Officers

David W. Fleming, an attorney with Latham & Watkins, is the current chair of the Los Angeles County Business Federation, a consortium of chambers of commerce and trade groups representing over 80,000 businesses in the County. He also serves on the MTA board of directors and he chairs Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Project Grad LA and the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley. He is a past chair of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation and the Los Angeles City Fire Commission. He serves on the boards of the Reason Foundation, the James Madison Foundation and the LA County Children’s Planning Council. He was the vice chair of the California Transportation Commission and a member of the LA City Ethics Commission and the LAPD Foundation. He, along with former Mayor Richard Riordan, co-chaired the successful LA City Charter reform movement in the late 1990’s.

david.fleming@lw.com
1.818.753.5000

As the first female publisher in the nearly 100 year history of the Los Angeles Daily News, Tracy Rafter brought strategic vision, unbridled passion, fearless innovation, and dynamic leadership at a time of unprecedented challenge and change in the news media industry. She is now the principal of her own next level media company IMPOWER, LLC, and also owns a business advisory, Rafter Group, Inc. which provided management and leadership to organize, launch, and operate BizFed.

As a 25 year veteran of the newspaper business, she has held chief executive positions in a variety of major markets across the country, including over a decade with the Journal Register Company of Trenton, New Jersey, where she served as Publisher and CEO of four award winning newspapers in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. While producing record operating profit margins for JRC these individual newspapers and websites received national acclaim for both editorial and advertising excellence. Tracy was part of the JRC executive team that celebrated one of the top IPO’s achieved by a newspaper company in 1996.

Additionally Tracy owned and operated a group of newspapers and web sites in Walla Walla, Washington before moving to Los Angeles in early 2002 to join the Los Angeles Newspaper Group (owner of the Daily News).

During the past six years in California, Tracy has also made her presence widely known in the SF Valley and throughout Los Angeles by contributing her time and talents to a broad range of local civic and charity organizations, hospitals, and businesses. She is currently on the board of directors with LA’s Best After School Program, Junior Achievement, Economic Alliance, Valley Presbyterian Hospital, and the Fernando Awards. In recognition of her entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to excellence and giving back to the community she was awarded Business Woman of The Year by the SFV Business Journal in 2005 and named the Woman of the Honor for Haven Hills (battered women's and children's shelter) in 2006.

A native of Twin Falls, Idaho, she began her media career while still in high school at the Times News (formerly owned by Howard publications, now Lee Enterprises, Inc.) and later graduated from College of Southern Idaho. She happily resides in Sherman Oaks, CA with her two young daughters.

tracy.rafter@bizfed.org
1.213.580.7550

tara@caanet.org
1.213.481.7416

Since 1992, Michael Pfeiffer has served as the executive director of the South Park Stakeholders Group (SPSG), a nonprofit association of commercial, nonprofit, and residential property owners, residents and business leaders who are working for the redevelopment and revitalization of the South Park district in Downtown Los Angeles.

As executive director, Michael also manages the South Park Business and Community Benefit District-Business Improvement District, a SPSG-City of Los Angeles contract project, that provides daily safety patrols, sidewalk maintenance services, economic and community development services for 22 blocks in the South Park community.

Michael has over 30 years of management, marketing, public affairs, and communications experience, with the last 25 years focused on not-for-profit organizations, and serves on boards or advisory councils for several community based organizations.

memberlink@sbcglobal.net
1.213.612.3612

Holly Schroeder is Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Los Angeles Ventura Chapter of the Building Industry Association (BIA/GLAV). Schroeder oversees the day-to-day operations for the chapter, including governmental affairs, long-range planning, member services, community partnerships and communications outreach. Schroeder joined the Building Industry Association in June 2005.

At the BIA/GLAV, Schroeder is focused on working with elected officials and community leaders to develop credible solutions to the housing crisis. As an expert and resource on housing issues, BIA/GLAV is committed to increasing homeownership opportunities for the current and future residents of our region. Schroeder also serve on the Board of Directors for the LA/Ventura Chapter of HomeAid – a charity dedicated to building housing for the transitionally homeless.

Schroeder came to BIA/GLAV after nearly a decade at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). She was most recently responsible for managing the agency’s Water Quality Division, overseeing the protection of Oregon’s surface and ground waters. Prior to working at DEQ, Schroeder worked in the private sector for Waste Management Inc.

Born and raised in Ohio, Schroeder has a Bachelor’s Degree from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and a Master’s Degree from the University of Oregon.

hschroeder@biaglav.org
1.661.257.5046 x 225

December 2005 to Present, President & CEO The Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, Lakewood, CA. Prior experience includes Vice President Operations Hank Player USA, Branch Manager and then Area Manager AppleOne Employment Services, Qualifying and Managing Broker for Century 21 Real Estate Professionals, and had his own holding company for 18 years, Kelsall & Lillya, Inc. Graduate of Rider University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and a minor in Business Law. 15 Graduate Credit Hours towards MBA – LSUS. Currently Studying for Mediation Certification - American Center for Conflict Resolution. Board Memberships and Community Involvement include: Long Beach Small Business Development Center Advisory Board Member, Lakewood YMCA Board of Managers, Rotary Club of Lakewood Rotarian of the Year 2006-2007, Board Member and President Elect Rotary Club of Lakewood, Van Nuys Chamber of Commerce Marketing and Governmental Affairs Committee, Clearwater Chamber of Commerce Business Committee, 2 years as Board Member Society for Human Resource Management, Shreveport Chapter, Eight years as Board Member for Louisiana Association for the Blind, Three years as Board Member Shreveport Little Theatre, Graduate of Leadership Shreveport, Ten years as soccer referee certified through college level, and a Special Consultant to the US Secretary of Education for Higher Education Regulations 1976.

john@lakewoodchamber.com
1.562.425.7110

Gary L. Toebben assumed the position of President and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce on July 1, 2006. The chamber is the largest business organization in America’s second largest city. It serves as a trustee for the current and future welfare of the region by championing initiatives that contribute to the economic prosperity and quality of life of the businesses and citizens of Los Angeles.

Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Toebben served as President of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce for seven years, the Lawrence, Kansas Chamber of Commerce for eighteen years and the North Platte, Nebraska Chamber of Commerce for six years. He began his professional career as a teacher with the Lincoln, Nebraska Public Schools.

Toebben served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives in 2003 and is currently a member of the ACCE Board of Trustees. ACCE is the professional organization for all chamber of commerce executives in the United States and Canada.

He is a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Institute for Organization Management at the University of Colorado and the Academy for Organization management at Notre Dame University. He is a past Chairman of the Board of Regents for the University of Colorado Institute for Organization Management, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce Executives, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Executives, the Kansas Industrial Developers Assn, the Western Nebraska United Chambers of Commerce and the Nebraska State Tourism Advisory Board.

Gary is a native of Nebraska and holds a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He and his wife Janice, who is a vice president with US Bank, have four children ages 27-32.

gtoebben@lachamber.org
1.213.580.7525

As the President and CEO for United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley & Region, Debi Schultze oversees a coalition of 32 Business Organizations, including 22 Chambers of Commerce throughout the SFV and representing over 21,000 businesses that provide over 387,000 jobs.

Since taking the reins in November 2006, Debi’s leadership has greatly increased United Chambers’ awareness in the community and advocacy efforts on behalf of businesses. She has been instrumental in increasing the financial resources of the organization, and has helped to forge new alliances and strengthen existing relationships. Her special talent for motivating and uniting people and groups towards a common goal is helping to lead the organization to the next level.

Prior to joining United Chambers, Debi was employed as Principal Assistant and District Representative for Former Assemblymember, Dr. Keith Richman. She also was the Campaign Coordinator and Fundraiser for the Richman for Treasurer Campaign, a statewide campaign, where she not only coordinated the campaign but raised over $900,000.00 for the campaign. Debi was a Licensed Vocational Nurse and has received her Real Estate License and Paralegal Certificate. She is also a graduate of The Robert M. Hertzberg Capitol Institute- 2000, Sacramento, CA.

Debi was elected to the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District in 1988 and re-elected in 1992. As an elected official, she participated on numerous community committees that dealt with issues such as, affordable housing, open space, recreational land use, social and human concerns, and finance.

Besides serving as a Founding Officer for BizFed, Debi currently serves as an Advisory Team Member for the Valley Economic Development Center’s SFV Microenterprise Project, an Ex-Officio Board Member for the SFV Economic Alliance and a Board Member for the Fernando Award. In October 2007, after only 11 months working in the San Fernando Valley, Debi was honored to be nominated for the Women Who Mean Business Award hosted by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.

Debi was born and raised in California and has lived in Simi Valley since 1978 with a one year hiatus in Paso Robles, CA. She is married to Greg and has three sons, Michael, Jeremy and Ryan, daughter-in-laws, Dr. Katie Greeley and Megan, a grandson, Joshua, and two granddaughters, Summer and Madelyn.

debischultze@unitedchambers.org
1.818.981.4491