Maite Benito Agahnia, Board President, was born and raised in Mexico and graduated from San Diego State University with a BA in Fine Art and Graphic Design. She ran her own graphic design firm for 11 years. Currently, Maite works as a fine arts painter and has exhibited locally and internationally. Maite is one of the founders of Outside the Lens.
Leena Patidar, Board Treasurer, brings over twenty years of strategy, finance, and accounting experience with Fortune 500/private companies ranging from banking services to venture capital. She has co-founded several successful business ventures in healthcare and retail services. Leena earned her MBA from MIT's Sloan School of Management and is a CPA. She also supports and serves on special committees for Just Like My Child Foundation/Girl Power.
Lisa Kendall La Torre, Board Secretary, founded Kendall Group in 2010, a boutique firm that provides results-driven brand, marketing and communications services for clients. Before starting her business, she worked with several startups on successful brand launches and was VP of Business Partnerships for a San Diego marketing and PR firm. She was an integral part of the launch of digital services at Cox Communications and later led the team responsible for all marketing and acquisition.
Dr. Bibhu Mohanty, VP of Engineering at the Wireless Research Division of Qualcomm, received his Ph.D in Electrical and Computer Engineering from UMASS, Amherst in 1993. Since then, he has been at the Wireless Research Division of Qualcomm at the San Diego Headquarters. He first worked on the design of CDMA Cellular Base Station architecture, protocols, and algorithms that contributed to the worldwide cellular revolution.
Tim Scott, is co-founder and CEO of TEGA Therapeutics. Mr. Scott serves on the Board of Avelas, a bioscience company working to create better outcomes for cancer patients with its activatable cell-penetrating peptide technology. Mr. Scott is also a member of the boards of BIOCOM, a non-profit organization supporting the needs of bio/pharma companies in California and CONNECT, a non-profit helping to create and scale innovation companies in San Diego. At UC San Diego, he serves on the Dean's Advisory Council for the Division of Biological Sciences. Mr. Scott earned his B.A. in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego. He earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego and is a member of the California Bar.
Kelly Thomson, Regional Managing Director of U.S. Bank Ascent Private Capital Management, has been involved with Outside the Lens since its inception. Kelly holds a CPA and is a graduate of University of California Santa Barbara.
Ted Reguly is the Director of Portfolio and Project Management at San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E). He is responsible for the development of large capital projects and Electric Distribution, Substation and Transmission Portfolio Management for SDG&E. Ted has over 30 years of experience in the energy industry, including specializing in renewable and sustainable energy initiatives to support the wider San Diego region.
Caroline Harwood Nordquist has worked for two decades in the San Diego arts and culture community. For the past five years, she has held the role of Senior Development Manager at Mingei International Museum. In her position at Mingei she oversees the organization’s contributed income and annual campaigns. She is also involved in a community engagement role at the organization and its current Capital Campaign.
Laura Gambucci has owned and operated her design and fashion business for 10 years in downtown La Jolla. She remains committed to the non-profit space in San Diego, volunteering her time and hosting many fundraisers benefiting our most vulnerable youth.
Ivy Gordon has a business career that spans four decades where, as an entrepreneur and business owner, she co-founded a computer company in 1976 which she sold in 1993. She currently chairs two private advisory boards through Vistage International, working with over 30 CEOs and senior executives each month through coaching and consulting. Ivy holds a Masters degree in Organization Development from Pepperdine University and is an ICF certified professional coach and certified integral coach.
Elisa Thomson, Executive Director of Outside the Lens, received her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and continued her education at Art Center Pasadena and The Brooks Institute of Photography. She traveled extensively as a photojournalist and worked as a photo editor for ABC-Clio/Exegy. Before founding Outside the Lens, Elisa was the lead educator for the Exposure Program at the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego.
Shelly Pierce is a graduate of Northwestern University. She worked as a docent and an arts educator with the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego, where she was a part of the collector's group, and is co-founder of Outside the Lens.
Board Members Emeritus:
Mell Gallahue
Christina Gustin
Elisabet Harth
Haida M. Mojdehi
Caroline Nordquist
Sue Wagener
Founding Board Members:
Anne Chodorow
Sonia Rhodes
Lydia Thompson
