Meet the dedicated Board of Color of Language. We are blessed with caring, knowledgeable men of vision and wisdom who give guidance to our fast growing non-profit organization.
Sandra Heflin, MA, Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing, has many years experience as teacher and director in Deaf Education Programs, infant to adult, and as an interpreter and independent business owner. She founded Color of Language in 2001. The vision and hope is to enable parents of Deaf children to communicate effectively with their child. The goal is to develop materials parents can use at home with their infants and toddlers, allowing Deaf children to enter Pre-school with a vocabulary and language level equal to their hearing peers.
Mike
Russo
Mike and his family have owned
Russo's Books
since 1989. Mike has his BS & MBA from CSUB and he and his wife Nancy have
three children. An active member of the community, Mike currently serves on
numerous boards and committees. Having worked in retail since 1981, Mike
currently teaches Retail Sales for KHSD ROC and Retail Marketing at
Bakersfield College. He also has 7 years of vocational education experience
with Bakersfield Adult School. He spends his spare time enjoying baseball
and his kids.
John
Marshall, and his wife, Gloria, are founders of
Senior Serve. This
non-profit ministry is dedicated to help challenged individuals and families
manage their personal income. Presently, there are 1,460 clients. John and
Gloria spent 13 years in the Democratic Republic of Congo as missionaries.
They have three children and five grand children. Both are active members
of the Olive Drive Church in Bakersfield where Gloria is on the Board of
Elders. John has a Rel.D. in sociology and theology and is in the process
of studying for a D.Min. in urbanization and the care of challenged people.
Clayton
Montgomery brings 10 years of corporate employment with Aera Energy LLC (and
predecessor companies) as contract and staff employee. He attended Highland
High School, which is home of Bakersfield High School District's deaf
studies programs, where he became friends with deaf students. In college,
he started the deaf studies program for personal enrichment. His
understanding Deaf Culture and corporate organization, background in
technology brings a unique perspective to the board. Clayton is married and
has 2 sons. He is a leader for High School ministries at the Oaks Community
Church. His participation in Color of Language was brought about by
Team Aera, Aera Energy's community volunteerism body.
James
Duncan is an attorney with the law firm of Klein, DeNatale, Goldner, Cooper,
Rosenlieb & Kimball, LLP in Bakersfield, CA. He primarily practices in the
area of intellectual property, but also has experience and training in the
fields of business and commercial litigation, appeals, environmental law,
and oil and gas law. He is a member of the Kern County Bar Association, the
State Bar of California, the United State Patent and Trademark Office and
the American Bar Association. He and his wife, Nancy, have 3 grown children
and are active members of Riverlakes Church in Bakersfield, CA.
Al Wagner graduated from California Baptist University in 1977 with a double major in Public and Business Administration and became City Manager for the City of Wasco. He subsequently became Assistant Director/Business Manager at Clinica Sierra Vista in Bakersfield, CA. From 1988-1997, Al served overseas in Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador for the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board. He returned to Bakersfield and while serving as Pastor of the Deaf congregation at Columbus Baptist Church, earned his teaching degree. From 1999-2006 he worked as Chief of Staff for Senator Dean Florez. He is presently serving as Director of Evangelism at Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, CA. In addition to his many other accomplishments, he is fluent in both Spanish and American Sign Language.