Close Welcome to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California

Southern California Chapter

Unifying the efforts of our six houses, a camp, two family rooms and other programs, the Southern California Chapter of Ronald McDonald House Charities is committed to creating a community where children and their families embrace life and healing with a sense of hope, enthusiasm, courage and joy.

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Our Houses

Ronald McDonald Houses located throughout Southern California help families stay close to their child when they need treatment for a serious medical condition. Our Houses provide a home-like setting, close to the region's top hospitals, where families can stay free-of charge for as long as necessary.

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Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times

Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times helps children with cancer and their families find hope, healing and a sense of normalcy at our year-round, medically supervised camp facility.

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Family Rooms

Our Family Rooms provide an oasis for parents and caregivers inside the hospital, giving them a chance to sleep, shower, and connect with other families just steps away from their child’s hospital bed.

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Family Support Services (FSS)

Family Support Services (FSS) provides compassionate emotional support, education, and resources to the families and staff of the Ronald McDonald House. We are available to you seven days a week, 24 hours a day, every day of the year even after you leave the house and return home.

Chapter Staff

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California staff members are dedicated to providing comfort, care, and support to children and families in Southern California.

Fatima Djelmane Rodriguez BioContact

Fatima Djelmane Rodriguez

Chief Executive Officer

Fatima Djelmane Rodriguez is a native Angelino raised in the San Gabriel Valley.  She attended Ramona Convent Secondary School, earned her BA in Communications from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication, and her MA from the University of Texas at Austin’s Radio, Television, and Film program.  Upon graduating from UT Austin, Fatima began her search for work in the nonprofit sector.  Devoted to community service, Fatima wanted to work for a grassroots organization focused on community building and empowerment.  Her search led her to Proyecto Pastoral where she was employed as Development Associate, Development Director, and finally, Associate Director for nearly eight years.  In her tenure at Proyecto, she helped build the organization’s infrastructure and established unprecedented financial stability for the organization.  Fatima then transitioned to work as the Development Director for Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times in January 2013.  She was drawn to their mission of building healthier lives for children with cancer and their families.  She was promoted to Executive Director in October of 2017, excited to continue the fundraising success under her tenure as Development Director and work with the Camp community to deepen its impact across the board.  Fatima was promoted to CEO and assumed the position on January 18th, 2022.  She’s excited to be at the helm of RMHCSC, with a deep passion for the organization’s mission and deepening our impact throughout Southern California.  Fatima enjoys spending time with her two girls, Ale and Emma, her husband Lucio and uses her creative talents to do makeup for friends and family in her spare time.

See a recent Changing of the Guard video with Fatima and former CEO, Vince Bryson 
https://youtu.be/oz3TUhqpoRg 

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Gabriela Avila-La

Gabriela Avila-La

Executive Assistant to CEO

Vicki Holloway

Chief Operating Officer

Vicki Holloway brings her passion for operational excellence and over 20 years of professional experience to her role as the first Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California (RMHCSC) Chief Operating Officer. Vicki's expertise includes strategic planning, financial planning and analysis, business operations optimization, culture building, and talent management. She is dedicated to fostering effective teams and empowering others to be successful.

Vicki's desire to work for a mission-driven nonprofit began as the Executive Director of The Discovery Center for Science and Technology, a science, technology, engineering, and math "museum without walls." This nonprofit brought highly engaging hands-on learning to children and families across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.  

Prior to joining RMHCSC, Vicki was a co-founder of Latigo Biotherapeutics, Inc., a company developing an innovative non-opioid pain medicine. During this endeavor, she was accountable for the development and management of all business platforms. She previously held positions of increasing responsibility at Amgen, Inc., a biotechnology company, in the areas of corporate expansion, organizational design, change management, quality management systems, standards, and training. Vicki's earliest career experience occurred as a client account manager and technical consultant for ENSR Consulting, an international environmental consulting firm.

She received her Master of Business Administration from California State University, Northridge, and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Additionally, Vicki is a Certified Nonprofit Professional. When she isn't enjoying her work at RMHCSC, she can be found hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, and with her husband, two children, and Australian Shephard.

Melissa Puls BioContact

Melissa Puls

Chief Development Office

Melissa Puls is a nonprofit executive with a passion for positive social change and over 15 years of experience in advancement leadership. In addition to her extensive fundraising track record, Melissa brings expertise in building systems and teams for sustainable fund development and strategic partnership programs. Before becoming Chief Development Officer for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California, Melissa led the strategic partnership, advancement, and brand marketing programs at Claremont Lincoln University, a socially conscious graduate school dedicated to equity-focused leadership education. She previously held leadership roles in advancement and communications with River LA, a nonprofit tasked with reimagining the 51 miles of the Los Angeles River from flood control infrastructure to serving people, water, and the environment through human-centered design, and Pasadena Waldorf School, a nonprofit school and global educational movement with a social impact mission. 

Prior to her nonprofit work, Melissa enjoyed a long and adventurous career as a note-worthy media producer, working for major advertising agencies in Los Angeles and San Francisco to serve regional, national, and global corporations and nonprofits. She attained her M.A in Organizational Leadership & Management from Claremont Lincoln University and her B.A. in Communications & Mass Media from UCLA, and has experience as Board Chair for a K-12 independent school. When she isn't working to advance social causes, Melissa can be found traveling, hiking the San Gabriel Mountains, or hanging out with her husband and three young-adult children.

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Lauren Dascher Griscom

Director of Development

Marlene Stang

Director of Foundation Relations for both Camp and PSC

Marlene Stang was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley, where she still lives and enjoys its rich history and cultural diversity.  She graduated from Ramona Convent Secondary School in Alhambra, and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History/Art History from the University of California Los Angeles.  Over the course of her post-graduate professional life, she has cultivated a passion for service and communication, applying her diverse skill sets to the fields of public relations, journalism, fragrance development, marketing, and fundraising. 

She believes that her journey into philanthropy truly began at age 18, when she became the committed donor of a then small but now world-renowned animal rescue organization.  She began honing her skills as a fundraiser, however, at Proyecto Pastoral - a Boyle Heights-based community non-profit where she served as the Development Officer for nearly six years.  While there, she participated in all fundraising activities with a primary role of researching, writing, and overseeing the submission of grants to government, foundation and corporate funders nationwide.  These included the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and the AT&T Aspire program - a key funder of the Promesa Boyle Heights community-school model that is playing a vital role in improving the area’s graduation rates.  Most recently, she has served as a Grant Writer at ChapCare, a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides high-quality medical care and support services to under- and uninsured men, women, and children at eight health centers across the San Gabriel Valley.

As a cancer survivor herself, Marlene is motivated by Camp’s mission to give children with cancer and their siblings an enriching, inspired place at which they can have fun, explore their environment, and realize their strength and potential amidst whatever challenges they face.  In her spare time, she enjoys developing fragrances, travelling the world, playing with her two cats, and spending quality time (eating, preferably!) with her family and friends. 

Shelby Laterza BioContact

Shelby Laterza

Development Manager
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Brenda Escoto Carden

Marketing Manager

Lauren Torres

Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Joseph Chambers

Joseph Chambers

Director of Finance and Administration

Joseph Chambers oversees finance, accounting, technology, and human resources of RMHCSC. Prior to joining the charity, he was the controller of a national industrial products company based in California. In addition, Joseph has eight years of public accounting experience in auditing and advising nonprofit organizations. Joseph earned his B.S. in Accountancy from California State University, Northridge, and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California.

Stephanie  Vargas

Senior Accountant

Sonia Juarez

Staff Accountant
Yvette Guillont BioContact

Yvette Guillont

HR Administrator
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Jessica Rosa

Jessica Rosa

HR Associate

Alisha Ramirez 

HR Generalist
Peter O’Campo

Peter W. O’Campo

IT Director
Ashok Padinjatiyaduth BioContact

Ashok Padinjatiyaduth

IT Manager
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Frank Duncanson V. BioContact

Frank Duncanson V.

Web Administrator
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Jeffrey Solorio

IT Technician
Dr. Susan Regas Ph.D

Dr. Susan Regas Ph.D

Training Director, Family Support Services
Gargi Matuszeski

Dr. Gargi Matuszeski, PsyD

FSS Licensed Program Coordinator & Clinical Supervisor
Kian Golchin

In Memoriam Kian Golchin

Senior Accountant

In Memoriam Christian Adili

Accountant

Sponsors of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California

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Michelman & Robinson, LLP Logo
Borstein Family Foundation Logo
DirectTV
Legoland
Hunter Douglas
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