Meet our dedicated team.
GLD is led by a volunteer board of directors who have joined together to pursue an important mission to serve San Diego’s low-income senior community.
The organization is comprised of a distinguished and respected group of San Diego professionals, experienced in the fields of real estate, finance, and law.
Our Board Members
EMIL WOHL - PRESIDENT
Emil joined the Board of Directors in 2002 and has served as Board President since 2006. With a decades-long career as a real estate attorney and developer, he provides GLD with the mission-driven leadership and entrepreneurial real estate vision critical to the preservation and expansion of the group’s existing asset portfolio. Under his leadership, GLD recently completed a $15 million rehabilitation of Grace Tower, along with multiple capital improvement projects and project refinancing efforts across the portfolio. In 2014, he led the assemblage effort to acquire several properties adjacent to Trinity Manor, where GLD plans on developing a fourth residential tower to serve San Diego’s low-income, senior community.
As Managing Principal of Wohl Property Group, Emil oversees the acquisition, development, and operation of industrial, office and retail properties in partnership with institutional and private clients. Since 1998, he has acquired and developed over six million square feet of institutional-grade product throughout California. Prior to joining Wohl Property Group, Emil practiced real estate law in Los Angeles.
In addition to his work with GLD, Emil serves on the boards of the San Diego Rowing Club and Cancer for College, which provides college scholarships to cancer survivors. He has previously served four terms as an elected member of the Otay Mesa Planning Group.
Emil graduated with a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Southern California.
ROBERT RENTTO - SECRETARY
Bob has served as a member and secretary of the Board since the 1970’s. He was invited to join the Grace Lutheran Developments Board by the Rev. John Jacobsen, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, and Board Chairman Robert P. Sedlock, Jr., both founders of Grace Lutheran Developments. He was active in the planning and construction of both Cathedral Arms and Trinity Manor, and he served as president of the Grace Lutheran Church congregation for several terms.
Bob has practiced law in San Diego since 1969, specializing in bankruptcy, commercial and real estate litigation.
He has served for decades on several non-profit boards in San Diego including the Board of St. Paul’s Senior Services, where he served as Board Chair, and the Timken Museum of Art, where he continues to serve as an Emeritus Board member. Presently, he serves as member of the Finance and Investment Committees and chairs the Audit Committee. He also served a three-year term as member of the Dartmouth Alumni Council.
Bob graduated with a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law and is a graduate of Dartmouth College. He completed his service in the U.S. Marine Corps and was honorably discharged as Captain.
JIM CHATFIELD - MEMBER
Jim Chatfield joined the Board of Directors in 2003 and his 30+ years of leadership experience in the military and real estate has helped guide GLD’s efforts to modernize its operations and facilities. During his tenure on the Board, GLD has completed over $30 million of capital improvement projects across the firm’s portfolio.
He is currently the Executive Vice President of Design & Construction for JMI Realty, and has played a key role in leading their entitlement, design, and construction projects including: San Diego’s PETCO Park Ballpark District, Ballpark Village, the 35-acre Fullerton Transportation Center, the Omni Hotel & Metropolitan Condominiums, the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, the Courtyard Kauai, Snow King Resort in Jackson Hole, Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot in New Orleans, the Hotel Indigo in Nashville, and the retrofit of the Candy Factory and Schiefer & Sons historic buildings, both of which were prestigious Orchid Award recipients.
Recently, Jim managed the entitlement, re-design, and construction of the Pacific Ocean fronting, award-winning Alila Marea Beach Resort. He is providing project management for the masterplan and site construction of the San Diego State University 171-acre acquisition and campus expansion onto the previous Qualcomm Stadium site in the Mission Valley submarket, a project that will redefine the region for the next century.
Prior to joining JMI Realty, Jim served in the U.S. Navy as a Missile's Officer on a Destroyer in the first Gulf War, and later built facilities for the military in the Navy's Civil Engineer Corps. Jim graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, received a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, and an M.B.A from San Diego State University.
AL DEBERARDINIS - MEMBER
Albert deBerardinis joined the Board of Directors in 2009 and has aided in the renovation of Grace Tower, Trinity Manor, and Cathedral Arms. Prior to his Board appointment, he provided construction management services for the fire life safety renovations at Cathedral Arms and Grace Tower and an exterior renovation at Trinity Manor.
Al is a Senior Director with Irvine Company, where he oversees the development and construction of office projects in Irvine and San Diego and management of reinvestment projects in the San Diego submarket. Prior to joining Irvine Company, Al provided project management for many of San Diego's signature projects such as One America Plaza, the Omni Hotel & Metropolitan Condominiums, the South Chula Vista Library, and the James R. Mills Building. In addition, he has provided project management for many affordable housing projects including 12th & Market and 15th & Commercial for Father Joe’s Villages, and Cordova Village, Trolley Terrace Townhomes, and Townsquare Rowhomes for Wakeland Housing.
In addition to his work with GLD, Al has provided volunteer services for the Catholic Diocese of San Diego, Father Joe’s Villages, Price Philanthropies, and the Armed Services YMCA.
Al graduated with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Structural Engineering from the University of Delaware and is a Registered Civil Engineer in the State of California.
MICHAEL GIBSON - MEMBER
Michael joined the Board of Directors in 2016 and brings to GLD over twenty years of impressive experience as a commercial, construction and real estate attorney. In that capacity, Michael collaborates with the other Board members to assess risks and opportunities for GLD and its mission.
As a partner at Higgs Fletcher & Mack, LLP, Michael’s balanced practice includes representation of both the individual and local, national, and international companies. Previously, he co-chaired the San Diego County Bar Association’s Construction Law Section and is a frequent speaker on new developments in the arena of law and risk management.
Outside of the courtroom, Mr. Gibson assists clients with their construction and real estate contracts and provides advice and counsel on risk management and liability prevention. In each matter, his goal is to partner with his clients to achieve efficient, effective, and economical solutions and results. Utilizing his over two decades of litigation experience and training, Michael also serves as a mediator to help parties find solutions to their disputes.
In addition to working with GLD, Michael devotes time coaching youth baseball with Mid-City Little League and serving on its board.
Michael graduated with a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Southern California.
DREW HUBBELL - MEMBER
Drew joined the Board of Directors in 2015. He has been a licensed architect for three decades with a diverse background ranging from historic restoration and adaptive reuse of existing structures to custom residential design.
He has led the firm Hubbell & Hubbell Architects Inc. since 1996. They create unique site-specific designs with a specialty in sustainable architecture and green building materials. Locally, Drew helped pioneer the use of alternative building materials in San Diego County and has been a key figure in educating public agencies about their benefits to gain acceptance and permits for these materials. Globally, Hubbell & Hubbell Architects worked on the design of a Gorilla Health Center in Uganda, Africa and are working with the San Diego Safari Park on several architectural projects.
Drew holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Arizona and studied at the Danish Institute of Study in Copenhagen, Denmark. His extensive travel throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States allowed for an architectural survey of historic material and building techniques, providing him with a rich design vocabulary.
Drew is a board member and President of the Ilan-Lael Foundation and a board member of the Cowles Mountain Foundation. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the California Straw Bale Association (CASBA).
