As we take a pause in the middle of this glorious summer, the board of FCC SoCal would like to announce some changes in our leadership positions.

Maureen Hemler has completed her year term as Chair, and indicated a desire to step down from the position.  Therefore two other board members, Albert Olson and Judy Marasco, will step up to fill the position and Co-Chair our organization for the next year. Maureen will remain on the board. We are very grateful for all that she has done this past year to lead our organization, and are excited to work as a team with all of you to make FCC SoCal a meaningful part of your family’s life.

Judy Marasco – Co-Chair is a single mom to 7-year-old Josie (from Qinzhou, Guangxi). Judy is a tenured faculty member teaching English as a Second Language at Santa Monica College. Pre-parenthood, she had lived in China off and on for six years and earned a Masters degree in East Asian Studies with a China focus from UCLA. She brings to this position first-hand China experience and a passion for forging links between our children and the land of their birth.

Albert Olson – Co-Chair  is the very proud parent, along with his wife Melainie, of 9-year-old Alaina, adopted in 2002 from Anqing, Anhui.  Albert has worked as a film music composer in the movie industry for many years, and is currently also serving as the Chair of the Mar Vista Community Council, part of the Neighborhood Council system of the City of Los Angeles.  Albert and Melainie have been active in the FCC since Alaina’s adoption in 2002.

We look forward to serving FCC in the coming year, and to continuing the programs and traditions that we all have come to expect from our organization.  But we are also committed to exploring how the FCC might evolve to best support our families and children in the future.  To do this we need the active participation of our membership, and would like to encourage more of you to find ways to contribute some of your time and talents to the FCC.  We will be sending out notice shortly of our next Board meeting, and ask those of you who might be interested in increasing your involvement, either as a prospective Board member or in a specific area of interest, to join us as we move forward in the coming year.

Judy Marasco
Albert Olson

Co-Chairs, Families with Children from China - Southern California