Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies
Board of Advisors
2011 - 2012

Morris S. Casuto

Morris S. Casuto served as the Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League San Diego Regional Office from 1978 until 2010.

He holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from the City University of New York and an M.A. in International Studies and National Security Policy from the School of International Service of the American University in Washington, D.C. His Doctoral research was done under a National Defense Foreign Language Fellowship. He was overseas for a year and a half, most of the time spent in Indonesia, researching under a Fullbright-Hays Fellowship.

During his tenure with ADL, Morris lectured frequently on topics dealing with extremist groups, hate crimes, the role of police agencies in dealing with hate crimes, as well as conducted seminars on security for various community organizations and institutions. As an educator for law enforcement officers, Mr. Casuto served as a member of the faculty at the San Diego Regional Law Enforcement Public Safety Academy for 22 years, where he conducted the POST mandated course on hate crimes. He has also taught for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where he helped design, write, and taught parts of a three and a half day anti-hate crimes course for police trainers. He has lectured before the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and has spoken before law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.

Morris has been married for over 40 years. He and his wife Doreen have two sons: Loren who just passed the California Bar Exam, and Simon who works for Capital IQ in New York.

Margaret Webb Egler

Margaret is a native Southern Californian and has over a decade of community leadership experience.  A long-time member of the Junior League of San Diego, Margaret served that organization as President and Chair of the Board of Directors. Margaret is also a graduate of LEAD San Diego. Currently, Margaret serves on the Board of Directors for Explorer Elementary Charter School, which is affiliated with the High Tech High Charter Schools.

Margaret graduated with honors from Yale University and received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. Margaret began her law career as a law clerk to the Hon. Joseph F. Weis, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  Prior to devoting her attention to community service and raising her three young children, Margaret practiced labor and employment law, advising employers, unions and the San Diego Unified School District on a variety of employment-related matters.  Margaret lives withher husband, Tom, also an attorney, and their children in Point Loma.

Andrew “Drew” Erdmann

Drew Erdmann is an Associate Principal in the Washington, DC Office of McKinsey & Company.  His work focuses on public sector strategy and organizational transformation.  Specializing in national security and post-conflict economic stabilization and development in fragile states, he has recently led studies in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Washington, DC.  Prior to joining McKinsey, Dr. Erdmann served in the U.S. government.  He served on Secretary of State Powell’s Policy Planning Staff with lead responsibility for special strategic projects (including post-conflict stabilization in Iraq) and counterterrorism policy; with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq as the Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research; and, lastly, as Director for Iran, Iraq, and Strategic Planning on the National Security Council staff at the White House.  For his service in Iraq and Washington, he received two Superior Honor awards and one Meritorious Honor award from the U.S. Department of State.

Dr. Erdmann has taught international affairs at Harvard University and George Washington University, and published essays in The New York Times, The International Herald-Tribune, and other publications. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and the Saint Louis Committee on Foreign Affairs.  He serves on the Board of Directors of America Abroad Media, a nonpartisan nonprofit that harnesses the power of media to inform America and the world about the critical issues of our time. Dr. Erdmann received his MA and PhD in history from Harvard University.  He earned two Bas – one from Williams College and one from Oxford University. He lives in Saint Louis with his wife (a professor of microbiology at Washington University in Saint Louis), daughter and son.

R. Todd Johnson

Johnson is a partner at Jones Day, one of the nation's top law firms. Todd founded Jones Day's Northern California practice in 2000 by opening its Silicon Valley Office and presently leads the Firm's Renewable Energy and Sustainability Practice. During more than 20 years at Jones Day, Todd serves or has served as regular outside counsel to SunPower Corporation, Harman International, Inside Networks, SearchMe, Funny or Die, Santur, GoodGuide, Metering Technology, Notiva, IMG Energy, Manifest Energy, Phycal, Zamzee, and LaborFair.com; works regularly with partners at Sequoia Capital and other top-tier venture funds; and represents a number of founders and start-ups through the formation, venture financing, and liquidity phases.

Todd has represented SunPower in its acquisitions of PowerLight and SunRay, in its joint ventures with Woonjin in Korea and AU Optronics and in its various public offerings; Isuzu Motors of America in its North American restructurings with GM, Metering Technology in its sale to Echelon, and Bank of America in nearly $20 billion in structured financing transactions. In addition, Todd Johnson actively serves as pro bono counsel to groups including the Grameen Trust, Fair Trade Fund, and Race For Good, as well as organizations expanding the "for-benefit" sector, such as the Aspen Institute, and has been quoted for his work in publications such as the New York Times and BusinessWeek. He is co-chair of the California Working Group for Hybrid Structures (2008-2010) which has drafted legislation presently before the California Legislature and he currently serves on the Board of Advisors of GlobalGiving, Good Capital, and ProFunder, Inc., the new start-up by Kiva.org founder, Jessica Jackley. Todd also chairs the Board of Advisors of the Miami University Pre-Law Center (2009-2010). Todd has traveled to Ethiopia seven times in the past five years, five times with his family, where they provide support to a number of Christian organizations, including the first Christian university in that country.

Rear Admiral Stephen R. Loeffler, USN (Retired)

Rear Admiral Steve Loeffler grew up in Pennsylvania and was commissioned upon graduation from Penn State University.  His Navy duties included patrol craft and destroyers operating off the coast of Vietnam and in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans.  After returning to the Navy from Wall Street and graduating from the Naval War College, he was assigned to San Diego-based frigates, destroyers and afloat staffs.  Ashore, Rear Admiral Loeffler served in the Bureau of Naval Personnel, on the Chief of Naval Operations Staff in the Program Resource Appraisal Division (OP-91) and as Director of Personnel Plans and Policy (N-13).  He has a Master of Science Degree (with honors) in Manpower/Personnel Analysis and Operations Analysis from The George Washington University.  After a year as a CNO Fellow with Strategic Studies Group XII in 1992, he served as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy where he worked on various foreign policy issues including the DPRK nuclear and missile crisis.

Rear Admiral Loffler’s commands at sea included USS HEWITT (DD 966), Destroyer Squadron 21, and Logistics Group Western Pacific based in Singapore where, as Commander Task Force 73, he was responsible for combat logistics and pre-positioned force ships operating from the International Dateline to the shores of Africa.  His duties in Singapore also included Commander Task Force 712 employing ships, aircraft, and more than 500 Marines to conduct naval engagement and humanitarian civic actions in the Southeast Asian nations of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei and Oceania island nations.  Retiring from active duty in 2001, he joined the faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School in July of that year.  He also serves on several Boards of Directors including the San Diego Council of the USO, United Through Reading®, and the Navy Recruiting District Advisory Council.

Dr. Lois Musoke, M.D.

Lois is an Obstetrician/Gynecologist practicing in San Diego and currently working at Kaiser Permanente. Born in Uganda, Lois was educated in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and the United States. In part because of her background in East Africa, she is particularly interested in women’s health. She has participated in medical missions with the International Relief Teams in Latvia and Lithuania. In 2007, she participated in the Group Study Exchange program sponsored by the San Diego Rotary Organization. As part of this program, she and other medical professionals had the opportunity to visit East Africa to observe and provide some medical care at a variety of clinics and medical facilities.

Lois received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and her Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, San Diego.  She is interested in including more medical volunteer work as part of her medical practice, particularly in the developing world.

Wail (Al) Paulus

Al is the Founder and President of Trepco and Trepco West, a warehousing and distribution company that provides national brand consumer products to convenience stores. Today, the company employs approximately 200 people and operates from 5 warehouses in Michigan, Nevada and Southern California.

Born in Basrah, Iraq, Al’s family left the country in 1963 due to increasing political instability in that country. After leaving Iraq, Al lived and studied in Lebanon, Nigeria and the U.K. before moving to the United States in 1974. He holds a BS in Economics from the University of Detroit and a JD from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. He is married with 3 children - two daughters that are undergraduate students at the University of San Diego and a son who is in high school.

Lee Sorensen

Lee is an entrepreneur and a 2007 graduate of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies. Lee applied to the masters program to 2007 with primary interests in human security, poverty and the effect on access to healthcare services.  Lee also holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of Utah.

During Lee’s career as an entrepreneur he created and developed three separate healthcare companies and most recently an education company. The first provided mental health and residential care services to at-risk youth. The next two were providers of geriatric rehabilitation, long-term care/skilled nursing and ancillary services. The most recent is a provider of supplemental education in locations in Orange County and North San Diego County under the Sylvan Learning Brand. 

In 2007 – 2008, Lee joined US Doctors for Africa (USDFA) as Strategic Development Director. USDFA is an NGO that provides volunteer medical services in various African states.  In addition to placement of volunteer medical professionals, Lee’s primary focus was a partnership with the Government of Ghana to develop a mobile medical clinic project.  While with USDFA, Lee also participated in a project to develop mobile medical services to the City of New Orleans, a partnership with another domestic NGO.

Timothy Walsh

Tim is a 2003 graduate of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies. His background includes service with a Member of the United States Congress, a California State Assembly Member and two municipalities. In these positions, he has developed the ability to build successful partnerships between governments, nonprofits, and business interests. He has held a variety of positions working on behalf of municipalities, representing private sector companies, and assisting large nonprofits with major public benefit development projects. Mr. Walsh has also managed and consulted for a variety of policy and campaign efforts at the federal, state and local levels. Mr. Walsh is a founding member of Elevate, LLC, a marketing, government relations and political strategy firm.

Mr. Walsh is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Political Science Department at Palomar College. He teaches several classes with topics ranging from political theory to its practical applications in the United States and California Governments. In addition to his MA in Peace and Justice Studies, he holds a BA (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of San Diego, and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. Mr. Walsh is a graduate of LEAD San Diego and a former Board Member of the City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency City Heights' Project Area Committee. Mr. Walsh is also a member of several civic organizations.

James T. Waring

A 2004 graduate of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, Jim serves as a Principal of FI Financial, LLC, a real estate investment company with major projects including land acquisitions and building construction in the greater San Diego area. Prior to founding FI Financial, Jim was of counsel to the San Diego law firm of Ross, Dixon and Bell LLP from 1982 to 2006.  From 2006 to 2007, he was the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Land Use and Economic Development for the City of San Diego. 

Jim is currently a Commissioner on the San Diego Housing Commission and a member of the Mayor’s Taskforce for Economic Development.  He is also the Board Chair and co-founder of CleanTECH San Diego.  Jim has served as President of the San Diego Natural History Museum and as Chair of River Network. 

Jim’s background is in law, real estate development and environmental organization. His extensive experience in real estate investing dates to the 1980s, with an early emphasis on land entitlement as well as a taking on a series of special and varied assignments for clients, both in the United States and abroad. Jim attended LeHigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, before transferring to the University of Southern California, where he received a degree in Business. Jim obtained his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law.

Past Advisory Board Members

• Honorable Patricia Yim Cowett
• Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow