LA CONSERVATION CORPS - Key Persons
Albert Chavez has served as CFO of KCET since 2011. Mr. Chavez was part of the leadership team to usher through the merger between KCET and Link Media to form KCETLink, and retained his position as CFO for the new organization. Prior to joining KCET, Mr. Chavez was the Chief Financial Officer of Grupo Radio Centro's (RC) broadcast operations in Los Angeles. He was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Lombardia Capital Partners, LLC, a $1.7 billion institutional investor, where he managed all administrative areas of the firm and was the Chief Compliance Officer from 2006 to 2009. Previously Mr. Chavez served as the SVP/CFO for Si TV, Inc. (2003-2006), a digital television network in Los Angeles. From 1998 to 2003, Mr. Chavez provided financial consulting services to a variety of early stage or troubled companies in the technology, media and financial services areas.
Prior to that Mr. Chavez co-founded and was the SVP/CFO of El Dorado Communications, Inc. (1991- 1998), a radio broadcasting company. Before El Dorado Communications he worked for the RCA Corporation and General Electric Company (which merged in 1985) in various financial positions in New York City, Mexico City and at GE's corporate headquarters in Fairfield, Conn. (1985-1990). Mr. Chavez began his career with Deloitte in Los Angeles where he earned his CPA. He received a bachelor's degree in history and mathematics from the University of Texas at El Paso and went on to earn his MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Alex began his tenure as a Corpsmember in 1991. Progressive promotions led to his current position where he oversees 12 conservation staff members at the Corps' East Los Angeles site. Led by his dedicated team, over 70 young adult Corpsmembers at any given time work on various environmental projects, including: building community gardens, constructing parks, planting trees and native vegetation, habitat restoration, and other conservation-related projects.
Alex is an effective and accomplished educator/facilitator well known for his high standards and values in program leadership. He is a persuasive advocate for young people, who are strongly affected by both his passion and commitment because he relates directly to their backgrounds. He possesses strong skills in leadership, counseling, intervention, and has a wealth of experience in overseeing community service projects. Along with his service to the Corps, he has served on the board of the San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps and is a member of the California YouthBuild Coalition and Los Angeles YouthBuild collaborative. He has an associate degree in Liberal Arts and is working toward a bachelor's degree in Sociology at California State University Los Angeles.
Job Titles:
- Principal at Mission Math
Anne Freiermuth, CPA is a Principal at Mission Math and has 15 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations in the areas of accounting, audit preparation, human resource management, board presentations, and governance policy development, working with over 40 nonprofit organizations. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Vassar College in New York, Anne worked for JP Morgan Chase as a credit analyst in Connecticut. Looking for a milder climate and a more personally meaningful career, Anne returned to Los Angeles, where she grew up. She soon began bookkeeping for a tiny nonprofit with a staff office located in the room behind the garage of the board chairman's home. It was love. Anne pursued her interest in accounting by taking coursework at UCLA Extension while working full-time and received her Certificate in Accounting in 2009. She then became a California-licensed Certified Public Accountant in 2011. Anne has also taught nonprofit accounting for UCLA Extension, the California Society of CPAs, American Jewish University and Riordan Leadership Institute.
Becki Ueno - Chief Legal Officer
Job Titles:
- Compliance Officer
- General Counsel
Becki was hired as the Compliance Director in 2022. She oversees the compliance department including the Corps' many contracts and grants, manages internal and external audits, and ensures compliance with ethics policies and practices.
Becki comes to the Corps after practicing law for 14 years. She is the founder and former CEO of Sustainable Law Group, a Certified B Corp law firm, where she served many nonprofit and social enterprise clients on a wide range of litigation and transactional matters.
Becki has a lifelong passion for protecting the environment and social justice. Over the past 26 years, she has worn many hats in the nonprofit sector: as a volunteer, fundraiser, campaign organizer, and board director. Now, she is thrilled to be working with the Corps, bringing together her passion for environmentalism and social justice and the skills she honed as a lawyer and advocate.
Becki holds a BA from the University of Colorado in Environmental Studies, and a JD from the University of Oregon School of Law in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. In her free time, she serves as the den leader for her children's scout pack, and is a board member of Project O, a nonprofit that works with local municipalities on ocean protection.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Elevate Public Affairs
Becky is a founder of Elevate Public Affairs and heads up the strategic communications practice, which includes media relations, public affairs, and crisis and litigation communication. With over 25+ years of experience, Becky provides communications counsel to several Fortune 200 companies, including some of the most disruptive and talked-about technology companies in the world. She has also been the spokesperson for various statewide and regional initiatives as well as handled challenging crisis communications issues. Becky was named one of the Sacramento Capitol's 100 Best & Brightest: "She's one of the Capitol's hardest-working professionals, and easily one of the most effective behind-the-scenes political operatives in the state."
Prior to founding Elevate, Becky was a partner at a Los Angeles public affairs firm. She previously was the managing director for the Sacramento office of Mercury Public Affairs - a national communications and public affairs firm. Before that, she served as the Deputy Communications Director for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger managing his public appearances, crafting his messaging, and driving media coverage.
Prior to her tenure with the Schwarzenegger Administration, she served as the Communications and Legislative Director for California legislative leadership and headed up public affairs for the state's restaurant association.
She is on the Board of Directors for the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and served as Chair of the Board in 2020-2021. She also serves as a member of Santa Monica's Experience Management Committee and a vice-chair of the subcommittee "Ensure Santa Monica Is a Safe and Clean Place to Live and Visit". She lives in Santa Monica.
Like many of our senior leaders, Bo has been with the Corps for many years during which his commitment to providing equity and opportunity to young people and improved quality of life to every neighborhood of Los Angeles has seen the organization grow and evolve in exciting ways. He began his career here in 1988 as a summer Team Leader in the Clean & Green Program. He began full time in 1992 as a Clean & Green crew supervisor and steadily progressed. In 2015, he was named Deputy Director of Operations. In this role he is responsible for overseeing a staff of approximately 80 program staff at six sites throughout greater Los Angeles who implement the LA Corps' Young Adult and Clean & Green programs. His primary responsibility within the organization is to develop and oversee the nearly 100 contracts that the Corps undertakes on an annual basis in order to employ over 500 Corpsmembers. These urban forestry, habitat restoration, and other conservation-related contracts total in excess of $17 million annually.
During his time at the Corps, Bo has been proud to answer the call to serve during times of crisis like the 1994 Northridge earthquake and the 2020 onset of the COVID pandemic. He has also been inspired by the strength, ingenuity, and commitment of Corpsmembers and staff members in tackling environmental and community benefit projects of all size. Some of his favorite projects that the Corps has completed include the Wiseburn Walking Path, the Descanso Gardens Oak Woodlands restoration, the Compton Creek Natural Park, and the Sycamore Canyon Trail in Claremont.
Bo is active in the national Corps movement and with other community benefit organizations including YouthBuild. Bo earned his BA from Cal State Long Beach. Prior to coming out to California, he was a collegiate swimmer who passed down his passion to his two children.
Bryan LeRoy is a Los Angeles partner at the law firm of Nixon Peabody where he specializes in land use, real estate and environmental compliance matters. Bryan advises public and private entities regarding the processing of land use permits and other approvals for development, energy and infrastructure projects, as well as strategies to manage environmental concerns and other project impacts. He specializes in the application of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including the review and processing of environmental assessments, environmental impact statements/reports, and negative declarations.
Bryan previously served as city attorney for a number of cities in southern California, and as general counsel to the Orange County Council of Governments, a joint powers agency made up of 29 cities and eight special agencies. He has passionately served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Conservation Corps for more than six years, and is currently the Chair of the Program Committee.
Job Titles:
- Program Director
- Director of Conservation Programs at the Corps
- Member of Norwalk Assembly of God Church
Carlos Campero is the Director of Conservation Programs at the Corps site located at Compton Creek Natural Park. Carlos began his career at the Corps over 30 years ago as a part time Youth Leader and then came on board full time a few years later. He likes to say that he grew up with the Corps as he rose through the ranks to become a Crew Supervisor, Coordinator, Manager, Sr. Manager and now Director.
Carlos grew up in the same neighborhood that many current Corpsmembers come from, and that lived experience helps him relate and motivate his colleagues and the participants. Carlos is a Certified Arborist, with 25 years' experience in the tree industry. Carlos is also a member of the California Urban Forestry Advisory Committee which reports to Cal Fire, CAL FIRE oversees enforcement of California's forest practice regulations. Carlos is also a graduate of the Municipal Forestry Institute. MFI is a high-level training opportunity educating professionals in the leadership and managerial aspects of urban forestry. This week-long intensive educational program delivers a challenging opportunity to grow a more successful community tree program. He has a passion for training more young people of color for careers in arboriculture.
Carlos is also a member of Norwalk Assembly of God Church, where he serves on the board, as a Deacon and lay preacher. A proud family man, Carlos has volunteered as a youth pastor, football, & soccer coach, and is also the treasurer for the Santa Fe High School Football Boosters.
Caroline is a former federal prosecutor and currently teaches at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. She spent the first four years of her career as a trial attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. prosecuting criminal civil rights violations throughout the United States. From 1997-2008, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, where she specialized in prosecuting hate crimes, police misconduct, human trafficking, and sex trafficking of minors. Caroline was Chief of the Civil Rights Section of the United States Attorney's Office for four years and also co-chaired the Los Angeles Metro Task Force on Human Trafficking. Since 2008, she has taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
Caroline earned an A.B. at Stanford University and a J.D. at Harvard Law School. She clerked for Ninth Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima while he was a U.S. district court judge. Caroline is currently President of the Board of Trustees of the John Thomas Dye School, an independent elementary school in Los Angeles. She is married and has three children.
Dana S. Treister focuses his practice on a wide variety of real estate transactions, with an emphasis on the acquisition and sale of commercial properties, real estate finance, land use and entitlement work, and commercial leasing transactions. He also has extensive experience representing parties in the formation of joint ventures and in structuring tax-advantaged real estate transactions. In recent years Dana has represented borrowers in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of conduit loan transactions, and has coordinated the defeasance, re-financing and restructuring of existing debt instruments. Dana also serves as an adjunct professor of law at the USC Gould School of Law. He lives in Pasadena with his wife and four children.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Director, Environmental Affairs for Southern California Edison
Dawn Wilson is Director, Environmental Affairs for Southern California Edison (SCE), responsible for the development of an integrated environmental strategy in support of Company objectives. These responsibilities include Environmental Policy, Natural Resources & Public Lands and the administration of the Corporate Responsibility Program. Prior to her current role Dawn served as the Director of Corporate Resources where she directed the strategy and operations of a $1 billion portfolio of SCE's non-electric facilities. Her responsibilities extended to back office functions such as mailing operations, drawing management and event management and the corporate travel program. She had management responsibility for a budget of approximately $300 million with approximately 300 employees. Over the years Dawn has held a variety of management positions including Director of Business and Organizational Support, Manager Transportation Services, and Manager of Environmental Health & Safety. Dawn began her career as a real estate transactional attorney and practiced with two private law firms before joining the law department of Southern California Edison where she practiced environmental law for 14 years. Dawn has served on various non-profit boards and currently serves on the board of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps and the executive board of the Pasadena Chapter of Jack & Jill of America. Dawn has a bachelor's degree in political science from Wellesley College and a law degree from the University of Michigan. She is a licensed attorney in the state of California.
Job Titles:
- Legal Counsel
- Manatt Real Estate Partner
Elizabeth Levin is a Manatt Real Estate partner in the firm's Los Angeles office. Her recent representations include representing a museum client regarding its real estate design, development and construction in its ambitious plan to transform its existing museum campus and representing a national grocery chain in leasing, warehousing and acquisitions. Liz regularly represents landlords and tenants in connection with office, industrial and R&D leases.
She is a native Southern Californian, a graduate of Pomona College and UCLA Law, and a former Fulbright Fellow.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- Senior Government Affairs Manager for Southern California Gas Company
Frank Lopez, senior government affairs manager for Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), is responsible for managing government relations at Los Angeles City and County. Previously, Lopez served as director of public policy at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. In his role, Lopez oversaw the development of the Chamber's energy, water, transportation and environmental policy agenda, and co-led the development of the Chamber's annual advocacy trips to Sacramento and Washington, D.C. During his tenure, Lopez created an annual infrastructure conference for utilities, water agencies, transportation providers, and energy companies to discuss and advocate for large-scale, regional infrastructure projects.
Prior to his role at the LA Chamber, Lopez was social equity caucus coordinator for Urban Habitat-an environmental justice non-profit organization based in Oakland, CA. In that role, Lopez led a coalition of seventy-five non-profit, foundation and advocacy organizations focused on transportation, housing, energy and environmental policy issues. Before joining Urban Habitat, Lopez served as a Bohnett Fellow for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. In his role, Lopez worked on economic development initiatives, including the development and implementation of the Mayor's clean technology policy agenda.
Before working on Mayor Villaraigosa's staff, Lopez worked for the U.S. Treasury Department, Financial Management Service in Washington, D.C. as an intern with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National Internship Program. Lopez serves on the boards of the Central City Association, Project Restore, Koreatown Youth Community Center, Southern California Water Committee, and Mobility 21. Lopez also serves as co-chair of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce's Energy, Water & Environmental Sustainability Council, Central City Association's Transportation, Infrastructure, and Environment Committee, and BizFed's Advocacy Committee.
Lopez majored in business economics at the U.C. Santa Barbara and holds a master's degree in public policy from UCLA.
Jasmin Angeles was awarded Corpsmember of the Year 2016 by The Corps Network.
Jasson Crockett joined Snap Inc in 2021, where he leads Public Policy and Government Relations for the Greater LA Area. Jasson's responsibilities include liaising with local elected leaders, City and County agencies, and community organizations, to advance strategic partnerships and civic initiatives. Prior to joining Snap, Jasson was Director of Community Business in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. In this role, Jasson led engagement with small businesses, and oversaw policy and business development in the life science, healthcare and tech sectors, as well as sports and tax policy. Jasson worked to connect companies of all sizes to resources within City Hall to enable their growth in the City of LA and develop a more connected ecosystem wherein companies can thrive. Jasson also led the creation of several major initaitives, including Pledge LA in partnership with the Annenberg Foundation, and WiSTEM LA. Prior to joining the Mayor's Office, Jasson worked with a national consulting firm, specializing in strategic financial management consulting for nonprofit organizations. Additionally, Jasson has experience as a teacher and case manager for the LA Conservation Corps and worked for a mid-cap asset management firm. Jasson holds a Bachelor's degree from Georgetown University where he majored in Finance and Management and is currently earning his Executive MBA at the University of California Los Angeles.
Job Titles:
- Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc
Kamara Sams works in Boeing's Sustainability business unit and manages site closure and future land-use strategy for Boeing's portion of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, a former rocket engine testing facility that sits within a critical wildlife corridor in Southern California. In this role, Sams is also responsible for leading remediation community outreach activities, coordinating engagement with Native American tribes, maintaining relationships with conservation organizations and coordinating with regulatory agencies (California Department of Toxic Substances Control and Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board), as well as the other onsite responsible parties, NASA and U.S. Department of Energy.
In addition to her program director responsibilities in Southern California, Sams also leads strategic community outreach activities, including stakeholder relationship building, public meetings and tours, collateral material production, key message development and photo and video storytelling for more than 10 remediation sites in the United States. She also works closely with Boeing's State & Local Government Relations on elected official updates and lobbying and Boeing's Global Engagement organization for environmental charitable giving.
In her 17-year tenure at Boeing, Sams has held several communications positions and has provided support to the Commercial Airplanes Leadership Team, Engineering, Ethics, Export Compliance, Human Resources and Remediation. In addition, Sams served as lead communicator for UAW 887 labor negotiations.
Prior to joining Boeing, Sams worked at a number of Southern California-based organizations including The Salvation Army Southern California Divisional Headquarters where she served as Senior Director of Marketing and Communications; PR Newswire, where she held the position of Editorial Supervisor; and The Associated Press where she worked as a Broadcast Editor.
Sams holds two Bachelor's degrees in Communications and Black Studies from U.C. Santa Barbara, a Master's degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California (USC) and is working on a Graduate Certificate in Business & Sustainability from USC.
In her spare time, Sams writes children's books using her family as inspiration. Her first book, Clark's Summer Vacation, takes readers on a journey with her son Clark as he visits grandparents in California and Washington. Cole's Family Reunion chronicles the adventures of her younger son Cole as he attends family reunions in Louisiana and Washington.
Sams is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and enjoys participating in numerous community service projects. She lives in Woodland Hills with her husband, two sons and three cats.
Karla has been with the Corps since 2007 and has grown within her many roles to become the Program Director to our two San Fernando Valley sites. Before joining as a staff member, she was a Clean & Green participant in the late 1990's, which sparked her interest in environmental work. She became a real estate agent shortly after college serving the community where she grew up - Northeast San Fernando Valley - for a few years. Prior to the market crash of 2008, she had a change of heart and realized she wanted to do more in her community, particularly helping to mentor young adults. She began as a Program Associate at our Griffith Park satellite office and progressed through different roles at our South LA site where she managed a multitude of projects including our CalRecycle grants and other community beautification projects. In 2017, the Corps opened up a site in Tujunga to serve youth from the Northeast San Fernando Valley and Karla took on management of this new endeavor. A year later, our site in Reseda opened its doors. Both sites have thrived under her direction. She is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing contracts ranging from food waste and mattress diversion rescue projects, fire fuel reduction and sidewalk clean-up, to growing our tree canopies in the Valley and nearby forests.
Karla enjoys spending time with her family and doing outdoor activities and has developed a real interest in flora and fauna. She is driven to serve others and see our Corpsmembers transform during their time at the Corps. She holds a BA from UC Santa Barbara.
Job Titles:
- Director of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships for the Los Angeles Department of Water
- Member of the California Bar
Kecia M. Washington is the Director of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). In this role, Kecia has a leadership role in various relationships and initiatives involving diversity, innovation, and a sustainability workforce. Her responsibilities run the gamut from Co-chairing the Economic Activities work group for the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone to serving as the LADWP lead on the Los Angeles Clean Tech Incubator's Diversity Committee to creating partnerships with nonprofits to funnel foster youth into careers in the energy and water sectors. Kecia has also partnered with the Mayor's Office of Innovation in securing and implementing a Living Cities Grant on Procurement reform.
Prior to this Kecia was the Director of Economic Development for the LADWP. In that role she was tasked with managing legacy economic development programs as well as developing and implementing initiatives that focus on the retention, expansion and attraction of business customers.
Other past roles include the Executive Director of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Office of Contractor Relations, Assistant Director of Supply Chain at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), and the Director of Education and Outreach for LADWP. In that position she was able to establish and maintain beneficial relationships with education institutions and other stakeholders to both educate them on water and power issues and create beneficial partnerships to provide training and education to LADWP customers. Additionally, in this role she was tasked with managing LADWP's Job Opportunity and Training Program wherein a small percentage of contracting dollars were set aside to provide training and jobs for the unemployed and underemployed.
Kecia also served as Mayor Villaraigosa's Associate Director for Energy.
Kecia is a voluntarily inactive member of the California Bar. She obtained a Juris Doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Kecia is on the Executive Management Committee of the Valley Economic Alliance. Kecia is a charter member of the Omega Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Kecia sits on the Board for the Los Angeles Business Council Institute.
Kenneth Mai was awarded Corpsmember of the Year 2009 by The Corps Network.
After two decades of finance experience in the corporate sector, Lloyd joined the Corps team in 2015 with the goal of bringing the resources and best practices of thriving for-profit companies to a growing social enterprise. He has brought his extensive experience developing and implementing procedures to improve financial control, cash flow management, and business forecasting processes into the Corps, and those results speak for themselves on the Corps' balance sheet. Lloyd focuses on bringing data driven advancements to the work of finance, accounting, and strategic planning. He has been energized to see the Corps and the non-profit sector succeed by leveraging time-proven best practices to address and meet the needs of underserved individuals and communities.
Lloyd holds an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California with a focus on Finance and Strategy and a bachelor's degree from Cal State University, Fullerton. During his time with companies like Bank of America, Anthem, Allstate, and Deloitte Corporate Finance, LLC., Lloyd was drawn to give back by volunteering as a Pro-Bono Finance Consultant with the Taproot Foundation where he was introduced to the Corps.
Today, Lloyd is inspired by the optimism and passionate commitment of the Corpsmembers and of the staff that serve them every day. Having grown up in Los Angeles, he has strong ties to the community and is inspired by the development of new technologies that can continue to improve the quality of life in the city. He is also inspired by his two children who have inherited his passion for soccer.
Mercedes has been an active member and advisor to the Board of Directors for over 15 years. She is committed to providing opportunities for underserved youth to transform their lives through work experience and education while caring for our environment and revitalizing our communities. In addition to serving as the President and Chair of the LA Conservation Corps, Mercedes was a founding board member and served 7 years as Vice Chair the Board of the YouthBuild Charter School of California, and serves on the Advisory Board for Walk with Sally. She is also an active volunteer in her local community, her childrens' schools, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and sports teams. Mercedes is a corporate attorney, advising companies with start-ups, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and governance matters as well as advising entrepreneurs, executives, and partnerships. Prior to her own legal practice, Mercedes was a corporate and securities attorney at Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, LLP. Prior to Manatt, she was a corporate attorney at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP.
Mercedes earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School. Mercedes graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Political Science and Beta Gamma Sigma with a MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona. She resides in Manhattan Beach with her husband and three children.
Nicolo Rusconi is a downtown Los Angeles-based entrepreneur specializing in real estate development and hospitality. Nico, along with co-founder Jon Blanchard, owns and operates BLVD745 and BLVD Hospitality. BLVD focuses on all aspects of real estate and hotel development, from concepting to acquisitions to project and construction management. BLVD's most notable project to date was the conversion of downtown's United Artist Building and Theatre into a 182 key Ace Hotel. BLVD is currently working on multiple hospitality developments throughout Los Angeles and abroad, and recently expanded their company to include in-house Food and Beverage concepts, development, and operations. They recently opened up Chicas Tacos in downtown Los Angeles - the first of many food and beverage concepts to come from BLVD.
Previously, Nicolo brought modern branding strategies into the food service industry with his import and wholesale distribution company, Paradise Spice Foods, making it a major player in the West Coast food service market in just two short years after founding the company. Upon leaving Paradise Spice in 2012, Nicolo joined with Mitch Carricart, Justin Weiss, and Paul Vizcaino to create the renowned downtown Los Angeles promotional and event brand, LaunchDTLA. Since their inception, LaunchDTLA has proved to be the go-to company for outreach to Los Angeles' most significant stakeholders. Rusconi and his associates have built one of the strongest social networks in Los Angeles and continue to introduce downtown's newest and best venues to their private, invite-only member-base.
Nicolo has lived in downtown Los Angeles for the past 6 years and is a large proponent for the continued growth of the downtown community. He stays actively involved in the neighborhood and is constantly looking for new business and real estate opportunities.
Pablo's first experience in youth development was in the late 90's. He as an arts educator with an organization called the HeArt Project, and his first assignment was working with the Clean & Green crew based out of Carver Middle School. After over 20 years of leadership in the youth development field, he has returned to Los Angeles Conservation Corps in the capacity of Chief Programs Officer.
Pablo holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, and a master's degree in education - curriculum and instruction. Throughout the 90's, he worked in the AIDS service field running food drives for APLA's Necessities of Life Program, training emotional support volunteers at LA Shanti, and managing Out of the Closet Thrift Store in Atwater Village for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. After a switch to youth development programs in 1998 he was a program manager for the Youth Policy Institute, the Operations Director for Woodcraft Rangers, Executive Director of Youth Speak!, and the Grants and Funding Program Manager for Los Angeles Unified School District's Beyond the Bell Branch.
He is a member of the California After School Network's Leadership Board, as well as a founding board member of the local LGTBQ+ youth organization Rainbow Labs. Pablo has also participated in number of state-level strategic planning committees for the Expanded Learning Division of the California Department of Education, specifically in the areas of continuous quality improvement and standards for quality expanded learning programs. He lives in Sylmar with his husband, two teenaged sons, two labradors, a cat, and an albino corn snake named Rosie.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director at Accenture
Praneet is a Managing Director at Accenture, with over 9 years of Strategy and Consulting experience within the organization. Over the past 5 years, his focus has been on partnering with various departments within the LA County and City of LA, guiding them through transformative journeys. His expertise extends into Public Health, Social Services, and the Affordable Care Act, where he has successfully collaborated with over 10 State agencies nationwide. Beyond his professional achievements, Praneet is deeply committed to sustainability and empowering under-served communities. He has spearheaded numerous community service initiatives, targeting Hispanic, African-American, and Native American groups, facilitating skill-building and fostering job readiness. Praneet holds a Bachelor of Science from Mangalore University, India, and a Master of Science from Syracuse University, NY, both in Computer Engineering. Outside of his professional endeavors, Praneet finds fulfillment in woodworking, gardening, and camping adventures with his wife Kate and two sons, Neel and Jay.
Robert began working at the Corps in 1999 as a Team Leader with the Clean & Green program. Like other Directors at the Corps his skill and dedication to the mission and the young people of Los Angeles has led him to over two decades of growth and advancement into the Corps' senior leadership. Today, Robert oversees operations at the Corps' South LA Site which manages our beverage container recycling, used tire recycling, graffiti abatement work with the City of Los Angeles, and unique wilderness habitat restoration projects in partnership with organizations like US Fish & Wildlife, Angeles National Forest, Catalina Island Conservancy, and others. Robert also serves as a key liaison with the staff at Saito High School which is housed at our South LA Site and offers Corpsmembers the opportunity to finish their high school diploma.
Rosalie Barcinas has over 20 years of experience that span across multiple areas of Southern California Edison (SCE) and include policy development and advocacy, operations, external engagement, permitting for major infrastructure projects and land rights management. Her current position is serving as the Director of Catalina Operations & Strategy. In this position she oversees operations of the electric, water, and gas systems, special projects, and overall strategy for the long-term sustainability of the island operations. Rosalie also supports multiple Employee Resource Groups and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts across the company. Rosalie has a B.S. in mathematics from the California State University of Long Beach.
Samantha has over twenty years of experience in advocacy, community engagement and government affairs. Prior to starting Kindel Gagan, Samantha was a principal with Rose & Kindel from 1996 through 2009. Samantha has a breadth of experience managing a diverse combination of clients in industries and interests ranging from entertainment and education to public works and technology. She represents clients before multiple jurisdictions in Southern California and has experience working with officials at all levels of government. On behalf of both public and private sector clients Samantha develops and executes comprehensive public affairs programs to gain support for a broad range of issue areas. In addition to her work, Samantha is involved in many civic and non-profit activities. Samantha serves on the Board of Homeless Healthcare Los Angeles, sits on the executive board of Los Angeles Conservation Corps, and is on the board of Mujeres de la Tierra. She is a past-president of the Los Angeles County Young Democrats, a graduate of the Anti-Defamation League's Salvin Leadership program and is an alumna of the Leadership LA Program of the Los Angeles Business Council. A former White House Intern, Samantha received her Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her Master's Degree in International Political Economy from the University of Southern California. Samantha lives in Cheviot Hills with her husband David and their two children.
Job Titles:
- Chief Administrative Officer
- Bravo
- Chief Administrative Officer for the Los Angeles Conservation Corps
Tamara serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Los Angeles Conservation Corps. Her primary areas of responsibility include, human resources, payroll, information technology, Corpsmember recruitment, and administration. Prior to her role as Chief Administrative Officer, Tamara served as the Director of Administration and Director of Fiscal Operations at the Corps.
Tamara has been working in the non-profit sector for 20 years in service to youth. She has a wide range of administrative, personnel, finance, and operations skills. She has a diverse nonprofit background and has worked in both direct service and advocacy with organizations like The Children's Partnership, A Place Called Home, The Salvation Army, and Boys and Girls Clubs.
Her primary responsibilities as Chief Administrative Officer are to provide a strategic approach to human resources, assess and improve the technological infrastructure of the organization, develop and implement systems for workflow efficiency, and enhance administrative operations across the Corps.
Tamara holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from Loyola Marymount University, and a master's degree and Doctorate in Business Administration from Jones International University.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Principal at Renewable Resources Group
Tom Eisenhauer is a Principal at Renewable Resources Group, which owns, manages, and develops agriculture, land, water, conservation and renewable energy assets in the United States and internationally. Previously, Tom worked in senior positions in politics and government, including in the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and on Presidential, Congressional, and U.S. Senate campaigns around the country.
Tom serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters (President, 2013-2017), as well as of a local youth baseball league. He formerly served on the Board of the Mid City West Neighborhood Council. Tom earned a B.A. from Washington and Lee University, and a M.A. from the University of London. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and children.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer ( COO ) of Terran Orbital Corporation
Tony Gingiss is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP), a global leader in satellite-based solutions primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries. Tony is responsible for daily operations of the company.
A 22-year veteran of the LA Conservation Corps, Wendy Butts has been leading the organization as CEO since July 2014.
Wendy's interest in the environment and its impact on communities started in 1994 when she worked as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador. She planned community recycling projects, created an environmental club and educated middle school students in conservation-related studies in a rural coastal town. She began her career at the LA Conservation Corps in 1998 working directly with Corpsmembers and training them in natural and urban environmental studies. She moved from program delivery into Administration and served as Development Director and Contract Compliance Officer before leaving the Corps at the end of 2010 to serve as Corporate Compliance Officer at QueensCare/QueensCare Family Clinics, which together provide accessible healthcare to thousands of un- and under-insured individuals and families in Los Angeles County each year. At QueensCare, she developed a new compliance program, conducted internal audits and developed written standards and procedures.
In July 2013, Wendy returned to co-lead the LA Conservation Corps as Managing Director, responsible for the organization's administration, operations, and achievement of financial objectives. After a year in that role, the Corps' Board appointed Wendy as the CEO. Under Wendy's leadership, the LA Conservation Corps has streamlined financial management and other administrative processes and implemented the Corps' Green Career Pathways Program which provides Corpsmembers with the skills, training and experience that will ensure their success in green jobs after the Corps.
"The LA Conservation Corps has a rich history of improving the urban environment and the lives of Corpsmembers," said Wendy. "I am honored to serve as CEO and look forward to working with the Board, staff and our partners as we make LA a better place to live for everyone."
Wendy holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Northern Arizona University and an MBA in International Finance from Loyola Marymount University and enjoys running, camping and hiking with her husband and two children.