Rev. Sam Greening, pastor of the Congregational Church of La Jolla, is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Originally from Ashland, Kentucky, he received his undergraduate degree in German from the University of Louisville, and his Master of Divinity from Drew University in New Jersey.
A Minnesotan by birth, Glenn Vanstrum majored in music at Grinnell College before attending UCSD med school and training in anesthesiology. Though he has surfed for 37 years, he said he still wipes out frequently. A pianist since age five, Vanstrum studied with Cecil Lytle and Nathan Schwartz. He practices daily and performs works from the classical, romantic, and modern repertoire on a regular basis, playing duos with violinist Roy Bak and trios with Bak and cellist Janet White.
Ruth Yansick serves as CEO of the La Jolla Community Center Board of Directors and is instrumental in making an impact on everything from programming to marketing and fundraising. She is also a trustee on the La Jolla Town Council.
Ann E. Pitzer was born in Berkeley, Calif., the eldest of three children of Kenneth S. Pitzer, a noted chemist on the Berkeley faculty, and Jean M. Pitzer. The family lived in Kensington; she went to school there and at El Cerrito, except for two intervals when they lived in the Washington D.C. area. After high school, Pitzer attended UC Davis, majoring in Home Economics with a strong general science emphasis and was a commencement speaker. She then attended UC Berkeley for a year, earning a masters degree in Textiles.
Andrea Dahlberg is the sponsor chair of the fall La Jolla Art & Wine Festival. During the past four years, she played an integral role in growing the charitable event, which has raised more than $200,000 for La Jolla public schools. Dahlberg is also involved in fundraising efforts for The Nicholas Conor Institute (TNCI), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing cures for childhood cancer.
La Jolla Village Merchants Association (LJVMA) recently announced the appointment of Sheila Fortune as its executive director. A former business owner in La Jolla, Fortune was a member of the volunteer team that came together to form the new management organization for the La Jolla Business Improvement District in early 2011. She was subsequently elected to the board of directors and was nominated to the executive board, as secretary.
Heath Fox is the executive director of the La Jolla Historical Society. He previously served as the deputy director for operations at The Broad Art Foundation; assistant dean of arts and humanities at UC San Diego; director of administration at the San Diego Museum of Art; and associate director for administration at the Museum of Photographic Arts.
Murugi Kenyatta will be recognized for her advocacy work with San Diego’s Somali and East African refugee population at the OceanLeaf Awards Celebration Oct. 17. Born and raised in Kenya, she said she witnessed the power of women and the role they played in strengthening families and improving communities in East Africa. As a member of the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club, Kenyatta is involved in two Rotary-funded projects that benefit the East African community in San Diego — Project Refuge (under the auspices of the Somali Family Services) and the Somali Women Sewing Center (under the auspices of Horn of Africa).
Linda Hensel spent 25 years in Boston working as a media relations consultant for a range of clients including the PBS science series NOVA, the Boston Science Museum, the Boston Children’s Museum, The Nature Conservancy, Harvard University, and the government of Kuwait, to name a few. She also worked as a docent at the de Cordova Sculpture Park + Museum in Lincoln, Mass., and volunteered for the Newton Schools Foundation, 826Boston, and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Susan Middleton is a native San Diegan. Her favorite places as a child were the beach and the local library. When asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” the answer was always, “A librarian!” Even her high school yearbook picture lists “librarian” as her future career.
North Coastal News
