Committee

Archana Appanna is excited and grateful for the opportunity to serve on JVAC!  She has been living in Los Altos with her family for over 16 years. She was a software design engineer at Hewlett Packard. 

After her time at HP, for the last several years Archana has volunteered at non-profits ranging from her children's schools, National Charity League (NCL),  Young Men’s Service League and Society of Women Engineers (SWE) . More recently, Archana has held several leadership and Board roles at Womans Club of Palo Alto and Los Altos Stage Company.

Benjamin Gikis has spent a lifetime of volunteerism focusing mainly on youth activities especially youth sports!  He is currently on the Little League District Board and a Board Member of Sons In Retirement.  His professional experience was in engineering and management especially in environmental areas.  He retired from Applied Materials as the General manager of Hazardous Waste Operations in 2008.

His other activities include adult softball, youth baseball and soccer, scouting and PTA-related physical plant projects at Bullis School (internet wiring of school in 1998-1999) as well as plus fund raising (Silent Auction).

Charles (Chuck) Lindauer, PhD is currently the past President of the Los Altos Rotary club and actively supports a number of non-profit organizations utilizing his skills in database development.  

 His education is in Electrical Engineering and Statistics: Attended the City University of New York for his BSEE and MSEE and then went to Virginia Tech for his PhD in Statistics and Electrical Engineering.

 His career began in the Aerospace industry at Philco-Ford in Newport Beach California where he spent 12 years, and was also an adjunct professor of Electrical Engineering at UC Irvine. He then transferred to ESL / TRW in Sunnyvale CA and was there 16 years.  His final assignment there was VP of Engineering. He then changed careers and became the Dean of Technology at Foothill College in 1997 and was there for 12 years prior to his retirement. 

Don Mattson and his wife Barbara have lived in their home in Los Altos Hills for 50 years and has a BS and MBA degrees from UC Berkeley. Don is a retired executive from the Computer Data Storage Industry and most recently as the COO of InVision Technologies, developing and manufacturing CT Devices for Airline Security worldwide. He has a variety of volunteer activity from youth sports as coach and manager, treasurer of Little League, Home Owners President, Director for community-owned facilities and officer for SIR Branch 35.

Ginny and husband King Lear have lived in Los Altos more than 50 years. Both are native Californians. Ginny was an active volunteer in their children’s schools, as well as chairing the high school bond campaign in the mid-90’s. She served on the Parks and Recreation Commission, twice as Chair, was elected to the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees, one year as President, was the Executive Director of the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce four years, establishing events and restoring vitality there in the early 1990’s. Ginny was a founding member of the Los Altos Community Foundation Board, and a 25 year volunteer with the Foothill College Commission working on community outreach and fundraising for the college. She joined Los Altos Rotary in 1990 and later Palo Alto Rotary, still a member, serving as President in each club.

Larry Lang was elected to the Los Altos City Council in November 2024 and is its newest member. A resident of Los Altos for nearly three decades, he and his family have been deeply engaged in the life of the community. Mr. Lang’s professional career spans leadership roles in several technology companies, culminating in the successful acquisition of his most recent company in 2021. In addition to his professional accomplishments, he has contributed extensively to local nonprofit organizations. He currently serves on the board of Hidden Villa and previously served on the board of the Los Altos History Museum. Councilmember Lang is honored to recognize and celebrate the many volunteers whose dedication and service strengthen the fabric of the community.

Laura has lived in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills with her husband Stuart and their three children for over 30 years. She earned her BA in Psychology, JD and LLM in Taxation, and previously worked as a tax attorney with the IRS and an Assoc. Prof. of Taxation Procedure at Golden Gate University.  Now a volunteer extraordinaire, Laura has served multiple roles on elementary, junior high and high school PTAs, and has chaired several committees for these schools.  She also served as Treasurer and President of the National Charity League, Stanford Hills Chapter.  Currently, Laura is the Vice-Chair for the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation and Treasurer for the MVLA Educational Foundation.  She is a co-coordinator and mentor for the AVID program at Los Altos High School and is an MVLA Scholars Board member. She enjoys reading, music festivals, hiking, skiing, traveling, coffee and spending time with her family and  her Bernese Mountain Dog, Darla.

Lindsay and Craig have been residents of Los Altos since 1968.  She has always been very active in her community, as President  of Los Altos Junior Women’s Club, and then on the board of the  Junior League of Palo Alto. Lindsay is currently on the boards of the Los Altos Rotary Club and the Garden Club of Palo Alto and  is active at the Los Altos History Museum where she was  President from 1979-81! Lindsay retired after 25 years with  Nordstrom serving as Director of Education and Employee  Recognition for 7 western states. Among her awards have been  a Kellogg Foundation Grant to study adult education at Santa  Clara University, a California Department of Education award as  an outstanding Adult Vocational Educator, election to the Junior  League Area VI Council, overseeing Training for 46 Leagues, the  Los Altos Rotary Guy Shoup Award and the Joint Community  Volunteer Service Award.

Sandy Mingia is retired from a variety of high-tech jobs:  Computer and Network Sales, Artificial Intelligence Marketing, International tech marketing. She worked for 12 years on a luxury cruise line as a Guest Lecturer teaching technology to both guests and ship staff.

She has lived in Los Altos Hills since 1991. An active member of the Rotary Club of Los Altos, Sandy has served in a variety of positions: Chair of Public Image, Marketing and Branding, twice Director of the club’s major annual fundraiser, Fine Art in the Park.  She currently serves as Director of Operations.  

In addition to volunteer work for a variety of Rotary projects in the U.S. and internationally, she is also a member of and volunteers for the Chamber of Commerce and the Los Altos and the Los Altos Village Association.

Before establishing a Neighborhood Watch program, Sandy was dedicated to keeping her fantastic neighbors in communication and united in keeping the area safe.

With over 40 years of experience in finance, Stanley specializes in financial planning and money management, helping individuals and businesses make informed, strategic decisions. Before being elected to the Los Altos Hills City Council in 2020 and reappointed in 2024, Stanley served on the town’s Finance Committee for 13 years, developing a deep understanding of municipal financial oversight and strategic fiscal planning. As a former Mayor, Stanley has worked to shape policies that promote financial stability, community development, and responsible governance.
Beyond his professional and civic leadership, Stanley maintains a balanced lifestyle through hot yoga and hiking—activities that reinforce resilience, focus, and well-being. These pursuits complement his analytical mindset, ensuring a thoughtful and disciplined approach to financial and civic responsibilities alike.

Sumita Chandra has been living in Los Altos with her family for over 20 years. She is currently a program manager at Stanford University. Sumita has had a long career in volunteering at non-profits ranging from her children's schools to Palo Alto Hills Club. More recently, Sumita has held several leadership roles at the Stanford Parents' Club including being President-Elect, Treasurer and Board member.