2014 Men Who Make A Difference

Jerry Henberger, Steve Fisher, Jonathan Harill and Herb Johnson are among our selections of Men Wbo Make a Difference in 2014.

Outstanding Individuals Who Have Achieved

Remarkable Success in Their Careers

Jerry Henberger

Under Jerry Henberger’s leadership, the Parkinson’s Association has established a counseling program that provides pro- fessional counseling and psychological services to the Parkinson’s community, expanded outreach and educational pro- grams, and established a Minds In Motion program that integrates physical health with mental health to improve and maintain the quality of life of people with Parkinson’s. As the executive director of the Parkinson’s Association, he defines the nexus between a specialized community and a professional services organization. He has established himself as the leader of the largest Parkinson’s disease organization in Southern California and has been the driving force in transform- ing the regional organization into providing Parkinson’s patient and caregiver support and services for Los Angeles, Or- ange and San Diego counties. Most importantly, the fiber of Henberger’s being is concerned with community service and how he can help improve the lives of people suffering with Parkinson’s and other debilitating diseases. He is a graduate of the University of Santa Clara.

Steve Fisher

Steve Fisher has guided the San Diego State Aztecs basketball program to national prominence in his 14 years as head coach. In 23 years as a head coach, first at Michigan and then at SDSU, he has won 65 percent of his games. He won a na- tional championship at Michigan and his teams have participated in seven NCAA tournaments and made 11 postseason appearances. The Aztecs have won Mountain West conference championships as well as the conference’s post-season tour- naments. His Aztecs teams have won more than 20 games in 10 of his 14 years as their head coach. They won more than 30 games in 2010-11 and in 2013-14.

Kirt Gilliland

Kirt Gilliland is a principal and president of Hughes Marino’s Construction Management Division. He has more than 25 years of construction and project management experience. He holds a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Southern California. At Hughes Marino, he manages the design and construction of hundreds of proj- ects in multiple industries, including education, medical, affordable housing, civic and nonprofit. His skills and knowledge of construction and the local market provide a valuable tool for Hughes Marino during lease negotiations and work letter review, as well as for other clients during the design and construction phase of their project. He has managed more than six million square feet of projects in excess of $400 million. His notable projects include design and construction for AMN Healthcare; Seacrest, Mitchell International, Francis Parker School and the New Childen’s Museum.

Dr. Sean Daneshmand

Dr. Sean Daneshmand is an obstetrician specializing in high-risk pregnancies. Since 2002, he has practiced at San Diego Prenatal Center, providing services at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women. It is here that Daneshmand’s influence is truly felt through his tireless work to provide the best care and expertise possible to ensure the health of expectant moth- ers and their babies. He founded Miracle Babies, a nonprofit organization that aids in providing both financial and emo- tional support to families struggling to cope with the pressures of having a critically ill newborn in the Prenatal Intensive Care Unit. Miracle Babies plays a pivotal role in the lives of hundreds of women and families by providing financial assis- tance with items such as medical equipment, baby supplies, and living expenses. It is the love and support through Mira- cle Babies in a time of crisis that illustrates the poignant role that Daneshmand plays in the community.

Herb Johnson

Herb Johnson is president and CEO of the San Diego Rescue Mission. The Mission offers several life-changing programs to the nearly 10,000 homeless men, women and children living in San Diego County. They provide basic needs as well as recuperative and rehabilitative services that help these people get back on their feet and return to society as productive cit- izens. Johnson holds an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School, had a dynamic career in the business world, in- cluding leading Summit Concept, a unique supply chain and executive partnership firm based in San Diego. He also served as executive vice president for supply chain management of Premier Inc., and as president of Premier Purchasing Part- ners,L.P., a $14 billion group purchasing organization. He puts his extensive executive experience to work leading the San Diego Rescue Mission.

Brad Phillips

Dr. Brad Phillips is president and CEO of the Institute for Evidence-Based Change. The organization’s focus is to im- prove educational practices and outcomes in schools, colleges and universities. Phillips has pioneered the collaborative col- lection and sharing of data across educational segments and its connection to faculty use, classroom and institutional change. He is a frequent keynote speaker, author of articles, and recipient of recognitions and honors for his innovative re- search and commitment to faculty involvement and student progress. He is the founder of the California Partnership for Achieving Student Success (Cal-PASS).

 Jonathan Harrill

Jonathan Harrill is senior director for business and legal affairs at Adconion Direct and specializes in digital privacy, com- pliance, and media law for all advertising channels, as well as overseeing M&A activity and all advertiser, partner and ven- dor contracts and negotiations. He addresses and resolves the legal needs of the business in an ever-changing environment where media and data usage evolve faster than the legal and regulatory statutes. In addition, he leads and manages daily op- erations across the compliance and legal departments. Throughout his tenure at Adconion Direct, Harrill has played a crit- ical role in overseeing two major acquisitions: the 2011 Frontline Direct and Adconion Audience Network merger, creating Adconion Direct as it is known today. Harrill works with several local organizations through Adconion Direct’s volunteer efforts including Southern California Special Olymupics, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, Father Joe’s Villages, San Dieguito River Valley Conservatory and New Life Headstart. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with both his undergraduate and law degrees.

Gabriel Bristol

Gabriel Bristol is president and CEO of Intelicare Direct, a San Diego-based customer service solutions company with an- other office in Las Vegas. He is widely recognized as one of today’s most talented CEOs because of his track record of de- veloping turnkey solutions, effective customer care and sales programs for small and medium-sized businesses across various industries.         He combines more than 20 yeas of successful executive management experience with impactful leadership while igniting stagnant businesses and transforming declining operations. He ensures that at the core of Intelicare Direct’s corporate culture is its reach into the community to make a positive impact by supporting important causes. He has been among a handful of of business leaders in San Diego to stand up and support a hike in the minimum wage.

Fred Kosmo

Fred Kosmo is a partner at Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP. He has represented both local and national clients in high-stakes business litigation matters across multiple industries for more than 25 yeas. With a reputation for high quality, successful rep- resentation that puts the interests of its clients first, Wilson Turner Kosmo is the law firm that many top businesses turn to, including Fortune 100 companies. He is a volunteer board member of the Defenders Board, which oversees Federal De- fenders of San Diego Inc. and Appellate Defenders Inc. He is also the former president of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, which provides a unique forum in which litigators and judges meet together to address important issues. A devoted family man, he served for many years as an Austin Guild director at Saint Augustine High School and actively supports the San Diego chapter of Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Kevin Crawford

Kevin Crawford is president and CEO of United Way of San Diego. His first order of business for United Way has been with the City Heights Partnership for Children, working with the local neighborhood with the highest concentration of youth and widespread poverty to help every child succeed. Crawford has pulled bodies from the rubble of 9/11, led a team of five fire chiefs to respond to Hurricane Katrina and steered 200 firefighters to fight some of the worse fires in Southern California. He has not only played a major role in the recovery of large-scale emergencies, but he has also created strategic partnerships with 10 North County fire departments to increase disaster response capabilities. He has also helped in the de- velopment of a nationally recognized radio communications system linking police and fire departments and Caltrans and created a paramedic program at Palomar College, the first of its kind in the country.

Parker Harris

Parker Harris is president and co-founder of Junto Global Inc., a social venture for talented passionate people to connect, grow and contribute. Junto Global provides the tools, resources, and experiences to help its members assess where they are and where they want to go, set a plan to get there and empower them along the way. Harris has doubled the membership of the organization and expanded from San Diego into the Los Angeles and Austin markets. He sits on the board of Our Gen Y, a web-based exchange network focused on promoting and referring Gen Y leaders to positive organizations, programs and capital resources. He serves as a Lavin Mentor through San Diego State’s Lavin Entrepreneurship Center. He is involved with A Reason To Survive and Tech Coast Angels and recently began a non-profit venture, partnering with Mission Edge to launch the Junto Global Foundation.

Christopher Young

Christopher Young is CEO of Digital MKTG, partnering with professional services companies to help them integrate dig- ital marketing technology and grow their online presence. Utilizing cutting-edge web design, social media marketing and up-to-date SEO tactics, Digital MKTG enables companies to reach their target demographic with proven, cost-effective methods. A former United States Coast Guardsman,Young has taken his passion for helping others and created his own com- pany to help grow small businesses through digital marketing. He devotes his time to Animal Rescuers Without Borders, a nonprofit organization that consists of a group of dedicated people who donate their resources, skills and energy to help res- cue the overpopulation of homeless pets. He also volunteers for the Orangewood Children’s Foundation. In the Coast Guard, he served as an EMT.

Dale Strack

Dale Strack, a gifted entrepreneur, developed the first credit card insurance program in the United States that launched a multimillion dollar industry. He has helped dozens of companies anticipate changes in the market, and adjust their strate- gies to get ahead of the curve. He engineered a complete financial turnaround for the Anthony Robbins Companies and pro- duced the Gunthy-Renker infomercial that catapulted the 28-year-old speaker and author to national prominence. He packaged and brought to market several top-selling books while CEO of the Robbins Company. He is a partner in Man- tooth Films and consultant to dozens of companies. Strack has put in countless hours in behalf of the San Diego Film Fes- tival. Since taking over the festival in 2012, he has multiplied sponsors by 300 percent and increased attendance by over 500 percent.