People for Parks Los Angeles Board of Directors

Rafer Johnson, the Honorary Chair of People for Parks, was an Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon. Johnson also chairs the Board of Governors of Special Olympics in Southern California, sits on the boards of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, Kids in Sports and the L.A. '84 Foundation, and serves on the President's Commission on Olympic Sports.

Jack Foley is President and co-founder of People for Parks. Foley is a professor emeritus of Recreation and Leisure Studies at California State University, Northridge, and managed recreation and park services for the cities of Long Beach, Santa Monica and Culver City for 14 years.

John Perez is Vice President of People for Parks. Perez, who served as President of United Teachers Los Angeles from 2002 to 2005, sits on the California Postsecondary Education Commission and is also a member of the L.A. City Pension Commission.

Darrell Hamilton, founded and ran the award winning advertising agency that bears his name for over 20 years. Prior to starting the agency, Darrell was Senior Vice President and Director of Marketing and Client Services for Daily & Assoc. and the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Great Western Bank. Darrell is credited with creating and supervising two of the top 100 campaigns of the 20th Century, according to Columbia University. Darrell has Masters degrees in Law and Radio, Television and Film from UCLA.

Adela Barajas is the Founder and Executive Director of L.A.U.R.A. (Life After Uncivil Ruthless Acts), a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of the residents of South Central Los Angeles.

Joanie Conley is a lecturer and the Internship Coordinator for the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at California State University, Long Beach.

Russ Guiney is Director of Parks and Recreation for Los Angeles County, which serves 10 million county residents and operates 65,528 acres of public open space and recreation facilities.

Don Haber is Director of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles (BAFTA/LA), which supports free movies and other services in urban parks, in addition to its education, promotion and outreach work in the entertainment industry.

Katy Haber is a film producer formerly in the U.K. and then in Los Angeles. Haber has been on the Board of BAFTA/LA for 19 years, and as Chair of the Education and Outreach Committee produces the BAFTA/LA Inner-City Screening program in South L.A.

Bill Lambert, a former teacher and the recently retired Director of Government Relations for United Teachers Los Angeles, is a passionate advocate for improving public education.

Noreen McClendon is the Executive Director of Concerned Citizens of South Central Los Angeles, fostering interest in social, economic and environmental conditions and growth of the community.

Joe Mendoza is the deputy director of parks and recreation, South Region, County of Los Angeles. Joe is the former director of recreation and parks, city of Cerritos.

Jon Kirk Mukri is General Manager of Recreation and Parks for the City of L.A. The department maintains 390 parks, 372 children's play areas, 287 tennis courts, 176 recreation centers, 59 swimming pools, 30 senior centers, nine golf courses, seven museums, two beaches and much more.

Diana Pollard has been an architect with Studio of Architecture for nearly two decades. Pollard has provided leadership and vision on a number of urban park projects, most notably City Terrace Park.

Ozzie Silna serves on the Board of the Malibu Coastal Land Conservancy, the Santa Monica Bay Keepers, California Coastal Protection Network, and Vote the Coast.

Larry Watts, a partner with Seyfarth Shaw LLP, focuses on corporate litigation, specializing in real estate and construction disputes.

Lee Zeidman, the Senior Vice President of Operations for the Anschutz Entertainment Group, is responsible for all event production, broadcast operations, telecommunications and maintenance at Staples Center and other AEG facilities.