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Joel Jacinto is the former Executive Director of SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans), which he led to becoming the largest organization in the United States dedicated primarily to Pilipino American youth and families. SIPA offers an array of health and human services as well as community economic development programs, including counseling and case management, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Joanne Feldmeth served as the Executive Director of Child SHARE (now FosterAll) for 14 years. FosterAll partners with over 350 churches and synagogues across Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange Counties to recruit, train, and support families who foster, adopt, and provide respite care for abused and neglected children. Joanne spearheaded the organization’s efforts to place [...]
Lark Galloway-Gilliam was the founding Executive Director of Community Health Councils (now Rising Communities), a consumer-oriented health advocacy organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality for uninsured and underinsured communities. Lark played an active role in shaping the policies and debates on Medi-Cal and Healthy Families implementation, nonprofit hospital conversions, health disparities among ethnic communities, and [...]
Larry Gross has served as Executive Director of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) for over 50 years. Since its founding in 1973, CES has organized tenants and low-income residents of Los Angeles to advocate for tenant rights, manage affordable housing, abate lead paint hazards, and preserve safe, affordable housing stock. Larry played a key [...]
Normandie Nigh is the former Chief Executive Officer of A World Fit For Kids! (AWFFK!), an organization pioneering a model after-school program focused on sports, fitness, and wellness. The organization employs college students to mentor inner-city teens, who then guide younger children through sports, recreation, and enrichment activities. AWFFK! operates in many LAUSD schools and [...]
Debra Padilla is the former Executive Director of the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), a community-based arts organization dedicated to producing, presenting and preserving public artwork across Los Angeles neighborhoods. Working citywide on a grassroots level since 1976, SPARC has produced The Great Wall of Los Angeles, a half-mile-long mural and educational project. [...]
Jonathan Zeichner is the Co-Founder and former Co-Director of Inside Out Community Arts (merged with P.S. ARTS since 2014). Inside Out engaged diverse and underserved middle-school youth through community events, performances, and after-school workshops led by teams of artists and high-school mentors. The organization was recognized for fostering collaboration between artists and youth to create [...]
Raúl Añorve founded the Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA) in 1991 to educate and organize low-income Latino immigrants working to solve issues in their own communities. The organization’s projects span popular education, domestic worker rights, and the operation of day labor centers located in Los Angeles and Pasadena. Under Raúl leadership [...]
