Evan Allen-Gessesse
Filmmaker
Evan Allen-Gessesse is a filmmaker whose innovative work has earned wide attention, recognition and respect. While still in high school, Evan served as series host and sports correspondent for the 2001 EMMY Award nominated children’s technology show, TechKnow Kids. As a producer, director, writer and photographer, Evan’s experience includes major motion pictures, independent films and documentaries. His best known film, “Standing on Common Ground: My Spring Break in New Orleans,” earned a 2007 EMMY Award nomination as Best Documentary of Cultural Significance. The project was also screened at the New Orleans Film Festival, the Pan-African Film Festival and the Chicago Black Harvest Film Festival. Evan worked as a field producer for the 2007 behind the scenes documentary of Lollapalooza and the production assistant on “The Lorraine Hansberry Project” for PBS and “Teachers TV” for Lambert Production UK. As an associate producer for the independent short, “Morning Due” he was honored to represent the film at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival screening. He has also worked on major motion pictures including “Batman, The Dark Knight” and on the national television programs “America’s Got Talent,” “Homemade Simple” and “Legends of Jazz.” During the summer of 2009 he taught video production to students for The St. Sabina Youth Documentary Project, where they produced a short documentary on youth violence in their community. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Illinois State University where he also served as sports anchor for TV-10. He has had internships with WGN-TV and WTTW-TV in Chicago.
Christopher Braun
Chiropractor
Christopher Braun, a Wisconsin native, obtained his Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Medical Microbiology & Immunology. After undergrad, he earned his Doctor of Chiropractic from Northwestern Health Sciences University. Currently he is working in private practice in Los Angeles where he is both owner and treating Chiropractor. Christopher is active within professional associations and is an avid member of the California Chiropractic Association of which he is Vice President of the Santa Monica District. He is also on the state legislative committee and is a grassroots lobbyist for the chiropractic profession on behalf of the state association at the local level. Politically, Christopher is actively involved on both the local and state level. Locally, he is a commissioner of the elected Rent Control Board for the City of Santa Monica. At a club level, he is President of Stonewall Young Democrats and the Political Vice President of the Santa Monica Democratic Club. At a state level, he is a delegate to the California Democratic Party in the 41st Assembly District.
Betsy Cardenas
Associate, Dewey Square Group
Betsy Cardenas has experience in the progressive movement both at the national and local level. She has collaborated on several campaigns to build grassroots support for candidates and state initiatives, most notably, as a field organizer in Iowa for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. As an associate at the public affairs firm Dewey Square Group, Betsy helped DSG clients build and strengthen relationships in the Hispanic community and with key constituency groups. Currently, Betsy serves as Senior Field Representative for California State Assembly member John A. Perez, a prominent leader in the progressive movement. In this capacity, she is responsible for developing outreach plans and serving as a liaison with community leaders and stakeholders throughout the 46th Assembly District. Betsy graduated with honors from California State University, Northridge with a B.A. in Political Science and an emphasis in Politics and Government. Throughout her collegiate career, she was involved with progressive organizations such as the Legal Aid Foundation, Planned Parenthood and EMILY’s List. Betsy wishes to pursue a graduate degree, and with the knowledge and skills she will gain as an NLC Fellow she hopes to continue to work to advance progressive causes. Betsy currently resides in East Los Angeles, California.
Carlos Collard
Senior Administrative Analyst, City of Santa Monica’s Community Maintenance Department
Carlos Collard currently is a Senior Administrative Analyst with the City of Santa Monica’s Community Maintenance Department. Here, he structures and manages the budget to maintain public spaces such as beaches and parks, works with staff to improve operations and sustainability, and develops and administers grants and contracts. Prior to his current role, Mr. Collard served as Santa Monica’s youngest-ever parking coordinator and worked within Santa Monica’s Planning and Community Development Department and its transit agency, the Big Blue Bus. Mr. Collard has been appointed to city of Los Angeles commissions by the mayor and a city councilmember. In a L.A. certified election, he was elected by the public to the South Robertson Neighborhoods Council Board of Directors and served as its founding president for over two years. Mr. Collard currently serves as Interim Board Vice-Chair of the HerShe Group Foundation, a nonprofit that empowers young women in foster care, and is an Associate Partner with Los Angeles Social Venture Partners. Mr. Collard lived in the Mojave Desert prior to earning a duel bachelor’s degree in Communications and Political Science from UCLA, where he was a recipient of the Chancellor’s Service Award and Distinguished Bruin Award.
Tiara Cox
District Representative, U.S. House of Representatives
Tiara Cox is a District Representative for a Californian Congressman. She is responsible for federal casework, managing community relations, overseeing congressional interns, and running the District Office. A former Panetta Scholar at the Leon Panetta Institute for Public Policy, she worked with former Congressman Tom Lantos on the Congressional Human Rights Caucus coordinating briefings for international abuse victims and wrote the Congressional Record honoring the passing of Civil Rights legend Rosa Parks. She is currently a Commissioner on the Kern County Human Relations Commission where she chairs the Judicial and Legislative Review Committee. As part of the commission, Tiara is working in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice and law enforcement agencies to strengthen the under reporting of hate crimes in the county. Prior to her work in government, Tiara was an award winning news reporter for Buck Owens Productions, producing and delivering live weekly newscasts on 107.9 FM KUZZ News. She is an alumnus of California State University, Bakersfield where she received duel degrees in Communications and Political Science.
Alidad Damooei
Co-Founder of Damooei Global Research
Alidad Damooei is the Co-Founder of Damooei Global Research. He has led the firm to specialize in evaluating the effectiveness of nonprofit and public sector entities using a combination and statistical analyses. Through such work, Alidad helps such organizations communicate the benefits of their programs to stakeholders while identifying areas of potential improvement. He also has experience in the financial services industry having worked for UBS Investment Bank, Merrill Lynch, and Bernzott Capital Advisors. Beyond his professional endeavors, Alidad has public service experience through his work as a congressional intern with U.S. Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-23). In addition, during his undergraduate studies he served as student body vice president. In this capacity, he led a variety of progressive causes including a campaign to encourage environmental responsibility across campus and to convince the university to subsidize birth control costs. Alidad earned his B.A. in Economics from Columbia University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.
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Eric DeSobe
Co-Director, Early Completion Alternative Teacher Credentialing Program for Alliant University
Eric DeSobe grew up in Houston, TX, not far from NASA, and is the only son of two psychologist parents. After high school, DeSobe attended Emory University in Atlanta where he majored in history and studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. Following graduation, Eric joined Teach for America and moved to Los Angeles where he taught fourth grade for two years. Seeking more education and a break from kid books, Eric then moved to Boston and completed a two years masters program in theology at Harvard. Missing the classroom, Eric returned to Compton at Ralph J. Bunche Elementary and taught fourth and fifth grade science the next three years. He helped the school become the first California Distinguished School in the district’s history. He currently co-directs the Early Completion Alternative Teacher Credentialing Program for Alliant University, which means he teaches new teachers how to teach. Eric also consults for KIPP LA Charter Schools and Teach for America. In November 2008, Eric was elected to the Del Rey Neighborhood Council. He plans to run for president of the Council in April.
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Emily Dulcan
Writer/Editor, California Communications of Organizing for America
Emily Dulcan is a writer, editor at the California Communications of Organizing for America, the grassroots organization dedicated to supporting President Obama’s agenda. After working with nonprofits in Washington D.C. and Mexico, in 2006 Emily earned a master’s degree in cross-cultural journalism from the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, Columbia, and parlayed her love of words into a career in strategic communications and public relations. After two years at Fenton Communications, the nation’s largest public-interest communications firm, Emily began freelancing as a communications consultant and worked on strategy, branding, and messaging for corporate clients. In the spring of 2009 she served as the communications director for Emanuel Pleitez, who ran for Congress in a special election in Los Angeles’s 32nd Congressional District.
Julie Flynn
Communications Department of the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank
Julie Flynn grew up near Hartford, Connecticut. She attended Brown University and concentrated in both Urban Studies and Visual Art. After graduating in 2008, she drove across the country to eventually settle in Los Angeles. She currently works in the Communications Department of the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. Julie is particularly interested in urban sustainability and studied green roofs, urban farming, and community gardens at Brown. Her work at the Foodbank led her to further explore the issues surrounding the American food system, including: environmental implications of industrial farming, access to healthful and sustainable food for low-income Americans, nutrition and culinary education, food advertisements, and the public health consequences of the current American eating culture. Julie’s blog, Onfoodstamps.blogspot.com explores the challenges low-income Americans face in maintaining a healthful and sustainable diet. The site chronicles her experience living on $31 per week as a vegan and also ignites discussion about the culture and business of food in America.
Kristin Garcia
Air Pollution Specialist,
California Air Resources Board
Kristin Garcia, an asthmatic from one of Los Angeles’ renowned environmental justice communities, was the first in her family to attend university. Joining YMCA Youth and Government in high school (and serving as an advisor while in college) inspired her interest in public service. As student body Vice President and President at LA Harbor College, Kristin pursued her passion for improved access to higher education. She implemented grassroots-level strategies to address rising tuition fees, represented regional community colleges at the state level, and interned for LA City Councilwoman Janic Hahn. Mindful of how proximity to pollution had affected her own life, she focused on the intersection of environmentalism, politics, and economics as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. Her duel degrees in Political Science (BA) and Conservation and Resource Studies (BS) assisted her as an EPA intern. After graduating, Kristin began her career as a Legislative Analyst with the California Air Resources Board, advising the Governor on air quality legislation. She successfully pushed an administration-sponsored bill through the Legislature and was selected for a prestigious fellowship with Chairman Mary Nichols. A 2008 appointee to the Sacramento Environmental Commission, Kristin recently returned to Southern California to enforce regulations aimed at reducing diesel emissions.
Bethany Henderson
Executive Director, City Hall Fellows
Bethany Henderson founded City Hall Fellows and currently serves as Executive Director. She was inspired to launch City Hall Fellows after working for the City of New York after college. Bethany developed a vision for empowering a new generation of public leaders – a national service corps of recent college graduates who spend a year serving in and learning about how to create social change through local government in their own home communities. In March 2007, she founded City Hall Fellows to make this vision a reality. For her work starting City Hall Fellows, Bethany was awarded in 2009 the Echoing Green Fellowship for innovative new social entrepreneurs who have devised high-impact solutions addressing the root of social problems. Prior to launching City Hall Fellows, Bethany was representing clients in state and federal courts and arbitral forums nationwide. While at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, she also re-designed firm-wide print and electronic attorney recruiting materials, was one of only two attorneys appointed to manage the firm’s website redesign and was among the few associates invited to participate in a firm-wide business development program designed for junior partners. In 2007, Bethany received the Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Service from the State Bar of California. Bethany holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and is a Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in Political Science.
Jamie Kogan
Program Manager, Step Up Women’s Network
Jamie Kogan is the Senior Program Manager of Step Up Women’s Network, a national non-profit membership organization dedicated to connecting and advancing women and girls. Over the course of Jamie’s five-year tenure with the organization, Step Up has become one of the most sought-after women’s groups in the country. Overseeing Step Up’s Teen Programs operations, Jamie manages the development, implementation and evaluation of the organization’s programming for teen girls from underserved communities. Under Jamie’s local leadership, and in partnership with Step Up’s national team, Step Up has grown its membership over 200%, doubled fundraising, and doubled the number of women and girls served through community programs. Prior to joining Step Up, Jamie served as coordinator and then manager for Catholic Charities of Brooklyn & Queens in an array of youth development programs including juvenile delinquency prevention, afterschool and youth employment. Jamie earned an undergraduate degree in Metropolitan Studies from New York University and a master’s degree in Public Administration with honors from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School at New York University.
Jesse Melgares
Account Coordinator, Cerrell Associates
Jesse was born in East Hollywood, CA and raised by his single mother from El Salvador. He attended John Marshall High School where he was the first person in his family to graduate from high school. In 2006, he graduated with a degree in Political Science from the University of California—Los Angeles and joined Teach For America as a third grade teacher in Lynwood and a seventh grade math/science teacher in MacArthur Park. He simultaneously obtained a Masters in Education from Loyola Marymount University. In the summer of 2008, Jesse joined the Teach For America staff as a Recruitment Director in Southern California. He returned to graduate school in the fall of 2009 at the University of Southern California and is currently earning a Masters in Public Policy while working as an Account Coordinator for the Southern California public affairs firm—Cerrell Associates. Jesse has also served as a Board Member for the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council.
Maribel Meza
Policy Analyst, Advancement Project
Maribel Meza received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles with a major in Political Science concentrating in American Politics and two minors in Public Policy and Chicana/o Studies. She has worked with the UCLA BruinCorps, a community service project and with EdBoost Education Corporation as a SOURCE advisor. She has also participated in a number of internships at the city, state, and federal levels. While interning at the Washington Office on Latin America she worked with two gang experts that guided her research on the issue of youth transnational gangs. Maribel is interested in helping youth and local leaders address the root causes that push many kids and teens into a life of gangs. Currently, she is a Policy Analyst in a Urban Peace team within the Advancement Project; an organization that advocates for a life of gangs. Maribel also plans to obtain a masters degree in Public Policy.
Uduak Ntuk
Petroleum Engineer, Chevron
Uduak Ntuk is a Petroleum Engineer with Chevron, one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. He works at the Lost Hills Waterflood Field where he is responsible for the engineering support and water injection for more than 1500 wells and 19,000 barrels of daily oil production. This past year, he served as a leader of Chevron’s intergenerational employee network as the President of the XYZ Chapter in Bakersfield, CA. Under his direction, the network hosted several career development panels, volunteer events with Junior Achievement, performed an energy efficiency upgrade on the Bakersfield Homeless Center, and held a Green House Gas Ingenuity Session to generate business solutions to comply with the California’s Climate Change Law (AB 32). The chapter will be featured in the company’s 2009 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. An engineer who believes the economy and the environment are not mutually exclusive, Uduak is committed to protecting the environment and promoting sustainability. Since 2006, he has volunteered with the non-profit Alliance for Climate Protection where he as personally trained by Nobel Laureate Al Gore to deliver dozens of technical presentations on the science and solutions to Global Warming. In 2008, Uduak was selected as a Startingbloc Fellow for the Institute for Social Innovation at the London Business School where he studied sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and social entrepreneurship. He earned his MS in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Southern California after completing his BS in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Entrepreneurship at California State University, Long Beach.
Dove Pressnall
Marriage and Family Therapist / Founder, Survivor Truths
Dove Pressnall has worked with survivors of violence and various marginalized groups for over fifteen years. She completed an MA in June 1999, was licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 2001, and had a private practice here in Los Angeles for several years. In 2005, Dove went to work in Liberia, West Africa as a trainer and field supervisor of Liberian trauma counselors. After two years there, Dove started the Survivors’ Truths project to document some of the ways that people there found to endure the unthinkable. Telling one’s story of survival in a public manner can be re-connecting with valuable resources–knowledge, strength, relationships, and culture that carried one through and that can be helpful in building a more satisfying life. Those who see and hear these accounts often also experience inspiration and enrichment in their own lives. She had planned to continue this work in Liberia but that changed with the arrival of her son in February 2008. They currently live in a lovely little flat in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. She maintains a small private therapy practice while building the Survivors’ Truths organization to complete the Liberia project and to carry out other similar activities here in the U.S. and abroad.
Angelo Reyes
Lobbyist, Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles
Angelo Reyes has worked with diverse communities and coalitions throughout California and across the nation, seeking to improve the civil rights and livelihoods of students, families and workers. He has taken advantage of many opportunities where he has helped shape the development of public policy through direct advocacy. For the past three years at the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles, Angelo has lobbied local and federal elected officials, seeking their support to pass legislation and increase funding for early care and education issues. His drive to advance policy agendas that foster greater social, economic, and racial justice is not limited to his day job. As Board Chairman of the nonprofit Adelante! California, he leads a group of young professionals who support immigrants’ rights by distributing scholarship to AB540 undergraduate and graduate students throughout California. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Angelo graduated from UCLA with a duel Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science and History before he graduated from USC with a Masters in Public Policy.
Daniel Rodriguez
Director of the Community Wealth Department with the East L.A. Community Corporation
Daniel Rodriguez was born and raised in Unincorporated East Los Angeles and is currently the Director of the Community Wealth Department with the East L.A. Community Corporation, a non-profit community development organization that addresses housing issues on the Eastside. The Community Wealth Department provides financial literacy, foreclosure prevention, and pre-purchase counseling to low and moderate-income families. Daniel is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Eastmont Community Center, a non-profit in East Los Angeles that provides adult ESL classes, citizenship classes, after-school programs, aerobic classes, and a food distribution program for low-income families. He earned his Bachelors of Arts in Economics from Brown University in 2007.
Kristi Twilley
Construction Manager, Vanir Construction Management
Kristi Twilley, P.E., M. ASCE, is a licensed Civil Engineer currently working as a Construction Manager for Vanir Construction Management, Inc. She has been designing, building, managing, researching, teaching, writing, and consulting on a variety of topics in civil engineering and construction for about 15 years. Kristi is a LEED Accredited Professional and an active member of the USGBC-LA Governmental Affairs Committee, where she tracks environmental legislation and serves as a USGBC liason for several southern California communities. She also conducts research projects to support hte Research and Development goals of the organization, Engineers Without Borders USA, of which she is also a member. Kristi earned her Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Detroit. In her spare time, she loves to cook, is an avid reader, and is a runner.