Executive Board

President

Merrilu Alfaro, FMP, CFM, ENV SP is the Director of General Services for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority. She has been a facility professional for 20 years and has a degree in Business Marketing & Communications from Cal State University Fullerton. Merrilu currently manages 12-acre Union Station East property, which includes:

LA Metro’s Union Station Gateway Building (Headquarters)
  • 28 levels
  • 628,000 square feet
  • Mostly offices
  • Dispatch Center, Call Center, full-service Cafeteria, LAPD substation and other amenities
Gateway Child Development Center (GCDC)
  • 2 levels
  • 30,0000 square feet
  • Child Care center with indoor and outdoor play spaces
East Portal Passenger Concourse
  • 3 levels
  • 50,000 square feet
  • Passenger amenities, retail spaces, passenger services office
USG Parking Garage
  • 4 level subterranean parking
  • 1.5 million square feet

She previously managed the Bentley Prince Street Carpet manufacturing facilities and showrooms nationally, totaling over a 1M square feet and acquired her Facility Management Professional (FMP) certification in 2009. Ms. Alfaro obtained her Certified Facility Manager (CFM) designation in 2011 and most recently (2018) acquired the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s (ISI) – ENV SP certificate and instructor designation. Merrilu actively participates in the Orange County & LA IFMA Chapters.


Vice President

Sean Collyer is the Director of Operations/Facilities at Vistamar School, a private independent high school in El Segundo, CA. During the last 3 years, he has managed departments associated with capital projects, health and safety, transportation and other front-facing services. Prior to Vistamar School, he held roles with Lundgren Management, overseeing public school facility modernization projects for K-12 institutions, and new capital projects for Community College and High School Districts. Most recently, Sean managed the College of the Canyons gym renovation and held a leadership role during the construction of the new Castaic High School for the William S. Hart Union High School District.

Sean has held diverse roles during the last 20 years in an educational setting, from teaching, coaching and administration. These various roles have aided Sean in unifying the needs and requests of the community and stakeholders. 

In addition to his role as the Director of Operations/Facilities, Sean is also a member of the men’s basketball coaching staff at Vistamar School. Sean has also previously held head coaching positions at Granada Hills Charter High School and St. Genevieve High School, he was also an assistant coach at Moorpark High School and Los Angeles Pierce College. Sean is originally from Southern California and currently resides in Santa Monica.




Secretary

Madison Felien is a Senior Account Executive for Supply Solutions. She has been with her company and in the Janitorial world for over 6 years. Supply Solutions is a full line distributor of janitorial supplies, office products, PPE and packaging supplies. She prides herself on world class customer service while maintaining a personal touch. Madison embraces her clients as partners and strives to help them attain their business goals relative to supplies and develop joint business plans to do so.

Madison has a bachelor’s degree in health science from Cal State Fullerton. She currently is on the board as Secretary and oversees the Hospitality Committee and Social Media Marketing for IFMA LA. When she isn’t glued to her emails, she spends her time at the pool, traveling, golfing, wine tasting and trying new restaurants with friends.


Treasurer

With over 15 years working with FMs and IT managers in both public and private sectors, Cheryl has developed and implemented Audio Visual, IT and health and safety standards for such companies as Microsoft, Wells Fargo, Levi Stadium, AEG, Amgen, Boeing, Disney the LA Community College District, UCLA, The J. Paul Getty Trust, and others. Having more than 10 years experience as either an active committee chair or board member (or both) with IFMA-LA, Cheryl is an asset to Facility Managers and the challenges they face within their global organizations. Her focus is on assisting large, multi-layered organizations understand cutting-edge solutions that will better serve a facility as a whole. Whether IT/AV or as she's done with Monofoil, Cheryl provides solutions for much of what challenges FMs in a global environment.



Immediate Past President

Pauline MacLean is the Director of Sales for Tony Demaria Electric (TDE, Inc.), So Cal’s trusted provider of electrical equipment testing, maintenance, repair, commissioning, and training services for clients in oil and gas, marine, defense, industrial plants, and commercial sites.

She recently joined TDE in January 2023 after having worked in the disaster recovery industry for the past 30 years, acquiring the necessary certifications to manage projects and now, in her current sales role, has continued developing key relationships with numerous regional commercial property and facility management clients.

In addition to her current role as IFMA-LA chapter Immediate Past President, Pauline has been previously appointed as a board member of BOMA GLA and the William H. Parker Foundation for LAPD and is still active within those organizations.

Pauline currently resides in the South Bay of Los Angeles. When Pauline is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, golfing, traveling and wine tasting.



Member-At-Large




Member-At-Large

Victor Ramirez, FMA, MSLM, is the Facility Asset Management, Unit Manager at Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). He has served in this capacity for eight years. His primary duties include providing strategic and operational direction, capital improvement projects, and asset management. MWD is the water wholesaler for Southern California, supplying safe and reliable water for approximately 19,000,000 residents. Prior to his role with MWD, he held a similar role with Southern California Edison. Early in his career, Victor worked as a Building Engineer, and Chief Engineer at several high-rise buildings including the United States Federal Building, and the Jonathan Club.

Victor has earned a master’s degree in Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne, and a bachelor’s degree in Technical Operations Management from DeVry University. He enjoys golf, attending sporting events, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. 



Member-At-Large

Wendy Schatan is an Account Manager for Industrial Commercial Systems (ICS). ICS is a leading provider of comprehensive heating, ventilation, air conditioning and plumbing solutions. They have successfully partnered with numerous commercial properties in California, delivering exceptional results for all maintenance, service, and design/build projects. Wendy is committed to providing superior customer service and support to her clients.

As a Member at Large and liaison to the Events Committee, Wendy enjoys coordinating IFMA LA events and designs all related marketing materials. Additionally, she serves on the advisory council for the LAPD Parker Foundation. She is passionate about supporting important causes within the community.

Wendy is a USC graduate with a degree in Communications and enjoys watching the Trojan football team. She is an accomplished Advanced Open Water PADI diver, pickle ball player, want-a-be golfer, and self-proclaimed foodie. She enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, Mochi, on the weekends. Her two adult daughters are her pride and joy.


Past Presidents

2022-2023, Immediate Past President, Pauline MacLean

2019-2020 & 2020-2021, Ashley Madrid

2018-2019, Garth Sellers

2017-2018, Wilson Cisneros

2014-2016, Ken Matthews

2013-2014, Joe Archie

2011-2013, Garth Sellers

2010-2011, Chris Nehls

2009-2010, Thomas Schulte, CFM

2007-2009, Clay Dunning, CFM

2006-2007, Mark Cicero, CFM

2005-2006, Timothy C. Gray, CFM

2004-2005, Debra Ertel-Hernandez, CFM

2003-2004, Ron Corey, CFM

2002-2003, Barbara J. Kane, CFM

2001-2002, Mel Sturr

2000-2001, Tim Richardson

1999-2000, Francis Kuhn, CFM

1998-1999, Ken Burkhalter, CFM

1996-1998, Pat McLaughlin

1995-1996, Phyllis Meng, CFM


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