines High School Foundation. She is the immediate past president of the Words Alive board of directors and currently serves on the Canyon Crest Academy Foundation Board.

Kay Gurtin
Kay Levinson Gurtin is a Vice President at Gurtin Fixed Income. In this role, Ms. Gurtin assists with various marketing, business development, and human resources aspects of the firm. Ms. Gurtin was co-founder and President of Executive Options, LTD, a firm specializing in placing professionals in part-time and project consulting positions. Ms. Gurtin's pioneering approach to flexible work arrangements was featured in Crain's Chicago Business, The Wall Street Journal, Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Working Mother, and ABC National News. Kay was awarded Entrpreneurer of the Year Award by the National Association of Women Business Owners in Chicago.  Prior to Executive Options, LTD, Ms. Levinson was Vice President of Capital Markets for Bankers Trust Company, where she was one of the company's nationally acclaimed money market sales executives. She began her career in advertising at the Leo Burnett Agency. Ms. Gurtin is the founder and inaugural Chairman of CHEER; a volunteer organization dedicated to serving the emotional and physical well being of children for the University of Chicago Children's Hospital. She is actively involved as a Site Chair with WORDS AL!VE. Additionally, she served on the fundraising board and tutored children for the Sudanese Refugee Network in San Diego. She has been involved in fundraising for numerous private and public educational foundations including: North Shore Country Day School, Glencoe Educational Foundation and the La Jolla Country Day School. Kay graduated from Brown University in 1983 with a B.A. in Organizational Behavior and Management. Kay resides in La Jolla, California with her husband Bill and has a son Grant, who is a sophomore at Brown University, and daughter Liza, who is a junior at Francis Parker high school.

Valentina Jones-Wagner, Ph.D.

Valentina Jones-Wagner holds a master’s degree and Ph.D in Economics from Albert Ludwigs University in Germany and a Ph.D in Comparative Literature from CUNY Graduate Center in New York. Fluent in five languages, Jones-Wagner has spent the last 35 years working primarily in the education sector teaching literature classes. She currently chairs the subcommittee that is responsible for providing oversight and guidance of the Words Alive Adolescent Book Group program, including its ongoing evaluation, policy and procedure development, and book selection.

Jodi Kennedy

Jodi  attended UCSD and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science.  After graduating, she worked as a television producer, director and writer for over ten years. Jodi worked for E! Entertainment Television, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox Television in Los Angeles, New York and Washington DC. She won two Emmy awards for her work as a senior producer on the nationally syndicated Teen news show, "Not Just News".  After the birth of her third child, Jodi decided to stay home to raise her children, but has remained active in a variety of volunteer activities, and for the past ten years has worked as a paid book group facilitator.

Rick Seidenwurm

Rick is the founder and former Managing Partner for the law firm Solomon, Ward, Seidenwurm & Smith, San Diego.  While retired, Rick continues to act as an arbitrator through the American Arbitration Association.  Rick has years of community service to San Diego area non-profits, including board service to San Diego Writers, Ink, Wayword, Inc., the Business Counsel, Inc., Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, Access Youth, and Del Sur Elementary School.  Rick has been an active ABG volunteer for Words Alive at Choice Summit for 3 years.

Cynthia Shenkman

Cynthia Shenkman holds an associates degree in Nursery Education and a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Texas, El Paso. For more than 13 years, she has worked as a buyer and coordinated woman’s wardrobes and fashion shows. She currently chairs the subcommittee that is responsible for providing oversight and guidance of the Words Alive Early Literacy Intervention program, including its ongoing evaluation, policy and procedure development, and book selection. Shenkman also serves on the Authors’ Luncheon committee, which is responsible for planning, coordinating and implementing this annual fundraising event.

Dana Vandersip

Dana Vandersip is Senior Director of Development at San Diego Hospice Foundation, where she oversees the management of the Planned Giving and Major Gifts Programs for an organization that transforms the lives of its patients and families every day.  Prior to joining San Diego Hospice, Dana raised major gifts for the Health Sciences at UC San Diego and managed the Foundation fundraising programs for organizations including the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and NARAL Pro-Choice America in Washington, D.C.  Dana has almost 20 years of experience in the Development field, and has earned the classification of Certified Fund Raising Executive. Dana is a native of San Diego, California.  She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Russian at the University of Arizona, and a Master’s Degree in Russian Literature at the University of Washington, after which she took part in the Fundraising Management Certification Program at the University of Washington Extension Program.  She was married in April 2010.  She enjoys visual and performance art, has been an avid participant in her book club for almost seven years, and loves animals.

Leslye Winkelman Lyons, M.S.W., Founder/ Exoffico

Leslye Winkelman Lyons has more than 25 years of nonprofit sector experience as both a salaried and volunteer professional. As the Words Alive founder, she has served the organization in various capacities including board chair and as its pro bono executive director. Lyons has facilitated hundreds of book group discussions for adults and youth and serves as a consultant to book groups across the country. She currently writes and distributes Literary Lines, a newsletter for readers and book group members, and served as book review editor of the San Diego Heritage Newspaper for five

years. Lyons earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington University and a master’s degree in social work from Yeshiva University.