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Susan Burton is the founding Executive Director of A New Way of Life ReEntry Project (ANWOL), which operates homes and programs in South LA to support women recently released from prison in staying sober, finding jobs, and developing life skills. Susan herself overcame a decades-long history of incarceration and the struggles with reentry. After her [...]
Andy Lipkis began his environmental career at the age of 15 and went on to found TreePeople in 1973, with the goal of empowering Los Angeles residents to plant and care for trees and revitalize their neighborhoods. As President, Andy grew TreePeople into a multi-million dollar organization supported by tens of thousands of volunteers and [...]
Susan Kujawa first came to the Families Forward Learning Center (formerly the Mothers’ Club Community Center) as a client, and later served as the organization’s Executive Director for 22 years. The Mothers’ Club was a community-based organization that provided parenting education and support services for isolated, disadvantaged women, as well as early childhood education for [...]
Father Gregory Boyle is the Founder and Director of Homeboy Industries (formerly Jobs for a Future), initially launched as an initiative of Proyecto Pastoral at Dolores Mission. Located in East Los Angeles, the Homeboy serves as an employment referral center and economic development program for at-risk and gang-involved youth. The organization operates several self-sustaining businesses—including [...]
John Malpede is the founding Artistic Director for the Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD), a theater collective of homeless and formerly homeless individuals. Founded in 1985, LAPD works to build community in Skid Row and to raise public awareness of the “real deal” of life on the streets. Collaborating with drug recovery programs, transitional housing [...]
Sister Terry Dodge is the former Executive Director of Crossroads, Inc., which provides housing, education, support, and counseling in a homelike environment in Claremont for women who have been previously incarcerated. Beginning her tenure in 1989, Sister Terry helped equip women with the tools to lead self-sufficient lives, helping them avoid substance abuse, homelessness, and [...]
Arturo Vargas served as Executive Director of NALEO (National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials) Educational Fund, headquartered in his native Los Angeles, for over 30 years. NALEO empowers Latinos to fully participate in the American political process by assisting legal permanent residents in becoming US citizens, developing future generations of Latino policymakers, and [...]
Sister Jennie Lechtenberg is the Founder and former Executive Director of PUENTE Learning Center, a nationally and internationally recognized institution with locations in Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles. Since 1985, the organization has provided educational instruction to thousands of economically and educationally disadvantaged students, from preschoolers to elderly adults. Before founding PUENTE, Sister Jennie [...]
Anne Bray is the Founder and Executive Director of LA Freewaves, a media arts network that fosters creative connections among arts organizations, cable stations, cafés, libraries, schools, and videomakers. The organization produces a biennial festival of independent video and offers new media workshops and a website as resources for artists, curators, programmers, teachers, and students. [...]
Luis Mata is the former Executive Director for the Multicultural Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), a family-oriented organization that promoted health care through educational interventions. During his 24-year tenure in the field of health care and disability management, Luis played a central role in developing national strategies to increase childhood immunization rates, creating culturally sensitive [...]
