Get to Know Your Council

President, Jerry Heffernan            

I have been a member of Good Shepherd for 27 years and am currently serving a two-year term as Council President. I previously served as Vice President for two years, Prayer Minister, chaired the Outreach Committee, led growth group and men's bible studies, taught preschool, voyagers and other youth programs at Good Shepherd, and have had the opportunity to be part of the Good Shepherd building programs in Mexico many times. My wife, Cathy and I have been married for over 27 years and we have two grown children, Shannon and Kyle.

My professional background covers over 27 years of combined system engineering, technical and program management in the satellite industry at Hughes, TRW, and Boeing. I have done a fair amount of international travel in support of work, but have spent the majority of my career local in the South Bay. Although my background has been focused on the technical and program management front, I am currently pursuing an MBA to refine my business skills. Being on Council has been a very rewarding experience. I have served as the Council liaison into the Personnel Committee led by Tom Schiltgen and more recently as the Council liaison to the Business Management Committee led by an ex-Council president, Scott Kebschull. I have had the distinct pleasure to work with many incredibly talented people on Council and Staff that I continue to learn from and look forward to working with them into the future.

Vice President, Linda Mele

I have been a member of Good Shepherd for 11 years.  My husband Stephen and I have two daughters.  Emma has just begun her freshman year in college, and Laura has just entered her freshman year at West High.

My professional background is in mechanical engineering.  After 15 years in aerospace and a few years off at home with the kids, I began a second career as a construction manager for non-profit organizations.  This career began through my volunteer work at Good Shepherd as the Building Committee Chairperson during our construction of the Worship Center and the Community Life Center back in 2000.  Current projects include an affordable housing project in Anaheim for formerly homeless families with adult mental illness and a Hope Lodge project for the American Cancer Society which will provide free lodging for people who come to our Los Angeles medical facilities for cancer treatment.

One thing I would really like to accomplish while on council is improved long-term planning of our administrative and facilities resources that are needed to support the growth in our ministries.  The greatest privilege of being on council is hearing the pastors' plans for future ministry while they are still in the planning stages, and I feel called to help our congregation prepare for the future.

Treasurer, Bill Long

I am continuing on Church Council in my 6^th year as Treasurer.  I have been a member since 1985.  My wife,  Jane and I have five children.  I am employed by Northrop Grumman as a physicist. I enjoy bicycling, paddling, and camping, but being a grandfather is my greatest joy!  Jane and I worship at the 11:00 service.

Secretary, Rebecca Kelly

I have been a member of Good Shepherd for nearly 20 years and am currently serving a two-year term as Council Secretary.  I have previously served on the Educational Committee, Financial Committee, Welcome Committee and assisted Pastor Moorman with the children's Trinity program as Director.

I have over 20 years experience in asset and property management and have worked directly with development and institutional clients such as FAA, Hughes Aircraft, General Services Administration, Lockheed Marietta, and Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA).

When I first came on board with the council, I thought my time would be pre-occupied with taking notes and transcribing them.  Boy was I wrong! I had no idea how many people are involved in the day-to-day decision making process of running a church with as much going on as Good Shepherd.  We routinely work with the Business Management Committee, the Personnel Committee, and receive regular communication from ministry leaders and staff.  A week hasn't gone by when we aren't all in contact via email, and each of us walk away from our monthly meetings with a list of tasks we have committed to.  The biggest surprise to me was to find out that the Council had begun working on items that I happen to have some expertise in - facilities management.  It's made my time on the Council valuable. Being a member for so many years, I only now have a full understanding and appreciation of the time and effort that so many talented and committed people are contributing to the management of our church.

Member-at-Large, Gary Collin

I have been a member of Good Shepherd for seven years and am currently serving a two-year term as Council Member-at-Large.  I also serve on the Welcome Committee for the 9:30 service.  I have over 28 years experience in facilities and work as a project manager for a large Aerospace company in El Segundo.

Member-at-Large, Dave Rand

I have been a member of Good Shepherd for a little more than seven years. I am a part of the Welcome team that is chaired by my wife, Michelle. I also lead a growth group jointly with Carlos and Kristen Anwandter. I have also been involved in acquiring Hospital donations for the Uganda mission. I have been married to Michelle for almost 17 years and have two wonderful, church-involved children, Brittany and David Jr.

My professional experience is somewhat long. I currently am Chief of Staff at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. Essentially, this entails running the day-to-day operations of the hospital that involves the Medical staff, growth planning of the hospital, and managing all the different departments. In addition, I have a very busy private practice where I am Board Certified in Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine and Hospital Medicine. I have been practicing medicine for 16 years. Educationally speaking I also hold a Master's degree in Neurophysiology.

I have spent about five years on council working with a group of incredibly talented and diverse individuals. God has been able to use us in incredible ways. We do not always agree on every issue, but through intensive prayer, I believe we have been able to do God's will. I am ever grateful for the different perspectives and talents that each council member has and look forward to continuing our work together.

Member-at-Large, Mike Klein

I have been a member of Good Shepherd since July 2006, although my connection goes back to 1992 when I was married in the church.  My professional background is in construction and facilities maintenance.  I am currently the Facilities Manager for the City of Redondo Beach, and prior to that I worked for Western Federal Credit Union.  My wife, Chris and I, and our two children, Amanda and Cameron, reside in Torrance along with our three dogs.  In my spare time, I like to play roller hockey, watch ice hockey games, and go camping.