LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

THE PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FOR EVERY DOLLAR

MEF is governed by a volunteer board of Malibu parents and community leaders, and lead by a founding Executive Director. Every board member serves without compensation. Their investment is their time, their expertise, and their belief in what Malibu’s schools can be.

MEF BOARD LEADERSHIP

  • AMBER VANDERBILT

    BOARD CHAIR, FOUNDING DIRECTOR

    A Malibu resident and mother to three sons, two of whom attend Malibu public schools.

    An interior designer, advocate for special education, and active community member, Amber has been a consistent presence across Malibu's civic and school community for years — serving as a president of MHS Arts Angels booster club and contributing to school-focused initiatives throughout the community.

    She brings a designer's eye for detail and a deep commitment to Malibu's families to her work on the MEF board.

  • Maggie Castle

    BOARD TREASURER, SECRETARY, FOUNDING DIRECTOR

    Born in Canada, Maggie is a writer producer and mother to two children - one of which is currently a student at MES.

    Maggie brings the culture of community responsibility to the MEF Board.

  • IAN ROVEN

    BOARD VICE CHAIR

    A lifelong Malibu resident, and graduate of Malibu public schools, UC Santa Barbara and California Western School of Law, Ian Roven is the founding attorney at The Malibu Lawyer and board member on the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, and owner of Howdy Malibu and Malibu Sushi by Howdy.  

    His oldest daughter currently attends Malibu Elementary school.

    Ian founded MEF's Food for Thought program — the monthly dine-out initiative that connects Malibu's restaurant community to its schools — and brings both legal expertise and deep business community relationships to his role on the board. 

  • Doug DeLuca

    BOARD DIRECTOR

    Doug DeLuca is a television producer with over 30 years in the entertainment industry and Co-Executive Producer of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, earning 11 Emmy nominations.

    As a Malibu resident and founder of the Malibu Guitar Festival, Doug has made significant contributions to Malibu schools as a leader of the Shark Fund and the Van Dyke Endowment for the Arts. His production expertise has been put directly to work for MEF — he led the production of the Van Dyke Endowment launch event and the cinema-quality video that introduced the endowment to the community.

    With an MHS grad who is currently thriving at Syracuse University, Doug brings creative vision, deep Malibu roots, and a proven ability to bring people together to the MEF board.

  • JAMES SHANAHAN

    BOARD DIRECTOR

    James Shanahan moved out to CA in 1997 to Attend the Anderson School of Business at UCLA. After graduating with an MBA in 1999 he started his career in money management at Roxbury Capital Management, where he was a Portfolio Manager for a small mid cap portfolio for institutional investors and high net worth individuals.

    With two children who are benefitting from Malibu public schools, the Shanahans have been big supporters of our Malibu students.

    James brings financial acumen and experience to the MEF board.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

A 30-year Malibu resident with three decades of digital marketing and leadership experience — including roles at AOL and IPG — Karin Al-Hardan brings the discipline of building organizations from the ground up to the work of building Malibu's schools.

Her three sons attended Malibu public schools: Webster Elementary, Malibu Middle, and Malibu High. Two have graduated college — NYU and University of Oregon — and one is a current freshman at Malibu High.

Recognizing the gaps in what Malibu's schools could offer, and the urgent need to invest in public education, Karin founded the Malibu Education Foundation in 2024 with a group of like-minded residents and a clear goal: make Malibu's public schools the best in California, and create opportunities for Malibu students that last well into the future. Under her leadership, MEF secured seed funding from the City of Malibu, committing the majority to student funding, and build the organizational infrastructure —governance, district partnerships and community programs—that positions MEF for long-term impact.

Karin@malibueducationfoundation.org

KArin Al-Hardan

GOVERNANCE

MEF is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation governed by a volunteer board of directors. The board meets regularly, and meeting minutes are available upon request. MEF operates under a formal MOU with SMMUSD, and grant commitments to schools are provided by December, and confirmed annually by February.

A copy of our most recent Form 990 is available upon request. Our first formal audit is planned for 2027.

JOIN OUR BOARD

MEF is actively growing its board. If you have expertise in finance, law, communications, education, or major gift fundraising - and roots in Malibu - we’d like to talk. Email info@malibueducationfoundation.org