It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Ted Darany. Ted was known as a kind and gentle man who was always open to sharing information to help others and the profession. He dedicated his life to the development of testing processes that promoted merit and fairness in employment selection and was a Stephen E. Bemis memorial award recipient for his contributions to the field. He was an innovator who was a co-founder of the IPMA Assessment Council (IPMAAC) and the Western Region Intergovernmental Personnel Assessment Council (WRIPAC), and the creator of the Western Region Item Bank testing consortium. Over his career, he worked at all levels of government including the State of Michigan, the U.S. Civil Service Commission, and the County of San Bernardino, though his greatest joy was working with the many public agencies who are clients of his company, Darany and Associates. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Jane, and his family of colleagues at Darany and Associates. Among the last papers on which he was working was found a handwritten note to himself with the quotation "Kindness should become the natural way of life, not the exception." He would want us all to remember him in that way and to carry it on ourselves. He will be deeply missed.

Anita Ford, one of WRIPAC’s founders and its first president retired as Personnel Director of the Los Angeles Unified School (LAUSD) in 2005. Her experience in the public sector also includes service as Deputy General Manager of the Personnel Department of the City of Los Angeles and Assistant Personnel Director over recruitment, selection and staff development for LAUSD.

Anita has served as a Commissioner on the Personnel Commissions of the L.A. County Office of Education since 1990 and the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District since 1988.

In addition to a lifetime membership in WRIPAC, she is also a lifetime member of SCPMA, PTC-SC and CSPCA and has held leadership positions in various associations and served as a trainer on a variety of selection related topics for IPMAAC and WRIPAC. Her awards include:

     * 1993 Stephen E. Bemis Award of Excellence in Personnel Management

     * 1993 Emery Olson Award for Outstanding Achievement (SCPMA)

     * 1996 Award of Merit (SCPCA)

     * 2001 Muriel Morse Award of Excellence (IPMA Western Region)

     * 2005 Schuyler C. Joyner Award of Excellence (CSPCA)

Kelly Hunley was a dedicated public service professional whose career and life were marked by compassion, resilience, and a commitment to excellence. She served the State of California with distinction as a Research Data Specialist II at the Board of State and Community Corrections, where she began her career in 2010.

Kelly earned a BA in Psychology from San Diego State University while graduating with honors and serving as president of Alpha Phi Sorority and went on to complete a master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology from California State University, Sacramento.

Kelly was also a devoted member of the Western Region Intergovernmental Personnel Assessment Council (WRIPAC), where she served as Secretary for two years. Her thoughtful leadership and ongoing involvement reflected her strong commitment to supporting public sector HR professionals and advancing the principles of merit-based assessment. She was a valued colleague and mentor who contributed meaningfully to WRIPAC’s mission and community.

Beyond her professional achievements, Kelly was known for her unwavering faith, infectious smile, and generous spirit. She found joy in service, volunteering on international mission trips, and advocating for cancer research through her support of the Sarcoma Foundation.

Kelly Hunley’s life and work left a lasting impact on those who had the privilege of knowing her. Her memory will continue to inspire excellence, kindness, and dedication in the professional and personal lives of all who were touched by her legacy.

George Rost was the City of Los Angeles representative to WRIPAC for about 8 years. He was Treasurer during the time when the organization had very little money. When he retired, he was made a Lifetime member. George said, "I guess it was because I was one of the first people in WRIPAC who actually retired from personnel work!" George worked for the City of Los Angeles for 38 years. About 32 of them were in Personnel. His work included Classification, Recruitment, and Administration, but spent about 32 years in the Examining Division. Examining had five sections, Skilled Craft, Clerical, Administrative, Fire and Police, and Engineering. George spent most of his years supervising the Skilled Craft section and or the Clerical section. He became the assistant to the Chief of the division and supervised the other sections in the absence of the Chief. A big part of supervising a section involved reviewing proposed written tests, performance tests and interview structure. He spent much time reviewing protests against the written tests or the interview results and representing the Division before the Civil Service Commission on these cases.

From August 2014 to December 2024, she served as the Personnel Director at Rowland Unified School District, where she oversaw a comprehensive classified personnel program. While reporting to the Personnel Commission, Joan managed key areas such as classification, compensation, recruitment, eligibility lists, and employment actions, and ensured full compliance with Merit System rules and Education Code regulations. In her role, she coordinated staff reductions, layoff processes, and disciplinary appeals, while providing guidance to District management, employees, and CSEA representatives on personnel policies. Joan’s close collaboration with the District’s Leadership Team and oversight of Commission staff underscored her commitment to cultivating a positive and effective work environment.

Prior to her current role, Joan was a Senior Personnel Analyst at Hacienda La Puente Unified School District from 2011 to 2014, where she led daily operations for the Personnel Commission staff and managed complex HR functions, including recruitment, training, classification, and policy development. Her earlier experience includes serving as Personnel Analyst at Hacienda La Puente Unified (2008–2011) and as a Human Resources Specialist at Los Angeles Unified School District (2007–2008), where she developed job analyses, exam plans, recruitment strategies, and administered tests. These roles further honed her expertise in recruitment and HR strategy.

Joan's skill set includes HR strategy development, personnel management, applicant tracking systems, and administrative support, positioning her as a key leader in classified personnel administration. She is also dedicated to professional development, having served on the Board of Directors for PTC-SC, the Personnel Commissions Association of Southern California (PCASC), and the California School Personnel Commissioners Association (CSPCA). In September 2021, she achieved another professional milestone by Rowland USD becoming a member of the Western Region Intergovernmental Personnel Assessment Council (WRIPAC).

Marianne Tonjes retired as the Executive Director of the Cooperative Organization for the Development of Employee Selection Procedures (CODESP), a consortium of public agencies that has provided human resource services, training and employee selection material for more than 35 years. Under Marianne's leadership CODESP specialized in developing systems utilized by more than 500 public agencies. She earned her master's degree in public policy and administration-Personnel Management at California State University, Long Beach. She also received two bachelor's Degrees from California State University, Chico: One in Public Administration and another in Geography-Planning and Development. She is a Certified Professional with the International Public Management Association for Human Resources. Marianne served as the Training Committee for (WRIPAC).