Team

Considered one of the preeminent transportation planning experts in the nation, Hasan Ikhrata is the Chief Executive Officer of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). SANDAG is the leading research, planning, and transportation agency for the San Diego region. The agency builds consensus; makes strategic plans; obtains and allocates resources; plans, engineers, and builds public transportation, and provides information on a broad range of topics pertinent to the region's quality of life. Agency policymakers are elected officials from each of the area’s 18 cities and the county. Mr. Ikhrata leads a staff of over 350 professionals who develop public policy initiatives for elected officials on numerous issues encompassing population growth, transportation, environmental management, economic development, municipal finance, binational coordination, and public safety.

Mr. Ikhrata has more than 35 years of public and private sector transportation planning experience. As Chief Executive Officer of SANDAG, he directs day‐to‐day operations of the agency and implements policies set by its Board of Directors. In addition, Mr. Ikhrata is the Chief Executive Officer of the SANDAG Service Bureau, the nonprofit public benefit corporation chartered by SANDAG.

Mr. Ikhrata has received several awards and honors from various organizations and agencies including the American Society of Public Administration, Southern California Leadership Council, Orange County Transportation Authority, Orange County Business Council, League of California Cities, City of Los Angeles, State of California, Association of the San Bernardino County Special Districts, the Building Industry Association, regional chapters of the Women’s Transportation Seminar, and numerous others.

Mr. Ikhrata holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Civil and Industrial Engineering from Zaporozhye University in the former Soviet Union, a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from UCLA, and a PhD Candidacy in Urban Planning and Transportation from the University of Southern California.

Prior to joining SANDAG in 2018, Mr. Ikhrata worked for Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), and South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).

Mr. Ikhrata is an adjunct professor in the business school at California State University, Northridge.

Mr. Douzdjian serves as SANDAG’s Chief Financial Officer and directs all financial and budgeting functions for SANDAG and the Commission. Mr. Douzdjian returned to SANDAG in June of 2012.  During the previous 12 years, Mr. Douzdjian worked in the capacity of Chief Financial Officer for two privately-held staffing companies, where he was a co-founder and shareholder of those businesses.  Prior to that, Mr. Douzdjian was the Financial Services Manager at SANDAG, a position that he held for almost ten years, from 1991 to 2000.  Prior to his employment at SANDAG, Mr. Douzdjian was a Senior Accountant for KPMG, LLP, a public accounting firm. Mr. Douzdjian received a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.A.) degree in Accounting in 1988 from the University of San Diego and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (M.B.A.) with an emphasis in Finance in 1996 from San Diego State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.  Mr. Douzdjian is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association.

Leeanne Wallace, Director of Accounting and Finance, directs and oversees the activities and operations of the Accounting and Finance Department, including accounting, payroll, financial reporting, investment management, and grant administration. She will coordinate assigned services and activities with other SANDAG departments, the Board of Directors, Policy Advisory Committees, member agencies, and outside organizations.

Leeanne has over 9 years of Finance experience with SANDAG in the Finance Manager position and has a current CPA license. Prior to her time at SANDAG, Leeanne was in a Director of Accounting and Financial Reporting position, where she was responsible for managing accounting and financial reporting for a public traded Real Estate Investment Trust, and an Assistant Controller position where she managed accounting and financial reporting of 40 commercial real estate assets, supervising a team of 8 employees, budgeting, forecasting, and auditing.

Leeanne earned her MBA from Auburn University.

As the Innovative Finance Director for SANDAG, Dawn Vettese oversees a range of financial strategy and innovative finance functions that support delivery of the agency’s capital program, including the development of financial strategies for major capital projects, and coordinating and resolving financial issues with funding agencies.

Dawn started her career at SANDAG in 2014 as a Senior Financial Programming Analyst, where she has provided professional support for various regional, state, and local transportation funding programs. She has also been responsible for managing the development of the Regional Transportation Improvement Program and providing expertise in the field of financial programming for regional projects.

Dawn previously served over 20 years with the California Department of Transportation in both headquarters and San Diego District 11 in a variety of roles including transportation finance and program/project management. She has developed strategic partnerships between the region, Caltrans, the California Transportation Commission, and peer agencies to further the region’s goals and priorities.

She has decades of professional transportation finance experience and has managed innovative finance strategies for projects in the San Diego region, both with Caltrans and SANDAG, including the region’s Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan for the Mid-Coast Trolley.

Yen Ho, Assistant Finance Manager, provides functional leadership for a team of accounting professionals who, in close collaboration with program managers, conduct the financial reporting and accounting functions for SANDAG. Yen also performs technical accounting duties, conducts complex analyses, provides financial advisory services, and recommends and implements financial management policies. 

Yen has been with the agency for the last 9 years, where she performed a full range of accounting, reporting, and revenue management functions for the agency’s Regional Tolling, TransNet, SourcePoint and ARJIS Programs including financial reporting and accounting functions, monthly general ledger close, and balance sheet and income statement analyses. Prior to SANDAG, Yen worked at the San Diego Housing Commission for over 11 years, where she was responsible for leading the accounting staff, preparing financial statements in accordance to GAAP, implementing internal controls and coordinating with auditors.

Yen earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from San Diego State University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Marcus Pascual, Senior Accountant, oversees the half percent sales tax TransNet program as it relates to financial reporting and compliance. Marcus has been with the agency for the last 5 years, where he performed a full range of accounting and reporting functions for the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) and SANDAG. 

Prior to SANDAG, Marcus was a staff accountant at Vector Planning and Services in San Diego, CA  where he assisted a small team with the delivery of monthly and annual financials in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation standards. 

Marcus earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from San Diego State University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).