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About Us
Church HR Network was founded by Leslie DeMattia. Leslie and her team have more than 30 years of experience combined in faith-based Operations; including 15+ years leading all aspects of Human Resources and Safety at Ventura Missionary Church and Schools.
About Our Founder
Leslie DeMattia
Leslie is a retired Peace Officer with extensive law enforcement, civilian security, and human resources expertise. During her law enforcement career as a highly decorated senior officer, Leslie worked in jail operations, patrol, patrol operations, sex crimes task force, agricultural protections, hostile work environment investigations, and personnel investigations, and she implemented patrol orientation policy and procedures.
Leslie is a retired Peace Officer with extensive law enforcement, civilian security, and human resources expertise. During her law enforcement career as a highly decorated senior officer, Leslie worked in jail operations, patrol, patrol operations, sex crimes task force, agricultural protections, hostile work environment investigations, and personnel investigations, and she implemented patrol orientation policy and procedures. She was a Field Training Officer, Custodial Training Officer, Personnel Management Mentor, and authored “Patrol Orientation,” a manual and training program to integrate custody deputies into patrol. Leslie’s law enforcement career was cut short by an on-duty injury that forced her medical retirement.
After her injury and recovery, Leslie negotiated with HUD (the Department of Housing and Urban Development) to create a transitional living center program for Project Understanding. She devised a program to reintegrate homeless families back into society. She authored a client interview and intake screening process, handled all placements, and was responsible for all case management. Leslie is well-versed in contract management, negotiations, and operations in both the public and private sectors.
Completion of her contract with HUD and Project Understanding led to an invitation to work for the Department of Investigative Services as Director of Operations/Facility Security Officer. As Facility Security Officer, Leslie oversaw defense warfare contractors from Vandenberg AFB to Edwards AFB. She held top secret and NATO security clearances. Leslie managed a staff of 500 and completely reorganized the human resources department. She is fully trained in multiple levels of background and personnel investigations, executive management, risk management, human resources, operations, benefits administrations, tactical deployment, project management, budgeting and finance, workers compensations, EEOC complaints, IWC complaints, cost controls, dispute resolution, hiring and retention, organizational liability, and school and church security.
Leslie has spent the past 35 years in human resources and operations. This time includes 15+ years leading all aspects of human resources and operations at Ventura Missionary Church, School, and Counseling Center. She has dealt extensively with the non-profit and for-profit industries. She has comprehensive training in wage and hour law and has authored hundreds of employee handbooks and injury and illness prevention plans. Leslie has hours of training in ADA and FEHA. She has considerable experience lecturing sexual harassment in the workplace, hiring for HR, best practices, consistent leadership, all hazard response, performance management, wage and hour law, exempt/non-exempt classifications, the ministerial exception, crisis management, workplace violence prevention, school safety, active shooter staff training, and classroom and workplace security. Leslie has developed a unique and in-depth hiring process that aims to put the right people on the right teams. She is a seasoned human resource professional.
In 2014, Leslie left Ventura Missionary and started DeMattia Consulting, now known as Church HR Network. Serving hundreds of clients in California and throughout the U.S., her team is passionate about taking their experience to churches, schools, and other faith-based groups with the goal of furthering God’s kingdom through training leaders that support the infrastructure of the organizations.
Leslie was born and raised in the city of Ventura, California. She enjoys her faith and her family. She and her husband Brian have six adult children and currently reside in Ventura. She spends her free time biking, kayaking, and competitively showing her top-ranked Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers in the Conformation dog arena.
Professional Training/Certificates
- Wage and Hour Law—Fed/State White Collar Exemptions
- Employment Discrimination and EEO Practices and Complaints
- Employee Handbook and Personnel Policies
- Personnel Investigations and Workforce Reductions
- Recruitment and Retention
- Advanced Management
- Workers Compensation
- Unrelated Business Income Tax
- Manager of Information Services
- Civil Treatment for Managers
- EPSQ Administrations
- Harassment Prevention Training
- Benefits Administrations
- Verbal Judo
- Personnel Management
- Risk Management Training
- Peace Officer Standards & Training
- Field Officer Training
- Administration of Justice Homicide School
- First Aid/CPR/Defibrillator
- Crisis Response & Management
- Criminal Behavior Clues
Education
- Bachelor of Science in Business Management
- University of Phoenix
- San Jose State University
- Ventura County Criminal Justice Training Center
- Department of Defense
- S. Department of Justice
Affiliations
- Society of Human Resource Managers
- National Human Resources Association
- University of Phoenix Alumni
- Non-profit Resource Network
- American Society for Industrial Security
- Christian Businesswomen’s Association
- Crisis Consulting International
- Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association
- Non-Profit Human Resource Network of Ventura County
- Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of Southern California
Meet the Team
Beth Cheatham
Beth’s varied career includes working for a liberal arts college in Santa Barbara, doing story boards for Neiman Marcus, managing See’s Candies, and working at a fabric store where her love of plaids was born. She puts her creativity and people skills to work on our CHRN team providing excellent service for our clients and writing articles.
Born and raised in Ventura, California, Beth is also an artist and writer. Her drive to tell a story culminated in 2020 in the form of a debut novel. She and her husband are blessed with six children and two grandchildren. She enjoys cooking, raising chickens, gardening, and the occasional backyard project.
David Bograd
David has a background in Project Management and Technology at the US Navy. He has extensive experience in Naval Weapon and Data Systems, Logistics, Contracting and developing Maintenance Facilities around the world. He applies his skills and experience as IT Coordinator for our CHRN team.
A frequent volunteer on worship teams, church orchestras, and community bands, David is a drummer and percussionist. He and his wife host a weekly couple’s Bible study in their home, often serving up his world-famous smoked chicken.
David and his wife live in Southern California as almost-empty-nesters. They have five children, and most have launched as productive members of society. He is a Navy veteran and loves mountain biking, camping, and swimming.
Elyce Wyatt
Director of Human Resource Services
Elyce is a seasoned ministry operations professional with a background in both business and ministry, with experience in human resources, customer service, employee relations, office and staff management, and church administration. With a keen ministry perspective, she is known for the ability to find solutions to clients’ HR and operations hurdles, bringing support and clarity into complicated areas where ministry, business, and compliance seem to collide. She leads our client service team as they support our ministries’ HR needs and questions.
Elyce loves her local church family, where she has attended since she was seven years old. She loves discipling girls in High School Impact Groups and serves in the Life Groups and Children’s Ministries.
The hot central valley of California is home to Elyce, her husband Jason, and their two lovely girls. In her free time she is usually just searching for shade and loves having friends and family over for dinner and games.
Fawn Burns
Client Service Representative
Fawn has extensive customer service experience as well as human resources and administrative experience. Add that to more than 20 years of ministry involvement and coordination and an outgoing, capable personality, and you’ve got an essential member of our client support team! Fawn uses her dedication to detail and her drive for excellence to provide quality HR guidance to our ministries.
Fawn has been a pastor’s wife for almost 20 years. She lives in Bakersfield, California with her husband Eric and their three children, Brayden, Brynlee, and Brooklyn. At church you can find them all plugged into many different ministries. Their favorite place to go is anywhere together but especially the beach. Fawn loves travelling, reading, and a clean house.
Katrina Blanc
Client Service Representative
Katrina has a professional background as Director of Business Operations in ministry, finance, and human resources. She has extensive experience in facilities and non-profit event coordination and uses all her skills, gifts, and experience on our CHRN team in both our human resources and safety and security departments.
Driven by a passion for non-profit and volunteer work, Katrina volunteers in infant self-rescue swim lessons for children and in women’s empowerment. She volunteers her time at her home church in the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) program monthly. She is an ambassador with Parents Preventing Childhood Drowning and shares education and resources with her community to end childhood drowning.
Katrina lives in Southern California with her husband and four children. She is a Marine veteran and loves the outdoors and spending time with her family. She loves to read and believes her faith is the foundation to happiness and success in her life.
Ken Klopman
Director of Safety & Security
Now Director of Safety and Security for Church HR Network, Ken retired as a police sergeant from the Oxnard Police Department after 37 years in public service. His assignments included field services/patrol sergeant; training officer; traffic motor officer, coordinator, and investigator; beat coordinator; youth services sergeant; Police Activities League officer; citizens academy, police explorer academy, police academy, and youth academy instructor; and police chaplains’ corps sergeant. His experience includes extensive work with public and private schools and churches around conducting site vulnerability assessments, developing safety response plans, and coordinating contingency training and drills for emergency evacuations, active shooters, and lockdowns. Ken has also authored eleven state and federal grants, bringing nearly $2.5M to his community for violence reduction efforts. He has an Associate of Science degree in Administration of Justice.
Ken’s most meaningful and impactful years on the job were as a youth officer at the Oxnard Police Activities League mentoring young people and as a detective in the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit, where he investigated sexual assaults and child abuse cases, requiring him to conduct delicate, challenging, and strategic forensic interviews and investigations to help survivors of child abuse and sexual assault pursue justice. Ken and his wife, Lyz, have given a large part of their lives serving children of abuse, abandonment, and neglect as they led Royal Family KIDS Camp of Ventura Missionary Church for 18 years, where Ken served as the Camp Director.
Ken was born in Inglewood, California, but lived most of his life in Ventura County. He is now very happily retired from law enforcement and resides in southern Washington with his wife of over 30 years and their two teenage children. In his free time, Ken enjoys nature walks, hiking, travel, photography, boating, and hand-crafting coffee beverages for family and friends.
Lyz Klopman
Director of Ministry Relations
Lyz Klopman is a highly experienced business operations professional with a remarkable career spanning over 30 years. She brings our team a wealth of knowledge in operations, employee relations, marketing, recruiting, construction, property management, and negotiations. Her role involves building relationships with new and existing clients and supporting them as they manage their day-to-day HR and operations, managing our employee handbook projects, marketing, operations, and more.
Throughout her career, Lyz has excelled in developing, implementing, and coordinating employee policies and procedure manuals. She has also been instrumental in crafting security plans, utilizing on-site staff and collaborating with local government agencies. Known for her strong work ethic, thoroughness, and unwavering commitment, she has earned the respect of both clients and colleagues.
Lyz is a family-oriented individual, married with two children and residing in Washington. Her passion for travel and hosting dinners reflects her love for creating memorable experiences with family and friends. Notably, Lyz and her husband have dedicated 18 years to serving children who have faced adversity, specifically those who have been abused, abandoned, and neglected, through their involvement with the Royal Family Kids Camp of Ventura. In addition to her philanthropic work, she actively gives back to her church and community and holds the role of Vice President in her son's high school football booster club.
Marcela Szybisty
Marcela has a background in both business and ministry. Born and raised in South America, she gained her experience in Human Resources working in the corporate world. She moved to the US in 2008, and since then she has been devoted to learning the ins and outs of the trade as it applies to ministry and faith-based organizations.
Marcela’s accomplishments in the ministry environment include assisting in setting up human resources departments nationally and internationally, bringing ministries into compliance with federal and state requirements, conducting audits, and creating organizational policies. She puts her skills and passion for helping ministries to work on the CHRN team as a Client Relations Representative.
Marcela resides in the San Gabriel Valley of California with her husband Marcel and their two adorable pets, Luna and Emilia. They attend church in LA, where they can be found serving on Sundays. They also love spending time at the beach, hosting gatherings at home, and cooking their favorite dishes for family and friends.
Nicholas Nord
Handbook Editor
As a mechanical engineering student, Nick has an eye for detail and accuracy. He puts these to good use on our team as an editor on our employee handbook projects. Nick loves music – he plays the piano and guitar and can often be found writing music or leading worship at his church where he grew up.
Renee Wyatt
Handbook Editor
Renee is a college student majoring in biblical counseling at The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, CA. She supports our team by using her talent for words and language as an editor on our employee handbook projects. Renee is very active at her church, volunteering on leadership teams and in the Children’s Ministry Department. In her free time, she hand-letters cards for friends and loved ones, listens to all genres of music, and writes movie reviews on Letterboxd.
Samantha Klopman
Creative Assistant
We get it – and we’re here to help
Book a call and we will answer your pressing HR ministry needs.