Board of Directors

A native New Yorker, Barbara began a very exciting advertising and marketing career on Madison Avenue. She founded Responsive Research, Inc. and spent over thirty years as a marketing consultant, conducting focus groups for Fortune 500 companies, including Coca-Cola, American Airlines, General Motors, General Mills, IBM and 3M to name a few. In 1975, she moved to Los Angeles where she continued to work and raise two children. In 1993, she founded Salon Forum, a non-business venture, to bring women together in her home for events that support personal enrichment and connection.

In March of 2008, Barbara and other women of Salon Forum were inspired by one of its speakers, Gil Garcetti, to start Wells Bring Hope. In January of 2009, she was one of six women who visited Niger for the first time, a life-changing experience. She began speaking to community groups and schools to generate awareness of the water crisis in West Africa and raise money for Wells Bring Hope. She continues to do so on a full-time, unpaid basis, taking time out to spend with her three adorable granddaughters.

Larry has deep executive experience leading established and start-up enterprises. He is the founder and CEO of LR Johnson Associates LLC, a specialty foods distribution and marketing firm. In addition, Larry serves as Director of the Center for Strategic Corporate Development at El Camino College’s Business Training Center. He also serves on the Board of Wells Bring Hope, a not for profit that drills water wells in Western Africa.

Previously, Larry provided corporate finance advisory and investment banking services for both Deloitte and Price Waterhouse. Larry maintains an affiliation with the Los Angeles consulting firm of Stanton Associates LLC.

Larry is an active Member of the Rotary Club of Manhattan Beach, and has served in a variety of leadership roles in Rotary International's District organization in the Los Angeles area. He is active in the local Episcopal Church, where he currently serves as a youth leader. A Louisiana native, he is a graduate of Boston College and also has an MBA from Columbia University. An avid golfer, Larry also is an aficionado of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

A native Georgian, Ida worked as Project Manager for IBM and Federal Contracting Services for 20 years. Prior to that, she was Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Academic Skills Center at two Wisconsin universities.

She has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School), as well as an MA in English Literature /Linguistics and an AbD in Higher Education, from University of Wisconsin-Madison). She also graduated from the Project Management Institute (PMI) Leadership Master Class and has earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) credential.

She has been an active member and volunteer in PMI for 25 years. She was President of the LA Chapter for two terms and was selected as the PMI Chapter President of the Year for both. She has been an active Trustee since 2001. She has been active on the global and regional levels as well, serving on several Boards within PMI. She created and managed a global program of Regional Mentors for three years.

Ida joined Wells Bring Hope shortly after its start and has traveled to Niger a number of times, serving as videographer interviewing women. She is the Director of Volunteer Management, supervising a team of volunteers. Ida also mentors directors and managers.

Leslee was born and raised in Los Angeles. After receiving her degree in psychology, she worked as a counselor at Hathaway Family Services, a child welfare and behavioral health facility.

Following the birth of her two children, she changed direction and began working in Human Resources, eventually specializing in benefits management. Following her retirement from NBCUniversal, Leslee volunteered at Hope Gardens Family Center, a branch of Union Rescue Mission. She formed a group which focused on activities for senior women who had been brought off the streets and given permanent supportive housing at the facility.

Leslee treasures her family and enjoys spending much of her time with her four precious grandchildren. They are a principal reason for her interest in Wells Bring Hope. No child should be without the most basic, essential element for their survival - clean water.

Leslee has been a supporter of Wells Bring Hope for several years and is honored to have been asked to be on the Board.

Originally from Minneapolis, David spent much of his childhood on his grandmother's farm in northern Minnesota. The farm house had no indoor plumbing, so he had to hand pump water from the well on their property. Whether it was 90 degrees or -30, it was David’s job to get water.

Upon graduating from high school, David enrolled in the Aveda Institute for Cosmetology where he graduated with honors. At the age of 20, he moved to Marina del Rey, CA where he opened his salon at age 21.

Over the years, David expanded his business to include more than 30 employees. He has also been an international platform artist and motivational speaker for Aveda. David served as President of the National Association of Salon Owners for four years and was a six-time nominee and four-time winner of the Best of the Westside (Los Angeles) stylist of the year. He also became a successful real estate investor and subsequently taught real estate investment to other hair stylists nationwide. Currently, David has a private salon suite where he works with his clients exclusively.

Marsha Hierbaum was born and raised in New Jersey and graduated from Upsala College in East Orange New Jersey. She had a double major in sociology and psychology. Her first job was in advertising in Philadelphia, PA. In 1972, she moved to Los Angeles where she worked as a Branch Financial Analyst for Xerox Corporation

She is married to Mark Hierbaum, and has one daughter Stephanie.

In 1980, Mark and Marsha started their own company, DML Marketing Group, LTD, located in Van Nuys, California. Marsha retired in 2017, and Mark is still running the business.

Marsha is President of the Bel Air Crest Homeowners Association, and serves on many committees for the association.

Marsha and Mark have contributed to many charities but Wells Bring Hope has been a very special charity for the Hierbaum Family and they have been matching donors for the last three years. WBH not only has saved lives, it has transformed the lives of so many people in these small villages.

Lene Martin Biography

Dr. Lene Martin is the founder and director of the Blockchain at Pepperdine program at Pepperdine University, an academia meets industry initiative providing blockchain courses, certificates, consulting, conferences, and collaboratories for blockchain research and development worldwide. As an adjunct professor, she also teaches blockchain business applications and digital asset analytics at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.

Dr. Martin is the founder and CEO of a Malibu consulting company, an entrepreneur and investor of tech startups, an advisor and director of several boards, including the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles and the International Blockchain Real Estate Association, a published author and international speaker, and a leader in innovative solutions in media and emerging technologies at organizations such as Lockheed Martin Corp., Amgen Inc., and Blockchain Training Alliance. 

Dr. Martin also leads the Work-Life Integration Project, a global advocacy initiative focused on the research, publication, and presentation of women's work-life-family experiences, and is the founder and host of its Breaking Balance Speaker Series. She recently co-authored two books on social impact and women's empowerment: Women in Leadership: Work-Family Integration, published by Cambridge Scholars, and Work from Home: Multi-level Perspectives on the New Normal, published by Emerald Publishing.

Dr. Martin holds master’s degrees in mass communications and women’s studies, a doctorate in organizational leadership, a Ph.D. candidacy in global leadership and change at Pepperdine University, and is the recipient of a Pepperdine University Waves of Innovation grant award. As a Norwegian-American scholar, her research agenda focuses on Nordic leadership models of socio-economic growth and sustainability, specifically the convergence of emerging technology strategies and corporate social responsibility standards.

Eduardo Robles was born in Venezuela as the 11th of 12 siblings. His childhood was challenging due to a lack of financial resources and parents who were not well-equipped to create a loving or peaceful home. Eduardo faced the adversity of his early years by cultivating his imagination and using it to create worlds in his mind that offered an escape from a difficult reality. Discovering the power of creativity at a very early age allowed Eduardo to transform limitations and conflict into opportunity.

At 13, he began working to help his family, and by age 19, he had started his first business painting handmade posters and signs, which earned him enough money to develop his career and open his own graphic design studio. With the unconditional support of a professor, Eduardo himself became a vocational professor, teaching at three well-known Venezuelan universities.

In 2002, Eduardo decided to emigrate to the United States to pursue the American Dream. Here, he took advantage of every available opportunity and has developed a fulfilling career as a graphic artist, author, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker.

Currently living in Marina del Rey, California, Eduardo has spent the last 16 years as CEO of Cre8ions Unique Events, an international event planning company. He is also committed to helping others to activate and nurture their innate creativity, a force that he knows from experience has the power to transform lives.

Carol Rosen received a degree from USC in dental hygiene (Trojans … Fight On) and was engaged in that practice for fifteen years. During that time, which included raising two girls, she developed her passion for cooking, which she turned into a business of custom cakes and social catering. That business grew because Carol combined competence and organizational skills with an easy-going manner that clients needed and appreciated.

The catering business evolved into event planning for both individuals and corporate entities. As a Certified Special Event Professional (CSEP) Carol has continued to enjoy a fulfilling career through her company Party Designs by Carol. She loves working with clients to create their “dream” event and lasting memories. She has served as the president of several event industry organizations. Notably: The Los Angeles Chapter, International Special Events Society and International President of Wedding Industry Professionals Association. Carol has also been a mentor for many young people just starting out in the field.

She is delighted to now have the time to devote to non-profit organizations like Wells Bring Hope. Carol has lived in Los Angeles her entire life, married for 50 years with two young grandsons who she loves entertaining—no surprise… she’s good at that too!

Patricia Vick was an employee benefits attorney for over 34 years, and until her retirement at the end of 2018, was a partner in the Law Offices of Shardlow & Vick in Pasadena. Patricia graduated from USC with a BA in history and has an MA in European history from UCLA. She went to law school at night when her younger son Kevin started first grade and received a JD from Loyola Law School.

Patricia has been a member of the Board of Directors of AbilityFirst for 40 years and is a former chair. She has a personal commitment to its work with individuals with developmental disabilities because her older son, George, now deceased, was born with spina bifida. Participation in AbilityFirst’s programs, especially his 14 years as a camper at his beloved Camp Joan Mier, tremendously enriched George’s life.

Patricia also was a member of the Zonta Club of Pasadena and served as its President. It was at Zonta that Barbara Goldberg first introduced Patricia to Wells Bring Hope. Patricia is a passionate supporter of the mission of Wells Bring Hope and joined the Board in 2018. She is its Director of Strategic Planning. Her retirement plans include more travel and spending time with her three fantastic grandsons.

Gil spent 32 years in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, including eight years until 2000 as Los Angeles County District Attorney. His involvement with bringing safe water to the people of West Africa began in January 2001, when he visited West Africa as the guest of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The most startling fact he learned on this trip: roughly 70% of rural villages do not have access to safe water. He made four subsequent trips to West Africa and from the photographs he took, a book was born: "Water Is Key". Since 2006, he has worked tirelessly and successfully to raise awareness and funds to drill wells in West Africa. His life goal is to continue to fund wells to save lives with safe water.
Gil is an internationally acclaimed photographer, having published five photo books since 2002. In the Fall of 2007, the UCLA Fowler Museum had an exhibition of his photographs, "Women, Water and Wells." In 2009, many of these photos were on exhibition in the visitors lobby of the United Nations in New York. In February, 2008, these same photographs and his words inspired the founding of "Wells Bring Hope."

In May, 2014, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education designated Gil Cultural Ambassador, and he has been traveling the world fulfilling the duties of his position ever since.