Biographies of Summit Participants
Panelists
Gloria
Molina
L.A.
County Board of Supervisors
Molina,
who authored the San Gabriel and L.A. River Master Plans and
is a sponsor of the Greening Institute, encourages
grassroots groups to build parks. After the economic crisis
of the 1990s, she divested County parks to cities to fund,
and earmarked flood control district funds for County parks.
She has funded computer centers, skate parks, nature parks,
and pocket parks along the L.A. and San Gabriel Rivers and
San Jose Creek.
Tom
LaBonge
L.A. City
Council
LaBonge,
representing a district that includes Griffith Park and as
Chair of the City Arts and Parks Commission, is a widely
recognized leader in public recreation. He has advanced the
use of joint-use projects with LAUSD and DWP to improve
programs & facilities, including recent projects at Marshall
High School and Silver Lake Reservoir.
Wendy
Greuel
L.A. City
Controller
During
seven years on the City Council, Greuel improved every park
in District 2 through expansion or new facilities. She
oversaw the purchase of 1,200 acres in the Verdugo
Mountains, and ensured the property would remain open by
turning it into the city’s sixth-largest park.
Norma
Garcia
L.A.
County Dept. of Parks and Recreation
As Deputy
Director of Planning and Development, Garcia oversees
an inventory of 94 local and regional parks, 14 lakes and
lagoons, 15 natural areas, four arboreta and botanic
gardens, and 65,528 acres of recreational property. Her
areas of expertise include environmental and regulatory
permits, land acquisition, and park planning.
Norm
Emerson
Emerson
and Associates
Emerson
advises policymakers on federal funding for parks and
other initiatives. He was the executive director of the
Joint Legislative Committee on Open Space Lands in
Sacramento, and a member of the coastal commission studying
the Santa Monica Mountains. He also served on the U.S.
Congressional advisory committee that established an
open-space program for the Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreational Area.
Ana
Lasso
L.A.
Unified School District
Lasso is
the Acting Director of LAUSD joint-use programs. She is an
urban planner who formerly served as Chief of Staff for
LAUSD School Board member David Tokofsky.
Gregory
Thomas
L.A.
City Dept. of Recreation and Parks
Thomas, a City
Recreation and Parks cluster leader based at the Nickerson
Recreation Center in Watts, works with the County’s Ted
Watkins Park and LAUSD’s Markham Middle School to provide
programs across South L.A.
Jenny
Scanlin
L.A.
Community Redevelopment Agency
Scanlin is
managing “green alley” projects and reusing public rights of
way and medians across City Council District 9 (South Los
Angeles).
Barry
Sanders
L.A.
City Recreation and Parks Commission
Sanders
leads both the City Rec and Parks Commission and its
recently created Parks Foundation. He was second in command
for the 1984 Olympics, and helped establish foundations to
support the City Library and County Music Center. People for
Parks recently named the attorney for Latham & Watkins its
Man of the Year.
Jason
Elias
Service
Employees International Union Local 721
As union
representative for City maintenance workers in the Dept. of
Recreation and Parks, Elias has advocated green-collar job
training for his members. He also sits on the board of L.A.
Neighborhood Land Trust, which he helped create, and belongs
to the Apollo Alliance and Verde Coalition.
Rick
Davis
American Youth Soccer Organization
Davis is
Executive Director of AYSO, a national organization
dedicated to expanding access to all youth who want to play
soccer. Nearly 40% of AYSO’s 650,000 members live in
Southern California.
Dr.
LaVonna Lewis
USC
School of Policy, Planning and Development
Dr. Lewis
teaches public health administration and participates in a
federal grant to monitor and provide healthy standards for
food, parks and urban policy. Her Coalition for an Active
South L.A. is developing standards for parks to help
eliminate health disparities.
Tim
Gallagher
Seattle
Parks Department
As
director of L.A. County parks from 2000 to 2008, Gallagher
hosted the first Parks Summit, which drew more than 200
participants. He was also president of the California State
Rec. and Park Assn., and is now General Manager of Seattle
parks.
Luke
Gebhard
formerly with the N.Y.C. Dept. of Parks and Recreation
As
Assistant Director for Operations and Management Planning,
Gebhard oversaw internal audits and inspections and gave
critical input into management of 1,800 parks and
playgrounds, 600 restroom facilities, 36 recreation centers
and 13 golf courses.
Joe
Edmiston
Santa
Monica Mountains Conservancy
Edmiston
was appointed Executive Director of the Santa Monica
Mountains Conservancy in 1979 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. The
Conservancy has since preserved more than 60,000 acres of
public parkland from the Mojave Desert to the Pacific Ocean.
He lectures extensively on environmental planning, park
development, and urban land use. People for Parks named him
Man of the Year in 2008.
Jon Kirk
Mukri
City of L.A. Recreation and Parks
The General Manager oversees more than 15,000 acres of City
parkland, 10,000 employees, a $165-million operating budget,
and $600 million in capital projects. Mukri also sits on the
board of the National Recreation and Parks Assn. and People
for Parks. He managed the General Services Dept. and is a
retired U.S. Navy Commander.
Carlyle
Hall
Akin
Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Hall has
represented groups advocating open space and affordable
housing for more than 30 years. He has donated legal
settlements to expand public access to open space, and was
instrumental in the Save the Open Reservoir agreement with
the City and DWP at Silver Lake. He co-founded People for
Parks, which named him its Man of the Year in 2007.
Jack Foley
People for
Parks
The
presidency of People for Parks is an unpaid position, but
Foley works full-time directing PFP programs, fundraising
and advocacy, including the South L.A. initiative,
Community-School Parks and other projects in underserved
areas of the City and County. He is Professor Emeritus of
Leisure Studies at Cal. State University, Northridge.
Tony
Massengale
L.A.
County Human Relations Commission
Massengale
organized the L.A. Unity Gang Prevention Program and was
lead organizer for the South Central Organizing Committee.
He is a recognized national leader and trainer in the civic
organizing movement, and a former board member of People for
Parks.
Participants
Yolanda
Anguiano
Office of
State Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes
Supports
converting open space into pocket parks. Their office is
involved with the East S. Fernando Valley Nature Parkway, a
project seeking funding from the LA Department of Public
Works.
John Ayers
GravityTen
A strong
advocate for sustainable communities and educational
experiences, he has successfully created a Community-School
Park pilot program at Beethoven Elementary School in Mar
Vista.
Yolanda
Abarrozo
YMCA of
Metropolitan Los Angeles
The YMCA
provides programs year round for at risk youth and also
provides childcare at various LAUSD school sites, aswell as
summer camp at various local YMCA’s through the City.
James
Alamillo
Heal the
Bay
Over the
past 12 years, Alamillo has worked on a number of
water-quality issues, outreach programs, Beach Pollution
Report Card and Pier Outreach Program. He currently works on
Heal the Bay’s “Healthy Communities, Healthy Environment”
program focused on urban watersheds.
Judith Anderson
Sierra
Club
Anderson
is active in the Federal Desert Protection Act, the Griffith
Park Master Plan, and other regional environmental issues.
She sat on the Sierra Club Grants Committee and coordinates
communication with the 80,000-member Angeles Chapter’s staff
and the Executive Committee.
Adela
Barajas
Ross
Snyder Park Advisory Board
Barajas
has worked as a volunteer to establish soccer programs and
improve safety at Snyder Park in South L.A.
Steve
Rasmussen Cancian
Shared
Spaces and Landscape Architecture
Cancian, a
founding member of the Verde Coalition and active member of
the Coalition Los Angeles board, provides technical
assistance to community groups around issues of community
living rooms, pocket parks and sustainable public open
space.
Sharron
Commins
AYSO and
Mar Vista Neighborhood Council
Since her
sons played AYSO at Mar Vista Park, Commins has fought for
better facilities, better transportation, and ways to expand
access to youth soccer for low-income families on the
Westside.
Joanne
Conley
California
State University Long Beach
Conley’s
goal as a lecturer at the CSULB Recreation and Leisure
Studies Department is to inform and involve students in the
importance of open space for all citizens.
Glen Dake
Landscape
Architect
Dake is
active on a variety of park projects, sits on the Boards of
the Neighborhood Land Trust, the Community Garden Council,
and the Green L.A. urban ecosystems work group.
Belinda
Faustinos
Rivers and
Mountains Conservancy
As
Executive Officer of the conservancy, Faustinos administers
an extensive grant program and joint-powers authorities with
the Flood Control District and other agencies to develop and
operate regional watershed parks along the San Gabriel
River, Coyote Creek and Santa Clarita River watersheds.
Sara
Feldman
California
State Parks Foundation
As CSPF
Vice President for Programs, Feldman has helped fund the
L.A. State Historic Park, Rio de Los Angeles State Park,
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, and other urban parks during
the past nine years. The CSPF mission is to protect, enhance
and advocate for California’s 278 state parks.
Viviana
Franco
From Lot
to Spot
Franco
founded and directs one of South Bay’s first environmental
justice groups focused on creating access to parks and
greening fallow lands. She holds an M.A. in Urban
Planning and teaches at a local high school, and is active
in the Verde Coalition.
Nidia
Garcia
Vida
Consulting
A
bilingual urban planner, Garcia worked for North East Trees
as outreach director and Youth Employment coordinator for
several years.
Robert
Garcia
The City
Project
Garcia and
the City Project are focused on the shortage of parks in
communities of color. The City Project is working with Radio
Bilingue, the Anahuac Soccer League and Mujeres de la Tierra
to organize Spanish-speaking communities.
Donald
Haber
British
Academy of Film and Television Arts
As
Executive Director and COO of BAFTA/LA, Haber initiated the
Inner-City Cinema program at Helen Keller Park and expanded
it to include Athens Park.
Katie
Haber
British
Academy of Film and Television Arts
Haber
created partnerships to support inner-city parks and
recreation. In 2005, she began screening first-run movies
for families at the County’s Helen Keller Park. The success
of that program led to a new community center and a
renovated swimming pool and basketball courts.
Callie
Hurd
Office of
Senator Fran Pavley
Hurd works
on issues related to the L.A. River and multi-benefit parks
in Senate District 23. A wildlife and conservation ecologist
and State Parks employee for six years, she was recently the
open-space manager for Santa Monica.
Miguel
Luna
Urban
Semillas
Urban
Semillas (Seeds) provides community outreach for public
agencies restoring urban ecosystems along the L.A. and San
Gabriel Rivers. Luna directed outreach for Heal the Bay, and
works with youth and Latino groups around water issues, park
access, and park funding.
Judith
Kieffer
L.A. Parks
Foundation
The
recently created nonprofit foundation works with the City’s
Rec and Parks Commission and Dept. of Rec and Parks. Kieffer
raises funds for programming and amenities, and writes
grants to support the neediest local parks.
Tori Kjer
The Trust
for Public Land
TPL-Los
Angeles works with nonprofits, communities, landowners, and
public agencies to extend neighborhood access to parks and
natural areas. TPL has created and protected more 11,000
acres of new parks and open space in L.A. County.
William
Lambert
formerly
with United Teachers Los Angeles
Lambert,
who was chief lobbyist for UTLA for decades, sits on the
board of People for Parks and advises PFP’s Community-School
Parks program.
David
Martin
AYSO
Martin is
the volunteer coordinator of youth soccer leagues in an area
of Central L.A. that includes Westlake, Pico Union, South
L.A. and Hollywood. He is also the liaison between the local
AYSO region and the group’s national organization.
Mike Marks
AYSO
Section Ten Director
This
section covers most of Southern California.
Irma Muñoz
Mujeres de la Tierra
Muñoz is
an Environmental Affairs commissioner for the City of L.A.
and participated in the Urban Ecosystems work group of Green
L.A. She founded Mujeres de la Tierra (Women of the Earth)
to empower Latinas through civic engagement. The group,
which has chapters in El Monte and Canoga Park, recently
partnered with the Trust for Public Land and relocated to
the L.A. River Center.
Leticia
Ortiz
All
Peoples Christian Center
Ortiz is a
bilingual community organizer in Southeast L.A. for the All
People’s Christian Center. Lack of safe green spaces was a
top priority among the youth and families she interviewed
during a recent survey to develop a LISC sustainability
plan.
John
Perez
People for Parks
Perez, who
was president of United Teachers Los Angeles from 2002 to
2005, is PFP Vice President and leads the group’s
Community-School Parks program. He serves on the California
Postsecondary Education Commission, and taught at Roosevelt
High School in Boyle Heights for 30 years.
Sharon
Romano
The
Hollywood Beautification Team
Romano
founded HBT following the 1992 riots. HBT uses at-risk youth
and community-service referrals to remove graffiti, plant
street trees, and maintain parks. The group’s new center
offers computer training in sustainable landscape and
building design.
Barbara
Romero
Mountains
and Recreation Conservation Authority
As the
authority’s Chief of Urban Projects and Watershed Division,
Romero has been responsible for numerous park projects
in urban areas along the Upper L.A. River watershed. She was
instrumental in developing the 10-acre Vista Hermosa Park,
downtown’s first urban park.
Luis
Salcedo
California
South Soccer Leagues
Cal South
is a 501c(3) California public benefit corporation and is
the official youth and adult state soccer association of the
U.S. Soccer Federation and U.S. Youth Soccer.
Martha
Sanchez
28th
Street School Site Council
Sanchez is
an experienced and effective neighborhood activist and
pre-law student. The ACORN leader is bilingual and
represents neighbors, parents and children’s quality of life
issues in South L.A.
Frances Stronks
AYSO
Stronks
directs the AYSO section covering almost all of California
south of Santa Barbara. There are 13 sections nationally in
AYSO.
Carrie
Sutkin
Urban
Assessment Planners
As Field
Director for Supervisor Molina for more than 15 years,
Sutkin worked on regional and local funding initiatives to
create new parks and improve existing facilities.
She now writes grant and provides technical
assistance for the Verde Coalition, PFP and other groups
dedicated to improving land use and parks in Central, South
and East Los Angeles.
Stephanie
Taylor
Green L.A.
Taylor is
a founding member of the Verde Coalition and a founding
Board Member of the Neighborhood Land Trust. She has worked
for New Economics for Women and Center City Partners, and
now works to ensure that environmental groups have access to
policy-makers through Green L.A.
Bethany
Ulrich
Community
Health Councils
Ulrich
engages residents to remove barriers to health through
Coalition for an Active South L.A., and is developing
community standards for healthy parks as an engagement and
advocacy tool to eliminate health disparities. In addition,
she is an active leader in the Greater Baldwin Hills
Alliance, which advocates for
health standards and increased park space at the Baldwin
Hills Oil Field and in the Verde Coalition.
John
Weinerth
California
South Soccer Leagues
Cal South
represents 230 Member Leagues and Clubs comprising our
membership of more than 160,000 registered players, coaches,
referees and league administrators. The organization extends
from San Luis Obispo to San Diego and provides recreational
and competitive opportunities for players of all ages,
genders and skill levels.
Teague
Weybright
Los
Angeles Conservation Corps
The
Conservation Corps’
primary mission is to provide at-risk young adults and
school-aged youth opportunities for success through job
training, education and work experience with an emphasis on
conservation and service projects that benefit the
community. Over the past 23 years, LACC has been building
parks, playgrounds, community gardens, planting trees and
restoring native habitat throughout L.A. County.
Brent
Whittlesey
AYSO
Volunteer
commissioner of the AYSO region in Los Feliz, he organizes
free soccer camps for children in Watts and San Pedro and
established the AYSO soccer program at Markham Middle
School.
Mark
Wilson
Coalition
for Responsible Community Development
In
addition to providing graffiti removal and beautification
services to the Central Avenue Business Corridor, CRCD is
convener of the LISC-sponsored Sustainability Plan for
Southeast Los Angeles and the Central Avenue Corridor which
emphasizes improvements to public health and safety through
improved management of existing parks.
Sean Woods
City of Los Angeles Department
of Parks and Recreation
Woods
oversaw the planning process for first two new state parks
in Los Angeles in decades, at the former Taylor Yards and
Cornfields Rail yards.
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