Our Directors bring diverse backgrounds and expertise to the board, and all share the desire to change people’s lives.
Each board member has extensive experience in their field of specialty. This experience helps EAMF make the best decisions on how to administer our programs, improve our efforts, and expand our reach.
Elizabeth A. Mac Donald
President & Founder
Elizabeth Mac Donald is co-owner of Brian Reise Studios located in Hollywood, CA, and has been actively involved in the business as an acting instructor and coach for over twenty-five years. She has appeared in numerous smaller scale productions and has helped many young actors find their voice through her passionate and caring mentorship.
Elizabeth began her genuine and true love of caring for children with medical challenges as early as High School, where she was a camp counselor and highly involved with the fight against muscular dystrophy and “Jerry’s Kid’s.” She continued her work with children battling serious illness throughout her life, most recently volunteering with Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. During this time she found her own calling and founded the Elizabeth A. Mac Donald Charitable Foundation, providing an outlet to accomplish her personal mission of helping people in need and changing the world. As founder and leader, she has built a team of like-minded individuals. She is determined to seek out and find those corporations, individuals, and other organizations that share her dream of making the work a kinder and better place.
Tom Burke
Vice President
Tom Burke was president and co-owner of B and B Design, Inc. for fifteen years. His highly successful business was featured on several HGTV shows “Designer’s Challenge”, “Design 101” and “Landscape Design” to name a few. Tom founded and served as director for “Actor’s Sharing Love”, a non-profit organization, which brought the talents of local actors to nursing homes and special-needs schools for over ten years.
Tom’s experience and passion for giving, led him to his current work at BCR, The Burbank Center for the Retarded. He heads the self-advocacy program, working on important issues such as inclusion and acceptance and recently became a Disability Coach. Tom uses his knowledge to work with actors on feature films and television shows to insure the portrayal of developmentally challenged characters is true and accurate.
Elizabeth says, “I have known Tom for 22 years and cannot imagine embarking on this journey without his participation. His experience as a successful business and non-profit owner and founder is invaluable to me. I trust his intuition, business acumen, and his straightforward approach to problem solving. His genuine kindness and desire to improve the lives of people who face life challenges is evident in his every action.”
Kimberly Willess
Secretary
Kimberly Willess is a costume designer, actress, and child advocate. Her genuine love for children and especially children-at-risk is what drives her life. Kimberly is personally and professionally impacted by the plight of young children going through the family court system. She has not only served as a family court monitor, but as a child previously in the family court system herself, understands inherently the challenges and adversity this creates and the impact the process can have on a child’s self-esteem and spirit. Kimberly is a charismatic, intelligent woman with a passionate desire to touch humanity and is compelled to answer a calling to help the Foundation with her life experience and gifts. Kimberly not only brings organization and efficiency to the organization, but also infuses it with her energetic and positive spirit. Through her work in the entertainment business, Kimberly brings a host of valuable connections to help fulfill our mission.
Elizabeth says, “Although Kimberly began as an acting student of mine, she quickly became a trusted and valued member of our family as we entrusted her to babysit our two daughters for over ten years. She is one of the most trustworthy, considerate, charming and loyal young women I know. Kimberly has extraordinary focus, organization and time-management strengths, and knows how to vision and achieve her goals. Our shared love for children and people in need of help cements us in our friendship and partnership in the Foundation.”
Ashami Kerr
Treasurer
Ashami Kerr received a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology and has earned graduate credits in Advanced Criminilistics, Gene Manipulation and Genetics. Currently employed by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Ashami has worked as a crime scene investigator and DNA analyst for seventeen years. She supervises thirty-six employees, and is responsible for grant writing for her department as well. Her managerial skills and higher education have been instrumental in her promotion within the department and these attractive qualities were another reason for her selection as an officer of the Foundation. Not only is Ashami a highly educated, well-organized professional in a very challenging field, as a single parent of an 18-year old daughter, she vividly understands the important role of parenting support. Her compassion, humor and solid work ethic provide great strengths to the Foundation. Her scientific approach to problem solving allows for a steady, well-balanced eye to all of our issues.
Elizabeth says, ”I met Ashami when our daughters became best friends twelve years ago. Her intellect, balanced with her sense of humor is infectious. Ashami represents a strong, well-educated, opinionated woman who thinks strategically - finding solutions to challenges and presenting these clearly and concisely. I find her strengths invaluable in creating and moving the foundation forward.”
Each board member has extensive experience in their field of specialty. This experience helps EAMF make the best decisions on how to administer our programs, improve our efforts, and expand our reach.
Elizabeth A. Mac DonaldPresident & Founder
Elizabeth Mac Donald is co-owner of Brian Reise Studios located in Hollywood, CA, and has been actively involved in the business as an acting instructor and coach for over twenty-five years. She has appeared in numerous smaller scale productions and has helped many young actors find their voice through her passionate and caring mentorship.
Elizabeth began her genuine and true love of caring for children with medical challenges as early as High School, where she was a camp counselor and highly involved with the fight against muscular dystrophy and “Jerry’s Kid’s.” She continued her work with children battling serious illness throughout her life, most recently volunteering with Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. During this time she found her own calling and founded the Elizabeth A. Mac Donald Charitable Foundation, providing an outlet to accomplish her personal mission of helping people in need and changing the world. As founder and leader, she has built a team of like-minded individuals. She is determined to seek out and find those corporations, individuals, and other organizations that share her dream of making the work a kinder and better place.
Tom BurkeVice President
Tom Burke was president and co-owner of B and B Design, Inc. for fifteen years. His highly successful business was featured on several HGTV shows “Designer’s Challenge”, “Design 101” and “Landscape Design” to name a few. Tom founded and served as director for “Actor’s Sharing Love”, a non-profit organization, which brought the talents of local actors to nursing homes and special-needs schools for over ten years.
Tom’s experience and passion for giving, led him to his current work at BCR, The Burbank Center for the Retarded. He heads the self-advocacy program, working on important issues such as inclusion and acceptance and recently became a Disability Coach. Tom uses his knowledge to work with actors on feature films and television shows to insure the portrayal of developmentally challenged characters is true and accurate.
Elizabeth says, “I have known Tom for 22 years and cannot imagine embarking on this journey without his participation. His experience as a successful business and non-profit owner and founder is invaluable to me. I trust his intuition, business acumen, and his straightforward approach to problem solving. His genuine kindness and desire to improve the lives of people who face life challenges is evident in his every action.”
Kimberly WillessSecretary
Kimberly Willess is a costume designer, actress, and child advocate. Her genuine love for children and especially children-at-risk is what drives her life. Kimberly is personally and professionally impacted by the plight of young children going through the family court system. She has not only served as a family court monitor, but as a child previously in the family court system herself, understands inherently the challenges and adversity this creates and the impact the process can have on a child’s self-esteem and spirit. Kimberly is a charismatic, intelligent woman with a passionate desire to touch humanity and is compelled to answer a calling to help the Foundation with her life experience and gifts. Kimberly not only brings organization and efficiency to the organization, but also infuses it with her energetic and positive spirit. Through her work in the entertainment business, Kimberly brings a host of valuable connections to help fulfill our mission.
Elizabeth says, “Although Kimberly began as an acting student of mine, she quickly became a trusted and valued member of our family as we entrusted her to babysit our two daughters for over ten years. She is one of the most trustworthy, considerate, charming and loyal young women I know. Kimberly has extraordinary focus, organization and time-management strengths, and knows how to vision and achieve her goals. Our shared love for children and people in need of help cements us in our friendship and partnership in the Foundation.”
Ashami KerrTreasurer
Ashami Kerr received a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology and has earned graduate credits in Advanced Criminilistics, Gene Manipulation and Genetics. Currently employed by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Ashami has worked as a crime scene investigator and DNA analyst for seventeen years. She supervises thirty-six employees, and is responsible for grant writing for her department as well. Her managerial skills and higher education have been instrumental in her promotion within the department and these attractive qualities were another reason for her selection as an officer of the Foundation. Not only is Ashami a highly educated, well-organized professional in a very challenging field, as a single parent of an 18-year old daughter, she vividly understands the important role of parenting support. Her compassion, humor and solid work ethic provide great strengths to the Foundation. Her scientific approach to problem solving allows for a steady, well-balanced eye to all of our issues.
Elizabeth says, ”I met Ashami when our daughters became best friends twelve years ago. Her intellect, balanced with her sense of humor is infectious. Ashami represents a strong, well-educated, opinionated woman who thinks strategically - finding solutions to challenges and presenting these clearly and concisely. I find her strengths invaluable in creating and moving the foundation forward.”
Advisory Board
Pamela Marie HobbyAdvisor
Pamela Marie Hobby is an actress, model, baker, and on-site apartment manager. She studies acting at Brian Reise Studios where she met Elizabeth A. MacDonald and jumped at the opportunity to be a part of her organization. Since relocating with her husband from Oklahoma to Hollywood, she was hoping to find the right fit for volunteering. This Foundation is the perfect fit and connects her to a cause that is very dear to her. The caliber of people that she has met through EAMF has been an enormous source of community and inspiration.
Most recently, she acts as one of the EAMF Supporters that goes to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to give haircuts to critically ill children as part of EAMF’s Choose When 2 Lose Program. After one of the first haircuts she assisted with, the child looked at her and asked, “How much do you charge for a foot massage?” Immediately, she knew that EAMF was doing their job of lightening the load of families in need. She is grateful to be a part of this extraordinary team.
Debbie Mac Donald
Advisor
Debbie Mac Donald is a twenty-five year veteran as a sales and marketing executive in the Houston commercial real estate industry, most recently as Director of Leasing and Management/General Manager for Cameron Management. Prior to this, she served as Senior Vice President for Transwestern Commercial where she also served as one of eight women on Transwestern’s Female Executive Leadership Committee. She earned numerous awards for production and team leadership and was named a “Heavy Hitter” by the Houston Business Journal. She has also served as President of Commercial Real Estate Women of Houston. She loves using her strengths to speak and teach, having provided several public speeches and presentations, including the commencement address for Westwood College and recently created a “Developing Leaders” program for young career professionals.
Debbie has had an equally successful career serving on boards and/or leading non-profit organizations, including the Junior League, the Houston West Emmaus Community, GTE Byron Nelson Golf Tournament, The Susan G. Komen Foundation, The National Foundation for Commercial Real Estate Women, Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Houston, and the Board of Trustees for her church. She has also created and served as chairman of numerous record-setting fundraisers. Lastly, she served as the community consultant for Neiman Marcus for several years while residing in Dallas.
Elizabeth says, “Debbie is a force to be reckoned with. She is the most dynamic, energetic, multi-dimensional woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She is an active member of every community she touches and I am honored to have her on our board. We will be a more successful organization because of her presence. Her many years of experience in the serving on boards and involvement with non-profit organizations make her guidance, advice and suggestions invaluable. I take my lead from Debbie and am thrilled that she is a part of this organization.”
Fran Mac DonaldDirector
Fran Mac Donald serves as the Senior Administrator to the Managing Director and Vice Chairman of the Entertainment Industries Group at JPMorgan. Previously, she served in a similar capacity to the Vice President of Loss and Prevention at Hilton Hotels Corporation. As a professional executive assistant, Fran’s talents and strengths are extremely valuable and are highly regarded. Her excellent attention to detail, efficiency, and ability to meet deadlines, and accomplishment of multiple tasks simultaneously is mandatory in her high profile job. Fran is skilled in all aspects of analytical and statistical reporting, budgeting, meeting and special event planning, and implementation of policies and procedures. Her expertise extends to multiple software and research programs, computer hardware technology, and networking. This knowledge and ability, in addition to her business and professional corporate savvy are highly sought after by successful non-profit organizations and Fran is an immense asset to the Foundation.
Elizabeth says, “If you need an answer to a question, if you need a fact regarding anything…ask Fran! Fran’s research ability and organizational skills are undoubtedly the most important gift she is offering the Foundation. Her extensive corporate experience has armed her with amazing phone skills, computer wizardry, budgeting and finance acumen, and an understanding of how to create and run a successful business. Fran will play a significant role in the Foundation’s future success.”
Patricia Mac DonaldDirector
Pat Mac Donald is the Facilities Manager at SUN AMERICA, a retirement services company, where she has been employed for twenty years. Pat was instrumental in creating and organizing the facilities department and developed procedures that established systems for the office and parking facilities ongoing operational efficiency and effectiveness. Her positive attitude and ability to build strong relationships with both employees and vendors, is a tremendous asset to her company. With Pat’s responsibility for the department’s budget and negotiation of contracts with vendors, she has gained valuable insight into expense management and accounting. Her organizational skills, creativity, and sense of humor are just a few of the qualities that make Pat an asset to the Foundation.
Elizabeth says, “Although Pat has had a long and successful professional career, she has also raised four successful children and four grandchildren. Her attitude about life gained from her many life’s experiences make her an absolute joy to have in the Foundation. As an organization that helps people, parents, and children, who better than a knowledgeable and wise parent to bring insight into our mission? Her input and advice is a welcome addition to our organization.”
Carola Mendez
Director
No one understands the journey of a parent with a very sick child as well as Carola does. Her years of experience as a Child Life Specialist with direct patient and parent contact guides the Foundation in our work with our program POP!
Elizabeth says, “I met Carola when she was assigned to be my supervisor when I began my volunteer work at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 4 years ago. She soon became my friend. Carola is unique in her approach to life. She is the most energetic, optimistic, positive person I know. She can always find the rainbow in the storm. Our organization is lucky to have Carola as a member of our board.”
Michael KornbluthAdvisor
Mike Kornbluth has worked in Public Accounting, food manufacturing, and has been a small business owner over the last 12 years. In addition to his Bachelor’s degree from Penn State University, Mike is a licensed real estate broker. Furthermore, he anticipates receiving his Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) license after attending Cal State Long Beach in the fall for a Masters in Counseling.
However, Mike’s true passion is working with and helping children. Ten years ago, Mike began volunteering at “Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times” - a camp for children with cancer and their siblings. From that experience, Mike became involved with “Padres Contra el Cancer” an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for Latino children with cancer and their families. In addition, Mike became a Board Member of “We Can” a support group for parents of children with brain tumors. Mike has volunteered at family camps and recently co-directed “We Can’s” first family bereavement camp. Mike has worked internationally in this field, volunteering at children’s camps for chronic illnesses in California, Ireland, and England.
Mike began to fully comprehend the challenges faced by the families he encountered at camp when he began volunteering for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). He realized the difficulties parents face in dealing with a seriously ill child, but also the challenging decisions and choices for the healthy siblings in these situations, subsequently making “Shine on Siblings” a necessary passion for him. His mission is to make every sibling feel important and provide them the chance to “Shine”.
Elizabeth says, "I feel honored that Mike Kornbluth has joined our board. He has a true love for children in need as shown by his relentless dedication to various summer camp programs such as Painted Turtle and We CAN. Mike's intelligence, focus, and genuine desire to provide support to the siblings of children with serious illness is infectious and I know that our SOS program will be highly successful under his direction. His ever present smile lifts not only the spirits of the children he supports but the adults who cross his path."
