Sandy Escobedo works to increase support for quality preschool among elected officials and key community leaders in Los Angeles by building constituencies, mobilizing communities and advocating for related public policies.

Before joining CCF as a Palevsky Fellow in July 2007, Escobedo was a data analyst with the SchoolStat project in Philadelphia.  She tracked performance in the areas of student achievement, attendance and school climate.  She worked closely with two regional superintendents to share her monthly findings with 46 elementary, middle school and high school principals.  The principals used her research to improve student performance and accountability. 

Escobedo also taught pre-kindergarten in New York City’s South Bronx as a Teach for America corps member.  She has a master's in government administration from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania and a master's in teaching from Fordham University.  Escobedo received her bachelor's from the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

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Becky Gross works with the Civic Engagement department and provides project support for the Immigrant Integration Initiative, the Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative and the Community Experience Partnership.

Before joining CCF in October 2008, Gross was an AmeriCORPS Vista member for one year at the UFW Foundation in Los Angeles. While there, she developed a disaster relief program for those affected by the 2007 citrus freeze in the central valley. She also worked on economic development and immigration projects for the foundation.

Gross has a bachelor’s in history with a minor in Spanish from the University of Michigan.  She is proficient in Spanish.

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Virginia Mosqueda oversees the Civic Engagement department, which strives to develop collaborative, cross-cultural leadership for solutions to local challenges that will result in a common vision of well-being for local communities.

Mosqueda has seven years combined experience in the public and nonprofit sectors.  Before joining CCF in April 2007, she was a policy advisor and legislative director for U.S. Rep. Linda T. Sánchez.  Mosqueda handled a broad array of issues including immigration, education, civil rights and labor issues. Previously, she was the youth enrichment program director at the Delhi Community Center in Santa Ana. 

Mosqueda holds a master's in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a bachelor's in political science from the University of California, Irvine. She is fluent in Spanish.

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Melina Sanchez oversees the Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative, working directly with stakeholders and advocates to build support for increased access to quality preschool and early care opportunities in Los Angeles.

The initiative is led by the California Community Foundation in partnership with the David & Lucile Packard Foundation. 

Before joining CCF in July 2007, Sanchez was a policy advisor to U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard and worked on various congressional campaigns.  Sanchez began her advocacy work at Public Campaign, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes the public financing of elections. 

A native of Los Angeles, Sanchez received her bachelor's from Vanderbilt University with a major in European studies and a minor in art history. She is fluent in Spanish and French.

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NAMJU CHO Director of Communications ext. 229

Namju Cho oversees marketing, communications and public relations strategies and activities to better serve our donors, advisors, grantees and other key constituencies who contribute to making the Los Angeles community a better place to live.

Before joining CCF in July 2006, Cho was the communications and policy director at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST), a nonprofit human rights organization.

Cho was also a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Asian Wall Street Journal based in Seoul, Korea, and worked at the Division for the Advancement of Women at the United Nations’ headquarters in New York City.

She has a master’s in public policy from Harvard University and a journalism degree from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. She is proficient in Korean and Spanish.

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Gerlie Collado contributes to CCF’s marketing, communications and public relations activities.  Before joining CCF in October 2006, she was with Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, a health and human services agency serving multi-ethnic youth and families in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown. 

Before working in the nonprofit sector, Collado worked in marketing for a national test preparatory corporation, supporting the organization’s western regional marketing efforts.

Collado holds a bachelor's in international business from the University of San Francisco. 

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Kathryn Gonnerman contributes to the foundation’s communications and marketing activities. Before joining CCF in October 2008, she worked in international education and cross-cultural relations, serving as senior study abroad coordinator at World Learning, and as program officer at the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Gonnerman holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in East Asian studies from Yale University. She also studied in China at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies.  She is fluent in Mandarin and proficient in Spanish.

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DENISE TOM Writer/Editor ext. 231

Denise Tom, writer/editor for the foundation’s marketing, communications and public relations activities, has six years of nonprofit experience. Before joining CCF in December 2007, Tom was a journalism program specialist and a program officer at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a private foundation that works to improve journalism and communities. Tom helped develop grant proposals and managed a portfolio of 150 active grants.

As an award-winning editor for USA TODAY, she won an Exceptional Merit in Media Award for a project that examined gender equity at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I universities in 1996.

Tom’s 26 years at daily newspapers include nine years as a reporter for the Oakland Tribune. A founding member of the Association for Women in Sports Media, she has a bachelor's in journalism from San Francisco State University.

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Rosie Diaz provides programmatic and administrative support to CFLT. She compiles research on real estate and community issues and works in the planning and permitting process of the property acquisition and construction phases of development projects.

Before joining CCF in February 2005, Diaz managed all public, media and community relations for Crystal Stairs, the largest private, nonprofit child care development agency in California. She increased the organization’s profile among government agencies, local media and other community-based organizations.

Diaz has a bachelor’s in public relations from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She holds certificates in grantwriting and administration and special event and meeting planning from Dominguez Hills and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society. She speaks fluent Spanish.

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Ann Sewill oversees all activities of the Community Foundation Land Trust (CFLT). Sewill has 28 years of experience in affordable housing finance and development.

Before joining CFLT in June 2006, she held leadership positions at Enterprise Community Partners; Los Angeles Housing Department; Los Angeles Community Design Center; and the City of Santa Monica. She also worked with the Los Angeles offices of the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Sewill earned a master's from UCLA’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning and a bachelor's in political science - public administration from University of California, Davis. She is the immediate past president of the Affordable Housing Advisory Council of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. She serves on the board of directors of the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

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Carol Bradford oversees the foundation's gift planning and donor relations activities.

Before joining CCF in January 2008, Bradford worked at the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County. She started her career in planned giving in 2001 as a gift planning officer at CCF. Previously, Bradford practiced law in Los Angeles, with an emphasis in employment and defined benefit plan litigation. 

She earned a bachelor's in music history and theory from California State University, Fullertonand a law degree from Loyola Law School. Bradford is a member of the California Bar and the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning. She is also an officer for the Planned Giving Roundtable of Southern California and the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Taxation Section.

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Patrice Cablayan is a member of the External and Donor Relations leadership team. She focuses on maximizing CCF’s constituent database functions and oversees prospect research and moves management operation.

Cablayan has more than 10 years experience working with constituent management software and similar operational systems. Before joining CCF in June 2008, Cablayan worked in the Polytechnic School’s development office as the campaign coordinator. She is familiar with all aspects of fundraising, from working with board members to volunteers and donors.

Prior to her work at Polytechnic School, Cablayan worked for 20 years in the accounting industry with KMG Main Hurdman, now known as KPMG, and with a private CPA firm.

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Natalie Cowan-Birch assists the foundation’s gift planning team and the senior vice president of external and donor relations. 

Before joining CCF in July 2008, she was office manager at LiveOffice, an e-mail archiving and Web site company lin Torrance, and assistant project coordinator at a commercial construction company in Seal Beach.

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Kerry Lynn Franco oversees scholarship administration at the foundation. As a member of the donor relations team, Franco works with donors and fundholders, scholarship committee members, educational institutions and students to provide meaningful scholarship opportunities while furthering donors’ philanthropic goals.

Before joining CCF in September 2009, Franco worked as a development officer in foundation relations at USC’s Keck School of Medicine. At USC, she also served as assistant director of the Norman Topping Student Aid Fund, a scholarship program for entering USC students who demonstrate financial need and community awareness.

A native of Montebello, she attended community college before transferring to USC where she received a bachelor’s degree in public policy, management and planning. She is currently pursuing a master’s in education in postsecondary administration and student affairs at USC’s Rossier School of Education.

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Amy Gonzalez works with donors with family funds to explore their philanthropic passions, strategize and implement an effective and fulfilling giving plan.  

Before joining CCF in 1998, Gonzalez was a program coordinator at the Council on Foundations in Washington, D.C., where she supervised projects that addressed management, governance and investment issues at community foundations. Previously, she worked at several nonprofit organizations, including the Smithsonian Institute’s Friends of the National Zoo and Connecticut’s Science Center, formerly the Children’s Museum.

Gonzalez is a graduate of Villanova University with a bachelor's degree in political science. She is a founding member of the Excellence in Family Philanthropy Initiative, a peer-driven program to strengthen the body of knowledge and expertise in working with philanthropic families. 

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Mia Gorman focuses on outreach, development and relationship-building efforts with professional advisors and donors in addition to serving as a gift officer in the External and Donor Relations department. She joined the foundation in September 2009.

Gorman has been in the financial services industry for more than 15 years with Bank of America, Wells Fargo and most recently, Allstate Insurance Company. She has licenses in Property and Casualty, Life, Health and earned a Series 63 license and certification in Uniform Securities Agent State Law from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and business marketing from Loyola Marymount University.

Gorman is an active member for both Step Up’s Women’s Network and Junior League of Los Angeles.

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Courtney Gross works with donors and their families to maximize their grantmaking, focusing on donors and advisors in the entertainment industry.  She also provides research and resources for donors.

Before joining CCF in June 2006, Gross was the managing director of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.  She was also a casting agent in the Los Angeles entertainment industry.

A native of Los Angeles, Gross has a bachelor's in French literature from Georgetown University. She is a Fulfillment Fund mentor and a member of the 2009/2010 New Leaders Project.

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Terri Mosqueda oversees a donor relations team that works with donors to establish and achieve their philanthropic goals.

Mosqueda previously worked as the foundation’s board and community relations liaison. She facilitated communications and engagement with CCF's board of directors and managed special projects around strategic planning and organizational learning.

Before joining CCF in December 2004, Mosqueda was a Senate Fellow in the Sacramento Office of Senator John Vasconcellos, where she managed several legislative proposals and conducted staff analyses for the Senate Education Committee. Mosqueda is a native of Long Beach, where she volunteers at The Children’s Clinic. She has a master's in public administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor's in political science from Stanford University. She is fluent in Spanish.

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Edward Mullen develops and advances relationships with professional advisors and other wealth managers, prospects and existing donors and plays a key role in facilitating a wide variety of complex gifts.

Before joining CCF in January 2009, Mullen was a tax consultant to small-to-medium-sized privately-held businesses. He has practiced law in California, New York and Florida with an emphasis in estate planning and probate and trust law.

A native of New York City, Mullen earned a bachelor’s from Iona College in political science with a minor in economics. He received his law degree from New York Law School and a master’s in taxation law from New York University.

Mullen is a volunteer attorney at the HIV & AIDS Legal Services Alliance (HALSA) in Los Angeles.

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Barry Peterson oversees a gift planning team that assists donors and professional advisors with technical aspects of charitable and planned gifts including complex gifts, such as commercial and residential real estate, closely held and restricted stock, and life income plans.

Before joining CCF in November 2005, Peterson worked for Families In Schools, a legacy organization of the Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project (LAAMP) that expands LAAMP’s comprehensive work to successfully engage parents in their children’s education.

He received a bachelor’s from Whittier College and earned the professional designation of Certified Specialist in Planned Giving from the American Institute for Philanthropic Studies. He is currently pursuing a master’s in business administration through the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Peterson is on the board of the Summerbridge Breakthrough Alumni Network.

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Greg Shepard works on donor relationship management and projects that maintain and enhance the foundation’s services, including outreach and customer service.

Shepard, who joined CCF in 2003, has worked in the nonprofit field since 1992. He worked in donor services at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) for 11 years and before that in the Los Angeles business sector.

An Oklahoma native, he has a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Oklahoma.

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Stephanie Talavera-Castillo supports the foundation’s external and donor relations department.

Before joining CCF in June 2006 as administrative assistant, Talavera-Castillo was the lead administrative services assistant at 211 LA County, a division of Los Angeles County that provides around-the-clock access to a range of human services for county residents.

Talavera-Castillo is working on an associate degree at East Los Angeles College and plans on earning a bachelor's in early childhood education at California State University, Los Angeles. She is fluent in Spanish.

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JOSHUA WRIGHT Donor and Prospect Research Coordinator ext. 221

Joshua Wright provides general coordination for outreach activities and assists the foundation’s prospect research and data management efforts. He oversees data entry, custom report writing and analyzes data outputs from the foundation’s relationship management software.

Before joining CCF in June 2008, Wright worked at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee in donor services and database management, and with the City of Milwaukee Common Council as a legislative assistant.

Wright earned a bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in political science and philosophy.

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Steve Cobb oversees the foundation's investment management, financial reporting and cash management activities. Before joining CCF in 1998, Cobb was the chief financial officer for the Milken Family Foundation, a leading Southern California private foundation, and the Weingart Center, a comprehensive health and human services complex in Los Angeles's Skid Row.

Cobb was also an auditor with Ernst & Young and an assistant controller for the Ticor Title Insurance Company of California.

Cobb is a certified public accountant and a graduate of The UCLA Anderson School of Management, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura College.

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Yvonne Dennis generates financial reports, processes credit cards contributions and bank deposits, assists finance staff, performs notary obligations and other appointed duties.

Dennis, who joined CCF in 1998, is a 1995 graduate of Santa Monica College with an associate degree in office information systems. She is a certified administrative assistant and a notary public. She is currently pursuing a bachelor's in international business at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Since 1995, she has been a member and panel speaker for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

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Elizabeth Hernández assists the accounting manager with financial reporting and works on special projects for the Finance department. She monitors fund activities, weekly contributions, audit schedules; maintains and reconciles general ledger accounts and monthly bank/Financial statements; and summarizes monthly activities of CCF’s investments.

Hernández has more than 10 years combined experience in the public and nonprofit sectors. Before joining CCF in 1999, Hernández worked in the finance department of Public Communication Services as well as the Home Savings & Loan Association, now known as Chase.

Hernández is currently pursuing an associate degree in accounting at Glendale Community College. She is fluent in Spanish.

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CHRIS HUBBARD Grants Specialist ext. 260

Chris Hubbard works with the grants management team to conduct general fund management for all donors, administer donor-recommended grants and ensure each grant complies with current IRS charitable giving guidelines.

Before joining CCF in November 2007, Hubbard worked for seven years in the private sector, including J.D. Power and Associates as consumer center assistant and in the real estate industry as a foreclosure avoidance specialist.

Hubbard has a bachelor’s in finance and real estate from California State University, Northridge and a master’s in anthropology from California State University, Fullerton.

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OLIVIA KORAN Grants Specialist ext. 275

Olivia Koran works with the grants management team to conduct general fund management for all donors, administer donor-recommended grants and ensure each grant complies with current IRS charitable giving guidelines.

Before joining CCF in April 2008, Koran worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala for 27 months. She taught basic business and marketing practices to rural farmers and women’s groups, art classes to a school of 90 children and taught women how to make and sell desserts and cakes out of their home to provide an income for their families. A photographer, Koran previously worked as a photo shoot producer for LaMoine Photo Group and a wedding photographer.

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Agnes Luansing prepares the foundation’s monthly financial statements, oversees its income and fees allocations, provides support to the chief financial officer and the controller to prepare financial reports, and manages CCF’s accountants and finance assistant.

Before joining CCF in 1998, Luansing worked in the private sector in accounting and real estate lending. While there, Luansing’s responsibilities included supervising an accounting department, preparing tax returns, processing payroll, and creating financial statements and management reports. Luansing also worked for a major nationwide mortgage lender where she analyzed tax returns and financial reports.

Luansing holds bachelor's in business administration from New York University. She is a member of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy and is fluent in Tagalog.

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Summer Moore manages the accounting and financial activities related to daily operations and the grants coordination team.  This oversight includes charitable contributions received by CCF and more than 6,000 annual charitable disbursements.

Before joining CCF in 2001, Moore worked for Family Assessment Counseling and Education Services (FACES), Inc, a nonprofit counseling center based in Fullerton that serves children and their families experiencing divorce and/or other family trauma.  She also volunteered as a grant writer for Koo’s Art Café in Santa Ana.

She earned a bachelor's in Latin American and Latino studies with an emphasis in cultural anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

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Jilma Rodriguez ensures that the foundation’s daily financial operations run smoothly. Her responsibilities include processing daily cash receipts, cash disbursements and reimbursements, credit card donor contributions and vendor payments. 

Before joining CCF in 1993, Rodriguez was a secretary for Business Development Center of Southern California for 11 years. Previously, she worked for Equitable Insurance in New York as a mortgage and real estate clerk. She is fluent in Spanish.

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RICHARD RUIZ Grants Specialist ext. 213

Richard Ruiz administers the foundation's competitive grantmaking and online grants process.  

Before joining CCF in August 2008, Ruiz worked at Seedco, a New York City nonprofit  that helps create economic opportunities for disadvantaged job seekers and workers. Ruiz was a senior program assistant for Seedco’s EarnBenefits program, an innovative online tool that helps people determine if they qualify for federal, state, local and private benefits programs.

Ruiz has a bachelor’s in English literature from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo and a Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) certificate. He is fluent in Spanish and speaks conversational Japanese.

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Emin Shahbazian is responsible for the general accounting duties related to CCF’s daily operations.

Before joining CCF in 2010, Emin worked as a retirement accountant at the law firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles. While there, Emin’s responsibilities included posting all 401(k) contributions to staff and partner retirement accounts, producing quarterly partner retirement statements, and preparing in and participating in the annual audit. 

He is a Certified Public Accountant, and holds a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is conversant in Armenian.

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Ravi Sharma is responsible for due diligence, monitoring, reporting and oversight of CCF’s investment portfolios and for preparation of accounting and finance schedules and analysis. He also works with External and Donor Relations staff on the investment aspects of asset development and support services to donors and donor advisors.

Before joining CCF in September 2009, Sharma served as a back office financial analyst for Camden Asset Management, a convertible arbitrage investment manager. Prior to that he was a performance analyst in the Global Risk Services department for the Bank of New York.

A native of Los Angeles, Sharma earned a master’s in business from the USC Marshall School of Business and a bachelor’s in business administration from Loyola Marymount University. He is currently a level II candidate in the Chartered Financial Analyst program.

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Carolyn Steffen oversees the operational and financial reporting aspects of the foundation.She provides overall guidance and support to finance staff in fiscal operations, accounting procedures and technical accounting standards.Steffen also works closely with other staff on the financial aspects of asset development and support services to donors and donor advisors.

Before joining CCF in June 2008, she was vice president, finance for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and was the controller for a national law firm. She has also worked for KPMG in Los Angeles, Australia and the United Kingdom providing financial audit and accounting services to for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

She is a Certified Public Accountant, holds a master's in commerce from the University of New South Wales and a bachelor's in business from California State University, Long Beach.

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Teresita Vega monitors and troubleshoots the foundation’s technology network, maintains and upgrades CCF’s electronic hardware and software and ensures the network’s overall security.

Vega, who joined CCF in 1984, was born and raised in the Philippines. She received a bachelor's in accounting from the University of Mindanao in Davao City. She is fluent in Tagalog.

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EMILY A. ZIETLOW Grants Specialist ext. 261

Emily A. Zietlow works with the grants management team to conduct general fund management for all donors, administer donor-recommended grants and ensure each grant complies with current IRS charitable giving guidelines.

Zietlow earned a bachelor's in English (creative writing) from the University of Southern California in December 2007. While at USC, she was a program assistant for Art in the Village, a USC Fisher Gallery arts education outreach program. Art in the Village facilitates K-5 student arts exhibitions and encourages arts education in local elementary schools in South Los Angeles. She also worked as a politics and creative works editor for AngeLingo, a USC student-run online journal. She joined CCF in March 2008.

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Agnes Hess handles reception and meeting coordination duties for the foundation.

Before joining CCF in 2001, Hess was employed by various Los Angeles museums over the course of 16 years. She was director of development at the Banning Residence Museum for four years and worked for 12 years at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in a variety of positions, including annual fund coordinator. She has previously held positions in Civic Engagement & Administration, the President's Office and External and Donor Relations at the foundation.

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Silvana Miller oversees the foundation’s office services and human resources team.

Before joining CCF in 1994, Miller was a teacher for 12 years in New Jersey and also worked in retail accounting and management.

She holds a bachelor's in secondary education from the Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

Miller also has a Senior Professional Human Resources certificate from the Human Resources Certification Institute. She has been a member of the Human Resources Committee of the Fiscal and Administrative Officers Group (FAOG), an affiliate organization of the Council on Foundations.Miller is also a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). She speaks some French and a northern Italian dialect.

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LEONDRA RACHAL Human Resources Assistant ext. 284

Leondra Rachal supports the human resources and office services department at the foundation, ensuring smooth operations and efficiency.

A native of Los Angeles, Rachal joined CCF in 1998. She was previously CCF’s development assistant for about 10 years, assisting with donor relations and gift planning, file management and customer service.

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Shirley J. Young oversees CCF’s office and administrative processes, supervises the foundation’s receptionist and provides support to all departments.

Young is responsible for coordinating administrative support for all office operations and is the primary liaison between the foundation and the building management.

Before joining CCF in 1996, she was at Kraft/Breyers, Inc. for 14 years working in customer relations, account reconciliation, accounts receivable and payable. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Young was a social worker for the Methodist Children’s Home in Little Rock, Ark. Young received a bachelor's in sociology and history from the University of Arkansas.

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ROSIE ARROYO Board/Community Relations Liaison ext. 216

Rosie Arroyo coordinates the foundation’s board-related activities and supports the president on special projects.

Before joining CCF in October 2007 as a Palevsky Fellow, Arroyo was program director at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund.  She helped initiate a national civic engagement campaign known as “Ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía!” to naturalize more than 1 million residents and managed relationships with Southern California nonprofit organizations.  As a Palevsky Fellow at CCF, Arroyo worked on the El Monte Community Building Initiative.

Fluent in Spanish, Arroyo has a bachelor’s in Mexican-American studies with a multiple subject credential form California State University, Los Angeles. She is currently participating in the Riordan Volunteer Leadership Development Program.

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Nationally recognized for her commitment toward the betterment of underserved communities in Los Angeles and beyond, Antonia Hernández oversees all operational and programmatic aspects of the foundation's activities.

Before she joined CCF in February 2004, Hernández was president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a national nonprofit litigation and advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of the nation’s Latinos through the legal system, community education, and research and policy initiatives.

An expert in philanthropy, civil rights and immigration issues, Hernández began her legal career as a staff attorney with the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice and worked as counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary before joining MALDEF in 1981 as regional counsel in Washington, D.C.  Hernández is a member of the boards of directors of the American Constitution Society, the Blue Shield of California Foundation, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the national American Automobile Association, the Automobile Club of Southern California and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).  She currently serves on the Commission on Presidential Debates, the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University, the JFK Library Foundation Profile in Courage Award Committee and the UCLA School of Law Board of Advisors. She is a frequent public speaker and has received a number of honorary degrees and awards. Hernández is a member of the State Bar of California, District of Columbia Bar, American Bar Association and the Mexican American Bar Association of Los Angeles and a fellow of the American Law Institute. 

Hernández earned her bachelor's in history at the University of California, Los Angeles and a law degree from UCLA. She is fluent in Spanish.

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KARLA HERNÁNDEZ Executive Secretary ext. 236

Karla Hernández provides secretarial and administrative support to the president and CEO.

Before joining CCF in November 2007, Hernández was an associate and office manager at the GCG Rose & Kindel office in Los Angeles. Hernández coordinated fundraisers, monitored media and conducted research on a variety of issues for clients. As office manager, she performed multiple administrative support tasks and managed day-to-day operations.

Hernández also participated in an externship at the Hub Cities Consortium under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 2000, which established regulations to implement the first major reform of the nation’s job training system.

Hernández attended the United Education Institute in Huntington Park and specialized in business office administration, including business communications, records management and human resources. She is fluent in Spanish.

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John E. Kobara is the chief operating officer responsible for all of the development, marketing, administrative, grantmaking, civic engagement and donor relations functions of the foundation. Prior to his appointment, he headed the foundation's external and donor relations department.

Before joining CCF in April 2008, Kobara served on CCF’s board of directors from 2003-08. For the last 35 years, he has been leading and managing innovative nonprofit organizations, companies and technology startups. During this time he has been involved in advancing social justice by increasing access to educational opportunities in Los Angeles.

Kobara received the 2007 City of Angels award from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for his service on behalf of children and families. He was a Coro Fellow in Los Angeles and earned a bachelor's from UCLA, a master's in business administration from USC and a master's from Occidental College.

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Gabriele Burkard manages the Community Experience Partnership, an initiative designed to mobilize the experience, talents and skills of baby boomers (born 1946-1964) to benefit the communities where they live and work, and other special projects in the Program department.

Burkard previously oversaw the foundation's human development portfolio as a program officer. Before joining CCF in April 2007, she worked at a social services agency for 20 years where she developed, implemented and evaluated programs serving vulnerable youth and families; partnered with county and state agencies to develop best practices; developed a network of service providers to improve coordination of services; and managed performance-based contracts, among other things.

Burkard graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a bachelor's in psychology.  She received a master's in social work from Smith College and is a licensed clinical social worker.

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Pamela Davis provides administrative and programmatic support to the vice president of Programs and the program officers. 

Davis has more than 30 years of experience in the public and nonprofit sectors. Before joining CCF in October 2006, she was the regional project coordinator for the Office of the Executive Minister of American Baptist Churches of Los Angeles. Davis was the first woman licensed into Christian ministry in 1982 at Los Angeles’ 100-year-old Second Baptist Church.  She presently serves Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., as the chaplain of the Farwest Region.

Davis has a bachelor's in music education from Chapman College and a bachelor's in religion with an emphasis in black church studies from the University of La Verne.

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Vera de Vera directs the Community Building Initiative in El Monte, a 10-year neighborhood revitalization initiative that focuses on improving physical infrastructure, human capital and social services in one community.

Before joining CCF in August 2005, De Vera was the senior director for the western region of the Fannie Mae Foundation for more than six years. She led that foundation’s efforts to build strategic partnerships to develop solutions to the nation’s affordable housing challenges.

De Vera was also a field representative for U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, a senior policy analyst for the California Association of REALTORS®, and a staff assistant for former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

She earned a law degree from Southwestern University and a master’s in urban planning and a bachelor’s in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. De Vera is an alumna of the Leadership Southern California, Ambassadors Within and California Tomorrow Fellows programs.

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Mary Anne Doyle oversees the foundation’s efforts to improve organizational effectiveness, including institutional learning initiatives, program evaluation and grants reporting.

Before joining CCF in October 2008, Doyle was a senior program evaluation analyst at The Fulfillment Fund.

Previously, she was a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, a senior analyst and marketing scientist at JD Power and Associates, and a senior analyst at Evolving Logic and Maritz Research. She has served on the Academy of Finance Advisory Board for The Los Angeles Educational Partnership and participated in a volunteer program supporting homeless families in South Los Angeles.

Doyle earned her bachelor's in political science from Tulane University, a master’s in public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin and a doctorate from the RAND Graduate School of Policy Studies. She is fluent in French.

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Yamileth Guevara oversees the neighborhood revitalization program area, which seeks to create stable, vital, livable communities for low-income families and individuals in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Before joining CCF in April 2008, she was the director of homeownership programs at the East LA Community Corporation (ELACC) for five years. She oversaw the agency’s homebuyer education, foreclosure prevention, financial literacy, individual development accounts and volunteer income tax assistance programs. Previously, Guevara was a researcher, parent organizer and program coordinator at the Community Coalition in South Los Angeles. She organized parents to advocate for improvements in their children’s education and in local school conditions.

Guevara has a master's in urban planning and a bachelor's in history with minors in education and Latin American studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is fluent in Spanish.

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Leslie A. Ito manages the foundation’s arts program area which supports individual artists and small-to-midsize arts and cultural organizations in Los Angeles County.

Before joining CCF in August 2008, she was director of grant programs at the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; executive director of Visual Communications, the nation's premier Asian American media arts organization; and program associate in the Ford Foundation’s media, arts and culture division.

Ito serves on the board of directors for Telic Arts Exchange and the advisory committee for Films By Youth Inside (FYI Films).

A native of Los Angeles, Ito received a master’s degree in Asian American studies from the University of California, Los Angeles and a bachelor’s in American studies from Mount Holyoke College.

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Tamu Jones oversees the foundation's health care portfolio that includes the Centinela Medical Funds. The health care program area seeks to ensure that low-income adults and children have access to a regular, sustainable and affordable source of quality health care.

Before joining CCF in April 2006, Jones managed government and private grants for the Pasadena Public Health Department and Contra Costa County Department of Health Services. For more than eight years, she was responsible for developing, monitoring and evaluating community health improvement projects focused on underserved, low-income and ethnically diverse communities.

Jones has a master’s in public health and business administration from The Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s in social welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. She is also an alumna of the Coro Health Leadership Program and Leadership Pasadena.

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Robert Lewis manages the foundation's human development program area, whose goal is to increase self-sufficiency for aging adults and youth transitioning from foster care.

Lewis has 15 years of professional experience working at human and social services nonprofit organizations. Before joining CCF in June 2008, he was a project director with Prototypes, managing the juvenile offender community re-entry program. He has also worked with The Community College Foundation as a senior program manager.

Lewis received a master's in social work with a concentration in administration and management from Howard University and a bachelor’s in sociology from Occidental College.

He volunteers with L.A. organizations that develop awareness about youth in foster care and at-risk male youth, such as Brother II Brother.

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FRANK MOLINA Project Manager, Community Building Initiative ext. 247

Before joining CCF in December 2009, Molina worked for a consulting firm developing messaging and crisis communications strategies, and managing advocacy campaigns for corporate and government-regulated clients. He has also worked at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), as an aide to former Rep. Hilda L. Solis, for the California State Senate, and for the UCLA Chancellor’s Office of Academic Development.

A native of Los Angeles, Molina earned his B.A. from the University of California Los Angeles. Molina is a UCLA Anderson School Riordan Fellow and currently serves on the local boards of the Hispanic College Fund’s Youth Symposium and the New Leaders Council NLC Fellows program.

MICHELLE MORENO Program Assistant ext. 214

Before joining CCF in September 2009, Moreno worked abroad in Melbourne, Australia at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons as an administrative officer. Prior to this, she was the executive assistant to the CEO/president of the City Employees Club.

Moreno has also worked for the Metro Freeway Service Patrol Program at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a program that provides free vehicle assistance to stranded motorists on Los Angeles freeways.

Moreno has a bachelor's in public policy and management with a minor in business from the University of Southern California. She is proficient in Spanish.

Penny has nearly 30 years of development, management and administration of community development and human services programs in the nonprofit and public sectors nationally and statewide.

Before joining CCF in January 2005, Penny worked at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation as senior advisor to the president on community development issues as well as community development program director. Previously, she was executive vice president and chief operating officer of the National Congress for Community Economic Development in Washington, D.C.; program officer for urban affairs at the San Francisco Foundation; and the director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Planning and Community Services with the City of New Orleans.

Penny is a board member of Southern California Grantmakers and the National Community Development Institute in Oakland, Calif. She holds a master’s in urban studies from the University of New Orleans and a bachelor’s in history from Southern University in New Orleans.

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Peter Rivera oversees the foundation’s education portfolio, which seeks to expand early childhood opportunities, teacher professional development opportunities and increase parent engagement.

Before joining CCF in January 2010, he was a program manager in the San Diego Unified School District. He oversaw activities related to charter schools in the district, including annual reviews, new petition authorization and charter school renewal. Previously, Rivera worked at the Hechinger Institute for Education and the Media at Teachers College, Columbia University.

A native of Los Angeles, Rivera received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California Los Angeles and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California. He is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University.

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