Thelma is an experienced nonprofit development professional from Long Beach, CA with a passion for music, education, and service. She previously held fund development positions at Pacific Chorale, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles (spcaLA), and is excited to join the Long Beach Public Library Foundation team as Director of Individual Giving. She is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine with a B.A. in Drama with an emphasis in Musical Theatre. Thelma enjoys volunteering and giving back to the community. She is a graduate of the Leadership Long Beach program class of 2023 and was elected by her cohort to serve as class President. Thelma currently serves on the boards of both Leadership Long Beach, and the Long Beach Chorale and Chamber Orchestra. Thelma also volunteers as a mentor to first-gen college students at Cal State Long Beach through the SCPD program and is passionate about helping others navigate college and career paths. She regularly hosts workshops at OneOC for nonprofit professionals who want to learn how to “Overcome Imposter Syndrome in the Workplace”.
Thelma continues feeding her passion for music by performing as a singer-songwriter under the stage name Dina Valenz and is proud to have been awarded the 2022 Absolute Best of Long Beach Award for Best Local Artist. She has traveled the country playing popular venues, fairs, and festivals sharing her upbeat brand of original music, and can currently be seen playing with her bands Dina Valenz and the Lemon Drops and as a part of the popular local 80s and 90s cover band The Rebel Scum. For fun, Thelma enjoys spending time with her rescue dog Rory, spending time with friends, and reading.