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Mary Lee is the former Deputy Director of PolicyLink, a national research and action institute advancing racial, economic, and social equity. Her inquiry focused on the rapid changes in real estate and housing in LA and sought to identify economic strategies that prevent the negative impacts of gentrification on African American families. Mary drew on [...]
Marielena Hincapié is the former Executive Director of the National Immigration Law Center. The question she sought to answer was this: What does it take for immigrants to feel and be seen as Angelenos, Californians, and Americans? She wanted to change the current narrative about immigrants as “others” or “criminals” into one that sees them [...]
Shane Murphy Goldsmith is the President and CEO of the Liberty Hill Foundation, a social justice grantmaking organization with a decades-long history. She has also served on the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. Shane sought to find ways of bringing philanthropy, community partners, policy makers, youth, and law enforcement together to reimagine public safety [...]
Manal J. Aboelata is the former Deputy Executive Director of the Prevention Institute, a public health organization that seeks to prevent illness, violence, trauma, and injury before they occur. She will explore opportunities to leverage recent voter-approved public infrastructure investments to improve health outcomes, particularly for low-income people of color. She seeks to build a [...]
Helmi Hisserich is the former Assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department (formerly the Housing and Community Investment Department of the City of Los Angeles). A former banker and Deputy Mayor who has worked in local government for decades, she has observed how multiple public agencies work on housing and homelessness but fail [...]
Leslie Ito is the former President and CEO of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC), a cornerstone institution in Little Tokyo that offers everything from dance and music performances, Japanese tea and ikebana demonstrations to a Ukulele Center. Previously a Program Officer at the California Community Foundation, Leslie has worked deeply with visual, [...]
Johng Ho Song is the Executive Director of the Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC), where he began his career in 1985 as a mental health counselor. The agency serves recently-immigrated, economically-disadvantaged youth and families, and promotes community socioeconomic empowerment. Like much of Los Angeles, Koreatown is undergoing an enormous transformation through new developments and [...]
Tim Carpenter is the Founder and former Executive Director of EngAGE, a nonprofit that transforms affordable senior apartment communities into vibrant centers of learning, wellness, and creativity. He has served on the board of the National Center for Creative Aging, and he catalyzed the creation of the Burbank Senior Arts Colony, a first-of-its-kind program in [...]
Hilda Maldonado served for six years as the Executive Director of the Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). In this role, she oversaw policy, leadership, and instructional issues affecting students for whom learning English can be a barrier to accessing college, career opportunities, and a path out of [...]
Kerry Morrison served as the Executive Director of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance (now The Hollywood Partnership) for 22 years, where she managed two Business Improvement Districts. In her role, she maintained close liaison with local government, homeless service providers, and community organizations. During her tenure, she became intimately acquainted with many chronically homeless and [...]
