Board of Directors

Mr. Villanueva has over thirty years of experience in post-secondary higher education management at various operational levels and capacities including founding new institutions and leading management in state approval, national accreditation process as well as Federal Title IV program participation approval. In 1984, he founded Career College Center in Whittier, California. In 1987-1990, he served as School Director and Chief Administrative Officer of Whittier Institute of Technology. In 1995, he founded Newbridge College in Tustin, California.

He served as a board member and trustee of Northcentral University, an online institution for higher education accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Mr. Villanueva holds an MBA from Northcentral University and is a Certified Higher Educational Professional by the National Association of State Administrators and Supervisors of Private Schools.

He is currently President and CEO of Capstone College and California Nurses Educational Institute. Mr. Villanueva is an active accreditation team member with the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) and the Council on Occupational Education (CEO). ​

Adam’s passion for mission driven organizations led him to rapidly become an authority on fundraising, marketing, business development, NGO optimization, and taking nonprofit organizations “to the next level” through mission driven initiatives. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Regional Development and Business Administration from University of Arizona (Go Wildcats!) and an MBA in Nonprofit Management from American Jewish University.

Adam has been a principal executive at Boys & Girls Clubs, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and other nonprofit organizations. Adam enjoys community building and has presented and led workshops on recruitment and retention at local and national conferences for numerous membership organizations.

In 2014 Adam was able to fulfill a life-long dream of volunteering his services to the Naankuse Foundation, a charity dedicated to conserving the landscapes, cultures and wildlife of Namibia, Africa. Recently, Adam was the inaugural Executive Director of SLAM! Program Los Angeles an organization that provides students from underserved schools with accessible, contemporary, and tuition-free music instruction. And since he couldn’t carry a tune, he was responsible for overseeing the strategic and operational growth of the organization, fundraising, as well as supervising and supporting the regional program staff for each SLAM! university chapter.

Currently, Adam is the Chief Fundraising Officer for a local chapter of a large international nonprofit organization that offers educational, cultural, recreational, and social service programs and facilities that provide hope, purpose, and life-changing support for the soldiers who protect Israel and Jews worldwide.

Anila Ali is a visionary, community builder and Inter-faith leader. Her father, a premier journalist, politician, diplomat, humanitarian, human rights activist, and inter-faith leader, has greatly influenced Anila. His legacy of dedication to public service, and that of her entire family, has set Anila Ali on the path she follows today.

Ali’s work with the Inter-faith community has made her a leading voice for Muslims in America. She speaks regularly on Women Rights and Islam, Counter Terrorism, Radical Islam, and shares her extensive knowledge with audiences large and small. Her next book “Being a Muslim Woman in Trump’s America” is expected to be published in Summer 2017. In the book, she recounts her journey to America and discusses the political and social experiences that motivated her to leadership of Muslims in America. The book also takes aims at misconceptions and stereotypes about Muslim women in America and abroad. Moreover, it sheds light on the oppression of women in Muslim countries and the denial of their God-given equal rights in Islam.

Anila Ali is an advocate for communities building trusting relationships with law enforcement. As a Muslim leader, she knows that the community is the first line of defense against radicalization. She builds on countering hate with positive narratives and works with non-profits, community organizations, and Inter faith organizations, to build coalitions of support. Ali regularly conducts talks at temples, churches and other political and non-profit, organizations that invite her to speak.

“Community Building” is paramount to Ali’s vision. Ali brings global perspective to community boards and mentors women and youth through their conflicts. She has founded non-profit organizations to develop bonds between diverse cultures in her community while her charismatic nature immediately brings followers with each new idea.

• She founded AMWEC (American Muslim Women’s Empowerment Council) to bring women into the community conversation, encouraging volunteerism, public service and leadership amongst Muslim women.
• She founded the Irvine Pakistani Parents Association to raise money for public schools within the city of Irvine.
• Ali is the Orange Chair of the International Leadership Foundation, (ILF is a non-partisan, non-profit, base D.C.) annually providing Asian American youth internships to 19 federal government agencies and The White House. ILF promotes civic awareness and engagement of Asian Americans in all fields of government and the economy.

CalPak Educational Services was founded by Ali to create an online college degree program between Coastline Community College and Cal State Fullerton, California. This program makes American education available in Pakistan at a fraction of the cost and provides young people, especially girls, an opportunity to pursue higher education where social values and cost may have made it prohibitive.

Expanding over a 35-year career, Dr. Arthur “Lee” Smith has served as Vice President of Academic Affairs, University Dean at multiple Universities, and has held executive leadership positions in the private sector with organizations including State Farm Insurance and AAA Insurance Companies.

Although Dr. Smith has worked in numerous sectors of life, his first love is clearly education and is devoted to bettering the lives of adults young and old through the power of learning, self-actualization and growth.

Lee holds both a MBA and PhD in Strategic Management. He and is wife, Valerie, have been married for 38 years and they have two children and three grandchildren.

Gora Datta is a US-based serial entrepreneur and an internationally acknowledged subject matter expert on ICT (Information & Communication Technology), Health Information Technology Standards & CyberHealth initiatives. He is an accomplished, visionary executive with 35 years of international professional expertise in the field of Computer & Software Engineering and its application to Healthcare, Mobile Health, CyberSecurity, IoT, Blockchain, eLearning and Social Protection.

As a US “Electronic Health Record (EHR)” subject matter and ICT expert, Gora provides consultancy to and collaborates with large governmental organizations (e.g., US Dept of Health and Human Services [ONC, CMS, CDC], State of California [Public Health], County of Los Angeles [Dept of Health, Public Health], NIST: National Institute of Standards & Technology-USA; Governments of Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Niger, Philippines, USA) and multi-lateral agencies like The World Bank, ADB, WHO, UNICEF.

Gora Datta is the founding Chairman and CEO of CAL2CAL group of companies, a multi-national innovative ICT products and solutions organization. He also serves on the Board of multiple organizations both for profit and non-profit entities.

He is a Science (MS Honors Chemistry) and Engineering (BE Honors Chemical) alumnus of B.I.T.S., Pilani, India

Throughout his career, Arie Shen has led and managed profitable technical and sales departments for software vendors and high-tech companies. He has managed P&L departments, headed technical teams and provided customers with services including technical support, architecture, implementation solutions, project vision planning and project implementation. His customers have ranged from mid to large size companies, and the engagement projects have varied from 1 to 24 months.

More recently, Arie Shen has consulted directly with businesses, providing business and strategic plans, conducting market validation of clients’ services and product lines, identifying funding sources for equity investment and executing business development, channel sales creation development and management, strategic alliances as well as direct sales.

Shen attributes his success to his dedication to clients, close attention to detail, hands-on involvement with client relations management, negotiations, sales, personnel management and his constant 360-degree communications with colleagues and clients.