Board Officers

Jim has lived in the community of Joshua Tree, CA since 1980. Born and raised in West Virginia and relocated to California in 1964. Jim retired from Southern California Edison in 1996 after 32 years of service. At the time of retirement, Jim was a Region Manager for Edison International. Jim has many years of experience in Government and Community affairs, as well as utility construction, budgeting and accounting. He served as a public elected Director on the Joshua Basin Water District Board of Directors from 1983 to 1989. Jim also served as a public elected member on the Board of Director’s of the Hi Desert Memorial Health Care District from 1994 to 2002 located in Joshua Tree. He served in the United States Air Force from 1960 - 1964. While in the Air Force, he was part of the United States Presidential Honor Guard, in Washington DC from 1960-1962. Jim has been very active in many community organizations in the Morongo Basin since moving to the area in 1980. Jim is currently a Director on the Mojave Water Agency, Board of Director’s, a state agency for responsible for providing water to 4900 sq miles in the Mojave Desert Region. He is also the 2013-2015 Water Agencies elected Representative for Region 9, the upper desert region for Association of California Water Agency. The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) is the largest statewide coalition of public water agencies in the country.  Jim has received many community recognition awards as well, including Community Distinguished Citizenship Award - 1995 and Copper Mountain College Community Leadership Hall of Fame recipient - 1996.

Jim Ventura,
Treasurer

Publisher of Hi-Desert Publishing and General Manger of the Valley Independent Printing, Cindy has been actively involved in the Morongo Basin Communities since 1985. She has served on the Boards of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club, the Yucca Valley Rotary Club, the Hi-Desert Medical Foundation, Desert Regional Tourism Agency and the Tri-Valley Little League.  She currently holds memberships in the Yucca Valley Rotary Club, the Youth Sports Park coalition, and the Morongo Basin Historical Society.  Her businesses are members of the Chambers of Commerce of Yucca Valley, 29 Palms and Desert Hot Springs.  Cindy has been a member and a board member of the Basin Wide Foundation since 1999.

Cindy Melland,
President

Jennifer Cusack works as the Region Manager in Local Public Affairs for Southern California Edison.  She covers the Morongo Basin, Palm Desert, Indian Wells and Blythe.  In addition to serving as Secretary on the Board of the Basin Wide Foundation, she serves on the Palm Desert Area Chamber Board and is a Yucca Valley Soroptimist member since 2012.  She is a local native, Copper Mountain College Alumna and Graduate of University of Redlands.  Her experience includes sales, water, local government, real estate, public relations, marketing, construction and now electric utility.  Her passion is her family, as she has two young children, husband, dog and a large extended family.  Jennifer enjoys living in the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities and as time allows, stays involved in ways to help improve life in the Morongo Basin.  

Jennifer Cusack,
Secretary

Jim Schooler
Vice President

Morongo Basin resident for 39 years
Realtor with Inspire Real Estate
Tournament Director, Hawk’s Landing Golf
Retired from Town of Yucca Valley - Director of Community Services
Board Member, Basin Wide Foundation
President, Yucca Valley High School Career Pathways Foundation
Secretary/Membership Director, Lincoln Club of the Morongo Basin
Attends Joshua Springs Calvary Chapel
Five grown children, three grandsons, granddaughter coming soon