Welcome to
Kindness USA

Kindness
Awareness Week:
February 7 - 13, 2010

Meet the Staff

This chapter is devoted to our fantastic KINDNESS officers, office staff and KINDNESS Ambassadors.  The success of any organization is directly related to the quality and dedication of those who work within the organizational structure.  We are fortunate to have people who not only want to display their creative talent but truly believe that our work with improving the quality of all our lives through acts of KINDNESS is an essential part of their own personality.  Below is a list of those involved with keeping our work moving forward.  To learn more about these individuals, you may click on their name for further information.

 

Chuck Wall, Ph.D., President

 

Teresa Leach, Vice President and Director of Kindness Ambassador Program

 

Dennis Mitchell, Member, Board of Directors, Executive Director of The Hope Center, Bakersfield, California

 

Renee Nelson, Member, Board of Directors

 

Di Wall, Member, Board of Directors and Kindness Inc. Office Manager

 

Delia Latham, Webmistress 

 

 

DR. CHUCK WALL

Biographical Sketch
August 2007

CONTACT DR. WALL
Email: kindness@earthlink.net
                                                                                                                                

 

Dr. Chuck Wall is a published author, lecturer and motivational speaker in the fields of communications, stress management, employee motivation, leadership and "random acts of kindness." 

 

After receiving an Associate of Arts degree from Bakersfield College, he earned a B.A. and a M.B.A. from San Francisco State University, followed by a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Management from U.C.L.A. He has co-authored a book on organizational renewal, authored The Kindness Collection, Selling Lemonade for Free, Lessons in Kindness, a video puppet show entitled "Kindness for Kids” and Teams: The Tenneco Way. In January 2004 he published the 3rd edition of his interactive textbook entitled  People Skills for Business and Industry. He has written several scholarly articles, co-authored a newspaper column series entitled “The Kindness Corner,” produced and directed a multi-media look into the 21st century for the president of the United States and hosted his own television and radio programs. Between  January and December 2005 he co-hosted a weekly radio program called “Bakersfield College Today” and aired over KERN Radio. Dr. Wall has headed two of his own firms, one in publishing and the other in manufacturing.

 

As of December 15, 2005, Dr. Wall became Professor Emeritus at Bakersfield College. In 1992 he received the prestigious Hayward Award for teaching excellence in California community colleges. He is the President of  Kindness Inc. a California Non-profit corporation and chaired the 1995 Kern County Governmental Charter Review Committee. From January to July 2004 he served as the community member of The Bakersfield Californian newspaper's editorial board. He is currently a member of The Bakersfield Californian editorial “Sounding Board.” 

 

At this time, Dr. Wall is deeply involved in the "Random Acts of Kindness” movement which has received international attention.   His work with the creation of this movement has been recognized by the United States House of Representatives, which instituted an "Act of Kindness Awareness Week for the United States.  To date, some 10 nations have now adopted the kindness concept as part of their humanitarian efforts. As a result of the “Kindness” movement, Dr. Wall was the recipient of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce “Beautiful Bakersfield” Presidents Award for 1994. 

 

He has appeared on some 250 television and radio programs in the United States, Canada, England, Singapore and Australia as well as special appearances on the Oprah Show, The Hour of Power, ABC Prime Time Live and CNN’s Thanksgiving Day special.  He was the signature speaker for the international Million Dollar Round Table Conference held at the Dallas Convention Center. In March 1995 he was awarded the Hero of Peace Award for North America by Discovery Toys. In August of 1997 he was awarded the Shirley Trembley Distinguished Teaching Award at Bakersfield College, and the United Way/Bakersfield Centennial Foundation " From the Heart" Award for Excellence in Education. During November of 1999 he was featured in newspapers throughout Southeast Asia and was the concluding story for the BBC “World News Roundup” for Southeast Asia. In October of 2000 he was honored to be a speaker at the internationally acclaimed Bakersfield Business Conference. In 2001 he was made an honorary member of the Bakersfield Host Lions Club and made a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary Clubs for his humanitarian work. In August 2007 he was listed in the magazine Kern Life as one of the most notable individuals to live in Kern County since its beginning and was featured in the Summer issue of Bakersfield Magazine. In September 2002  he was selected by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors and Coca Cola to be one of those to carry the Olympic torch as it traveled across America  en route to Salt Lake City for the Winter Olympics. In the fall of 2002 he was honored to be the Grand Marshal of the Homecoming parade for Bakersfield College. In January 2003 he was once again the guest of Dr. Robert Schuller on the internationally broadcast television program "The Hour of Power." He has been profiled in the Who’s Who Among American Teachers for 2005-06. In November 2005 he was honored to be visited by Mother Antonia known as “the prison angel” for her work in the LaMesa Prison in Tijuana, Mexico. In 2006 he was listed in “My Space.Com” where students gave him a grade of A+.

 

 In May 2007 he presented a paper to the 2007 annual conference of the American Psychiatric Association on the topic of stress and burnout in the medical community. Some 25,000 psychiatrists were in attendance. Also in May 2007 he became a member of the International Footprint Association. In August of 2007 he was the opening day motivation speaker for the Davis School District in Layton, Utah - a school district with some 64,000 students. He was part of the January 2008 issue of U.S. News and World Report cover story about ways to improve your life. 

 

A very proud moment came when in 1997, 2001 and again in 2002 when he took first place at the Kern County Fair for his redwood wild bird feeders and wishing wells  which he makes in his home workshop.

 

Even though he is blind, he does not consider himself disabled, but merely must spend extra time dealing with one of life’s little nuisances.

 

 

E-mail: kindness@earthlink.net


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TERESA LEACH

International Protocol and Etiquette Consultant

email: Ltessa@bak.rr.com

 

 

Teresa A. Leach is a certified International Protocol and Business Etiquette Consultant with a focus on Cross-Cultural Training.  Her professional background includes eighteen years as a managing partner in an Architectural Practice.  Teresa has traveled internationally for the last twenty-five years to the Pacific Rim, Asia and Southeast Asia, South Pacific, Indonesia and Europe gaining cultural experience.

 

June 2005 as a member of an educational delegation from Beardsley School District and Dr. Nieto's Heritage of American, Teresa traveled to China.  Contacts and approvals have been made with the Minister of Education of the Beijing School District and the Xian School District.  Kindness teaching materials were distributed to all schools during the delegations tour.  Dr. Chuck Wall and Teresa plan to write a series of books building bridges of Kindness to and for children in China and other countries.

 

In May of 2006 Teresa became a team member of HELPS (Doctors Without Borders) Organization serving in Guatemala.

 

The Board of Trade under the leadership of Rick Davis as Executive Director requested assistance in the area of Protocol to receive a delegation from the Autonomous Region of Guangxi, China.  The Board of Trade now has experience in meeting the cultural demands of hosting a delegation.  Recently Mr. Davis agreed to devote a section of the Board of Trade Gift Shop to Kindness Inc. and Dr. Wall's incredible life story selling Kindness coins, key chains and books as Dr. Wall is one of the best gifts of our county.  Kern County is truly the county of Kindness.

 

Consulting with corporations in the area of business etiquette and writing cultural briefs for executives entering the international arena is also part of her comprehensive package.  Much of Teresa's time and expertise has been donated to serve on various non profit advisory boards and public service.

 

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RENEE DONATO NELSON

E-mail:  Idealfellow99@gmail.com

 

 

Writing:                      Comment Letters for Environmental
                                    Documents

                                            Public Policy: Education, Public Sector, 
                                            Non-Profit

                                            Published author short story

                                            Press Releases

                                            Grants

 

Legal:                         California Environmental Quality Act

                                            Air Quality

                                             Water Law & Quality, Wetlands

                                             Municipal Law/Brown Act

                                             SMARA

                                            Redevelopment Law

                                            Land Use/Zoning

                                                Non-profit Corporation's

                                            Homeowners Association

 

Community Service

 

            Board Positions

 

Current:                    

                        Kindness, Inc.
                                   (Community Improvement)

                                            League of Women Voters,
                                            Bakersfield
                                            Concerned Citizens To Stop
                                            Outside Dumping (CCSOD)

Clean Water and Air Matter (CWAM)

                
            Past:             Mt. Elgon (Community Improvement)

                                  Kern County Neighbors for Quality Air, 
                                  Water and Growth

                                                Franciscan Hill Homeowners
                                                Association                            

          

Work History:

                               

                                    Environmental Consultant:

Herum, Crabtree, Brown
          (2003 to present)

Committee to Save Deer Creek
          (June 2003 - August 2005)

Richard Harriman, Esq. (2003 - 2004)

Barry Townsend
          (January 1998 - December 2003)

 

                                               Video Production:   

                                               Wonderland Productions

                                                [Writer, Producer, Editor, Camera
                                                 Operator]  (1992-1996)

 

Memberships:

 

        Current:                Bakersfield Museum of Art

 

        Past:                     National Trust for Historic
                                      Preservation

                                      Trust for Public Lands       

                                      Girl Scouts

                                      PTA

 

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DI WALL

Di has been married to Dr. Chuck Wall for 42 years. She is our general office manager, bookkeeper, and all around "go to" person regarding all aspects of Kindness, Inc. Prior to her 13 years with Kindness, Inc., she had a long and distinguished career in the insurance industry in both management and claims processing, first with Metropolitan Life Insurance in San Francisco, then Connecticut General Life Insurance in Santa Monica. In addition, she was co-owner and bookkeeper for Sugarloaf Wood Works, a furniture manufacturing plant in Bakersfield, Ca. which she owned with her husband.

Throughout her career, Di has been a community volunteer for several organizations, including but not limited to: Kern County Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired; Bakersfield Mayor's Committee to Employ People with Disabilities; Lady Lions Club; Sugarloaf Property Owners Association; and of course, Kindness, Inc. Di is a graduate of Salinas High School., Salinas, California and attended San Francisco State University. She also has to her credit numerous classes and seminars in office management, claims processing and community services. It is thanks to Di's organizational skills that our Kindness office and warehouse facility are not a complete shambles.

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DELIA LATHAM

E-mail: dlathambooks@gmail.com

 

Having enjoyed the written word since early childhood, Delia has studied writing in various forms, including creative writing and journalism, and been involved in a number of home study programs.  A former staff writer for The Bakersfield Californian (the largest daily newspaper in her native county of Kern), she is a frequent contributor to her hometown's regional, Bakersfield Magazine has been published in Canada's Our Family Magazine; writes greeting card verse, short stories, articles, and songs.


  • Newspaper Institute of America
  • Longridge Writer's Group
  • Institute of Children's Literature
  • Editing and proofing skills utilized by numerous authors, including (Dr. Chuck Wall, president of Kindness, Inc. and founder of the Random Acts of Kindness movement
  • Member American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW)
  • Former Member/Romance Writers of America (RWA)
  • Former Member/Faith, Hope and Love (FHL - Inspirational chapter of
  • RWA)
  • Former editor, statewide departmental intranet newsletter for major insurance company
  • Former Sunday School bulletin editor/producer/Calvary Tabernacle

 

Delia's debut novel, Almost Like a Song, released in June 2006. Now out of print, it is available at Lulu.  Goldeneyes was released by Vintage Romance Publishing in March 2008.  Read excerpts and obtain purchasing info at www.delialatham.net.  



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DENNIS MITCHELL

Dennis is director of the Hope Center in Bakersfield, California. He worked for 35 years in the grocery business and retired to a life of golf and relaxation, he thought.

After about a year of rest, he felt a call on his life to help the helpless. The Hope Center has evolved as an outreach of his church and the countless volunteer hours of many people. The Hope Center serves people of the Central Valley. The Center supplies food, clothing, encouragement and prayer on a daily basis. They network with many churches, government agencies and rehabilitation facilities. There is no charge for the service. It is the desire of Dennis and all the volunteers to help the clients help themselves. 

 

Dennis feels privileged to serve on the Kindness board.

 

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