Our Board of Directors
Meet the dedicated Board of Color of Language. We are blessed with caring, knowledgeable men of vision and wisdom who give guidance to our fast growing non-profit organization.
Executive Director: Sandra Heflin
Sandra Heflin, MA, Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing, has 40 years experience as teacher and director in Deaf Education Programs, infant to adult, and 45 years as an interpreter and independent business owner. She founded Color of Language in 2001. The vision and hope is to enable parents of Deaf children to communicate effectively with their child. The goal is to develop materials parents can use at home with their infants and toddlers, allowing Deaf children to enter Pre-school with a vocabulary and language level equal to their hearing peers.
Mike Russo
Mike and his family have owned Russo's Books since 1989. Mike has his BS & MBA from CSUB and he and his wife Nancy have three children. An active member of the community, Mike currently serves on numerous boards and committees. Having worked in retail since 1981, Mike currently teaches Retail Sales for KHSD ROC and Retail Marketing at Bakersfield College. He also has 7 years of vocational education experience with Bakersfield Adult School. He spends his spare time enjoying baseball and his kids.
John Marshall
John Marshall, and his wife, Gloria, are founders of Senior Serve. This non-profit ministry is dedicated to help challenged individuals and families manage their personal income. Presently, there are 1,460 clients. John and Gloria spent 13 years in the Democratic Republic of Congo as missionaries. They have three children and five grand children. Both are active members of the Olive Drive Church in Bakersfield where Gloria is on the Board of Elders. John has a Rel.D. in sociology and theology and is in the process of studying for a D.Min. in urbanization and the care of challenged people.
Clayton Montgomery
Clayton Montgomery brings 10 years of corporate employment with Aera Energy LLC (and predecessor companies) as contract and staff employee. He attended Highland High School, which is home of Bakersfield High School District's deaf studies programs, where he became friends with deaf students. In college, he started the deaf studies program for personal enrichment. His understanding Deaf Culture and corporate organization, background in technology brings a unique perspective to the board. Clayton is married and has 2 sons. He is a leader for High School ministries at the Oaks Community Church. His participation in Color of Language was brought about by Team Aera, Aera Energy's community volunteerism body.
James Duncan
James Duncan is an attorney with the law firm of Klein, DeNatale, Goldner, Cooper, Rosenlieb & Kimball, LLP in Bakersfield, CA. He primarily practices in the area of intellectual property, but also has experience and training in the fields of business and commercial litigation, appeals, environmental law, and oil and gas law. He is a member of the Kern County Bar Association, the State Bar of California, the United State Patent and Trademark Office and the American Bar Association. He and his wife, Nancy, have 3 grown children and are active members of Riverlakes Church in Bakersfield, CA.
Albert Wagner
Al Wagner graduated from California Baptist University in 1977 with a double major in Public and Business Administration and became City Manager for the City of Wasco. He subsequently became Assistant Director/Business Manager at Clinica Sierra Vista in Bakersfield, CA. From 1988-1997, Al served overseas in Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador for the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board. He returned to Bakersfield and while serving as Pastor of the Deaf congregation at Columbus Baptist Church, earned his teaching degree. From 1999-2006 he worked as Chief of Staff for Senator Dean Florez. He is presently serving as Director of Evangelism at Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, CA. In addition to his many other accomplishments, he is fluent in both Spanish and American Sign Language.