William G. Steiner
Encyclopedia
William G. Steiner is a children's advocate
and nationally recognized expert on child abuse
and neglect, a former chairman of the Orange County, California
board of supervisors, founder of both the Orangewood Children's Home, located in Orange, California
and the Good Samaritan Boy's Home, in Corona, California
, and a former school board member and city councilman for the City of Orange. In addition to his numerous positions as a public official and child advocate in the non-profit sector, he served 16 years on the board of directors for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
, based in Alexandria, Virginia.
, earned his bachelor's degree in criminology
from the University of California, Berkeley
, and his master's degree in social work
from the University of Southern California
.
While still in his twenties, Steiner founded and became the director of the Good Samaritan Boy's home, which expanded over the years to include a number of group homes across California.
California Governor George Deukmejian
appointed Steiner to the State Child Development Programs Advisory Committee in 1986, and from 1990 to 1998 he served as a policy advisor to the Cabinet Secretary for Child Development and Education in the Administration of Governor Pete Wilson
. He has taught Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, Public Policy at the University of Southern California, and child abuse courses at Chapman University. Steiner has also worked with the California Youth Authority, the Los Angeles Department of Adoptions, Metropolitan State Hospital, and various residential treatment agencies serving abused and neglected children.
Steiner served as a delegate from the United States to Poland
, Czechoslovakia
and the former Soviet Union
in 1991.
for four years to become the national program director for Childhelp USA, serving there until 2003. While in Arizona, Steiner oversaw the conversion of Merv Griffin's
192 acre (0.7 km²) Wickenberg Inn & Dude Ranch, located in Wickenburg
, into the Merv Griffin Village of Arizona, a treatment center for abused kids.
Also in 1999, Steiner joined with Florida
based partners, Bill Hebrock and Daryl McLaughlin, to form Hebrock Steiner McLaughlin, Inc., a public policy
consulting and lobbying
firm. Steiner has been involved in business and cultural exchanges with the People's Republic of China
, and travels there frequently to develop public/private partnerships for the firm's clients.
He is also an investor in, and vice chairman of, Zhao International, Inc., an international exporting company which exports scrap metal to Tianjin, China, a 'sister city' of Orange.
He remains active in the Orange County political scene, primarily as an elder statesman of Orange County politics. He directs the bulk of his political efforts to the advocacy of children's issues, and remains a much coveted endorsement for aspiring and current elected officials.
Steiner is the father of five children and grandfather of fourteen.
Advocate
An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...
and nationally recognized expert on child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
and neglect, a former chairman of the Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
board of supervisors, founder of both the Orangewood Children's Home, located in Orange, California
Orange, California
Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...
and the Good Samaritan Boy's Home, in Corona, California
Corona, California
Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...
, and a former school board member and city councilman for the City of Orange. In addition to his numerous positions as a public official and child advocate in the non-profit sector, he served 16 years on the board of directors for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a private, non-profit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress.-Establishment and overview:...
, based in Alexandria, Virginia.
Education and early career
Steiner, who possesses an eidetic memoryEidetic memory
Eidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
, earned his bachelor's degree in criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and his master's degree in social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
While still in his twenties, Steiner founded and became the director of the Good Samaritan Boy's home, which expanded over the years to include a number of group homes across California.
Public service
In 1985, the Orangewood Children's Home, a public-private partnership, opened its doors to serve as Orange County's transitional shelter for children, after Steiner led efforts to raise $8.5 million for the facility. Steiner served as executive director of the Orangewood Foundation, which over the years has raised over $20 million to address problems of child abuse and neglect in Orange County.California Governor George Deukmejian
George Deukmejian
Courken George Deukmejian, Jr. born June 6, 1928) is an Armenian American politician from California who as a Republican served as the 35th Governor of California and as California Attorney General .-Early life:...
appointed Steiner to the State Child Development Programs Advisory Committee in 1986, and from 1990 to 1998 he served as a policy advisor to the Cabinet Secretary for Child Development and Education in the Administration of Governor Pete Wilson
Pete Wilson
Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and...
. He has taught Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, Public Policy at the University of Southern California, and child abuse courses at Chapman University. Steiner has also worked with the California Youth Authority, the Los Angeles Department of Adoptions, Metropolitan State Hospital, and various residential treatment agencies serving abused and neglected children.
Steiner served as a delegate from the United States to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1991.
Orange County Supervisor
In 1993, Steiner was appointed to the Orange County Board of Supervisors, by Governor Pete Wilson, to serve out the term of incumbent Don Roth, ousted by a scandal involving a criminal probe into gifts accepted from local real-estate developers and corporate lobbyists. Steiner was subsequently elected to a four-year term the next year, through January, 1999, serving as Chairman of the Board for 1997. During his tenure, Steiner helped lead the county back from financial disaster after it filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy on December 6, 1994, due to a $1.64-billion collapse in the value of the county's investment portfolio. The bankruptcy was precipitated by investment decisions made largely by county staff prior to Steiner's tenure on the board. In its wake, Steiner survived an aborted recall effort.Semi-retirement
At the end of his elected term on the Orange County board of supervisors, in 1999, Steiner moved to Scottsdale, ArizonaScottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
for four years to become the national program director for Childhelp USA, serving there until 2003. While in Arizona, Steiner oversaw the conversion of Merv Griffin's
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
192 acre (0.7 km²) Wickenberg Inn & Dude Ranch, located in Wickenburg
Wickenburg, Arizona
Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 6,423.-Geography:Wickenburg is located at ....
, into the Merv Griffin Village of Arizona, a treatment center for abused kids.
Also in 1999, Steiner joined with Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
based partners, Bill Hebrock and Daryl McLaughlin, to form Hebrock Steiner McLaughlin, Inc., a public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
consulting and lobbying
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
firm. Steiner has been involved in business and cultural exchanges with the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, and travels there frequently to develop public/private partnerships for the firm's clients.
He is also an investor in, and vice chairman of, Zhao International, Inc., an international exporting company which exports scrap metal to Tianjin, China, a 'sister city' of Orange.
He remains active in the Orange County political scene, primarily as an elder statesman of Orange County politics. He directs the bulk of his political efforts to the advocacy of children's issues, and remains a much coveted endorsement for aspiring and current elected officials.
Steiner is the father of five children and grandfather of fourteen.
Recognition
Steiner has been named 'Child Advocate of the Year' by the California Court Appointed Advocates, and 'Citizen of the Year' by the City of Orange. In 1989, he was awarded the 'Commissioner's Award for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect' by the US Department of Health and Human Services. In 1992, he was named Outstanding Elected Official by the Orange County Chapter of the American Society of Public Administrators.External links
- CommunityFoundationForOrange.org - 'Community Foundation of Orange Board of Directors Bio: William G. Steiner, Board Member'
- HSMCL.com - 'Profile: William G. Steiner', Hebrock Steiner McLaughlin, Inc.
- OC.ca.gov - 'Young Chinese Performers To Visit Orange County' (January 28, 1998)
- OCWeekly.com - 'Bankruptcy? What Bankruptcy?! OC’s financial meltdown, five years later', Orange County Weekly, Matt Coker, R. Scott Moxley, Anthony Pignataro, Nick Schou, Will Swaim (December 3, 1999)
- OrangewoodFoundation.org - 'Orangewood Children's Foundation is a leader in providing programs and services for Orange County's abused, abandoned and neglected children, as well as at-risk families'
- NRMHosting.com - 'Orangewood: About the Children's Home'
- RescueMission.org - 'William G. Steiner'
- SEC.gov - 'SEC Initiates Actions in Orange County Investigation', U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Litigation Release No. 14792 (January 24, 1996)