NONPROFIT
The Wooden Floor, one of the country’s foremost creative youth development organizations, has appointed five new members within its distinguished Board of Directors: Wendy Arciero, Executive Director of the Anaheim Ducks Foundation, Milton J. Acosta, Corporate Finance Manager at Ingram Micro; Christina Di Rocco, Business Solution Design Manager with Capital Group Companies, Inc; Morgan Ratcliffe, Executive Director, Chief Communications Officer at Providence Health Plan; and Shervin Vadood, Vice President, Branch Manager with Farmers & Merchants Bank.
“For over a decade, The Wooden Floor has taken a proactive approach in developing an exceptional Board of Directors and exemplary board governance practices. Strategic and diverse board development has remained one of our highest priorities,” states Dawn S. Reese , Chief Executive Officer of The Wooden Floor. “We are proud that each one of our board members reflects our organizational values and brings their unique lens and talents to our mission to inspire and transform the lives of young people through the power of dance and access to higher education.”
Board Member Wendy Arciero has been with the Anaheim Ducks and Honda Center since 2005 as Director, Community Relations, administering all the charitable and community engagement initiatives. In 2023, she assumed the role of Executive Director of the Anaheim Ducks Foundation, leading the foundation since its inception in 2008. She created a deeply moving chartable initiative, entering its 16th year, in which The Wooden Floor students from families with extremely limited resources participate in a Target shopping spree with the famed Anaheim Ducks players and their spouses and partners to ensure students have gifts for the holiday season. “I am humbled and proud to join the strategic leadership of The Wooden Floor, which embodies a thoughtful and unwavering commitment to its students and families throughout all aspects of the organization, that these students need, and more importantly deserve,” she said.
In addition to his duties as a Corporate Finance Manager, newly appointed Board Member Milton J. Acosta has been a passionate contributor to Ingram Micro’s Philanthropic Committee and other philanthropic efforts. “As a first-generation student, I can relate to and understand the journey our students are embarking on. I believe that, at The Wooden Floor, by having a supportive and creative place, our students learn and grow,” said Acosta.
Board Member Christina Di Rocco joined Capital Group as a manager in 2017. She has played various roles in the organization, most recently focused on solution design and project management in Investment Operations and Data. “I know firsthand how the power of dance can positively influence one’s path in life. I am eager to advocate for the students at The Wooden Floor as they take center stage in their journeys toward higher education,” she said.
Morgan Ratcliffe has worked under the Providence family of organizations for nearly 12 years in various leadership positions. In her current role as Executive Director, Chief Communication Officer at the organization’s health plan, she leads a team that supports internal and external communication strategy and execution including media, social media, thought leadership and culture and caregiver engagement. Of her board appointment, she said, “I am incredibly privileged to serve on the board of an organization that connects so deeply to the core elements that shaped me: a strong support structure, dance, and a passion for continued education.”
Shervin Vadood came to F&M Bank in 2020 with 15 years of banking experience. Recently, Shervin was given the opportunity to open the newest addition to the F&M family, the Santa Ana Main Branch, adjacent to The Wooden Floor. “These students are our future. They are the reflection of what can be accomplished through hard work, sacrifice, and receiving the right support. Through board service, I hope to influence and contribute positive growth to our students within our great city of Santa Ana,” he said.
As the organization celebrates its 40th anniversary, these new appointments embody The Wooden Floor’s core values and help achieve its long-term vision to break the cycle of poverty through generational change. TheWoodenFloor.org
