Michael R. Adams
Board President
For 17 years Mr. Adams served as the emergency services coordinator for the City of Simi Valley. He then went on to serve as the housing manager for the City of Palmdale and previously worked as the senior redevelopment projects coordinator for the City of Lancaster. Mr. Adams is a U.S. Air Force veteran and specialized as a counterintelligence officer and an ICBM missile-launch crew commander. Mr. Adams received his Bachelor of Arts from UCLA and his Master of Science from USC. He has been a member of several community boards including the American Red Cross, United Way, the Antelope Valley Homeless Coalition. Michael Adams is a current elected board member of the Antelope Valley College District Board of Trustees and has been a member for over 17 years.
Claudette Roberts Beck
Board Secretary
Ms. Claudette Roberts Beck is a board president for the Antelope Valley Resource Conservation District and a former board member of the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Board. As the water conservation manager at the Palmdale Water District for 21 years, she developed and executed conservation programs for the public and regional school districts. A strong believer in educating the public about water conservation, Ms. Beck serves on the Conservation Garden Committee that encourages the use of sustainable plants and other forms of water conservation. Ms. Beck earned her bachelor’s in business management from the University of Phoenix.
Frank Lukacsa
Board Member
Mr. Frank Lukacsa is the vice president of sales operations for ATTOM Data Solutions, the premier provider of real estate and property data, and leads its Customer Success program and its Data Collection team. With more than 20 years of experience in the real estate and credit data industry, he excels in managing complex data and communicating the findings for customers’ understanding. Mr. Lukacsa holds a bachelor’s in communications from California State University, Fullerton, and is credentialed by the ABA School of Bank Card Management, the School of Mortgage Banking and General Insurance 21. He is a longtime advocate of at-risk teens and actively involved in coaching youth soccer.
Dr. David G. Rathgeber
Board Member
Dr. David Rathgeber served as the Director of Operations of Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity. Dr. Rathgeber spent over 23 years on active duty in the Marine Corps, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2000. His military occupational specialties included Air Command and Control and Communications, and he served in the Operations Section of a HAWK Missile Battalion, a Marine Air Control Group, and a Marine Expeditionary Force. As his last tour of duty, Dr. Rathgeber served as a Marine Corps Planning Process Instructor for the MAGTF Staff Training Program in Quantico, Virginia. Immediately upon his retirement from active duty, Dr. Rathgeber worked for the Marine Corps Programs Office at the Naval Station in Fallbrook, California, where he supported the Marine Corps Operational Test and Activity Office with the operational test efforts of various systems including the Command and Control variant of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle. Dr. Rathgeber joined MCTSSA in October 2001 and served in many positions prior to his assignment as the Director of Operations. For the past five years, Dr. Rathgeber has served as an executive on the Board of Directors for the Disabled American Veterans of San Diego. Dr. Rathgeber has over 40 years of combined active duty and civilian service to the Marine Corps, and has received numerous awards including the Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Over the past seven years, Dr. Rathgeber has been an active supporter of the Investment in Success Scholarship Program, which aims to support students who face hardships that prevent them from achieving academic success by awarding eligible students four year scholarships for college or university.
Susan Alderson
Board Member
Ms. Susan Alderson was the technical director and senior civilian at Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA), providing strategic vision and advocacy to its 400+ members. MCTSSA provides organic testing, engineering and warfighter support in all command-and-control systems, equipment and processes. A native of Oceanside, CA, Ms. Alderson’s 25-year career has utilized her background in technology coupled with her leadership skills to support numerous essential military developments and operations.
Ms. Alderson is active in her church by volunteering at summer camp, the food pantry and as an elementary-level teacher. She volunteers with community organizations like Quilts of Love, which makes quilts for local hospice and hospitals. As a member of the Fire Fighter Lookout Association, she helps restore, maintain and staff historic fire lookouts in San Diego and Riverside Counties.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from San Diego University, a master’s degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a certificate in Anti-Submarine Warfare from the Naval Postgraduate School.