Our Board

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Founder
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a 8x award-winning Columnist of the Year, a 6x NBA champion and the league’s only 6x MVP. For the past 38 years he was the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer.
He is one of a handful of influential and respected black men in America who his a national platform as a regular contributing columnist for newspapers and magazines around the world, such as The Guardian, The New York Times, The LA Times and The Hollywood Reporter. Currently he writes a bi-weekly column for kareem.substack.com where he shares his thoughts on some of the most socially relevant and politically controversial topics facing our nation today.
After 50 years as an athlete and activist, he offers his perspectives as a nationally recognized speaker who regularly appears on the lecture circuit. Currently, Abdul-Jabbar serves as the chairman of his Skyhook Foundation whose mission is to “Give Kids a Shot That Can’t be Blocked” by bringing educational STEM opportunities to underserved communities through innovative outdoor environmental learning.
A New York Times best-selling author, he has written 17 books, most of which explore the often-overlooked history of African Americans, from the achievements of the Harlem Renaissance to the forgotten Black inventors who changed our daily lives. He is currently working on a series of graphic novels around social justice, the history of Los Angeles music & entertainment.
Kareem is an award-winning documentary producer and 2x Emmy nominated narrator. He was featured in HBO’s most watched sports documentary of all-time, Kareem: Minority of One . He has several television projects in development, currently, he is producing a series of specials, Black Patriots, Heroes of the Civil War, which premiered on The History Channel as well as a new docu-series called Black Cops Kid.
Before leaving office, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest honor for civilians. He is the recipient of The Ford Medal of Freedom, The Rosa Parks Award, The Double Helix Medal and Harvard University’s W.E.B. Dubois Medal of Courage. Abdul-Jabbar holds 8 honorary doctorate degrees and is the only U.S. Cultural Ambassador; a title bestowed on him by former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

Deborah Morales Executive Director
Deborah Morales is the Executive Director of The Skyhook Foundation and Chief Executive Officer of Iconomy Multi-Media & Entertainment, where she develops and executes Legacy Plans that enable icons and prominent business personalities to create, monetize & protect their unique personal brands...

Dr. Anthony Chan Treasurer
Dr. Anthony Chan, is the former Chief Global Economist for JP Morgan Chase Bank. Dr. Chan joined JP Morgan in mid-1994 and retired in May 2019. During his tenure, he addressed over one hundred thousand clients each year and delivered presentations to many Central Banks around the world, including China’s PBOC, the Bank of Korea, and almost every Central Bank in Latin America...

Cheryl M. Lott Secretary
Cheryl M. Lott is an attorney with Buchalter, A Professional Corporation who represents corporate clients, banks, mortgage companies and other financial institutions in both state and federal court. Her practice focuses on general business and commercial litigation, as well as labor and employment litigation, construction defect litigation, and class action defense...

Steve Anapoell Board Member
Steve Anapoell is an experienced business transactional, securities, and tax lawyer whose practice focuses on private equity, fund formation, joint ventures, private securities offerings, and mergers and acquisitions...

Alvaro “Al” Cortes Board Member
Alvaro Cortes is the Senior Executive Director of the Beyond the Bell Branch of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Mr. Cortes oversees and supervises the implementation of all extended day programs which include before-school...
Our Team

Gerardo “Gerry” Salazar DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF OUTDOOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
As the Administrator of Outdoor and Environmental Education for the Los Angeles Unified School District, Gerardo oversees programs for two outdoor education centers and five non-district sites...

Mark “Big Mark” Gardina MANAGER, CAMP SKYHOOK AT CLEAR CREEK OUTDOOR EDUCATION
Mark oversees the day to day operations at Camp Skyhook and has been a part of the team since 1991. He’s run numerous outdoor programs in partnership with the LAUSD...

Janice Contreras LAUSD Camp Skyhook Liaison
Janice Contreras works for the LAUSD’s Office of Outdoor and Environmental Education. Janice coordinates and leads several projects including special events, creating marketing and promotional content for Camp Skyhook and other environmental literacy programs...

Andrew Morton Legal Counsel
Andrew Morton is a Partner at Handler Thayer LLP and Chair of the firm’s Sports & Entertainment Law Group. Andrew’s innovative practice operates at the intersection of celebrity and philanthropy, comprising all aspects...