Board of Directors
Board of
Directors
Rochelle Rausch
Chair
Rochelle has over fifteen years of experience in complex technical accounting and financial reporting matters. More specifically, Rochelle has advised companies, both as an external advisor and internal subject matter expert, on complex technical accounting issues and SEC reporting related to transactions including initial public offerings (IPOs), SPACs, spin-offs, acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, and joint venture or SPE formations. Currently, Rochelle is a Partner in Connor Group, leading the firm’s Technical Accounting and IPO Services practice in Southern California. In addition to her role serving clients in Accounting Advisory, Rochelle is on Connor Group’s Executive Committee as the firm’s Managing Partner of Growth.Previously, Rochelle was a Managing Director in Deloitte's Accounting & Reporting Advisory (ARA) practice and led their expansion efforts in Southern California. Rochelle has also served in Deloitte’s National Office, specializing in complex technical accounting issues as well as its London-based global offering services group which specialized in U.S. GAAP, IFRS, and SEC compliance for global companies already publicly traded in the U.S. or foreign companies executing an initial offering in the U.S. While in industry, Rochelle built in-house accounting policy functions at both public and private companies and was responsible for concluding on the accounting and financial reporting impacts of complex transactions. In addition, Rochelle led the SEC reporting and financial reporting teams with deep expertise in SEC rules and regulations and U.S. GAAP financial reporting requirements.Previously, Rochelle served on the Board of Directors of Western Youth Services (WYS) as their Treasurer as well as serving on the Board of Directors of Tustin Western Little League and holding several volunteer positions coaching youth basketball.Sarah Willis
Vice - Chair
Sarah Willis is a dynamic senior executive and entrepreneur with a distinguished career spanning the Aerospace, Defense, Consumer Goods, Technology, and Renewable Energy sectors. She is the Founder and CEO of ESI Partners, a strategic consultancy launched in 2023, where she helps organizations accelerate growth through innovative marketing, communications, and customer experience strategies.Prior to founding ESI Partners, Sarah served as Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Sunworks, Inc., a publicly traded leader in sustainable energy solutions. There, she led national marketing and communications strategies across both B2B and B2C divisions, driving revenue-focused lead generation, brand development, and customer engagement. She also served as Executive Chairperson of the ESG Advisory Committee and as Customer Experience Executive Sponsor.Earlier in her career, Sarah held senior leadership roles that shaped her strategic and operational expertise. At National Technical Systems (NTS), she redefined the customer journey and elevated brand presence in technical markets. At Verify, she led global marketing efforts supporting aerospace and defense supply chains. Her strategic planning skills were sharpened at Quality Systems, Inc., where she drove cross-functional initiatives in healthcare technology. She also led U.S. marketing at CDNetworks, expanding its presence in cloud acceleration, and repositioned enterprise IT solutions at Internap through integrated campaigns.Sarah holds a BSBA in Marketing and Statistics from the W.A. Franke College of Business at Northern Arizona University. Now based in Mesa, Arizona, she and her husband are proud parents of two grown sons. Her career reflects a passion for innovation, strategic growth, and meaningful impact in both business and community.Michelle Lawrence
Secretary
Motivated by the prevalence of human trafficking in Southern California, Michelle was moved to find an anti-trafficking organization to support and was introduced to International Sanctuary in 2016. Most recently, she completed a 15 month pro bono volunteer assignment in the Sanctuary Support Center in Irvine, California providing leadership coaching, oversight of the administrative function and serving on the Leadership Team. Empowering and supporting women in the workplace has been a long term effort of Michelle’s. She recently retired from executive municipal management, serving as the City of Oceanside’s City Manager for five years. She has 30 years of municipal experience, serving in a variety of executive leadership roles since 2000. Prior to serving in local government, Michelle worked for a nonprofit international development organization located in Davis, California. The Freedom from Hunger Foundation served women in Africa, Central America and Asia providing an “education with credit” program that included health education and financial literacy modeled on the micro enterprise efforts of the Grameen Bank. Michelle holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations from UC Davis and a Master of Arts degree in International Public Administration from Middlebury College’s Institute of International Studies. Michelle lives in South Orange County and is married with two grown daughters.Janet Clardy
Director
Janet’s career consists of over 20 years of human resources experience covering multiple industries. Currently, she is Senior Vice-President of human resources for Experian, a global leader in providing value-added information solutions to organizations and consumers. In her leadership role, Janet provides overall HR strategy and business support, and participates on the senior HR team of Experian North America. In addition, she has initiated and is now leading the human resources community of practice for North America at Experian to drive innovation and collaboration across the HRBP team. Previously, Janet Clardy served as Vice-President of human resources for Korn/Ferry, Vice-President of human resources for St. Joseph Hospital of Orange, and Corporate Human Resources Manager for Taco Bell Corporation. Janet also has experience in city government and retail operations. Janet is dedicated to helping others realize their potential. In addition to her role as a board director for International Sanctuary, Janet serves as an advisory board member for a start-up company providing a work-life balance benefit for employers across the U.S. Previously, she served as a board member for Bethany, a ministry for women in transition, and the board chair for Junior Achievement in Orange County. Janet earned her MBA and undergraduate degrees at Cal State University in Fullerton, California. She resides in Orange County with her two daughters and husband, who owns a company that provides engineered industrial processing equipment.Brandon Berz
Treasurer
Brandon joined International Sanctuary in 2023. He is passionate about integrating his professional experience in financial services with the mission of International Sanctuary. He currently serves on the corporate operations team at Connor Group, where he leads strategic initiatives across digital transformation and cross-functional operations. In this role, he partners with senior leadership to drive organizational efficiency and data-informed decision-making. Brandon also served as a technical accounting expert at Connor Group, advising on complex accounting issues. He has vast experience in the preparation and oversight of financial statements with varying reporting requirements. Prior to Connor Group, Brandon worked in Deloitte’s Audit and Assurance practice. Brandon has served a broad range of clients and has experience in numerous industries. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and received a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Biola University. Brandon and his wife, Lyndee, a NICU nurse, have two boys and reside in Eagle, Idaho.