Saddleback Valley Educational Foundation
Volunteer Organization Since 1983

SVEF Board of Directors

Pamela Klister, President

Pamela Klister joined SVEF in August 2008 and currently serves as President of the foundation in support of STEM. Born and educated in the United Kingdom, Pam traveled extensively while working in both the travel and recruitment industries. Achieving the position of Director of Sales for an IT recruitment company, she was transferred to San Francisco in 1989, and in 1992 moved to Laguna Hills to run the West Coast operation. She is married with two sons, who both attended schools in the Saddleback District. Pam has served on various school boards and held positions including PTA President, elected to serve on the Valencia Schools Site Council for a 3-year term and in addition, also served five years as President of that school’s Education Foundation and currently works for the Capistrano School District in Special Education. In 2003, she helped lead one of the major fundraisers for the SVUSD helping to raise over $400,000 to save class size reduction district wide. Pam is passionate about working within organizations that acknowledge current issues and wants to ensure that the Saddleback district continues to provide the highest level of education and support for all children.

Chris Mackey, Director

Chris Mackey joined the SVEF in 2011. She has five children who attended schools in the Saddleback Valley district. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UCLA and has always had a passion to serve people whether in civic or non-profit organizations. She led many fundraisers over the years serving on various boards within the community from schools to churches. She held numerous positions in the PTA including President, and Ways and Means for the Education Foundation at her children’s elementary school. She served as one of the Commissioners for the Parks and Recreation in the City of Laguna Hills for six years. She is currently serving as Chair of the Traffic Commission in the City of Laguna Hills. Chris believes that if everyone is given the same opportunity, each can learn and grow which in turn, elevate everyone to a higher level. Her vision is to have businesses, schools and cities work together to reach a common goal: to educate and enrich our children’s lives, help develop them to become good citizens, and build a better future.

Deborah Aufill, Director

Deborah has been involved in education her entire adult life and is the mother of three children who attended schools in SVUSD. She moved to the area to give her children the greatest ability to grow and be educated in the best environment possible. Now grown, they are all thankful for the education they received and realize how fortunate they were to live and attend schools in Southern Orange County. Deborah has a BA in Advertising from CSUF and a J.D. from Thomas Jefferson College of Law. She is also the proud owner of Amazing Athletes, a sports educational developmental program designed to teach children ages five to twelve, as well as a Realtor for Surterre Properties. Deborah became involved with SVEF because there was a need to raise money for all our students and felt the SVEF’s goals met the needs of the entire district population. Passionate about education she believes that if we work together, we can make a difference to all students of SVUSD..

Pammi Mathur, Director

Pammi Mathur joined the SVEF Board in 2014. Prior to that, she worked as a Software Engineer at Unisys Corporation for over 15 years. She has an MS in Computer Science from Syracuse University, an MS in Bio-engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and an MS in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology. She is passionate about helping schools in our community create a better future for our children. Pammi volunteered as a PTA Webmaster for many years at schools that her daughters attended in the Saddleback Valley School District. She and her husband have lived in Laguna Hills for 25 years. They love to travel and enjoy the beautiful beaches, parks and trails in California. They also appreciate arts & culture and support the Pacific Symphony’s education program for children.

Avis French, Advisor

Avis French has been on the SVEF Board since 1987 and has served in various positions over those years. She worked in several writer positions in her 27 years at Unisys until she retired at the end of 2001. Since then she has remained active in SVEF as well as continuing to volunteer in a wide array of programs within the local educational community. Avis has been a member of the National Management Association (NMA) since 1986, was named national Member of the Year of NMA in 1995, and currently serves as an NMA Associate Director. Since 1984, Avis has conducted several blood drives every year for the Orange County Chapter of the American Red Cross. She has been a trustee of the Rehart Memorial Scholarship since 1995. Avis has been a member of ToastMasters International since 1986; she has been the recipient of several awards including the Beckwith Award for leadership, humor, and community service; from 2003-2017, she served as the leader of the Founders District Judges Bureau that provides assistance for a variety of speaking and academic events sponsored by local service organizations and educational institutions; she continues to serve as a mentor to ToastMasters clubs and individual members.

Vicki Harris, Advisor

Vicki Harris joined the Board in December 2007. Vicki and her husband are 40 plus years residents of Lake Forest and have two children who attended Saddleback Valley district schools. Vicki is a retired banker. As a lifelong volunteer, many of her years of community service have been dedicated to education- related causes and organizations. Some of the organizations with which Vicki volunteers are: Exchange Club of Irvine – mission is to prevent child abuse; Jr. Achievement – promotes free enterprise in grades K-12 and the Orange County Rescue Mission helping families in need and teaching financial literacy.