Board of Directors
MCSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President & Chairperson
Anita Robinson
Anita Robinson is a former community banking executive, with a career span of over 45 years. She came to San Luis Obispo County over three decades ago and shortly thereafter assumed the role of President and CEO of Commerce Bank of San Luis Obispo. In 1996, after the sale of the bank, she organized and started Mission Community Bank and built the foundation for the Mission Community banking collective which included Mission Community Services Corporation (MCSC), a 501(c)3. Robinson joined Coast National Bank as President and CEO in 2012; and served in that capacity until it was sold to Bank of the Sierra in July of 2016. MCSC has been host to the Women’s Business Center since 2006.
She is a strong believer of personal contribution and giving back to community and has enjoyed several roles over the years. Leadership positions have included Cuesta College Foundation President, Central Coast Economic Forecast Board Member, French Hospital Community Board Chair, Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County Treasurer and Board member, past Chair of the San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund, 20 years of board membership for the Community Action Partnership of SLO County and a member of the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo. She is the Founder of MCSC’s Women’s Business Centers serving three counties.
Robinson was honored as the 2017 Citizen of the Year by the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. She has been a champion of small business and start up business for most of her career and has been honored as such by the US Small Business Administration, Women’s Economic Ventures, The California Bankers Association, and Cal Poly Entrepreneurial Leadership in Financial Services award.
Robinson lives in Atascadero and enjoys time with her family, friends and the wonderful gifts of this beautiful place we call home.
Treasurer
Michael Chen
Michael Chen is a 1st Vice President/Senior Relationship Manager with Pacific Premier Bank and has been dedicated to serving business owners and commercial real estate investors on the Central Coast for over 16 years. As a San Luis Obispo native, he understands our close-knit community and the importance of building relationships by placing trust first and following through. Since 2016, Chen has served as Treasurer and Board Member of Mission Community Services Corporation. He also actively supports the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce and various other nonprofit causes.
Chen received his BA from the University of California, San Diego. He then worked in the technology industry in Los Angeles and the Bay Area before returning to complete an MBA with a concentration in finance at Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business.
He has lived in San Luis Obispo for over 25 years and when he isn’t in the office or the community, he is trying to keep up with his two little ones, Chiara and Ezra, and squeezing in hikes and bike rides with his partner, Christina.
Secretary
Elizabeth "Biz" Steinberg
Biz Steinberg is CEO for all operations of the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County with 1,000 employees and an annual budget of $80 million. Steinberg is extremely involved at a local level and also at a state and national level, which has assisted the agency in developing numerous partnerships and collaborations with various agencies and organizations.
In addition to being the 2nd Vice-Chair for the National Community Action Partnership, she is a board member on the National Head Start Association, past President of the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association, SLO Workforce Investment Board, SLO Housing Authority, the Children’s Services Network, Past Chair of Mission Community Services Corporation, and is on the CDPI Education Board.
Director
Maggie Cox
Maggie Cox’s 40+ year career produced many different work assignments, but they share a common focus: communications. Working at television stations in San Francisco, Sacramento and Salinas post-college helped Maggie refine her communications skills, and a five-year post with the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce enabled her to get to know the people and businesses of the county. She settled happily into the local community in 1983 and has been here ever since.
Maggie and her husband Dave founded local marketing and public relations firm Barnett Cox & Associates in 1989. The couple created their company with a strong commitment to community and grew the firm into a powerhouse before selling it and retiring in 2019.
A Bay Area native and graduate of UC Davis, Maggie has always been happiest when engaging with people. She has served on many local boards, including United Way of SLO County, the Central Coast Economic Forecast, the Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Community Board, and was a founding board member of the SLO Children’s Museum. She has been honored as Citizen of the Year by the SLO Chamber of Commerce, a Cuesta College Woman of Distinction, and as a Pacific Coast Business Times Woman-Owned Business honoree.
The now-retired business owner is currently on the board of Honor Flight Central Coast California and volunteers with SLO Village. She has a unique perspective on the challenges and rewards of self-employment and the skills required to juggle family, work and community. She spends a considerable amount of time these days on the road to Chico, where she and Dave enjoy the entertaining company of their toddler granddaughter.
Director
Nora Dominguez
Nora Dominguez is the Director, Outreach for Special Programs at Bakersfield College. Previously, she worked at the University of La Verne’s Kern County Campus for over 20 years in various roles as Regional Marketing Director, Admission & Corporate Education Specialist, Associate Director of Admissions, and as Regional Campus Director .
She also collaborates with her husband in ownership of two local small businesses, Oasis Air Conditioning, Inc. and Music Mercado. Dominguez grew up in Bakersfield and attended public schools through high school. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and earned her MBA with a concentration in Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne. She completed the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership at University of La Verne and is a graduate of Leadership Bakersfield.
Philanthropy is also important to Dominguez. She and her husband were founding board members of the Kern County Youth Mariachi Foundation and are heavily involved in an up and coming nonprofit organization called Gateway to Music & Technology. They both attend and support Valley Bible Fellowship. Dominguez is a member of The National Association of Professional Women.
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U. S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Call MCSC Program Director at 805-595-1357. MCSC is an equal opportunity provider. MCSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.