SacramentoFirst.org – A New Entertainment and Sports Complex

Christoper Lehane, Co-Chair

Christopher Lehane is a partner in the California-based company Fabiani & Lehane. Since 2001, Lehane has provided strategic advice and tactical execution to corporate, entertainment, political and professional sports clients facing complex financial, communications, government affairs, electoral, and legal challenges. In the 1990’s, Lehane served in various positions in the Clinton-Gore Administration. From 1998-2000, he was the Press Secretary for former Vice President Al Gore both at the White House and on the 2000 presidential campaign. From 1995 through 1997, Lehane was Special Assistant Counsel to President Bill Clinton, providing legal, communications and political counsel to the President and First Lady of the United States. In 1997, Lehane was Counselor to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo where he was involved with various economic and community development projects. Lehane graduated from Harvard Law School in 1994 and from Amherst College in 1990. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, Andrea, and two sons, Dominic and Quincy.

Lina Fat, Co-Chair

Lina Fat’s first dream was to become a pharamacist and she fulfilled that dream when she earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UC San Francisco in 1964. As fate would have it, she switched from pharmacy to the restaurant business since 1974 after meeting her future husband, Ken Fat. His father, the late Frank Fat, founded the landmark Sacramento restaurant, Frank Fat’s.

After ten years of working in the Fat Family restaurants, Lina traveled the world to train under master chefs in Switzerland, France, and Italy and at the famous Cordon Bleu in San Francisco and Culinary Institute of America in New York. Lina is a favorite guest on many local television stations in Sacramento. She penned “The Lina Fat Cookbook: Recipes from the Fat Family Restaurants in 1992. She has received number awards, most recently, the Restaurateur Life Time Achievement Award, 2009 from the California Restaurant Association, Sacramento Chapter and the Sacramento Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame, 2008. Lina launched the Sacramento World Music and Dance Festival in 2007, which showcases the cultural diversity of the Sacramento region through the presentation of ethnic dance from around the world by local talent.

Dea Spanos Berberian

Dea Spanos Berberian is executive vice president at A. G. Spanos Companies, a construction, land development, and apartment management enterprise headquartered in Stockton, California. Her responsibilities include the supervision of the public relations and communications department as well as community outreach projects the company develops and participates in with regional and local civic and charitable organizations.

Among the many community projects Dea has supported throughout her professional career is the annual Super Bowl Raffle she co-chairs with the United Way. The annual fundraiser she has directed for the YMCA of San Joaquin County has raised more than one million dollars in the last decade. From 2002-2007, she co- chaired the Alex G. Spanos Annual Golf Tournament which raised more than $1.2 million for local and regional non-profits. Since 2002, she has co-sponsored annual performances of the Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration Tour for her hometown of Stockton.

In 1994, Dea was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to the Board of the California Arts Council where she served for fours years. She has also served on the boards of the California State Summer School for the Arts and the Children’s Hospital in San Francisco and has been a Board Regent at the University of the Pacific for twelve years.

Dea Berberian attended the University of California at Davis, Chapman College World Campus Afloat, and the University of Southern California where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. Dea’s family owns the San Diego Chargers NFL football team.

Dorene Dominguez

Dorene Dominguez, a graduate of Notre Dame University is the President of the Vanir Group of Companies. The Vanir Companies, including Vanir Development Company, Inc. and Vanir Construction Management, Inc. have successfully completed over $10 billion in real estate developments, design-build lease, and construction services. Vanir Construction Management has been consistently ranked by Engineering News Record Magazine as one of the top construction management firms in the nation. Ms. Dominguez recently launched Vanir Energy, LLC, a green initiative specializing in solar thermal energy. Currently an active member of various community improvement projects, boards and commissions; she is a member of the Young Presidents Organization and serves on the Board of Directors of American River Bank, New America Alliance, National Council of La Raza, Vanir Foundation and the University of Notre Dame Institute for Latino Studies.

Tom Friery

The professional career of Mr. Friery spans forty-six years in the Banking, Municipal Finance and Investment Management fields. Mr. Friery retired in October 2007, completing 29 years of service to the City of Sacramento as Sacramento City Treasurer. In the 17 previous years he worked as a Banking Analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Assistant Investment Officer Treasurer of the State of California, Investment Officer Regents of the University of California, Investment Management Consultant- Auditor General of the State of California and Assistant Treasurer- Washington Public Power Supply System. These positions resulted in an in-depth knowledge of financing structures, instruments and accomplishing large public service projects.

Tom continues his interest and research in Finance and Investment Management and, in addition to playing golf in retirement, spends time working on Projects in Sacramento such as the “B” Street Theatre and California Fairs Financing Authority. Tom obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Cleveland State University and attended Business School at Wharton School. He lives in Roseville with his wife of 45 years Linda. They have 3 married children, 6 grand children and one great-grand child.

Mark Harris

Professor Mark T. Harris’ expertise is in infrastructure finance. Professor Harris currently serves as President and Managing Principal of the Pineapple Group, LLC (“The Pineapple Group”) and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bay Area World Trade Center, as well as the California State Assistance Fund for Enterprise, Business and Industrial Development Corporation.

Professor Harris served two terms as a member of the Sacramento Sports Commission and the Sacramento County Project Planning Committee. Mr. Harris also served in the Administration of the Honorable William Jefferson Clinton in Washington, D.C., and was the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce, the late Ronald H. Brown. Professor Harris has taught on the faculties of several prestigious California universities including, the University of California, Merced; the University of Southern California; the University of the Pacific and Mills College.

Mr. Harris received his law degree from the University of California’s Boalt Hall School of Law, and has been a member of the State Bar of California for over twenty-five years. Mr. Harris is a licensed securities professional having served as a managing director and officer of Bear Stearns and Company and PaineWebber, Inc. (now “UBS/PaineWebber”).

 Larry Kelley

With more than 30 years in the real estate industry, McClellan Business Park President Larry Kelley helped transform 16 million square feet of a shuttered air force base into a job-generating high-tech and public safety center. Kelley is also the founder and managing member of Stanford Ranch I, LLC, a 3,500 acre master planned community in Placer County, California. Kelley received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M in 1968 and his Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1971. He is an active member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks, the Association of Commercial Real Estate Executives, the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization, a current Board Member of the Aerospace Museum of California and past Chairman of the Sacramento Council of the Urban Land Institute.

Matt Kelly

Matt Kelly is the Executive Secretary of the Sacramento-Sierra’s Building & Construction Trades Council. The Trades Council is an umbrella organization that represents building and construction trade unions. He manages governmental affairs and advocates the use of Union Labor in the building and construction industry. Prior to his position with the Building Trades, Matt worked in project management for a large general contractor. Matt began his career in the construction industry as an apprentice carpenter. He has worked in the industry as apprentice, journeyman, foreman, superintendent, project engineer and project manager. As the head of the Building Trades Council Matt provides leadership and works to build relationships that benefit the Building Trades. Matt also is a board member on the Contractors State License Board where he enjoys being part of a board that provides oversight and regulation for one of the largest industries in California.

Mike Kvarme

Mike is a senior shareholder in the law firm of Weintraub Genshlea Chediak’s Real Estate and Corporate practice groups. He has over twenty-five years experience advising and counseling business interests throughout California and nationally. Mike’s real estate practice spans a broad array of real estate finance, acquisition, disposition and development, lending and project finance, partnership and joint venture arrangements and real estate taxation. His corporate practice encompasses corporate, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture and entity formation, syndication and operation and general business contracts and counseling. Mike’s experience includes representing the County of Sacramento in negotiating and structuring the redevelopment and privatization of the 3,065 acre former McClellan Air Force Base with McClellan Business Park, LLC and a Morgan-Stanley lead investor group including two major ground leases, financing and airfield operations agreement. Mike currently serves as general counsel to the California Travel and Tourism Commission which recently spearheaded the IMAX film “Wild California.”

Dan Meis

Widely regarded as one of the U.S.’ most influential designers of sports and entertainment facilities, Dan Meis is the Managing Partner of Aedas Sport in Los Angeles with over 25 years of experience and is currently responsible for the design of the new LA NFL Stadium. Previously, as the Co-Founder Design Partner of NBBJ Sports and Entertainment, Dan designed a number of critically acclaimed sports, entertainment, and convention facilities, including LA’s Staples Center, Miller Park in Milwaukee, Safeco Field in Seattle, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

Dan’s design for Los Angeles’ Staples Center has been heralded as one of the “greatest arenas ever built,” and in 2001 he was featured in Time Magazine as one of the “100 Top Innovators in the World of Sports.” His work has twice been awarded the prestigious Business Week/Architectural Record Award, recognizing the value of design to a client’s business, and he is the only architect twice recognized as one of Sports Business Journal’s “40 under 40 Most Influential Sports Executives”.

Adam Mendelsohn

Adam Mendelsohn is a Partner of Mercury Public Affairs (“MPA”) in Sacramento with 14 years of experience in strategic communications and public affairs. Prior to joining MPA, Mr. Mendelsohn served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In 2008, Mr. Mendelsohn led communications and messaging for the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. Governor Schwarzenegger’s chief of staff, Susan Kennedy, called Mr. Mendelsohn “one of the best communications strategists I’ve ever worked with.”

Before joining the Schwarzenegger administration, Mr. Mendelsohn worked in Washington, DC as Vice President and Director of Media Relations for the DCI Group where he advised Fortune 500 clients on media and public affairs campaigns. He previously served as Communications Director to Bruce McPherson’s campaign for California Lieutenant Governor; Communications Director to the Texas Controller; District Director and Communications Director for Congressman Steve Kuykendall; and Deputy Communications Director for Lamar Alexander’s presidential campaign.

Mr. Mendelsohn began his political career while attending the University of California, Los Angeles, when he worked for the polling firm, Moore Information. He is a veteran of numerous California State Assembly and Senate campaigns, and he also served on Matthew Fong’s campaign for United States Senate.

Mr. Mendelsohn resides in Granite Bay with his wife Leann, and their daughters Sarah and Catherine.

Ron Tom

Ron Tom joined Governmental Advocates in February 1998, having spent nearly two decades working in the political arena in a variety of positions. Prior to joining Governmental Advocates, Dr. Tom served as Director of Governmental Relations at the law firm of Damrell, Nelson, Schrimp, Pallios & Ladine for seven years. In this capacity, Mr. Tom represented the law firm’s wide array of clients before the California Legislature, administrative agencies and departments, and various state boards and commissions.

Dr. Tom’s areas of expertise include health care; waste management and recycling; air pollution, automotive emissions, alternative energy, higher education, Pacific Rim trade and business acquisitions. Dr. Tom is an advisor to the CAPITOL Foundation and their Prism Project; Board member of the Asian Legislative Caucus Institute; and advisor to the Asian Legal Center.

Dr. Tom graduated with honors from the University of the Pacific where he received both a Doctor of Pharmacy and a B.S. in Pharmacy. Mr. Tom is married with two grown children.