SCG's 2023 Annual Conference - REIMAGINE Our Economy

Stephen Cheung is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) and its subsidiary, the World Trade Center Los Angeles (WTCLA). As CEO of the LAEDC, Mr. Cheung brings together the capabilities of LAEDC’s mission-delivery department areas, including the Institute for Applied Economics (Research), Business Assistance, Industry Cluster Development, Workforce Development, World Trade Center Los Angeles (International), Strategic Relations, Communications & Marketing, and Public Policy, into a single team that delivers the LAEDC’s critically important, public-benefit mission—reinventing Prior to joining LAEDC and WTCLA, Cheung was the Secretary General and Managing Director of International Trade and Foreign Affairs for Los Angeles Mayors Eric Garcetti and Antonio Villaraigosa and was responsible for managing policies and programs related to the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports, International Affairs, Global Trade and Clean Technology. Cheung currently sits on the Board of Advisors of UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA Extension, Coro Southern California and Sister Cities of Los Angeles, while also serving on the Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board.

Mike de la Rocha is one of the most effective change makers of our generation with over two decades of experience as an organizer, strategist, and artist. As co-founder and CEO of Revolve Impact, a movement-driven creative impact agency, he is behind several of the largest policy victories and cultural shifts in America. Mike’s impact portfolio includes serving as Director of Strategic Partnerships for Californians for Safety and Justice, Senior Legislative Deputy for former Los Angeles City Council Member (and current U.S. Congressman) Tony Cárdenas, and Policy Advisor for the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission. In 2020, alongside Emmy-nominated actor Richard Cabral, Mike launched Tepito Coffee, one of the fastest growing Latinx owned and operated coffee companies in the United States. Mike's work in utilizing music and culture for social change spans four continents where he has worked alongside notable cultural icons such as Harry Belafonte, Dolores Huerta, and John Legend. He is one of GOOD Magazine's top 100 people changing the world, recipient of the AFL- CIO's Justice, Peace and Freedom Award, and a top innovator in America, as listed by Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Anne Ellegood has been the Good Works Executive Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA) since September 2019. Prior to that, she was the Senior Curator at the Hammer Museum for ten years, where in addition to organizing exhibitions and building the collection, she oversaw the Hammer Projects series and the Public Engagement program. She has also held curatorial posts at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden in Washington DC and the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City. In 2021, she co-curated the group exhibition Witch Hunt with Connie Butler, Chief Curator at the Hammer Museum, presented at both institutions. At the Hammer, she organized Made in L.A. 2018 (co-curated with Erin Christovale); Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World (2017; traveled to the Walker Art Center, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Remai Modern in Saskatoon); and Take It or Leave It: Institution, Image, Ideology (2014; co-curated with Johanna Burton); as well as numerous other solo exhibitions, including those with Diana Al-Hadid, Kevin Beasley, Shannon Ebner, Latifa Echakhch, Charles Gaines, Friedrich Kunath, Yunhee Min, John Outterbridge, Tschabalala Self, Frances Upritchard, and Lily van der Stokker. Ellegood serves on the Board of Directors of the non-profit arts organization JOAN in Los Angeles and on advisory committees for the Center for Art, Research, and Alliances (CARA) in New York City and Protocinema in New York City and Istanbul. Ellegood received her MA in Curatorial Practice from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and was a 2020 Fellow at the Center for Curatorial Leadership.

Natalie Foster is author of the forthcoming book The Guarantee and is the President and co-founder of the Economic Security Project, an ideas advocacy organization that builds economic power for all Americans. She’s a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative, and former director at Obama’s Organizing for America, MoveOn.org and Sierra Club. She is based in Oakland.

Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez has 17 years of experience conducting quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation projects. In 2010, she co-authored a ground-breaking report on the prevalence of wage theft and workplace violations among low-wage workers in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. She also co-authored the first comprehensive study on transportation network companies in Los Angeles. At the Labor Center, she is leading the expansion of the Labor Center’s workforce development area of work, with a focus on building a high road economy and prosperity for all through research, education, evaluation, and coalition and movement building. Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez connects the Labor Center’s work to statewide systemic change initiatives making the workforce development system more accessible and easy to navigate for worker organizations serving marginalized communities in California. Recently, she co-led the development and implementation of the HRTP initiative in California, and has co-produced documents on the HRTP framework and model. Prior to joining the Labor Center, Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez was the Project Coordinator of the UC Irvine Community and Labor Project. At UCI, she conducted a wage theft study on low-wage workers in Orange County and was a lecturer at the Law School. Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez earned a dual B.A. in Economics and Social Science with a specialization in Public and Community Service and a minor in Spanish from UCI. She earned her Master’s and Ph.D. in Urban Planning from UCLA. 

Bulbul Gupta, MPP is President & CEO of Pacific Community Ventures, where she previously served as a Board member, coming in to support our first Good Jobs strategy. Bulbul is a mission-driven leader, passionate about making markets and technology work for social equity, and the future of workers. Her 20 years of experience in funding and advising entrepreneurs, advancing quality jobs, and growing the field of impact investing for equity and inclusion has led PCV to double their community investing and business advising portfolios empowering small business entrepreneurs across the country, and re-committed our mission to addressing racial wealth gaps through a good jobs agenda. Bulbul also serves as a Lecturer in Impact Investing at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and in 2021 was named one of the Most Influential Women in the Bay Area by the SF Business Times.

She recently served as an outside policy advisor to the Biden-Harris campaign on small business, racial equity, and good job creation; and was an Entrepreneurship Policy Advisor to the Clinton Campaign in 2016. She also formerly led Entrepreneurship & Impact Investing at the Clinton Global Initiative, where she led their revised impact metrics effort, and alignment with the launch of the SDGs, including on building out indicators and targets for Decent Work and Jobs – a top priority for President Clinton. She served on the Board of Upaya Social Ventures,an impact fund investing in bottom-of-the-pyramid entrepreneurs in India, to create dignified good jobs for the ultra-poor. She led private sector partnerships at The Asia Foundation, coordinated strategy and budget for fragile states economic recovery, and public-private partnerships at USAID. Bulbul has served on MacArthur Foundation’s Place-Based Investing and the Global Social Good/G8 Impact Investing task forces, advised the Open Road Alliance family office,and helped launch the White House National Advisory Board on Impact Investing in 2013.

Gaby Hernandez (she/her) serves as the Executive Director for ORALE Organizing Rooted in Abolition Liberation and Empowerment. Gaby was born and lived in Mexico City until she was twelve years old and moved to Oceanside, CA where she grew up before moving to Long Beach eight years ago. Her life experiences as an undocumented woman have fueled her passion and commitment for social justice and immigrant rights. She’s an abolitionist who believes in the importance of people power and grassroots organizing in order to make real systemic change. Gaby received her Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a minor in International Studies from California State University, Long Beach.

Andraéa LaVant is a nationally and internationally sought-after disability inclusion expert. She is widely recognized for spearheading a global disability justice movement as impact producer for Netflix’s Oscar-nominated film, Crip Camp, executive produced by President Barack and Mrs. Michelle Obama. Andraéa is founder and president of LaVant Consulting, Inc. (LCI), a social impact communications firm that offers cutting-edge corporate development and content marketing for brands and nonprofits. LCI’s specialty is helping brands “speak disability with confidence.” Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC, Essence.com, the Root, Paper Magazine, and a host of other national media. As a black, disabled woman, Andraéa champions intersectionality and is committed to working toward a future where ALL people, particularly disabled people of color, are seen and valued in culture and society at-large.

Vivienne Lee is an L.A. native and passionate about creating equitable opportunities and access for all. As Senior Advisor, Vivienne is focused on advancing the efforts of Common Future to change the structures, terms, rules, and norms of utilizing investment capital to better serve our communities.

Vivienne joins Common Future from REDF where she built partnerships and created pilot programs that served as models as REDF scaled a social enterprise ecosystem nationwide. Vivienne was the lead architect of LA:RISE, a nationally recognized collaborative model that integrated the traditional workforce system and social enterprises to systematically address the overwhelming needs of homeless and re-entry populations. Prior to joining REDF, Vivienne led Citi Community Development’s efforts managing a philanthropic portfolio of grantees in Los Angeles focused on affordable housing, homeownership, small business, and financial inclusion in low-income communities.

Vivienne started her career as an Americorps VISTA volunteer, with the Hawaii Alliance for Community Based Economic Development, helping low-income families in Hawaii build wealth and assets through matched savings accounts. She earned a Master’s Degree in City Planning from MIT and attended Occidental College.

Jan Masaoka is CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits), a statewide policy alliance of more than 10,000 nonprofits speaking to government, philanthropy, and the public at large.

Through active policy, educational, and research work, California works with legislators and regulators to strengthen the economic and regulatory climate for nonprofits. CalNonprofits has offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento, and through our social enterprise, we are also a full-service insurance broker and provide health insurance to more than 25,000 nonprofit staff.

Jan is a leading writer and thinker on nonprofit organizations with particular emphasis on boards of directors, business planning, and the role of nonprofits in society. Her books include Best of the Board Café (Fieldstone), Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability, co-author (Jossey Bass) and The Nonprofit's Guide to HR (Nolo Press). Jan founded and wrote Blue Avocado magazine, growing it to 64,000 subscribers, before leaving in late 2015.

Prior to CalNonprofits, she served 14 years as executive director of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services in which position she was named Nonprofit Executive of the Year by Nonprofit Times. She is an eight-time designee as one of the "Fifty Most Influential" people in the nonprofit sector nationwide and was named California Community Leader of the Year by Leadership California. Her volunteer work includes having served as chair of Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center and founding chair of Community Initiatives; she currently serves on the boards of the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network and the Japantown Garage. She will be leaving CalNonprofits after 12 years at the end of September, 2023

Autumn McDonald is a senior fellow & head of New America CA at New America where her work focuses on issues of economic equity, community engagement, resident voice, policy influence, and narrative change. McDonald’s writing has been published by numerous media outlets, including Slate, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Project Syndicate, Pacific Standard, CalMatters, and Britannica Parents.

McDonald has more than two decades of experience working on strategy, advocacy, civic innovation, and social impact. Before joining New America, McDonald served as a senior advisor to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee through the FUSE Corps executive fellowship.
During that time she led the women's economic empowerment agenda, shaping policies and public-private initiatives to improve economic opportunity for women and families throughout the Bay Area. Prior to that, McDonald worked with FSG, a social impact consulting firm focused on foundations. 

McDonald serves on the board of Women’s Foundation of California and as Chair of the board for Lincoln Families. She has a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a master’s from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a master’s from the Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy.

Joseph Tomás Mckellar is Executive Director of PICO California, the largest faith-based organizing network in the state, whose mission is to catalyze faith-based and spiritually-centered people power across California to create systemic change for the most vulnerable so that all Californians can belong and thrive. PICO builds power across race, faith, and class with congregations and spiritually-rooted individuals who take action for racial and economic justice.

In his role, Joseph provides strategic leadership to 10 multi-faith, multi-racial community organizations representing 450,000 Californians, and accompanies a talented staff team running power building and leadership programs for 2,500 grassroots volunteers.

He also helps lead PICO’s Faith Votes campaign, dedicated to building a more robust democracy by significantly expanding the California electorate to include millions more young voters, low-income voters, and voters of color around a vision for an economy of belonging.

Joseph guides PICO’s statewide campaigns to transform the criminal justice system, protect and promote immigrant families, increase affordable and family-sustaining housing, advance structural tax reform, and care for our common home.

Joseph founded and directed Faith in New York and Faith in the Valley, which are members of the Faith in Action National Network. Joseph previously worked as a Community Organizer in San Diego and Orange County, as an Assistant Teacher with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Boston.

Joseph is a first-generation college graduate from the University of San Diego, and is a fellow of the Civil Society Fellowship, a partnership of The Anti-Defamation League and The Aspen Institute.

Dr. Manuel Pastor is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, where he directs the Equity Research Institute. Pastor has co-authored many books, including his latest volume with Chris Benner, Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter. Pastor is the inaugural holder of the Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change at USC, is a member of the California Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, and was awarded the Wally Marks Changemaker of the Year in 2012 from the Liberty Hill Foundation in recognition of his many research partnerships with social justice organizations.

Marc was named executive director of the California Black Freedom Fund in April 2022, bringing more than a decade of leadership in advocacy working with grassroots organizations to build power for racial justice.

Prior to joining the California Black Freedom Fund, Marc led the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color. Under his leadership, the Alliance successfully advanced more than 100 state policies and established powerful partnerships with the California Senate and Assembly Select Committees on the Status of Boys and Men of Color and the California Funders for Boys and Men of Color. Through Marc’s leadership, the Alliance broadened its focus to include fighting for gender justice and ending intimate partner violence by addressing misogyny and patriarchy, as well as racial equity.

Through these experiences, Marc has gained deep campaign and policy expertise across a wide array of issues, including public health and violence prevention, community safety, education, youth justice, economic equity, and civic engagement. Marc serves on the board of directors for the California Immigrant Policy Center, Partners for Dignity and Rights, the Schott Foundation for Public Education, and is on the advisory committee for the University of Southern California’s Equity Research Institute.

Anne E. Price is Co-President and Founder of The Maven Collaborative. She previously served as President and a Director of the Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative at The Insight Center for Community Economic Development. Anne was one of the first national thought leaders to examine and push for narrative change in addressing race, gender and wealth inequality. She was also one of the first experts to make the connection between criminal/civil legal system debt and racial wealth inequality by focusing on state-sponsored child support debt. Anne is an experienced researcher, advocate and trainer. She has spent 30 years in the public sector working in a wide range of areas including child welfare, hunger, welfare reform, workforce development, community development and higher education.
Anne’s work has been featured in the New York Times, The Nation, The Washington Post, The Mercury News, Citylab, O Magazine, the Stanford Social Innovation Review and other publications.
Anne holds a B.A. in Economics from Hampton University and a M.A. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the Milano School of Management and Urban Policy at The New School in New York City.

JON LAWRENCE RIVERA is the Founding Artistic Director of Playwrights’ Arena and the recipient of the first Career Achievement Award from Stage Raw. Jon also leads the Artistic Directors of Color Alliance – Greater Los Angeles (ADCA). He directed the following world premieres for Playwrights’ Arena: APARTMENT LIVING by Boni B. Alvarez, A HIT DOG WILL HOLLER by Inda Craig-Galván (both part of collaborative season with Skylight Theatre), MARCH (a co-production with the LA LGBT Center), SOUTHERNMOST by Mary Lyon Kamitaki, BABY EYES by Donald Jolly, @THE SPEEDOFJAKE by Jennifer Maisel, CINNAMON GIRL by Velina Hasu Houston and Nathan Wang, THE ANATOMY OF GAZELLAS by Janine Salinas Schoenberg, GIRL MOST LIKELY TO by Michael Premrirat, and Euripides’ HELEN by Nick Salamone (at the Getty Villa). Other recent work includes: KIM’S CONVENIENCE by Ins Choi at Laguna Playhouse, ANNA IN THE TROPICS by Nilo Cruz at Open Fist Theater; THE SONNETTEER and SEA CHANGE both by Nick Salamone at the LA LGBT Center; THE JOY LUCK CLUB by Susan Kim, THE LAST FIVE YEARS by Jason Robert Brown, and CRIERS FOR HIRE by Giovanni Ortega at East West Players; HONEYMOON IN VEGAS by Jason Robert Brown and A CLASS ACT by Ed Kleban for Musical Theatre Guild; BINGO HALL by Dillon Chitto, FAIRLY TRACEABLE by Mary Kathryn Nagle, and STAND-OFF AT HWY #37 by Vickie Ramirez for Native Voices at the Autry; The landmark Los Angeles Premiere of DOGEATERS by Jessica Hagedorn at SIPA and Krik Douglas Theatre. Rivera is also the recipient of a NY Fringe Festival Award (for directng HILLARY AGONISGTES), an LA Weekly Award (for directing SEA CHANGE), and five Ovation Award nominations.

Flor Rodriguez is a workers’ rights advocate who brings over 12 years of experience in coalition building, organizing, and leadership development to CLEAN. Flor joined CLEAN as a Community Organizer in 2012 but quickly took great leadership. As Executive Director, Flor led CLEAN’s transformation from a campaign into the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center. Prior to CLEAN, Flor worked at the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California (IDEPSCA), conducting community outreach to businesses around the day laborer movement. She soon became the Program Manager for IDEPSCA’s six (6) Day Laborer Centers. Flor immigrated from Durango, Mexico, and has lived in Los Angeles since 1992. She is the daughter of immigrant workers and the eldest of two siblings. In her free time, she likes to travel with her husband and children.

In November 2021, Dr. Thomas became the first Associate Director of the Inland Empire Black Worker Center (IEBWC), later becoming its inaugural Executive Director in October 2022. His background includes 12 years as a higher education professor and administrator and over three decades as a senior pastor. Dr. Thomas also held notable roles, including being a Board Member for the Los Angeles Southwest College Foundation, HR Leadership Development Consultant for the City of Rialto, Commissioner for the City of Fontana Parks and Community Services, and Director of Faith and Community for Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson.

With a diverse educational background, including degrees in higher education leadership (PhD), Pan African studies (DMin), divinity/family life (MDiv), business (MBA), and accounting/theology (BA), Dr. Thomas brings a unique skill set to his leadership role, spanning nonprofits, civic leadership, advocacy, community organizing, research, and policy work.

Dr. Thomas has been happily married to his wife Debbie for 37 years, with three adult children and two grandchildren. His leisure activities include travel, watersports, billiards, enjoying 60s-80s R&B music, playing board games, and attending Vegan food fairs.

Dr. Thomas is deeply committed to championing the principles of racial equity, worker advocacy, and meaningful workforce development while empowering workers. His overarching vision encompasses the centralization of worker voices and experiences, aiming to establish clear pathways toward family-sustaining wage opportunities in partnership with High Roads employers. Additionally, he is dedicated to fostering collaboration among community, public, private, and industry stakeholders who share aligned values.