Board of Directors

Board Treasurer & Carden Parent

Dennis Wang is CFO of Ventura Pacific Company, a producer of 90,000 tons of lemons annually under the Sunkist brand. Versed in the development and execution of strategy and innovation, he is motivated to build on Carden’s successes and positive impact on its students, parents, staff, and community. 

A Southern CA native and resident of Thousand Oaks, Dennis has a daughter Charisse continuing at Carden 2024-25 as a 4th grader. He earned a BS in Civil Engineering (UCLA), MBA (USC), CA real estate broker license, Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED AP) accreditation, Scrum Master certification, and enjoys European travel, trail running, and organizing play dates in his spare time.

Board Member, Carden Alumnus & Parent

Lindsey Hansen is an attorney at Saul Ewing, focusing on real estate transactions.  Prior to FFS, Lindsey practiced real estate at an American Law 100 law firm in Century City and estate planning at a law office in Thousand Oaks.  Lindsey is also the Director of Operations at DRH Investments, an independent investment manager.  An alumnus of Carden Conejo, Lindsey earned a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from USC Law School.  She and her husband David have a son, Rhett, and daughter Hayley. 

Board Member & Carden Parent

Billy was raised in Calabasas/Agoura, and graduated from Agoura High School in 1996.  He attended University of California Santa Barbara, graduating in 2000 with a BS in Economics and Accounting.  Upon graduating Billy worked in public accounting for several years.  Billy left accounting for more entrepreneurial opportunities in the auto and franchise industries. He is currently VP of Finance at AutoNation.

Billy spends free time running his son to soccer and baseball, where he coaches.  The Rinker family has been at Carden Conejo for 3 years, and very much love the curriculum, tradition, teachers, staff, and parents who make it feel more like a family than a school.  Billy is excited to be part of the Board of Directors, who share his passion for the great traditions, curriculum, and values of Carden Conejo.

Chairwoman & Carden Parent

Colleen Mendez serves as Principal and Co-Founder of Propeller Insights, a boutique marketing research agency and as the CEO of Scout Holdings, a real estate investment firm.  Prior to running her own businesses, she spearheaded domestic Research & Insights for Fremantle, a global leader in entertainment production.  Mendez holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Writing from Loyola University and a Master of Arts in Communication from Johns Hopkins University.

Colleen, and her husband Roger, are proud parents to five children, three of whom are still at Carden Conejo School.  She looks forward to serving the school community as Chairwoman of the Board.

A powerful female voice in a male-dominated industry, Nicole Rex has taken strides in the life insurance business since opening Watermark Life Insurance in 2011. Nicole started Watermark in order to address what she saw as a gap in the wholesale insurance business.

Nicole first entered the life insurance industry in 2009 after running corporate event planning for B. Riley Investments following her time at San Diego State University, from which she graduated with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. She brought the principles that she learned from her education into the once-segmented life insurance sector.

Nicole resides in Oak Park, Calif., where she grew up, with her husband, Kevin, and their three children, Isabella, Luca (3rd grade Carden) and Audriana (Kindergarten at Carden).

She looks forward to serving the Carden school community as a board member and actively seeing to the longevity of the school’s fine values and traditions.

Bardia Dejban has combined entrepreneurial and enterprise technology company experiences that have helped him shape a philosophy of transparency, innovation and simplicity. Bardia programmed ecommerce sites and founded his first web design company when he was in high-school. He later founded, bootstrapped and successfully exited a multi-million dollar creative agency. He has served on various boards and has mentored entrepreneurs at Pepperdine and Cal Lutheran Universities.

 Bardia directly helped to launch over 150+ software and technology offerings, collectively totaling $3b+ in annual revenue, for companies such as Alibaba, eHarmony, Volusion, Intuit, OpenTable, Gifts.com, Hearst Corporation, Citrix, Evite, Kaiser Permanente, Thomson Reuters and IAC. He is also a named inventor on several design and utility patents (approved by USPTO).

Bardia is extremely passionate about driving positive change in organizations and believes that people are always the number one priority. Bardia holds an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Elizabeth Fujino serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Sunstone Two Tree, a vertically integrated real estate developer, operator and fund manager. As COO, Elizabeth is a member of the Investment Committee and is primarily responsible for overseeing fund management, investor relations, asset management, human resources and administration, accounting, tax and audit. Prior to Sunstone Two Tree, Elizabeth worked at Suburban Land Reserve, a land investment and development company. Elizabeth has experience in various types of real estate assets including master planned communities, condominium conversions, industrial parks and multifamily. She has worked on projects in various development stages ranging from entitlement, acquisition, management and disposition. Elizabeth received a B.A. in marketing and advertising from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Brigham Young

University’s Marriott School of Management. She is married and is the proud mother of three sons.

Eric Schwartz – Board Secretary

With over 19 years of project management experience and a strong background in communications, Eric Schwartz brings a wealth of expertise to his role as Board Secretary at Carden Conejo School. As a dedicated professional, Eric is committed to fostering effective collaboration and driving project success through meticulous planning and strategic oversight.

Eric excels in overseeing complex large-scale projects from initiation to completion, ensuring adherence to budgets and scopes while maintaining a focus on high-quality deliverables and client satisfaction. His career has been defined by his ability to build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, leveraging his exceptional communication skills to facilitate clear, actionable insights and foster a collaborative environment.

Currently serving as a Senior Project Manager at TransPerfect, Eric champions customer satisfaction by addressing client needs and delivering exceptional service. He leads and coordinates project teams, ensuring the timely completion of all deliverables and maximizing project profitability. His comprehensive project management skills are complemented by his experience in client relationship management, quality assurance, and regulatory audits.

Eric’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. His extensive experience, combined with his passion for creating and executing strategies that exceed expectations, makes him a valuable asset to the Carden Conejo School Board of Directors.

In addition to his professional achievements, Eric and his wife are proud parents of two children. Shai, who will be entering kindergarten, and Maya, who will be starting 5th grade, both attend Carden Conejo School. Eric’s commitment to the school community is further strengthened by his personal investment in the success and well-being of all students.

Doug Spondello serves as the Community Development Director for the City of Moorpark, operates a commercial property management company, and is a partner in private real estate development ventures.  A former Carden student and lifelong Ventura County resident, Doug holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Loyola Marymount University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of California, Northridge.

Doug and his wife Kelly have two young children (Madelyn and Greyson).  Their family feels blessed to have joined the Carden Conejo community and are excited for the school’s future.  In their spare time, the Spondellos enjoy time spent together dining and traveling.