Thomas Geiser, Chairman of the Board

Currently a Senior Advisor to the private investment firm TGP Capital, Tom was Executive Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel of WellPoint Health Networks Inc, with responsibility for the company's legal and public affairs. Prior to joining WellPoint, he was in private law practice advising health care organizations as a partner at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison in San Francisco. He received his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.

Judy Koch, Founder

Prior to founding Bring Me A Book in 1997, Judy was President, CEO, and Board Chair of RSP Manufacturing Corporation from 1990 to 1997. RSP provided electro-mechanical contract manufacturing services to companies in Silicon Valley. Bring Me A Book grew out of a benefit program she had provided employees of her company. Judy began her career as an English teacher in California public schools. In 2004, she co-founded Fortune8Ventures LLC, a global business development company with offices in Shanghai and San Francisco. She is a member of The Committee of 200, Women’s Forum West, University Rotary Club of Palo Alto, and a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum. Judy received the Philanthropic Innovator Award in 2004 from the Committee of 200, and the 2003 Early Intervention for School Success Educator of the Year Award.

Christine Z. Loker, Secretary

Chris has had a 25 year career in Human Resources working with a number of Fortune 500 organizations. Most recently Senior Vice President, Human Resources at Charles Schwab & Co., Chris also has held senior management HR positions with Universal Studios, Levi Strauss & Company, and Bank of America. She is currently a Partner with her husband at John Windle Antiquarian Bookseller in San Francisco, specializing in buying and selling rare, antique children's books. Chris serves on a variety of national and international nonprofit boards, where she is active in HR, strategic planning, leadership, and board governance work. She received a BA from Stanford University and attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Jeff Wohler, Treasurer

Jeff Wohler is CEO of LinMar Management Inc., a commerical real estate investment firm that owns and manages office and industrial properties throughout the Western United States. He has been an active board member for the San Diego County YMCA, Camping Services branch for over 20 years, acting as Board Chair, Capital Development, and Strategic Planning Chair. He has been instrumental in board development and acted as legislative liaison to local, state and Federal regulators and appointed officials. In this capacity, he developed legislation with assistance from the U.S. Navy which ultimately provided a fifty year lease under the Military Appropriations Bill for the YMCA in on 43 acres of beachfront property for the YMCA Camp SURF facility which serves over 5,000 children every year. Jeff also created YMCA Camp Raintree Ranch over 35 years ago, which provides a summer horse camp for teenage boys and girls in the San Diego Mountains.

Elaine Andersen, Board Member

Elaine Andersen, PhD, is Professor of Psychology, Linguistics, and Neuroscience at the University of Southern California. Among her career interests and research pursuits, Elaine has specialized in exploring the relationship between language and cognition across the lifespan, with studies of child language acquisition in several languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Basque. Her research has been supported by the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, the Spencer Foundation and the March of Dimes. She received her BA, MA and PhD at Stanford University. She divides her time between residences in both Southern California and Palo Alto, where she continues to consult with colleagues at Stanford University.

Maryles Casto, Board Member

Maryles Casto founded Casto Travel Agency in 1974. Drawing from her early experience as manager of in-flight services for Philippine Airlines, Maryles turned her company into the largest privately owned travel management agency in the Western United States. Casto has consistently been ranked in the Top 100 Fastest Growing Businesses in both Silicon Valley and San Francisco and has won numerous entreprenurial and service awards. In May 2006, Silicon Valley Business Journal ranked Casto second in revenue among Silicon Valley Women Owned Businesses. Active in several civic, philanthropic, and service organizations over the course of her career, Maryles currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Common Wealth Club of California, the International Museum of Women, and the Philippine International Aid Children's Fund and serves on the Advisory Board for the Leading Hotels of the World. She is also a member of the Committee of 200, a global organization of leading businesswomen, and the Women's Forum West.

Kristine Schray Erving, Board Member

Kristine is a community leader with strong experience in non-profit board development, community project development and resource utilization. As well as former President, Junior League of Palo Alto • Mid- Peninsula, Kristine also has served in leadership positions on the boards of the YMCA-Mid-Peninsula, Peninsula Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Palo Alto Senior Coordinating Council (Avenidas), the Experience Corp, and the East Palo Alto YMCA. She also founded Stanford Hospital’s medical library for the lay public, and Peninsula Habitat for Humanity’s first accelerated build and fundraiser. Kristine received a BS from the University of Oregon, and an MAT from the College of Notre Dame.

Frank Lonergan, Board Member

Frank Lonergan serves as President and CEO of A29 Inc., a high tech consultancy specializing in US/Asia business development. Significant projects over the past 20 years include the founding of Nan Ya Pacific (U.S. agent of the Formosa Plastics Group/Taiwan) and more recently the establishment of both Meiko America (a major U.S. subsidiary of Meiko Electronics, Japan) and Dynamic USA (U.S. agent of the Dynamic Group/China). Frank is also the founder of SPUR Projects Inc., a business focused on the development of contemporary art opportunities. In addition to serving on the board of Bring Me A Book, Frank also sits on several non profit board including the Jimmy V Wine Celebration Board for Cancer Research.  

Connie Martinez, Board Member 

Currently Managing Director of 1stACT Silicon Valley, Connie Martinez was the Executive Director for Children's Discovery Museum(CDM) of San Jose during a seven year period of growth and expansion. CDM is considered one of the top ten children's museums in the nation and provides over 150 interactive exhibits and holds several award winning programs for the local community. Connie has lived in California since 1986, holding several leadership positions within the community including Director of Strategic Initiatives for University of California Santa Cruz, Vice President for Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network and Deputy City Manager, Planning Director and General Services Director for the City of Mountain View, CA. Connie has a BS in Finance and an MBA in Information Systems from the University of Colorado.

Cathy McMurtry, Board Member

A long time fundraiser for several Bay Area based organizations, Cathy focuses her volunteer efforts with organizations providing enhanced access to educational opportunities for youth. In her role as trustee of the McMurtry Family Foundation, Cathy provides support and assistance to organizations focused on education and literacy. Locally, Cathy has been on Stanford University's  Board of Membership for the Cantor Arts Center, the Athletic Board, and the Parents Advisory Board.  In addition, Cathy assists with fundraising efforts for the Global Heritage Fund, an International Conservation nonprofit focused on the preservation of endangered cultural heritage sites in developing countries. Cathy holds a BA in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Brian Rogers, Board Member

Brian Rogers, an Oakland native, is currently the Executive Director of The Rogers Family Foundation, an organization that supports and enables the development of Oakland education and youth development organizations. The Rogers Family Foundation currently works with over 100 Oakland organizations in order to create systematic change as well as nurture innovative educational strategies. Previous to his current position, Brian was the manager of the Lair of the Bear, a family summer camp run by the UC Berkeley Alumni Association, as well as an English teacher and tennis coach at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland. Brian graduated from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business as an undergraduate in 1995 and received his California teaching credential from St. Mary’s College in 2000.