LEADERSHIP

BOARD CO-CHAIR

Patti Paniccia left her hometown of Waialua, Hawaii to move to Southern California in 1985, but still considers the North Shore her home. In addition to being one of the top-ranked surfers during the 1970s and early 1980s, Patti was one of six women who competed on the first women’s World Pro Tour in 1976. In the early 1970s, she co-founded the Hawai’i Women’s Surfing Hui, and as competition director, established a qualifying contest system for Hawaii’s pro contest invitations to women. She then worked with Fred Hemmings and Randy Rarick to launch the women’s and men’s Pro Tour for International Professional Surfing, the first pro surfing tour and precursor to the ASP and today’s World Surf League. Patti is also an adjunct law professor at Pepperdine Law School in Malibu and continues working against issues of workplace and gender discrimination. She is currently general counsel for the Radio & Television New Association of Southern California where she addresses issues of free press and media access, and is past chairman of the board of Los Angeles Children’s Chorus. Patti and her husband have two adult daughters and they continue to spend as much time as possible at their Waialua home on Oahu.

BOARD MEMBER

John Mazza began surfing at age 11 when he moved to San Clemente in 1956. Considering himself an amateur with 60 years of experience, his interests have centered around surfing and its cultural lifestyle. Although his primary residence has been in Malibu for the last 50 years, he has also maintained homes in Laguna Beach and the North Shore since the mid-1970s. An avid collector of historic surfboards, his Malibu Surfing Museum, founded in 2002, contains over one hundred fifty significant boards and is currently located at Pepperdine University in Malibu. He served as C.F.O. and president of several investment firms as well as a founder of companies in the investment, commercial real estate, and adaptive optics fields. He is a member of several boards including the Adamson House Foundation at Surfrider Beach and the Point Dume Community Services District, both of which are in Malibu. He is active in Malibu civic affairs and is presently the chairman of the Malibu Planning Commission.

BOARD MEMBER

Greg Dillion grew up in Ohio but took up many of his favorite sports later in life after moving to California; skiing at 25, scuba diving at 30, surfing at 34, snowboarding at 40, wakeboarding at 45, wake surfing at 48, kiteboarding at 50, cattle roping and roundups at 52, dirt biking at 55 and snow motorcycling at 61. Greg is never happier than when sharing these pastimes with his wife, five kids and friends. Locally, Greg’s surf spots range from Oceanside to Bolsa Chica, but he also likes to travel each year and has surfed a number of locations in the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific and Central and South America. Greg obtained his B.A. from Cornell University and his law degree from the University of Texas. In 1984 he co-founded Newmeyer & Dillion, LLP. Since then, the firm has grown from three lawyers to over 70 and has become a full-service law firm with offices in Newport Beach, Walnut Creek and Las Vegas. He has been named as one of Orange County’s top 50 lawyers and one of Southern California’s top 100 lawyers by Super Lawyers.

BOARD MEMBER

Bill Eddy is an entrepreneur, author, film producer, brand ambassador, and business strategist. He is the author of “The Eddy Line,” a personal email newsletter about the business world, current events, his clients, his travels, life in Hawaii, surf culture, and the spirit of aloha. Bill and filmmaker Richard Newman co-produced Addicted to Joy, a love story about surfing’s cultural history that celebrates its effect on popular culture. Eddy also serves as the Executive V.P. of Business Development at Beyond.tv and enjoys surfing whenever possible.

BOARD MEMBER

Robert C. Mardian, former SHACC President and Founding Partner, is a graduate of Stanford University and earned his M.B.A. at Pepperdine University. Robert operates restaurants in California, Hawaii, and Texas and has surfed the coasts of all three states. He has finished in the top 30% of the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. He served on the Finance Committee for the 1988 U.S. Olympic Committee. Bob is a lifelong surfer and member of the San Onofre Surfing Club since 1954. Like his father before him and his children now, he continues to surf at San Onofre and enjoys it immensely when all three generations are in the water at the same time.

BOARD MEMBER

Paul K. Strauch Jr., former SHACC Executive Director, was born and raised in Hawaii and began surfing at the age of 4 in Waikiki. Following Punahou High School and the University of Hawaii majoring in business management, he spent 20 years as a 3rd-generation real estate broker in Hawaii, and is a former member of the Waikiki Surf Club, Outrigger Canoe Club, Liliuokalani Trust Child Welfare Department advisory board, Governor’s Advisory Committee to Waikiki Beach Improvement, and Honolulu Mayor’s Water Safety Committee. Past President of the Hawaii Amateur Surfing Association, he is a founding member of the Duke Kahanamoku Surf Club, often traveling with Duke. His event titles include the ’63 & ‘68 Peruvian International Championships, Hawaii State Surfing Champion, ‘65 & ‘66, ‘69 Makaha International Senior Men’s Champion, ‘82 Hawaii Modern Longboard Men’s Champion, and ‘84 Hawaii Nose-riding Men’s Champion. He is the only person to have a surfing maneuver, the Paul Strauch Cheater Five, named after him. Paul is currently an active member of the Hawaiian Surf Club of San Onofre.

BOARD MEMBER

A lifelong surfer, Candice Woodward first discovered SHACC in 2004. After attending many exhibit openings and special events as a member, she currently sits on the Board of Directors and is helping take SHACC to new heights. Inducted into the Hermosa Beach Surfer’s Walk of Fame in 2018, Woodward has been pushing boundaries her entire career. One of the pioneers of the women’s movement that took hold of the sport in the 1970s, her first international contest was the 1977 WISA Malibu Hang Ten International Pro, where she finished 3rd behind Lynne Boyer and Margo Oberg. After a number of contest victories and some well-earned time in the spotlight, Woodward pursued a career as a physical therapist practicing board-certified professional ergonomics. She is also the owner of two companies: Woodward Ergonomics Consulting, Inc. and Wedge-Ease, which designs, fabricates and sells ergonomic support products for microscope users and bench workers in the electronics industry.

BOARD MEMBER

Denny Michael was born in Dana Point, California and grew up on the beaches of Southern California. Denny is a technology industry marketing professional and is currently the Chief Marketing Officer for PelicanCorp, an Australian-based software company specializing in digital transformation. For the past 25 years he has held a variety of executive positions for both private and public companies building global brands and teams. Denny received his B.A in Communications from California State University, Fullerton. He has served as a board member for the Doheny Longboard Surfing Association and was one of the first docents at SHACC. Married with two adult children, his wife and sons share his passion for and love of the ocean.

BOARD MEMBER

Tom Sullivan grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan, playing on frozen lakes in his hockey skates and dreaming of surfing warm waters year-round. Tom moved to the San Francisco Bay Area after receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. He began a career in investment banking and management, raising over $13 billion in capital for a variety of private companies and funds over 30 years in the industry. Today he helps manage a $300 million real estate fund that acquires conventional farmland and converts it to organic and regeneratively-managed farmland. A move to Hermosa Beach 20 years ago finally opened the door to surfing and his 10' Becker board has taught him the thrill of accomplishment in learning a new skill, the humility associated with failing (and falling) many times before reaching success, and a reverence for the beauty and power of the ocean. Tom is proud that his two daughters are exceedingly more skilled at surfing than he will ever be.

BOARD MEMBER

Rich Figone received a dual major in Human Biology & Economics from Standford University, graduating with high honors as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He went on to receive his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1985 and spend 15 years as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs & Montgomery Securities. After retiring in 1998 as a Partner & Head of Health Care Investment Banking at Montgomery, Rich devoted his time to being an involved dad to three children and heavily invested in non-profit work. Rich founded the Neuroscience Institute at Stanford and spent 5 years on the Stanford Athletic Board, as well as the Board of the Ford Theater in Washington and the Board of the California Boys and Girls' club, among others. Alongside SHACC, Rich also serves on the Board of the San Francisco Zoo.