Bruin Excellence in Civic Engagement - 2025

King Adjei-Frimpong serves as the director of Stakeholder Engagement for the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the state agency responsible for overseeing primary and secondary public education in Texas. Previously, he was a management consultant for The Bridgespan Group, a global nonprofit that advises and collaborates with philanthropists, nonprofit and NGO leaders, and impact investors. He is also the cofounder of Civics for America, a program that educates and empowers high school students from rural and underserved communities to become civic leaders. In his free time, he serves on multiple nonprofit boards, including The Appellate Project, and hosts "What Keeps Us Going" — the podcast that celebrates stories of hope, joy and resilience.

Gregory Allan Datu Cendana (he/him/his/siya) is a queer Filipino cultural strategist, facilitator, and president and co-founder of Can’t Stop! Won’t Stop! Consulting and Education Fund. He has led national civic and movement-building efforts, including serving as president of the United States Student Association, executive director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO, and the first openly gay and youngest chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans. Cendana currently serves on the board of United We Dream Network. His work centers around healing justice, radical joy and building the conditions for communities to lead with clarity, purpose and power.

As a chief for the largest state law enforcement agency in the nation, Mike Alvarez has championed for community partnerships as a cornerstone of effective policing, believing that public trust and collaboration are essential to building safe, thriving communities. Serving as the California Highway Patrol’s EEO Officer, Chief Alvarez is committed to strengthening relationships with the diverse communities the CHP serves through mutual respect, understanding and shared responsibility. Throughout his career, he has been a strong advocate for transparency, professional accountability and proactive problem-solving. Chief Alvarez’s vision is simple yet profound: a law enforcement agency that not only protects the community it serves but is also an active, trusted partner in its growth and wellbeing. Beyond law enforcement, Alvarez is a facilitator for USC’s Safe Communities Institute, and an adjunct professor at a local community college, mentoring future leaders in public service. He holds a Bachelor of Science from UCLA, a Master of Arts from the Naval Postgraduate School and is a PhD candidate at Pepperdine University.

David Barrows’ civic engagement has evolved with his assignments in the U.S. Navy. At his current duty station with the marines in Hawaii at MARFORPAC, much of his civic engagement work involves coordinating health security cooperation with partner nations in the Indo-Pacific, particularly the Philippines and Thailand. From June 2022 to June 2024, Barrows served as commanding officer of United States Naval Hospital Guam, where he worked closely with the government of Guam on a range of health and public health issues to improve care for the island’s residents. During his tenure, he established Naval Hospital Guam as a level III trauma center and collaborated with the governor to create a Regional Advisory Council on Trauma to coordinate all trauma activities on Guam. In response to Typhoon Mawar, Barrows worked with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration of Strategic Preparedness and Response to develop educational exchanges between the University of Guam and Naval Hospital Guam. He also partnered with the Veterans Administration to bring VA staff into Naval Hospital Guam to provide care for veterans. Prior to Guam, from May 2020 to May 2022, Barrows served as executive officer at Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Florida. His tour was defined by COVID-19 response efforts, where his team administered more than 85,000 vaccines to the community in close coordination with FEMA, state and local partners.

Anjali Browning, an anthropologist and homeless services strategist, has dedicated 27 years to working on issues of poverty, social justice and systems change. As program director for Arcata House Partnership, she developed and managed 17 unique programs that helped hundreds of individuals transition out of homelessness while establishing new service standards and project ordinances for Humboldt County. Her leadership included launching the county’s first emergency tent, safe parking and regional weather shelter programs, as well as Project Roomkey and Project Homekey. She also partnered with College of the Redwoods to house more than 100 housing-insecure students and spearheaded efforts to reorient the county’s service prioritization toward those with the highest urgency for care. Over the course of her career, Browning has mentored dozens of growing service organizations and hundreds of social workers, many of whom now lead other agencies. She currently continues this work through her consulting firm, Rise Over Run Strategies, which is dedicated to building organizational capacity and expanding service delivery to those most in need.

Thomas Butt served 28 years on the Richmond City Council, including the final eight as elected mayor. This includes service on, including chairing, multiple regional and statewide boards and commissions in Richmond, California. He was founder and board member of three nonprofit organizations relating to history and historic preservation, and was the recipient of the highest award given by the National Trust for Historic Preservation -- the Louise de Pont Crowninshield Award, the Trust's highest national recognition. Before attending UCLA, Butt served in the US Army as a combat engineer in Vietnam.

Kenneth “Kacey” Carpenter (Mathematics–Engineering) is an author, consultant and community organizer advancing democracy, equity and civic impact across nonprofit, environmental and political causes. He spent over 20 years at Cisco, leading global teams and pioneering digital innovation in the public sector before turning to civic engagement. As principal and founder of Carpenter Coaching and Publishing, he trains and advises campaigns, nonprofits and grassroots movements while providing publishing support to authors. He has served as Chapter Digital Strategies Leader for the Sierra Club, leads the National Writers Union Writers Corner program, volunteers with organizations for good causes and served with the California Democratic Party. A published author of "Ready, Set, Go! Playbook for Campaigns, Candidates, and Causes," and "My Journey with Bernie," he is currently writing a series of national park mystery-thrillers that blend suspense, survival and the beauty of America’s wild places.

Cameron Carrasquillo is an urban planner whose career has focused on centering the perspectives of communities who have been harmed and underserved by traditional planning processes. As a city planner at Los Angeles City Planning, Carrasquillo supports the restructuring of the department to improve development services. In this role, she also helped institute the Office of Racial Justice, Equity, and Transformative Planning, with the goal of addressing the legacy of racial inequity in planning and reimagining land use practices. Carrasquillo began her career in public service as a transportation planner working on joint development at Los Angeles Metro and worked previously as a journalist covering sustainable technology and environmental policy in urban communities. She graduated from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs in 2018 with a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) and a certificate in Urban Humanities.

Carmen Chang is the general manager for EmpowerLA , where she oversees the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment supporting Los Angeles’ 99 Neighborhood Councils with the vision to advocate for new and equitable ways to engage all Angelenos to EmpowerLA. Chang’s background is in community organizing and helping empower communities to be actively engaged in public and political processes while working to make systems more inclusive. Her nearly two decades work on issue and political campaigns, international development, and serving in the federal government, include Golden State Opportunity, California Immigrant Policy Center, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigns in Virginia & Nebraska, Katie Hill for Congress in L.A., U.S. Development Finance Corporation, Peace Corps, and serving as a volunteer in Peace Corps Cameroon. She has also served Angelenos as the Vice President of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument Authority Commissioners and the Commission on Community & Family Services, and is currently a UCLA Admission reader for freshman applicants. Chang holds a Master of Public Administration from George Mason University and B.A. in political science and global studies from UCLA (Go Bruins!)

Joe Cislowski, executive director of the Center for Health Care Rights, is among California’s leading voices in advocating for, and providing services to, older adults, people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. His more than four decades of experience includes policy and management roles with nonprofit associations, higher education institutions, political committees, medical centers and private funders. Cislowski has held staff positions with both the U.S. Congress and the California Legislature. He has campaign experience as a consultant and volunteer at the national, state and local levels. He served as a gubernatorial appointee to the California Commission on Aging, chaired the County of Los Angeles Public Library Commission and was a board member or volunteer for nonprofit associations such as the Center for Nonprofit Management, Jewish Federation, Phi Beta Kappa Alumni, United Way and the UCLA Alumni Association.

Devon Deming has been working in civic leadership roles in Los Angeles transportation for over 20 years, with experience at the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and LA Metro. Now in her tenth year at Metro, she serves as deputy Executive officer overseeing all of Metro’s specialized fare programs, which directly affect the lives of over one million riders. At Metro, she has also led the Out@Metro LGBTQ+ employees group, helped establish the ongoing annual Ride with Pride TAP cards, served on the Women and Girls’ Governing Council, and conducted training on how to interact with diverse employees. A proud Bruin who relied on public transit to get to classes and jobs while completing her undergraduate studies, Deming is dedicated to ensuring even better transportation access for a new generation of students and Angelenos.

Since obtaining her doctorate from UCLA, Julie Elginer has served in four civic leadership roles at the state and local levels. From 2012 to 2017, she was a gubernatorial appointee to the Board of Chiropractic Examiners, providing regulatory oversight for the 13,000 licensees in California. In 2024, she was appointed by California Assembly Speaker Rivas to the Board of Dental Hygienists, providing consumer protection and oversight of the 22,000 licensed professionals in the state. At the local level, she spent five years on the City of Calabasas Environmental Commission, having served as chair and vice chair. In 2022, she earned the Carl Gibbs Environmental Award from the City of Calabasas for her decades of conservation and educational efforts. In 2021, Dr. Elginer was appointed to the Calabasas Parks, Recreation and Education Commission and currently serves as its chair.

Kathay Feng (pronounced KATH-ee Fung) led the campaign to push Los Angeles and Orange County to provide bilingual ballots and assistance, in compliance with the Voting Rights Act. She also represented the Ileto family in the wake of the hate shootings at North Valley Jewish Community Center, where a white supremacist took the life of Filipino American postal worker Joseph Ileto. When she became the executive director of California Common Cause, she harnessed the frustrations over the gerrymandering of Asian American and Latino communities to lead the campaign to pass statewide initiatives that would create the California Independent Redistricting Commission, and spark the national movement to pass similar reforms from Colorado to Michigan. She also led advocacy to pass legislation that put California at the forefront of accessible voting, from online and same-day registration to pre-registration for voters under 18. Today, as senior deputy at L.A. County’s Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, she has come full circle, ensuring that the nation’s largest voting jurisdiction provides voter assistance in 18 languages, transparency in campaign finance and laws that promote an inclusive democracy.

Alexander Fung is a dedicated public sector leader who drives innovative and collaborative initiatives to strengthen communities and improve quality of life. As part of the City of Eastvale’s Executive Team, he oversees economic development, workforce development, government relations and community growth projects, including business attraction, legislative advocacy and regional preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Previously, he advanced major regional initiatives at the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, securing over $9.6 million in funding and launching impactful programs in transportation, sustainability and public outreach. Beyond his local government role, Fung serves as the vice chair/commissioner for the City of Cupertino's Sustainability Commission and board member for the California Chapter of International City/County Management Association. He also gives lectures at UCLA and USC on local government leadership topics. Recognized as the City of Eastvale’s 2024 Manager of the Year and an ELGL 2025 Top 100 Local Government Influencer, he holds a Master of Public Policy from UCLA and a bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine.

Edgar García is interim general manager for El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument and has over 25 years experience in cultural policy, arts administration, historic preservation and urban planning. Born in Los Angeles to Mexican immigrants, he was raised in the communities of Lincoln Heights and Chinatown. A first-generation recipient of the Getty-Marrow program, he began his public service with the City of Los Angeles as preservation planner for the Office of Historic Resources, overseeing thousands of L.A.’s most cherished historic buildings and cultural sites. He went on to serve as Arts & Culture Deputy for the administration of former Mayor Eric Garcetti. Awarded the Getty’s Leadership in Arts Management grant, he has served as a Fitch Scholar, Royal Oak Foundation Scholar, a Diversity Scholar for both the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Historic New England, and was named Pocantico Fellow with the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Selected for the European Union’s Global Cultural Leadership program, he is also a recipient of the German Marshall Memorial Fellowship and the Eisenhower Fellowship. He is a graduate of Yale University and the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

Beverly Greene volunteers as the president of the Board of Library Trustees for the City of Berkeley Public Library. Professionally, she is the chief government affairs officer at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) where she leads the Government Affairs and Secretary of the Board Division, responsible for the development and implementation of VTA’s federal, state, regional and local government affairs programs, and Board of Director operations. Previously, she was the executive director of External Affairs, Marketing & Communications at the Alameda – Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit). She serves on the Board of Directors of the American Public Transportation Assocation.

I believe in teaching social justice. Students have a right to know true history, their rights and how our government operates. I highlight marginalized voices in literature, social studies and across all subjects. We go beyond the text books and discuss how we can be active change-makers in our community.
“The classroom, with all its limitations, remains a location of possibility.” - Bell Hooks

Kevin Harbour is a seasoned business professional whose background includes working over 30 years in the IT, telecom and emerging technology industries, including Fortune 100, 500 and 1000 corporations. He was also a franchise business owner, partner in a boutique IT consulting firm, served as UCLA Alumni Director of Corporate Strategic Partnerships and is currently president of the 501(c)3 nonprofit BizFed Institute. BizFed Institute has been extremely successful in the Greater Los Angeles area and California, utilizing civic engagement as a strategy to convene summits that educate, engage and equip elected officials, leaders in cross-industry business, community-based organizations, academia, public agencies, nonprofits and general stakeholders with the necessary knowledge, connections and resources needed to create a robust regional economy and build strong communities to optimize our quality of life.

Darryn Harris is a lifelong advocate for health equity, education access, and social and economic justice. He currently serves as chief government affairs and community relations officer at St. John’s Community Health, where he leads efforts to expand healthcare access, protect public coverage programs and uplift underserved communities. With nearly two decades of experience in policy, governmen, and advocacy — including serving as chief of staff to Congressmember Karen Bass — he has built a career focused on transforming systems to better serve vulnerable populations. A proud Angeleno and community leader, Harris continues to champion equity-driven initiatives that create lasting impact.

Paul Henderson is the executive director of the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability, where he leads civilian oversight of the city’s police department. A nationally recognized expert on criminal justice reform, he previously served as chief of administration and prosecutor under then–District Attorney Kamala Harris, and later as deputy chief of staff for Mayor Edwin Lee. Henderson has advised local, state and federal leaders on policing, equity and public safety, and is a frequent commentator in national media. Throughout his career, he has been honored for his leadership in advancing accountability and justice.

Cassy Horton has devoted her 20-year nonprofit career to creating resilient communities where families can thrive. For a decade, she championed the needs of 130,000 Los Angeles students at the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), working alongside parents, educators and civic leaders to improve public education outcomes for kids. Most recently, as the founding executive director of Pickles Group, she has grown a high-impact, national organization from the ground up to support kids whose parents have cancer, reaching more than 2,500 kids this year alone. She is also the co-founder of the DTLA Residents Association (DTLA RA), which mobilizes 3,000 neighbors to create a more livable, inclusive and civically engaged downtown Los Angeles. Cassy holds a B.A. in political science and public affairs from UCLA, and an MBA from the University of Chicago where she was a John Edwardson Civic Scholar.

Dr. Álvaro Huerta started UCLA in 1985 as a freshman, majoring in mathematics, where his involvement in student activism compelled him to a life of civic engagement. Huerta took a break (and later returned) from his undergraduate studies to pursue civic engagement in Los Angeles and beyond, advocating for marginalized Latina/o communities. He played a leadership role against the City of Los Angeles' criminalization of Latino gardeners in the mid-1990s. Among other campaigns, he also led an environmental justice campaign against a power plant in Southeast Los Angeles. For the past 40 years to the present, he has been a tireless advocate and activist for the human rights of Latinas/os and other marginalized groups in this country.

Raffaela Iuliano is a civic leader and project appointee at UNESCO, where she advances global initiatives on intercultural dialogue, equity and youth empowerment. She has co-authored international guidance on inclusive higher education, designed civic education programs for youth, and supported networks of cities combating racism and discrimination. Currently, she is focused on the Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme, which equips young leaders worldwide to foster dialogue, prevent conflict and promote social cohesion. Beyond UNESCO, she has supported refugees through Opportutoring, consistently working to amplify marginalized voices and foster inclusive institutions.

Erin Jackson-Ward, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., is the president and CEO of QueensCare, where she leads efforts to expand healthcare access and strengthen community well-being across Los Angeles. Her civic engagement began at UCLA, where she served for two years as president of the Pediatric AIDS Coalition, and continued with work across the country supporting people experiencing homelessness and those returning from incarceration with chronic disease. At Cedars-Sinai, she directed more than $180 million in community investments to over 200 nonprofits while advancing initiatives in sustainability, supplier diversity, volunteerism and impact investing. Nationally recognized for her expertise in community benefit and health equity, her insights have been featured in the New England Journal of Medicine and Harvard Business Review. A proud UCLA alumna (B.A. in psychology), Jackson-Ward also holds an M.P.H. in sociomedical sciences from Columbia University, a Dr.P.H. in healthcare leadership from Johns Hopkins University, and also serves as adjunct faculty at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Dr. Mary Jo “MJ” Madda is an educator, technologist, published researcher and former journalist. As a senior program manager at Google.org, Google's social impact philanthropy arm, she studies trends in learning, artificial intelligence and workforce development. A former Los Angeles middle school STEM teacher, Madda channeled her passion for education into founding Code Next Inglewood, a free computer science program that has directly funneled thousands of high school students into college and tech careers. Leveraging her expertise from her UCLA dissertation on social capital, she also serves on the board of Uprooted Academy, a nonprofit that helps first-generation students navigate the college application process. Madda was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2016 for her impactful work.

Kula Koenig is the chief program officer at Public Health Advocates, where she leads Defend California, a statewide movement mobilizing communities to safeguard public health, and All Children Thrive, supporting youth in 30-plus cities to pass trauma-informed policies that protect children’s mental health. She is the founder of the Social Justice PolitiCorps, a Sacramento-based nonprofit that demystifies local government and develops civic changemakers in Black Child Legacy Campaign neighborhoods, where structural inequities most impact families. She previously served as district director for a California legislator and Government Relations Director at the American Heart Association. During Trump’s first presidency, she led the Sacramento chapter of Black Women Organized for Political Action, expanding civic leadership opportunities for Black women. A survivor of Liberia’s civil war, Koenig grounds her work in the belief that civic engagement must be joyful, inclusive and healing — and is guided by UCLA’s True Bruin values of integrity, respect, accountability, service and excellence.

Sarah Letts has 35 years of experience in the development and operation of affordable rental housing and the delivery of critically needed services. Since joining Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (HCHC) in 2016, Sarah has directed the organization towards significant growth. HCHC is building affordable and permanent supportive housing at the fastest rate in the organization's history to help address the housing and homelessness crisis throughout Los Angeles County. She has also brought property management in-house to reinforce HCHC's commitment to the principles of trauma-informed care and to better serve the thousands of residents living in HCHC properties. Letts earned degrees in economics and political science from Stanford University and a Masters in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Katherine Loi is a dentist, U.S. Army veteran and UCLA Anderson MBA dedicated to public service. As a captain and dental officer at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, she provided care to soldiers in Army basic training, commonly known as boot camp, and on base during her four years of active duty. Today she delivers oral health services to more than 4,000 underserved patients annually through her work at Via Care Community Health Center in Los Angeles. She has also supported international dental humanitarian efforts, raising funds for programs in Vietnam and providing care on missions in El Salvador and Mexico. 

At UCLA Anderson, she received the Cockrum Fellowship for Community Service and served as alumni committee chair, vice president of the Fully Employed MBA Veterans Club and as a member of FEMBA Council. She mentors young adults exploring careers in dentistry and professional development, including serving on a Foster Nation healthcare panel. Beyond dentistry, she engages in sustainability projects focused on building healthier, more resilient communities.

Angelo Mathay has served in a range of civic engagement roles at the state and national level. He is a member of the North Carolina Human Relations Commission and the North Carolina Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, where his work focuses on fostering dialogue and addressing issues such as housing challenges experienced by North Carolinians. He also served as a commissioner on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration and has contributed to mentorship programs supporting law students, including through The Appellate Project’s mentorship program. He was also selected as a member of Georgetown Law’s Blume Public Interest Leaders in Residence Program, which connects the law school community with practitioners advancing public interest practice. His career reflects a continued commitment to public service and the fair administration of the law.

Estevan Montemayor serves as chief of staff for L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. He comes with years of experience delivering successful results for the people of Los Angeles County. He mostly recently served as president and founder of EJM Strategy Group where he advised high-profile political, nonprofit and private sector clients, leading to successful advocacy campaigns, electoral wins and legislative victories. Montemayor also served as deputy chief of staff to Los Angeles City Councilmember David Ryu, where he oversaw crisis management, message development, media relations, community engagement, political strategy and team building. Prior to that, he worked on the communications and research team for the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the sole sponsor of the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8 and Virginia’s discriminatory Marriage Amendment. AFER brought together bipartisan attorneys Theodore B. Olson and David Boies to fight for the fundamental right to marry for LGBTQ+ Americans. As a community leader, he served as a member of the Rent Stabilization and Public Safety Commissions in the City of West Hollywood, where he’s lived for the past twelve years. He is the former president of the Board of Directors of Christopher Street West, the organization which organizes the LA Pride Festival & Parade each June. His nonprofit board service also includes: Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Ford Theaters Foundation, Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation and the Hollywood Sign Trust.

For more than two decades, Berenice Nuñez Constant has led national and state policy and advocacy strategies to eliminate inequities in health outcomes, power and voting for Latinos and Medicaid-eligible populations. She has dedicated her career to ensuring access to quality healthcare for all and community engagement and empowerment. In her current role, she leads innovative large scale civic engagement campaigns to mobilize Latinos and high-need, low-propensity voting populations by using community health centers as hubs for community engagement.

Dayna Pham is a second-year medical student at the University of Chicago and a nationally recognized patient advocate passionate about health justice. She is grounded in her upbringing in an under-resourced community and her lived experiences as a severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patient. As an advocacy volunteer with the National Psoriasis Foundation, she amplifies patient narratives and works to dismantle systemic barriers to care through grassroots and federal lobbying, research, writing, public speaking and media appearances. She mentors low-income, first-generation, chronically ill and disabled students pursuing medicine, helping them navigate challenges she has faced herself. In Chicago, she volunteers with five free clinics, where she feels deeply privileged to support and learn from the wisdom and resilience of fellow community members.

Joseph Quintana (Kewa Pueblo) has dedicated almost 20 years to civic engagement and advocacy on behalf of American Indian and Alaskan Native communities. He serves as executive director of the Native Development Network and previously chaired an advisory council to the U.S. Secretary of Labor on workforce equity. He has also served in an advisory capacity to the L.A. Tourism and Convention Board/Discover L.A. and was previously appointed as a commissioner by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. He has led efforts to expand healthcare access, educational achievement, workforce development and training, housing, and elder services for Native communities. His work is driven by a commitment to be a voice for the voiceless, instill hope and pride, and create pathways for visibility and equity in both tribal and urban settings.

Ignacia Rodriguez Kmec engages in legislative and administrative advocacy focusing on immigration executive actions and congressional action on immigration. She also engages in policy analysis, education and advocacy to support the integration of low-income immigrant youth through access to education and the Education for All campaign. Rodriguez Kmec’s experience as an activist in the immigrants’ rights movement and as an undocumented student has led to her devotion to improving the lives of low-income immigrants.

Aram Sassounian works in venture capital, where he backs founders building transformational companies that achieve commercial success while creating positive societal impact. Previously, he held a business development role at Lyft during its pre-IPO phase, where he shaped and executed go-to-market strategies that expanded market share, forged high-leverage partnerships, and designed driver acquisition and retention programs that scaled the platform's operations. He serves on the board of the Armenia Artsakh Fund (AAF), through which he has overseen the procurement and delivery of more than $50 million in humanitarian aid to Armenia. In this role, he coordinates with corporations, NGOs and government ministries to provide medical relief to Armenia and support displaced families from Nagorno-Karabakh.

Christy Smith is the current executive director of Emerge California and a former Democratic assemblymember for California’s 38th Assembly District. She was the first Democrat to win the seat in over 6 decades. While in the Assembly, she brought back vital resources to the district and took on a challenging legislative package that included charter school reform and landmark legislation for human trafficking victim’s rights. Smith holds the distinction of being the historically best performing Democratic candidate for the 25th/27th Congressional district. She began her time in elected service as a Newhall School District Governing Board member where she spearheaded historic investment in local school infrastructure. She also previously served the State of California on the Delta Stewardship Council, ensuring California’s future water security and protecting vital ecosystems.

Aquilina Soriano Versoza has been a leader in the immigrants' rights and workers' rights for almost three decades. She is the founder and current executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, a nonprofit serving and organizing the low-wage Pilipino immigrant community in Los Angeles and president of its (c)4 nonprofit sister organization, the Pilipino Action Center. She is also serving as the current president of the Board of Directors of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and is one of the co-chair’s of the Immigrants Are Los Angeles Campaign, co-chairing the organizing subcommittee. Versoza is a fellow at Rutgers University’s Workplace Justice Lab on the Build the Base project and has been a leader in the growing domestic worker movement in California and nationally through advocacy, enforcement, electoral, workforce development and worker-owned cooperative strategies.

Shawna Stevens is an experienced legislative and government professional with 20-plus years in the public and nonprofit sectors. Currently, as Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson's Chief of Staff, she directs the operational and strategic aspects of the Mayor's office, coordinates the execution of large scale community-based initiatives and programs, and works to ensure city priorities align with the Mayor's vision that every Long Beach resident deserves the opportunity to thrive. She served as then-Councilmember Richardson's Chief of Staff for six years prior. Stevens began her career with the City of Long Beach in 2005 as a coordinator in the Department of Health and Human Services, overseeing chronic disease prevention programming and placed-based initiatives for nearly 10 years. She is also principal of her firm SHS Connections, a consulting business providing services and guidance in project management, policy analysis, grant writing and capacity building.

Dr. Hal Yee spent two decades as a physician leader in California's healthcare safety net, most recently as the chief medical officer and chief deputy director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, where amongst many responsibilities he oversaw the Department's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was recognized as a Top 25 Innovator by Modern Healthcare for his work improving specialty healthcare across San Francisco, Los Angeles and the U.S. using electronic consultations. Previously, he was a professor at UCLA and UCSF, where he taught hundreds of physicians and dentists in training, cared for patients with gastrointestinal and liver diseases, and conducted Federal- and State-funded biomedical research. He has served on the boards of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, the UCLA and USC Clinical and Translational Science Institutes, and St. Paul's (Burlingame) and St. Francis' (Palos Verdes Estates) Episcopal Churches.