CARE Advisory Board Members

Mark Alvarado is currently the xecutive Director of the Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Club, Inc. He has an extensive career in local government within community and human development. He is the former chairman of the Frontera Asset Building Coalition, based in El Paso, TX. Which delivered financial literacy and asset building programs and outreach along the US – Mexico Border from San Diego, CA to Corpus Christi, TX. He was also a board member for the National Community Tax Coalition with the Center for Economic Progress in Chicago, Ill. He was a founding member of the National Association of Latino Community Asset Builders. In addition, he was a grant recipient of the Annie E, Casey Foundation, successfully implementing the IRS Earned Income and Child Tax Credits initiative with the federal Office of Stakeholders, Partnerships, Education and Communication. Mr. Alvarado has traveled extensively throughout the United States speaking and sharing his knowledge and experience as an advocate for poverty reduction. He specializes in youth development and human services for low to moderate income communities with an emphasis for creating pathways for social change, educational achievement and economic success.

Martin Barash is a United States Bankruptcy Judge in the Central District of California. A native of Los Angeles and a product of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Judge Barash earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his law degree from the UCLA School of Law. Prior to becoming a judge in 2015, he spent 20 years as a corporate restructuring lawyer. Judge Barash was recognized nationally in 2022 as the CARE Volunteer of the Year.

Scott C. Clarkson was appointed as a United States Bankruptcy Judge on January 20, 2011, by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and was reappointed on January 20, 2025. He sits in the Central District of California, Santa Ana Division.

Stephen Drimmer graduated from Columbia College in 1967, and of Columbia Law School in 1970. Drimmer also attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He began what became a 55 year journey as an entrepreneur engaged with primarily start up business in a variety of industries. He currently is president of Mount Hope Mines, Inc. (the world’s largest molybdenum deposit), COO of Mycelio, Inc., a Tap to Pay on Iphone startup, and Keto5, a manufacturer of nutritional supplements. He serves on several non-profit boards including the Aspen Music Festival, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the State Alliance for Firesafe Road regulations, and the Brentwood Alliance for Canyons and Hillsides as well as three HOA Boards. An avid musician, he lives in Mountaingate with his wife of 40 years, Nadia. He has 2 grown children and 4 college age grandchildren.

Manny Guardado is a strategist with an MBA focused on marketing and audience research. His goal is to help businesses, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations expand their reach, deepen audience engagement, strengthen stakeholder relationships, and achieve sustainable impact. His work has focused on creating educational experiences and spaces that reward curiosity, celebrate innovation, and encourage collaboration. He believes that equitable access to education is fundamental for students’ success and spent nearly 10 years implementing, managing, and facilitating programs at the Norton Simon Museum, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and LACMA.

At Notre Dame Academy, Manny has taught innovation, technology, robotics, and rocketry courses; provided professional development for faculty; and designed educational content for digital learning. He also designed and launched the school’s Innovation Lab, a makerspace dedicated to nontraditional STEM education and teaching students the 21st century skills necessary for success.

Karim Guirguis is the Chief Operating Officer of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), the nation’s largest association for insolvency and restructuring professionals. A seasoned entrepreneur and technology leader, he has led numerous innovation and digital transformation initiatives across the legal, financial, and nonprofit sectors. Karim brings decades of experience in strategy, AI, and organizational growth, with a passion for using technology and education to expand access to justice and financial literacy.

Tammy Hettinger is the Executive Director of the Fulbright Association, leading a national network of more than 140,000 U.S. Fulbright alumni and 54 chapters dedicated to advancing global understanding and collaboration. She previously served as Executive Director of the national Credit Abuse Resistance Education (CARE) organization, where she championed financial literacy education for students nationwide.

From an early age, Irene was interested by the role money plays in people’s lives, which led her to study Finance and Entrepreneurship at the University of Utah. Shortly before graduating, she began her career in Impact Investing and Poverty Alleviation, where she discovered the transformative power of financial education and leadership development both locally and abroad.

After moving to Santa Barbara, Irene worked as an Investment Advisor while volunteering as a bilingual financial educator with Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV). Today, she serves as WEV’s Associate Director of Community Engagement, where she designs and facilitates collaborative programs that promote financial literacy and economic equity. She has also been a board member of organizations like the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation, Santa Barbara Response Network and Pockets Change.

Beyond her work at WEV, Irene is a certified yoga teacher and cofounder of Cafecito a tu Salud, a Spanish-language wellness podcast. She is also a graduate of HOPE’s (Hispanas Organized for Political Equity) Leadership and Political Equity Program and teaches Entrepreneurship at UC Santa Barbara. In her free time, Irene enjoys being in nature and spending time with friends and family.

Michael Lin is the owner of Mannies of LA and the Associate Director of Marketing and Communications at The Willows Community School. With over 17 years of experience working in education and over a decade as a business owner, Michael brings valuable insight into child development, social-emotional learning, and the power of mentorship. A graduate of the University of Minnesota with an M.A. in Early Childhood Development from Cal State LA, Michael is passionate about helping families and communities nurture environments where children can thrive and build strong foundations for the future.

Judge Mund served as a Bankruptcy Judge in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California from 1984-2011, serving as the Chief Judge from 1997-2002. Before becoming a Bankruptcy Judge she was the managing partner of Frandzel & Share, a boutique firm based in Los Angeles. Judge Mund is very concerned about consumer debt and the misuse of consumer credit and is attracted to CARE Los Angeles’ mission of empowering individuals of all ages to make informed financial decisions by providing essential financial literacy education.

Judge John served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of New York for 20 years, from 1992 through 2011. For 18 years prior to taking the bench, John was with the law firm of Underberg & Kessler in Rochester, New York where his concentration was in the areas of bankruptcy, banking and commercial law. In the Fall of 2002, Judge John, who had been speaking in high schools and colleges about personal finances since 1997, founded the Credit Abuse Resistance Education (CARE) Program, a personal financial literacy education outreach program for Bankruptcy Professionals. By February 2008, the CARE Program had a presence in all fifty states and in the District of Columbia. Judge John, who has received many financial literacy awards, has been presenting in the schools for 29 years, and in the 2024-2025 school year was in 60 different schools, often doing multiple presentations over a number of days.

The Honorable Erithe A. Smith is a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Central District of California, Santa Ana Division. She was appointed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1994 and was reappointed to a second term in 2008. She served on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Ninth Circuit from 2004-2007.

A native of Los Angeles, Judge Smith graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 1979 and from Boalt Hall School of Law (Berkeley Law) in 1982. From 1982 to 1985 she served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable Marcus M. Kaufman of the California Court of Appeal and to the Honorable Peter M. Elliott of the United States Bankruptcy Court. Prior to taking the bench, she was a partner in a law firm in Irvine, California specializing in corporate insolvency and bankruptcy law.

In past years, Judge Smith has served as an associate editor of the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Journal, a member of the Judicial Advisory Council of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (Orange County Chapter), and president of the Orange County Bankruptcy Forum. By appointment of Chief Justice John Roberts, Judge Smith served two terms on the Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System, a standing committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States that develops, examines, and recommends policies that affect the administration of the bankruptcy court system. She is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and a member of the Board of Regents of Loyola Marymount University.

Judge Smith retired on October 29, 2022 but continues to serve as a Recalled Judge.

Jonathan Tiongco currently serves as the Founding Principal and Executive Director for the Alliance Marine – Innovation & Technology 6-12 Complex (Alliance MIT). He was named Alliance College-Ready Public Schools Principal of the Year in 2020. Prior to his current position, he has served in various roles over the last 2 decades, including teacher, coach, coordinator, director, and district administrator. Outside of his school work, he is honored to serve as a member on multiple boards and volunteer in the community. He and his wife, Sally, are the proud parents of two amazing children, Madelyn and Miles. As a side passion project, he and his family own and operate Six Taste, the highest rated and most culturally diverse walking food tour company in their beloved hometown of Los Angeles.

Terri brings over 30 years of non-profit leadership and fund-raising experience to the CARE advisory board. Currently serving as Chief, Community Services for Providence Home and Community Care, Terri has operational responsibility for a variety of community-based services including Hospice, Home Health, Palliative Care, Pharmacy & Infusion, Philanthropy and more. These organizations care for 30,000 patients each day with a caregiver team of more than 7,500 professionals serving communities in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Texas. In addition to her executive responsibilities, Terri currently serves on the National Alliance for Care in the Home Board of Directors.

Erica Tukel Wax retired in 2023 from her position as career law clerk to Bankruptcy Judge Carol Doyle. Erica was a bankruptcy lawyer and business litigator for over 30 years. She has been active in CARE’s Chicago program for almost 20 years. She was Chair from 2023 – 2025 and worked hard to build on the successful program she and her colleagues built in Chicago, improving presentation materials, building a strong, effective community with schools and with CARE’s partner organizations, and most importantly, impacting the lives of thousands of students every school year. She loves to get out in the field and talk to students about credit cards and student loans and hear what they have to say. She has two young adult children, both of whom have been forced into financial literacy.