Karen Coffee began her career at the California State Personnel Board where she held a variety of positions in several divisions. From February 1998 until July 2001, she served as Chief of Personnel Management Services at the California Department of the Youth Authority. In July 2001, she returned to the California State Personnel Board to assume the position of Chief of Merit Employment and Technical Resources. In 2007 Karen moved to the California Prison Health Care Services where she served as the Deputy Director of Human Resources. Karen retired in 2009 and now works part time as a Human Resources Consultant. Karen has served as President of several national and regional professional personnel associations, including IPMAAC, WRIPAC, PTC/SC and PTC/NC and has published articles in national journals. Karen was the 1990 recipient of the Stephen E. Bemis Memorial Award for excellence in personnel management and the 2003 recipient of the Clyde J. Lindley Distinguished Service Award from the International Public Management Association Assessment Council. Karen received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and a master's in public administration from UCLA.

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Ted Darany. Ted was known as a kind and gentle man who was always open to sharing information to help others and the profession. He dedicated his life to the development of testing processes that promoted merit and fairness in employment selection and was a Stephen E. Bemis memorial award recipient for his contributions to the field. He was an innovator who was a co-founder of the IPMA Assessment Council (IPMAAC) and the Western Region Intergovernmental Personnel Assessment Council (WRIPAC), and the creator of the Western Region Item Bank testing consortium. Over his career, he worked at all levels of government including the State of Michigan, the U.S. Civil Service Commission, and the County of San Bernardino, though his greatest joy was working with the many public agencies who are clients of his company, Darany and Associates. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Jane, and his family of colleagues at Darany and Associates. Among the last papers on which he was working was found a handwritten note to himself with the quotation "Kindness should become the natural way of life, not the exception." He would want us all to remember him in that way and to carry it on ourselves. He will be deeply missed.

Anita Ford, one of WRIPAC’s founders and its first president retired as Personnel Director of the Los Angeles Unified School (LAUSD) in 2005. Her experience in the public sector also includes service as Deputy General Manager of the Personnel Department of the City of Los Angeles and Assistant Personnel Director over recruitment, selection and staff development for LAUSD.

Anita has served as a Commissioner on the Personnel Commissions of the L.A. County Office of Education since 1990 and the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District since 1988.

In addition to a lifetime membership in WRIPAC, she is also a lifetime member of SCPMA, PTC-SC and CSPCA and has held leadership positions in various associations and served as a trainer on a variety of selection related topics for IPMAAC and WRIPAC. Her awards include:

     * 1993 Stephen E. Bemis Award of Excellence in Personnel Management

     * 1993 Emery Olson Award for Outstanding Achievement (SCPMA)

     * 1996 Award of Merit (SCPCA)

     * 2001 Muriel Morse Award of Excellence (IPMA Western Region)

     * 2005 Schuyler C. Joyner Award of Excellence (CSPCA)

Kelly Hunley was a dedicated public service professional whose career and life were marked by compassion, resilience, and a commitment to excellence. She served the State of California with distinction as a Research Data Specialist II at the Board of State and Community Corrections, where she began her career in 2010.

Kelly earned a BA in Psychology from San Diego State University while graduating with honors and serving as president of Alpha Phi Sorority and went on to complete a master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology from California State University, Sacramento.

Kelly was also a devoted member of the Western Region Intergovernmental Personnel Assessment Council (WRIPAC), where she served as Secretary for two years. Her thoughtful leadership and ongoing involvement reflected her strong commitment to supporting public sector HR professionals and advancing the principles of merit-based assessment. She was a valued colleague and mentor who contributed meaningfully to WRIPAC’s mission and community.

Beyond her professional achievements, Kelly was known for her unwavering faith, infectious smile, and generous spirit. She found joy in service, volunteering on international mission trips, and advocating for cancer research through her support of the Sarcoma Foundation.

Kelly Hunley’s life and work left a lasting impact on those who had the privilege of knowing her. Her memory will continue to inspire excellence, kindness, and dedication in the professional and personal lives of all who were touched by her legacy.

Sonya “Sunny” Martin began her public sector human resources career as a Personnel Analyst, then Personnel Manager and Acting Director of Personnel at Santa Monica College. She oversaw the Personnel Commission functions, including selection, classification, and recruitment. She provided training and overview of the Personnel Commissions’ role during the Merit System election of 1998, in which the classified staff overwhelmingly voted to retain the Merit System at Santa Monica College.

It was at Santa Monica College that she joined WRIPAC and introduced other colleagues to the wealth of resources and professionals involved in the organization. In 2004, Sunny, joined Los Angeles Unified School District and became a representative of the agency for WRIPAC, serving on WRIPAC multiple committees and continued to introduce colleagues to the Job Analysis and Competency Model training. She also provided on-going new orientation and training for new Personnel Commission Selection Branch staff in Personnel Commission functions and operational policies and procedures.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in business and human resources at California State University, Northridge, and her master’s degree in organizational management at Antioch University. Sunny Martin retired as a Principal Human Resources Specialist at Los Angeles Unified School District after more than thirty-five years in public sector human resources.

Terry McKinney (1947–2022) was a respected leader in public sector human resources, known for his expertise in personnel testing and selection. He earned a degree in Government from Southern Illinois University in 1969, with minors in Psychology, Philosophy, and Education, and pursued graduate studies in Public Administration and Educational Psychology.

Terry began his career with the State of Illinois Personnel Department before moving to Arizona, where he joined the City of Phoenix in 1972. He served over 30 years there, retiring in 2005 as Personnel Test Analyst. In that role, he led the Research Section of the Employment Services Division, helping to improve the fairness and effectiveness of hiring systems.

He was deeply involved in professional organizations, serving on the board of the International Personnel Management Association Assessment Council (IPMAAC) and as president of the Western Region Intergovernmental Personnel Assessment Council (WRIPAC), which honored him with Lifetime Membership in 2004. He also co-founded and was the first president of the Personnel Testing Council of Arizona (PTC-A) and received the 1982 Superior Service Award from the Arizona Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

In 1982, Terry founded Resource Assessment Services, a consulting firm focused on improving public sector hiring practices. Throughout his career, Terry was known for his integrity, thoughtful leadership, and dedication to public service. His work left a lasting impact on the field of personnel assessment and on the many colleagues and communities he served.

Paula Phelps served as the 34th President of the Western Region Intergovernmental Personnel Assessment Council (WRIPAC) from 2012 to 2013. Though she attended her first WRIPAC meeting knowing no one, the warmth and professionalism of the group quickly drew her in, launching years of active involvement and leadership.

Paula retired in 2015 from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, where she served as Human Resources Manager. In that role, she led a team responsible for designing and administering recruitment, transfer, and promotional testing processes, conducting job analyses, and developing classification specifications.

Before joining public service, Paula spent nearly two decades with Automatic Data Processing (ADP) in a range of leadership roles. As Director of National Accounts, she managed call centers and account teams across multiple states, supporting $12 million in annual revenue. Her prior roles at ADP included Branch Office Manager and Manager of Shift Operations and Accounting, overseeing client service for thousands of accounts. She also worked as a District Trainer for Victor United and as an Office Systems Consultant for Martin Marietta Data Systems.

Paula earned her B.A. in Behavioral Science, cum laude, from California State University, Northridge. She also studied German language at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and is a Dale Carnegie Course graduate. Her honors include the Bank of America Achievement Scholarship and induction into Pi Gamma Mu, the National Social Science Honor Society.

In retirement, Paula is an active member of the Sun City Anthem Performing Arts Club, where she sings, dances, and acts in community productions. She has served as Club Treasurer and Assistant Director, continuing to contribute her leadership skills and creative energy in new ways.

George Rost was the City of Los Angeles representative to WRIPAC for about 8 years. He was Treasurer during the time when the organization had very little money. When he retired, he was made a Lifetime member. George said, "I guess it was because I was one of the first people in WRIPAC who actually retired from personnel work!" George worked for the City of Los Angeles for 38 years. About 32 of them were in Personnel. His work included Classification, Recruitment, and Administration, but spent about 32 years in the Examining Division. Examining had five sections, Skilled Craft, Clerical, Administrative, Fire and Police, and Engineering. George spent most of his years supervising the Skilled Craft section and or the Clerical section. He became the assistant to the Chief of the division and supervised the other sections in the absence of the Chief. A big part of supervising a section involved reviewing proposed written tests, performance tests and interview structure. He spent much time reviewing protests against the written tests or the interview results and representing the Division before the Civil Service Commission on these cases.

From August 2014 to December 2024, she served as the Personnel Director at Rowland Unified School District, where she oversaw a comprehensive classified personnel program. While reporting to the Personnel Commission, Joan managed key areas such as classification, compensation, recruitment, eligibility lists, and employment actions, and ensured full compliance with Merit System rules and Education Code regulations. In her role, she coordinated staff reductions, layoff processes, and disciplinary appeals, while providing guidance to District management, employees, and CSEA representatives on personnel policies. Joan’s close collaboration with the District’s Leadership Team and oversight of Commission staff underscored her commitment to cultivating a positive and effective work environment.

Prior to her current role, Joan was a Senior Personnel Analyst at Hacienda La Puente Unified School District from 2011 to 2014, where she led daily operations for the Personnel Commission staff and managed complex HR functions, including recruitment, training, classification, and policy development. Her earlier experience includes serving as Personnel Analyst at Hacienda La Puente Unified (2008–2011) and as a Human Resources Specialist at Los Angeles Unified School District (2007–2008), where she developed job analyses, exam plans, recruitment strategies, and administered tests. These roles further honed her expertise in recruitment and HR strategy.

Joan's skill set includes HR strategy development, personnel management, applicant tracking systems, and administrative support, positioning her as a key leader in classified personnel administration. She is also dedicated to professional development, having served on the Board of Directors for PTC-SC, the Personnel Commissions Association of Southern California (PCASC), and the California School Personnel Commissioners Association (CSPCA). In September 2021, she achieved another professional milestone by Rowland USD becoming a member of the Western Region Intergovernmental Personnel Assessment Council (WRIPAC).

Marianne Tonjes retired as the Executive Director of the Cooperative Organization for the Development of Employee Selection Procedures (CODESP), a consortium of public agencies that has provided human resource services, training and employee selection material for more than 35 years. Under Marianne's leadership CODESP specialized in developing systems utilized by more than 500 public agencies. She earned her master's degree in public policy and administration-Personnel Management at California State University, Long Beach. She also received two bachelor's Degrees from California State University, Chico: One in Public Administration and another in Geography-Planning and Development. She is a Certified Professional with the International Public Management Association for Human Resources. Marianne served as the Training Committee for (WRIPAC).