Solutions for a More Livable Future

Ben Metcalf

Ben Metcalf is the Managing Director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley where he leads the expansion and deepening of Terner Center’s work addressing housing affordability challenges through rigorous research and policy analysis. In addition, he holds an appointment as Associate Research Professor with UC Berkeley’s Department of City and Regional Planning and serves as Practice Director for UC Berkeley’s Abbey Master of Real Estate Development + Design. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of Terner Labs, a nonprofit organization formed in 2021 to advance the applied innovation work of the Terner Center.

In 2015, Ben was appointed by former Governor Jerry Brown to lead California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), a role he held until 2019. During his tenure at the State, Ben played an instrumental role in the passage and implementation of the 2017 Housing Package and oversaw the Department during a period of significant expansion of the state’s financial and regulatory reach into housing and land use matters. In addition, he served on the board of directors of the California Housing Partnership Corporation, the California Housing Finance Agency, and was the founding chair of the State of California’s Homelessness Coordinating and Finance Council. Prior to joining HCD, Ben worked in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., including as an appointee of President Obama in the role of Deputy Assistant Secretary overseeing HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs. His responsibilities included oversight of the Federal Housing Administration multifamily guaranteed loan portfolio and a subsidized affordable housing portfolio representing 30,000 multifamily properties across the U.S. As senior advisor to the FHA Commissioner on multifamily housing, he developed key Administration priorities related to energy efficiency, housing for the elderly, disabled and formerly homeless, and comprehensive neighborhood revitalization. Before that, he developed mixed-income and mixed-use communities with California-based BRIDGE Housing Corporation. He had day-to-day responsibility for a portfolio of major projects from initial due diligence and site acquisition through approvals, design and construction, bringing forward ~$125 million in development activity and played key roles in successfully securing environmental and land use approvals for four major Bay Area land opportunities representing ~$1.5 billion of new development.

He holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Urban Planning from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College and was an inaugural Fellow at the Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania.

Celia Smoot

Ms. Smoot has over 20 years of experience in affordable housing with an expertise focus on finance and regulatory compliance. She is currently the Senior Vice President at KeyBank heading up LIHTC Multifund, Preservation and SBIC investments. Prior to KeyBank, Celia served as Vice President at National Affordable Housing Trust focused on various duties including developing focused funds for BIPOC developers, providing technical support to nonprofit organizations and housing authorities and managing Y15 dispositions. She also served as Director of LISC Housing and managed a national team setting housing strategy and policy as well as structuring, raising capital and managing housing funds. An attorney, she has a strong background in affordable housing and community development real estate finance. Prior to joining LISC, she was an attorney with HUD, Hessel, Aluise, and O’Leary, P.C., a private national law firm with an affordable housing focus, and with Kutak Rock, LLP, in their tax credit practice group. She received a J.D. from The George Washington University and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Tomiquia Moss

Tomiquia Moss is the Secretary of California’s Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. As Secretary, Tomiquia leads and oversees 12 entities, including 40 boards and bureaus, collectively responsible for the preservation and expansion of safe, affordable housing, efforts to prevent and end homelessness, protect consumers, and safeguard Californians’ civil rights. Tomiquia brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and public sectors with expertise in housing and homelessness, public policy, civil rights, and community development.

Prior to her appointment as Secretary, Tomiquia founded and led All Home, a Bay Area organization advancing regional solutions to disrupt the cycles that perpetuate homelessness and poverty. She was the CEO of Hamilton Families, which offers emergency, transitional, and permanent housing services for families experiencing homelessness. She previously served directly under the mayors of both San Francisco and Oakland, and as the Executive Director of the HOPE SF Initiative.

Tomiquia has been the board president for both SPUR and the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California. She co-chaired the Bay Area Council’s Homelessness Committee, and the statewide Black Leadership Council. She also served as an Advisory Committee member for the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority from its inception until her appointment as Secretary. She remains a board member of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation.

Tiena Johnson Hall

Tiena Johnson Hall joined the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) as General Manager in January 2025. She brings a strong professional background to this role, having served in various leadership positions for financial, banking, and housing organizations including Bank of the West, U.S. Bank, Abode Communities, and Bank of America Community Lending. Ms. Hall also served as Director of Major Projects at the Los Angeles Housing Department in 2004-2005.

Tiena Johnson Hall was appointed as Executive Director of the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA), the state’s affordable housing lender, by California Governor Gavin Newsom in July 2021. In that role, she worked to further the Agency’s mission to invest in diverse communities with financing programs that help more Californians have a place to call home. As part of her role, Ms. Johnson Hall engaged mortgage lenders, affordable housing developers, federal, state and local government agencies, advocacy organizations, public officials and representatives from the private financing markets to work collaboratively to create housing options for more low- and moderate-income Californians.

Prior to her appointment at CalHFA, Ms. Johnson Hall served on the CalHFA Board of Directors from 2014 and was the Senior Vice President and Manager of Community Development Finance for BBVA now a member of PNC Bank. She also serves on various housing and financial Boards and Councils, including the Federal Housing Finance Agency Advisory Committee on Affordable, Equitable and Sustainable Housing, National Housing Conference National Advisory Council, and UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council. Ms. Hall is a former Board Member for California Interagency Council on Homelessness (2021 – 2024), and California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, CDLAC (2021 – 2024).

Ms. Johnson Hall received her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Howard University and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Redlands. She is a proud lifelong member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. She brings a commitment to produce affordable housing and an expertise in housing and finance policy to her role as General Manager of LAHD.

Tia Boatman Patterson

Tia Boatman Patterson is the President and CEO of California Community Reinvestment Corporation (CCRC), a nonprofit Community Development Finance Institution, that provides financing and technical assistance to developers and owners of affordable housing in California. She joined CCRC in December 2022, bringing over 25 years of experience in housing and community development public policy and finance.

Before joining CCRC, she was appointed by President Biden to serve as the Associate Director of Housing, Treasury, & Commerce in the Executive Office of the President Office of Management & Budget. From 2014 to 2021 Ms. Patterson served as the Executive Director of California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA), where she led the agency’s mission to create and preserve more affordable housing for low- and moderate-income Californians. Under her leadership, CalHFA increased its homeownership assistance by more than tenfold, reaching over 13,000 families and $4 billion in mortgages in 2020. She also expanded the agency’s multifamily lending and rental housing programs, creating and preserving over 60,000 affordable homes in six years. She was recognized nationally by state housing finance agencies serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Council of State Housing Agencies from 2018 to 2020. On June 5, 2024, she was awarded the 2024 Housing Visionary Award at the National Housing Conference for her diligent and needle-moving work in affordable housing that has a lasting impact through her visionary leadership and tireless advocacy.

With a legal and legislative staff background in housing and community development, she has leveraged her policy expertise and practitioner skills to build partnerships, establish trust, and collaborate with policymakers, and stakeholders, in both the government and the private sector. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific – McGeorge School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from San Diego State University. She is licensed to practice law in California and the District of Columbia.

Ryan Johnson

Mr. Johnson has had a distinguished career in private equity, real estate developer and operator and non-profit real estate organizations. He was Vice President of Acquisitions for Whitehall Capital a $2 billion-dollar opportunistic real estate private equity fund focused on distressed real estate and special credit situations. He oversaw multifamily developments and value-add office investments for the Ashforth family including structuring and securing joint-venture partners. He ran a $800 million-dollar private equity fund for Pacific Investment Mutual Company (PIMCO) focused on multifamily development, office and multifamily value add investments targeting the Southwest and Midwest of the United States.

Mr. Johnson also co-created LISC Strategic Investment (SEC Registered Investment Advisor for national CDFI), oversaw the growth of the Greenville Housing Fund (a South Carolina non-profit) from $5 million dollars to $100 million dollar organization including taking the entity into the bond market.

Prior to LACAHSA, he was CEO & Principal of Fulham Square, a real estate owner & operator focused on mixed-income housing in the Southeast and Southwest of the United States.

Reynold Hoover

Reynold Hoover is the CEO of LA28, the Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. He oversees the planning, delivery and execution of the Games and was appointed to the role in June of 2024.

Hoover’s held various senior civilian roles in the US federal government and leadership positions in the US military in addition as a three-star Lieutenant General. He’s led the United States through the most complex logistics operations and was awarded the highest non-combat award in the Defense Department.

Hoover graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds master’s degrees in public and Private Management from Birmingham Southern College, and in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. He received his law degree from The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law.

Pete Rodriguez

United Brotherhood of Carpenters Western District Vice-President

Pete Rodriguez joined the United Brotherhood of Carpenters on December 23, 1996, as Heavy Highway Bridge Carpenter/Form Setter and at the recommendation of his father, a Union Laborer. His career started twenty-eight years ago as an apprentice carpenter. He completed the Carpenters Apprenticeship Program, where his specialty was bridge and concrete form setting. He worked on such high-profile projects as Disney’s California Adventure and the 241 Toll Road.

Pete was hired by the Carpenters/Contractors Cooperation Committee (C/CCC), a labor-management organization committed to cracking down on civil and criminal underground economy practices, in 2001 as a Committee Representative and later became Team Coordinator. As its Team Coordinator, he worked closely with local, state and federal enforcement agencies across the Southwest, including the California and Nevada Labor Commissioner’s Offices; the California Attorney General’s Office; multiple District Attorney’s Offices and the U.S. Department of Labor, and oversaw the compliance with the law and a level playing bidding field in the construction industry. Pete was with the C/CCC for 15 years.

In 2016 Pete was hired as an Administrative Assistant for the SW Regional Council of Carpenters, where key achievements included: overseeing a regional leadership development program, spearheading the “Criminal Colorado” campaign to address rampant industry fraud in

Colorado, which resulted in the Governor’s Executive Order for a Joint Enforcement Task Force on Payroll Fraud and Employee Misclassification in the Construction Industry; and organizing the Southern California Tilt-Up concrete industry to increase market share and elevate working conditions for all carpenters in that market.

Pete went on to serve as President, and Executive Secretary-Treasurer/CEO of the Southwest Mountain States Regional Council of Carpenters. He was the first Latino EST of the SWMSRCC.

Pete is also serves as a Trustee on the Carpenters’ Health and Welfare, Pension, Vacation and Training Funds.

In January 2023 Pete was appointed as the Western District Vice President of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. In this role, WDVP Rodriguez assists the West Coast Regional Councils – Hawaii, Northern California, and Western States – with programs, culture initiatives, and new opportunities for better Union jobs, wages, and benefits for 130,500 members and their families. He’s also focusing on increasing membership for minorities and women and overall retention of Western District members.

Pete is a first-generation U.S. citizen.

Nicole Williams

Executive Director, LISC LA

Nicole Williams leads the LISC LA office, which has invested nearly $1.6 billion over the past 36 years to support affordable housing, small businesses, economic development, health, education, and job creation throughout Los Angeles

Williams’ diverse background spans finance, government, and community-focused nonprofits, all of which she draws on to guide LISC LA’s work. Most recently, she served as senior vice president and head of nonprofit banking at Banc of California, where she built a business line focused on nonprofits and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in California.

Prior to that, Williams spent nine years at J.P. Morgan, where she worked closely with top CDFIs across the nation as Executive Director of the Commercial Bank’s Intermediary Lending team. During her time at J.P. Morgan, she played a key role in the development and closure of the $100 million Entrepreneurs of Color Loan Fund, an impact investment initiative created in collaboration with LISC to accelerate capital flow to LMI-led businesses. Earlier in her career, she worked in the Government Banking group, providing treasury and credit solutions to municipal clients in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.

In addition to her financial expertise, Williams brings a deep understanding of public service and local government. She spent a decade in various roles with city and county agencies, including serving as Senior Director of Economic Development under Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Williams holds an MBA from the Graziadio Business School at Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is also an alumna of the Los Angeles African American Women in Public Policy Leadership Institute.

Lourdes Castro Ramírez

Lourdes Castro Ramírez is an executive leader with a proven track record of impact across federal, state, and local government. As President and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), she leads the nation’s second-largest public housing agency, serving over 200,000 people.

Her career is defined by high-level service, including an appointment by President Barack Obama to lead HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing and serving as under Governor Newsom as Secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

A strategic advisor to Mayor Karen Bass, Castro Ramírez specializes in scaling affordable housing production and building regional coalitions to solve homelessness.

She holds a Master’s in Urban Planning and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from UCLA.

Liam Dillon

Liam Dillon is a reporter for POLITICO covering housing in California.

He focuses on rebuilding in Los Angeles after the devastating wildfires in January 2025 and writes about broader issues surrounding affordability and homelessness across the state.

Liam has over 15 years of experience writing about politics and policy in California, with a specialty in housing reporting. He’s covered dire living conditions in Los Angeles’ Skid Row, opulence in Silicon Valley enclaves and freeway displacement in Houston and Tampa.

His work has won multiple awards and led to new laws and public policy changes. Liam frequently offers expert analysis on California housing issues on panels and in state and national media, and for five years co-hosted the Gimme Shelter California Housing Crisis podcast.

Before joining POLITICO, Liam worked for nearly a decade at the Los Angeles Times. He’s also reported on local government for news outlets in Southwest Florida and San Diego. Liam is a graduate of Georgetown University and grew up outside Philadelphia.

Mayor Karen Bass

Mayor Karen Bass has led the nation’s second largest city with unprecedented urgency that has delivered results for all Angelenos.

Thousands more unhoused Angelenos have come inside in her first year than the year before, leading to a reported drop in homelessness for the first time in years.

Under the Mayor’s leadership, LAPD received record numbers of applicants while homicides and violent crime decreased. 100,000 more city services like pothole repair and graffiti removal have been provided. Thousands of businesses opened. Hundreds of millions of dollars were secured through locking arms with state and federal partners as Los Angeles continues to urgently lead on climate.

Mayor Bass was elected to make change for the people of Los Angeles by breaking with the status quo to deliver for the people of Los Angeles.

Dr. Julio Frenk

A fourth-generation physician whose paternal grandparents fled Germany in the early 1930s to build a new life in Mexico, Julio Frenk catalyzed his deep gratitude for the kindness of strangers into a lifelong mission to improve the health, education and well-being of people around the world.

Dr. Frenk became the seventh chancellor of UCLA on January 1, 2025. He also holds an academic appointment as distinguished professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management within the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Prior to joining UCLA, he served as president of the University of Miami from 2015 to 2024, where he was also a tenured faculty member. From 2009 to 2015 he was the dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the T & G Angelopoulos Professor of Public Health and International Development, a joint appointment with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He is the first Latino to lead these institutions of higher education.

Julio Frenk served as the federal secretary of Health of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. There he pursued an ambitious agenda to reform the nation’s health system and introduced a program of comprehensive universal coverage, known as Seguro Popular, which expanded access to health care for more than 55 million previously uninsured persons.

He was the founding director-general of the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico, one of the leading institutions of its kind in the developing world. He also served as executive director in charge of evidence and information for policy at the World Health Organization and as senior fellow in the global health program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among other leadership positions.

Chancellor Frenk holds a medical degree from the National University of Mexico, as well as a master of public health and a joint Ph.D. in medical care organization and in sociology from the University of Michigan. He has received honorary degrees from eleven universities in the United States, Canada, Europe and Mexico.

His scholarly production, which includes close to 200 articles in academic journals, as well as many books and book chapters, has been cited more than 37,000 times. In addition, he has written five novels for young people explaining the functions of the human body.

Frenk is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Medicine of Mexico and El Colegio Nacional (the most prestigious learned society of scientists, intellectuals and artists in Mexico). He has received numerous recognitions, including the Clinton Global Citizen Award for changing the way practitioners and policy makers across the world think about health, the Bouchet Medal for Outstanding Leadership presented by Yale University for promoting diversity in graduate education, and the Welch-Rose Award for Distinguished Service from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. In 2024, he was named one of TIME magazine’s top Latino leaders for his contributions to public health and higher education.

John Ackerman

John Ackerman is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), and has oversight of Los Angeles International (LAX) and Van Nuys (VNY) airports.

Ackerman has over 30 years of experience in the aviation industry. He most recently served as Executive Vice President of Global Strategy and Development for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), where he was part of the team that expanded the organization’s global footprint by driving the first-ever cargo strategy — a multi-year program focused on Asia-Latin America trade flows. His team also designed and launched the first online parking system with dynamic pricing offered at a U.S. airport, and grew the business to be DFW’s largest source of earnings. Additionally, he helped develop a data and analytics strategy that led to the creation of the airport’s first data science team, deploying Data360 across the enterprise and consolidating all data in a single data lake.

Prior to his time at DFW, Ackerman served as Chief Commercial Officer for Denver International Airport (DEN), where he led teams that transformed the customer experience at every touchpoint. During his tenure, he launched new retail and restaurant concepts that transformed DEN’s customer offerings, while augmenting same-location sales; led the airport’s first major expansion since its establishment — a multi-modal infrastructure project critical to connecting DEN to the central business district; and secured the largest capacity and network growth in over 15 years, inaugurating the airport as a mega hub for United Airlines and Southwest Airlines.

Ackerman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Duke University. He is also a trained pilot and veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.

James Stanley

As Executive Vice President, Division Manager, Jim provides invaluable leadership over Suffolk’s portfolio of sector work and serves as a key resource for both clients and project teams. With 23 years of working in the industry, his expertise and in-depth understanding of client objectives consistently ensures project success. He is accountable for meeting all financial and schedule objectives, planning all staffing and technical resources, and ensuring that all preconstruction and construction activities are executed with optimal efficiency.

Jim is currently overseeing multiple notable projects, including Evermont – a seven-story mixed-use complex with affordable housing and commercial anchor space; and AC + Moxy Hotels – a mixed-use development featuring two separate select service hotels and conference center space adjacent to the Los Angeles Convention Center, to name a few.

Stanley’s leadership and operational skills are critical to providing effective guidance for the project team. He started his career as a project and field engineer and quickly moved up the ranks as a project manager, a project executive, and VP of operations. In 2020, he was named chief operations officer, running all the operations for Los Angeles. His client relationships speak for themselves and are at the core of his success.

Jim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from San Diego State University.

Jacqueline Waggoner

As president of Enterprise Community Partners’ Solutions Division, Jacqueline manages a team of more than 300, leading the company’s programmatic, policy and advisory work in alignment with its strategic priorities: increasing housing supply, advancing racial equity and building upward mobility and resilience. From working on the ground with local partners in hundreds of communities nationwide, to advocating for affordable housing policy at the highest levels of government, Jacqueline maximizes Enterprise’s impact across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Joining Enterprise in 2005, Jacqueline has testified before Congress on key policy priorities and led advocacy on critical issues like vouchers and source of income discrimination. She also manages Equitable Path Forward, Enterprise’s $3.5 billion initiative to address racial inequities in the real estate industry. During her previous tenure as Vice President of the Southern California Market, she deployed capital, intellectual resources, and capacity building tools to invest more than $1.3 billion across the state’s Central Coast to San Diego. Tapping into more than two decades of experience in commercial real estate lending, Jacqueline works across the country with banks, collaboratives, policymakers and nonprofit partners to fund affordable housing, advocate for low-income families and advance Enterprise’s vision of making communities places of pride, power and belonging.

Jacqueline serves on a number of public, nonprofit and advisory boards, including the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Advisory Board (Chair) and the Weingart Foundation Board. She formerly served on the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission (chair/vice-chair) and its Ad Hoc Committee on Black People Experiencing Homelessness (chair). A Los Angeles native, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a master’s degree in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks

Wicks represents the East Bay in the California State Assembly, with a district spanning the communities of Oakland to Richmond, and includes the City of Berkeley.

Asm. Wicks was recently appointed Chair of the Appropriations Committee, after serving as Chair of the Assembly Housing Committee for two years prior. Her work focuses heavily on advancing solutions to solve California’s housing and homelessness crisis, expanding our state’s social safety net, protecting kids in the digital world, and championing the rights of women and working families. A lifelong community organizer, Asm. Wicks previously served on both of President Barack Obama’s campaigns, and worked for him in the White House. She lives in Oakland with her husband, Peter, and daughters, Jojo and Elly.

Mary Leslie

President, LABC

Mary was elected to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees of California Independent System Operator, a nonprofit that is the only independent electricity grid operator in the West, coordinating the distribution of energy resources for 80% of California and part of Nevada. She was also named to Mayor Karen Bass’s transition advisory team.

Ms. Leslie has served as LABC President since 2001, growing the council into one of the most prominent business organizations in the region, working closely with leaders from business, government and the non-profit sectors to enact policies and programs to strengthen Los Angeles’ economic competitiveness and quality of life. Under her leadership, she launched the LABC Institute in 2010 as the 501 (c) 3 research and education arm, attracting local and national funding. Both organizations operate with the core mission, focused on creating cutting edge policy strategies to reduce the region’s housing affordability gap, increase sustainable development, promote international trade, and expand high-paying workforce opportunities.

Ms. Leslie currently serves on the LA Sustainability Leadership Council, LA Cleantech Incubator Board of Directors, Los Angeles Conservation Corporation Board of Directors, UCLA Advisory Committee for the Luskin Center for Innovation, and is a member of the Pacific Council of International Policy. She previously served as a Commissioner on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Board, Advisory Committees of L.A. Family Housing the California Women’s Law Center and the LA2028 Olympic Bid Committee.

In her previous role as Deputy Mayor for the City of Los Angeles under Mayor Richard Riordan, Ms. Leslie was responsible for the Mayor’s Business Development programs. Prior to joining the Riordan Administration, she was Deputy Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), where she oversaw the Northridge Earthquake relief dollars for Los Angeles as part of her portfolio of lending and education programs for SBA Director Erskine Bowles. She also served as the Executive Director of the California Economic Development Commission, overseeing policy development and trade missions for California business. Ms. Leslie was also President Clinton’s California Finance Director in his successful 1992 race for President.

Ms. Leslie received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Santa Clara, holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and attended the Executive Management Program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Josh Raper

Regional Manager, Western States Carpenters

Josh Raper is a Western States Regional Manager overseeing operations in team rooms in the Los Angeles and Bakersfield areas. In addition to his roles as Regional Manager, Executive Board member and Trustee, he was appointed to Jurisdictional Director. As the appointed Jurisdictional Director he has the instrumental role of overseeing projects that are awarded within the Southwest that fall into ‘carpenter work’ and ensures that the bids and projects are awarded to the Carpenters Union.

Raper began his career in the construction industry over twenty-five years ago. He had strong roots in the union and followed in his family’s footsteps. He was aware in order to provide a prosperous life for his own family that union wages and benefits would get him there as a carpenter.

His trade specialty was structural concrete and the infrastructure industry within Southern California. His keen sense of industry and the ability to meet and exceed project expectations help move up in his career exceedingly quick. He was involved in some of Central Valley’s significant developments.

In 2015, he caught the attention of high-ranking officers within Southwest Carpenters who asked him to interview for a Special Representative position to represent the union. He was immediately hired and continues with the same job site tenacity that has him move up swiftly in ranks.

He continues to stay humble, he continues to work hard for the membership and industry alike taking a firm, but fair approach to bring a win-win situation to all involved.

His dedication to the trade is reflected as he continues to develop and improve upon industry partnerships between labor, management and clients.

Adam Lane

Adam Lane is a Public Policy Manager for State & Local at Waymo, the autonomous driving technology company with a mission to be the world’s most trusted driver. In this role, he oversees Waymo’s relationship with policy and government stakeholders in Southern California and several states across the United States.

Prior to Waymo, Adam served as the Vice President of Government Affairs and Programs for the Los Angeles Business Council, a progressive business advocacy and research organization, where he oversaw the organization’s government affairs strategy and public policy priorities in the areas of clean energy, economic development, environmental sustainability, homelessness, housing, and transportation.

David Reich

Deputy Executive Director, Mobility Unit, Los Angeles World Airports

David Reich was appointed Deputy Executive Director in December 2020 to oversee LAWA’s new Mobility Unit. LAX has the highest number of trips that start and end at its doorstep of any airport worldwide, so how people access LAX via ground transportation is a particularly important element of the passenger experience. The Mobility Unit is charged with taking a holistic approach to mobility policy, programs, and initiatives to reinforce landside access investments and enable a paradigm shift in mobility that ensures LAX can serve its passengers and employees – and support the surrounding community – in a sustainable manner. The Mobility Unit consists of three Divisions: Ground Transportation, Parking, and the LAX Transportation Management Organization (TMO).

Prior to joining LAWA, Mr. Reich served as Director of Economic Infrastructure for Mayor Eric Garcetti. In that role, Mr. Reich led Port and Airport policy and acted as a liaison to the executive teams at the Port of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports. From 2002-2007, Mr. Reich served on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Mr. Reich holds a B.A. in History from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.

Malcolm Dougherty

California Transportation Business Group Director, HDR

Malcolm Dougherty currently serves as the California Transportation Market Group Director for HDR and serves as a technical expert as well as a market and industry strategist. In this role he leads and supports the entire transportation portfolio from Highways & Roads, Structures, Transit, Freight, Aviation, and alternative mode infrastructure throughout California.

Malcolm brings top level leadership and considerable transportation experience to HDR, having served in public and private sector roles over his 32-year career. He has an extensive background in project delivery, project management, mega-projects, alternative delivery, intelligent transportation, and asset management.

Prior to beginning his consulting career, Malcolm worked for Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation, for 26 years and culminated his career as the Director under Gov. Jerry Brown from 2011-2018. Prior to being appointed as the Director,

Malcolm served as Chief Deputy, Chief Engineer, and District Director.
Malcolm is a member of ASCE, WTS, Past President of the Western Association of State Transportation Officials (WASHTO); and previously Chaired the TRB Executive Committee (under the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine); as well as ITS America Board of Directors (Intelligent Transportation Society of America)

Paul Jennings

Principal, PCS Energy

As a pioneer in deregulated telecommunications services for more than two decades, Paul Jennings is recognized as a passionate advocate for higher education, sustainability and services for individuals with learning disabilities. A highly successful entrepreneur and real estate developer, Mr. Jennings earned a bachelor of science in marketing from California State University, Northridge in 1985. He is the founding partner and chief executive officer of Public Communications Services, Inc., (PCS).

Mr. Jennings began his entrepreneurial career working his way through college by selling long-distance phone plans. He is regarded as a pioneer in the long-distance service industry that began with AT&T’s break-up in 1984. He focused on delivering telecommunication services to public agencies with significant inmate populations. His company became the third largest provider of inmate telephone services in the country. He is currently a principal of PCS Energy, the largest commercial solar provider for the City of Los Angeles. Founded in 2014, the company focuses on energy solutions for multi-family apartments.

Throughout his successful career, Mr. Jennings always believed in the power of education and the need to give back. Overcoming dyslexia, Mr. Jennings made education for students with similar challenges a priority. The Jennings Family Foundation helps to fund facilities, scholarships and student activities at the Park Century School, the CSUN David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, the Westside Children’s Center and the University of San Diego. The foundation also supports more than 20 organizations that help abused or neglected children and families that are experiencing homelessness.

Since his graduation more than 30 years ago, Mr. Jennings has remained actively involved with California State University, Northridge. His total giving to the university exceeds $2 million, with his most recent $1 million gift to create the Paul Jennings Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship. Mr. Jennings and his wife, Adrienne, are President’s Associates and Heritage Society members. In addition to financial support, he also donates his time to ensure that student entrepreneurs receive the same opportunities that he did. Mr. Jennings participates annually in the Professor for a Day event for Nazarian College and serves as a member of its Advisory Board. He is also a member of CSUN Foundation Board. A long-term member of the Young Presidents Organization, he served the organization in five chair positions. He has received CSUN’s Volunteer Service Award in 2014 and a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015.

David DeRosa

Executive Vice President, AECOM

David DeRosa works for AECOM, one of the largest Architecture, Planning, Engineering, and Construction consulting firms. He has 16 years of experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, with a focus on planning and delivery of transportation projects including connected and automated vehicles, hyperloop, high-speed rail, gondolas, light-rail, and streetcars. He also focuses on Transportation Demand Management and its intersection with emerging mobility technologies to help reduce demand for single occupancy vehicle trips.

Prior to AECOM, David’s experience included planning and development with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Palm Springs, California, sustainable urban planning with Global Green USA in Santa Monica, California, and environmental planning with Terry A. Hayes Associates Inc. in Culver City, California.

He is also a Director on the Board of the non-profit Southern California Association for Commuter Transportation organization, as well as the Secretary and Treasurer for the Relapsing Polychondritis Foundation (RPF), a non-profit foundation which supports and funds research, awareness programs, and care for those affected by Relapsing Polychondritis, a very rare autoimmune disease.

Ray Sosa

Chief Planning Officer, LA Metro

Ray Sosa is the Chief Planning Officer in LA Metro’s Countywide Planning & Development Department (CP&D). LA Metro’s CP&D is responsible for planning the county’s regional transit system and programming federal, state, and local transportation funds for the county’s transit system, highway programs, and locally sponsored, regionally significant projects of all modes of transportation.

Mr. Sosa’s transportation career has spanned for more than two decades in the Southern California region with a focus on planning and delivering major transit projects, both in the public and private sectors including working at the globally recognized, AECOM, where he served in various roles, including VP West Region Transit Rail Market Sector.

Mr. Sosa earned his master’s degree in Transportation planning from the University of California, Los Angeles, and bachelor’s degree in government from Dartmouth College.

Phil Recht

Partner, Mayer Brown, LLP

Co-leader of the firm’s Public Policy, Regulatory & Government Affairs practice and former managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office (2009-21), Phil Recht represents clients in legislative, regulatory, enforcement and litigation matters before and involving federal, state and local governments. He also handles grants, approvals, permits and other government transactions. He has particular expertise in transportation, infrastructure, tribal gaming, health care, trade association, government contracts, and election law matters. Legal 500 ranks Phil as a “Leading Lawyer” for Government Relations in the United States. Phil was selected in 2021 to the Los Angeles/San Francisco Daily Journal’s list of “Top Lawyers of the Decade” for his work on emerging industry regulatory matters, and he was named in 2019 to The National Law Journal’s inaugural list of “Government Relations Trailblazers.”

Arash Daghighian

Vice President of Operations, Ford E.C. Inc

Arash Daghighian has been an active member of Ford E.C. since 1997 and worked both in the field and in the office on a full scale of levels. Arash is responsible for all oversight and direct onsite management of any given project. In addition, Arash is actively involved with project estimating and outside public relations with subcontractors and new clients. He has a degree from University of California Los Angeles and has completed over 80 million dollars in construction projects.

Alexa Washburn

Chief Development Officer, National CORE Housing

As a developer, private consultant and public agency program manager, Alexa has prepared, managed and implemented a variety of urban planning and design projects including general, community/area, master, revitalization, downtown, and specific plans; corridor studies; housing elements; development entitlements; community engagement programs and sustainability strategies throughout California. Her projects have been recognized by 12 awards from the American Planning Association and Southern California Association of Governments. Her in-depth understanding of progressive land use, policy and implementation strategies effectively enhance the feasibility, livability, and sustainability of plans and communities.

Doug Guthrie

CEO, Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles

Mr. Guthrie was appointed the President and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) in April, 2012. In this capacity he oversees one of the largest housing authorities in the country responsible for the nearly 10,000 assisted housing units, administering 59,000 Section 8 vouchers, including nearly 28,000 housing units for the homeless, and overseeing contract management with HUD of an additional 53,000 multifamily apartments. Total annual revenues are nearly $2 billion. Prior to this position he held the position of General Manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD). This was an office of 600 employees with responsibilities for managing the City’s primary affordable housing development programs which address priorities for affordable housing, housing preservation, transit oriented development, and permanent and supportive housing for the homeless; systematic code enforcement of LA’s rental housing stock of nearly 760,000 housing units, and oversight of the rent stabilization program that manages rent adjustments on 620,000 rental housing units.

He has spent his career working in the field of affordable housing and community development. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Housing Department Mr. Guthrie most recently was President of Kimball Hill Urban Centers (KHUC), a developer of large scale mixed use and mixed income housing developments including a partnership in the redevelopment of the former Stateway Gardens and Cabrini Green public housing sites in the City of Chicago into mixed income communities.

Before working in the private sector Mr. Guthrie served as the President of the National Equity Fund (NEF) from 1990-95. He also held the role of Senior Vice President of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), NEF’s parent corporation. LISC is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit community development support organizations. Under Mr. Guthrie’s leadership, NEF became the nation’s largest source of equity financing for low and moderate-income housing. Utilizing the low income housing tax credit, in excess of $1.6 billion was raised from major corporations to invest in real estate limited partnerships in low-income housing developments sponsored by nonprofit CDC’s from around the country. Those investments resulted in the development of over 28,000 affordable housing units in 550 projects, with real estate assets valued in excess of $3 billion.

Mr. Guthrie also held various positions working for the City of Chicago under Mayor Harold Washington, including Chief Operating Officer of the Chicago Housing Authority and Deputy Housing Commissioner.

Mr. Guthrie began his professional career working for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development where he specialized in Model Cities, Urban Renewal and the Community Development Block Grant programs.

Mr. Guthrie has a BA Degree in Sociology and a Masters Degree in Public Administration (specializing in Urban Studies) from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

Gustavo Velasquez

Director, California Department of Housing and Community Development

In May of 2020, Gustavo Velasquez was appointed Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development by Governor Gavin Newsom. In this leadership role, Velasquez leads California’s housing policy agenda and administers a wide range of programs that produce, preserve, and protect affordable housing and communities of opportunity across the state. Velasquez was a senior director at the Urban Institute, a renowned national research organization working to provide data analysis and insights to policymakers and practitioners in ways both relevant and actionable. Velasquez served for nearly three years as assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He served on behalf of the president as the strategic lead of the fair housing and inclusive community agenda for the Obama administration. During his tenure, HUD achieved groundbreaking enforcement victories in fair lending and in major housing discrimination cases. Velasquez led efforts to promulgate the landmark Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, a key tool for cities, states, and other HUD funding recipients to reduce inequality and disparities in access to opportunity.

Mercedeh Mortazavi

Vice President, Global Philanthropy, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

Mercedeh Mortazavi is a Vice President at JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Global Philanthropy department, a global leader dedicated to driving inclusive economic growth in communities worldwide. JPMorgan Chase has made a commitment to invest $2 billion over five years to strengthen workforce systems, strengthen neighborhoods, grow small businesses, and improve the financial health of individuals – an investment part of the firm’s $30 billion racial equity initiative.

Mercedeh is responsible for designing and executing the firm’s national philanthropic strategies on neighborhood development, a $400 million, five year portfolio focused on advancing housing affordability connected to economic opportunities. Previous commitments managed also included large-scale national initiatives PRO Neighborhoods Competition and AdvancingCities Challenge, aimed at advancing solutions that tackle major social and economic challenges across the country.

Mercedeh has been with the firm for 10 years. Prior to this role, Mercedeh managed the Greater Washington, D.C. region strategic initiatives in Corporate Responsibility by working across lines of business to implement business, community, and employee strategies to increase brand awareness, revenue, and impactful philanthropic and business initiatives.

Mercedeh holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Management and International Business from the Pennsylvania State University’s Smeal College of Business. She also studied International Business at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan.

Greg Mahdesian

Gregory Mahdesian currently serves as the Head of Partnerships and Government Affairs at Servicon since March 2024 and previously held the position of Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications within the same company. Additionally, Gregory is an Advisory Board Member at Climate Resolve since January 2023 and has been the Chairman of Blue Neighbors PAC since November 2017. Earlier in his career, Gregory worked as a Communications Manager at Servicon Systems Inc. Gregory earned a Bachelor’s degree in Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics from the University of Southern California, where studies took place from August 2006 to May 2010.

Greg Ames

Senior Managing Director, Trammell Crow Company

Greg Ames is the Market Leader and Senior Managing Director for TCC’s Southern California offices. Markets under Greg’s purview include LA, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, as well as Clark County in Nevada. Greg is responsible for the overall performance and profitability of the company’s real estate development activities in the Greater Los Angeles region. He is responsible for raising capital, setting investment strategy, creating deal flow, financing projects, and overseeing the day-to-day activities of the Los Angeles team. Greg is an industry leader in Public Private Partnerships, and is sought after for his expertise in entitlements, execution, and structured finance on the most complex transactions and challenging projects.

Prior to joining TCC in 2004, Greg served for eight years as a Civil Engineer Corps Officer in the US Navy where he directed office, retail, industrial, medical, housing, airport, and military intelligence projects in the Continental US, Pacific, Mediterranean, and Caribbean theaters.

Ken Lombard

President & CEO, BRIDGE Housing

Ken Lombard is responsible for the overall direction of BRIDGE Housing — the leading nonprofit developer and owner of affordable housing on the West Coast, with a portfolio of over 15,000 units valued at $5.3 billion. In December 2025, he was named Executive of the Year by Multi-Housing News.

Over a career that spans four decades, Mr. Lombard has garnered extensive experience in business development, management, investment banking, economic development, corporate expansion and real estate investment. Mr. Lombard joined BRIDGE in 2021 from Seritage Growth Properties (NYSE: SRG), where he served most recently as Special Advisor; he was an original board member when Seritage went public in 2015 and subsequently served as Seritage’s EVP and COO. During Mr. Lombard’s leadership, Seritage was a self-administered and self-managed REIT with properties totaling approximately 39 million square feet of space across 49 states and Puerto Rico.

Earlier, Mr. Lombard was President of MacFarlane Partners, an investment management firm that acquires, develops and manages real estate assets on behalf of pensions and institutional investors. Prior to joining MacFarlane Partners, Mr. Lombard served as Vice Chairman, Partner and head of investments for Capri Capital Partners, and President of the Capri Urban Fund, which invested in more than $1 billion in commercial, residential and mixed-use development, redevelopment and repositioning projects in densely populated urban markets of the U.S.

From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Lombard was President of Starbucks Entertainment, where he managed the collaboration with Concord Music to form a new Starbucks music label. In 1992, Mr. Lombard co-founded Johnson Development Corporation and spent 12 years as the President and Partner of the firm, creating a legacy of economic improvement in underserved communities of color in 65 cities and 17 states. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Washington.

The Honorable Rex Richardson

Mayor, City of Long Beach

After serving as the Student Body President of Cal State Dominguez Hills, Rex Richardson became a community organizer with SEIU Local 721, helping blue-collar workers in South Los Angeles County. At age 25, Rex bought his first home in North Long Beach, becoming the first person in his family to own real estate. He soon began serving as Chief of Staff to Councilmember Steve Neal, where they brought neighborhood, labor, business, and clergy leaders together to improve economic conditions in North Long Beach.

In 2014, Rex won his City Council race with 73% of the vote and made history as Long Beach’s youngest member to ever serve.

Rex established himself as a collaborative leader and change agent. He’s earned a reputation as a hardworking leader focused on ensuring every Long Beach neighborhood receives equitable investment and access to opportunity.

His track record of pursuing positive change for his community has left a tangible mark on the entire city. He worked alongside neighborhood leaders to bring vital public safety, economic, and community investments, such as road and sidewalk repairs, as part of his “Uptown Renaissance” initiative. He secured significant investments into the revitalization of North Long Beach that led to the creation of the Michelle Obama Library, the Doris Topsy-Elvord Community Center, and the restoration of the wetlands at DeForest Park.

Rex was instrumental in building Long Beach’s first municipal homeless shelter with supportive bridge housing that has helped unhoused individuals move off the streets. He also championed creating the Long Beach Office of Equity to improve community health outcomes, which has led to a more equitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rex also worked with our firefighters to restore essential public safety services, such as Paramedic Rescue 12, which shortened emergency response times citywide.
A testament to his accomplishments in his first term, he was re-elected with 79.8% of the vote. His peers also elected him to serve as Long Beach’s Vice Mayor twice.

Rex pushes for equity through regional policymaking as the Immediate Past President of the Southern California Association of Governments and as a South Coast Air Quality Management District Board Member.

Rex and his wife, Dr. Nina Richardson, are homeowners in North Long Beach, where they reside with their two young daughters.

The Honorable Darrell Steinberg

Mayor, City of Sacramento

Darrell Steinberg is the Mayor of Sacramento and was the Senate President pro Tempore in the California Legislature. He is one of Sacramento’s most accomplished public servants, serving the Sacramento community for over 20 years.

Steinberg represented California’s capital city in the California Legislature from 1998 – 2014, and was the first Sacramentan to serve as President of the Senate in over 125 years. Steinberg earned a reputation for confronting seemingly intractable problems and delivering results for California through consensus-building.

Elected to the Senate in 2006, Steinberg became President pro Tempore in late 2008, at the deep end of the economic downturn when the state faced an unimaginable $42 billion deficit. Two years later, he was honored with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award by the Kennedy Library Foundation in recognition of his leadership in bipartisan negotiations leading to the state’s fiscal recovery.

Throughout his entire career, Steinberg led the Legislature on numerous complex issues, including the 2009 and 2014 state water agreements, criminal justice reform, and reinvesting over a billion dollars in career technical education. He led the common-sense pension reform eliminating flagrant abuses of the system. He authored legislation to expedite the legal process for large-scale environmentally sustainable projects. Steinberg also teamed up with Republican lawmakers to eradicate frivolous lawsuits and improve the Americans with Disabilities Act while motivating businesses to accommodate disabled customers.

Steinberg has been a relentless advocate for mental healthcare, calling it “the under-attended issue in our time and in our society.” Heralded within the mental health community as the “most transformative figure mental health has ever seen,” Steinberg authored Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, creating a one billion-dollar system for dynamic mental healthcare in California. He continued his work by fighting to fund 2,000 new mental health crisis beds in the 2014-2015 state budget. He also passed legislation to mandate insurance companies to cover treatment of children with autism and related disorders.

At the local level, Steinberg played a key role in Sacramento’s downtown revitalization, obtaining state funding for a new courthouse, which is expected to create 1,800 jobs for the city. Steinberg also fought for state monies for career pathways to connect high school students to 21st century jobs, delivering millions of dollars to Sacramento area schools in the first round of funding. Since assuming office in December 2016, Steinberg has made economic development, addressing homelessness and providing year-round paid internships to Sacramento’s high school students through a new initiative, Thousand Strong, the cornerstone of his administration.

In his short time in office, Steinberg has already positioned Sacramento as potentially the first 5G city in the nation through a new public-private partnership with Verizon. Additionally, he has utilized his state experience and relationships to secure $64 million for homeless services and over $2 million to support Thousand Strong. He is just getting started.

Steinberg graduated from University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a BA in economics, then earned a Juris Doctorate from UC Davis Law School. He went on to serve as an employee rights attorney for the California State Employees Association for 10 years before his work as an Administrative Law Judge and mediator. Steinberg served on the Sacramento City Council from 1992 to 1998, and as an Assembly member from 1999 to 2004.

The Honorable Matt Mahan

Mayor, City of San Jose

Matt Mahan is the 66th Mayor of San José. He formerly served as a teacher through Teach for America, before entering the business world where he founded and grew companies dedicated to empowering neighborhoods and holding our government accountable. These core tenets remain key to his policy priorities as he pledges to bring about a revolution of common sense to city government by creating a system that works just as hard as residents do. He currently resides in San Jose with his wife, Silvia, and their two children.

Peter Laugharn

President & CEO, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

Peter Laugharn (pronounced LAW-harn) serves as president and chief executive officer of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Laugharn is a passionate leader with 25 years of foundation and nonprofit experience internationally, with a focus on improving the well-being of vulnerable children.

He was executive director of the Firelight Foundation from 2008 to 2014. Firelight identifies, funds, and supports promising African nonprofits serving vulnerable children and families in the areas of education, resilience, and health.

Prior to Firelight, Laugharn served for six years as executive director of the Netherlands-based Bernard van Leer Foundation, a private foundation that works to improve opportunities for children up to age 8 who are growing up in socially and economically difficult circumstances. He was director of programs at the Foundation for three years before becoming executive director.

Laugharn began his career at Save the Children, where he worked for 11 years in a variety of roles. Eight of those years, he was based in Bamako, Mali. Laugharn helped develop the Village Schools model, which promoted access to basic education, girls’ schooling, and community participation. The model helped 45,000 children go to school and raised the number of primary schools in the country by 40 percent. Laugharn was later Save the Children’s Mali Field Office director, West Africa Area director and then education advisor for Africa, providing technical assistance for programs in 10 countries.

A graduate of Stanford and Georgetown Universities, Laugharn holds a Ph.D. in education from the University of London. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco from 1982 to 1984. Laugharn was a co-founder of the International Education Funders Group and the Coalition for Children Af fected by AIDS, and he serves on the boards of the Council on Foundations and the Pacific Council for International Policy.

Bill Witte

Chairman & CEO, Related California

Mr. Witte is Chairman and CEO of Related California, one of the largest developers of urban and multifamily housing in the state, overseeing both the affordable and market rate divisions.

For the past 35 years, and since the founding of Related California, he has been responsible for the strategic direction of the company, overall management of the firm, pursuit of new development opportunities and oversight of planning, financing and construction of a development portfolio of over 20,700 residential units completed or under construction totaling more than $10.3 billion in assets, and over 4,600 affordable and over 7,200 market rate units in pre-development.

Prior to founding Related California in 1989, Mr. Witte served as Deputy Mayor for Housing and Neighborhoods under Mayor Art Agnos where he oversaw all housing, development and redevelopment activities for the City of San Francisco. He was Director of Housing and Economic Development under Mayor Dianne Feinstein and served as an appointed Commissioner of the San Francisco Housing Authority.

Mr. Witte previously served as Executive Assistant to Assistant Secretary for Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner Lawrence B. Simons at HUD in Washington, as Legislative Director for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and with the Philadelphia Office of Housing and Community Development.

Mr. Witte graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and a Master in City Planning. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Lusk Center for Real Estate Advisory Board at the University of Southern California and until recently a member of the Board of Overseers of the Graduate School of Design at University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Witte serves on the Advisory Boards of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics Policy at the Haas School of Business at University of California at Berkeley and the Orange County Human Relations Community Partners. In addition, Mr. Witte sits on the board of Shelter Partnership in Los Angeles.

U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters

Ranking Member, Financial Services Committee

Congresswoman Maxine Waters is considered by many to be one of the most powerful women in American politics today. She has gained a reputation as a fearless and outspoken advocate for women, children, people of color and the poor.

Elected in November 2024 to her eighteenth term in the U.S. House of Representatives with more than 75 percent of the vote in the 43rd Congressional District of California, Congresswoman Waters represents a large part of South Los Angeles including the communities of Watts and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County comprised of Lennox, West Athens, Willowbrook, and El Camino Village. The 43rd District also includes the diverse cities of Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Compton and Torrance.

Congresswoman Waters made history as the first woman and first African American Chair of the House Financial Services Committee. She is the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease. She is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and member and past chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Prior to her election to the House of Representatives in 1990, she spent 14 years in the California State Assembly, where she rose to the powerful position of Democratic Caucus Chair. She was responsible for some of the boldest legislation California has ever seen. She is a co-founder of Black Women’s Forum, a nonprofit organization of over 1,200 African American women in the Los Angeles area. In the mid-80s, she also founded Project Build, working with young people in Los Angeles housing developments on job training and placement.

As she confronts the issues such as poverty, economic development, equal justice under the law and other issues of concern to people of color, women, children, and poor people, Rep. Waters enjoys a broad cross section of support from diverse communities across the nation.

Throughout her career, Congresswoman Waters has been an advocate for international peace, justice, and human rights. Expanding access to health care services is another of Congresswoman Waters’ priorities. She spearheaded the development of the Minority AIDS Initiative in 1998 to address the alarming spread of HIV/AIDS among African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities. She is also the author of legislation to expand health services for patients with diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Long active in the women’s movement, Rep. Waters has given encouragement and financial support to women seeking public office. Many young people, including those in the hip-hop music community, praise her for her support and understanding of young people and their efforts at self-expression. One
testament to her work is the Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center, a multimillion dollar campus providing education and employment opportunities to residents of the Watts area.

When twice impeached former President Donald Trump was elected, Congresswoman Waters became the leader of the resistance. Many young people learned what most of us knew about her for over the past 40 years – that Maxine Waters will always speak truth to power, will always stand up and fight for what is right, for justice and equality! As a result, she has earned the title of “Auntie Maxine.”

Ann Oliva

CEO, National Alliance to End Homelessness

Ann Oliva is CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. A career veteran of homelessness and housing policy, she is recognized as one of the foremost experts on homelessness in the nation. In her role, Ms. Oliva works closely with members of Congress and the Administration, as well as with officials and advocates at the state and local levels. As part of that role, she also collaborates closely with Alliance partners to educate the public on the real nature of homelessness and its solutions, and to advance known best practices within the homeless services sector.

Ms. Oliva previously served as Vice President for Housing Policy for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Corporation for Supportive Housing. Her distinguished career is also marked by a decade of federal service at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Jeff Olivet

Executive Director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)

Jeff Olivet is the executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). He has worked to prevent and end homelessness for more than 25 years as a street outreach worker, case manager, coalition builder, researcher, and trainer. He is the founder of jo consulting, co-founder of Racial Equity Partners, and from 2010 to 2018, he served as CEO of C4 Innovations. Throughout his career, he has worked extensively in the areas of homelessness and housing, health and behavioral health, HIV, education, and organizational development. Jeff has been principal investigator on multiple research studies funded by private foundations and the National Institutes of Health. Jeff is deeply committed to social justice, racial equity, gender equality, and inclusion for all. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree from Boston College.

Honorable Kevin Murray

President & CEO, Weingart Center Association

Senator Kevin Murray (Ret.) is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Weingart Center Association, serving in this position since 2011.

Prior to his current role, Murray founded The Murray Group in 2006, a legal and consulting firm specializing in Public Policy and Entertainment, where he was Managing Partner. Before founding The Murray Group, Murray served as Senior Vice President at the William Morris Agency (WMA), the nation’s longest-running and most diversified talent agency. Murray worked primarily in the company’s corporate consulting division, as well as in the music, television, and film divisions. In 1982, Murray began at WMA as an employee in the mailroom before working his way up to become an agent in the Music Division. After serving 12 years in the California State Legislature, he rejoined the agency in January 2007.

Murray was elected to the California State Assembly in 1994 representing the 47th District, which included Culver City and Los Angeles. In 1998, he was elected to represent the 26th Senate District adding the communities of Hancock Park, Hollywood, and Silverlake to his representation. He retired in 2006 due to term limits.

Murray sits on the corporate boards of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, California American Water, and Hawaii American Water. He serves on the Board of the Central City Association and is also a member of the California State Bar, the L.A. World Affairs Council, and the Pacific Council on International Relations.

Senator Murray holds a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Accounting from CSU, Northridge. He is also a California-licensed real estate broker.

Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum

CEO, Los Angeles Homelessness Services Authority

Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum is the CEO of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). LAHSA is the lead agency in the HUD-funded Los Angeles Continuum of Care and coordinates and manages federal, state, county, and city funds for programs providing shelter, housing, and services to people experiencing homelessness. Immediately before joining LAHSA, Dr. Adams Kellum spent a month consulting with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to shape the Inside Safe program.

Dr. Adams Kellum is perhaps best known for her time as President and CEO of St. Joseph Center, a social service organization offering outreach & engagement, housing, mental health, and education & vocational programs across Los Angeles County. The Center is a trailblazer in deploying integrated, multidisciplinary teams to help the most vulnerable homeless individuals obtain and maintain stable housing. Under her leadership, St. Joseph Center nearly quadrupled its staff, expanded its services, and broadened its geographic reach, becoming a recognized leader in homeless services throughout LA County.

Dr. Adams Kellum holds a gubernatorial appointment to the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s No Place Like Home Program Advisory Committee. She has also served on and continues to support the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Ad Hoc Committee on Black People Experiencing Homelessness, as well as the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ Race Equity Network. She currently sits on the Housing California Board, Policy Lab Advisory Board, and the Board of Trustees for Mount Saint Mary’s University. Born and raised in Southern California, she received her B.A. from the University of Southern California and earned an M.A. from Ball State University before completing her Ph.D. at Stanford University.

Director Lisa Wong

Director Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health

Lisa Wong, Psy.D., is the Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental
Health (LACDMH) as of February 28, 2023, after serving as Interim Director since July
2022. Prior to this role, Dr. Wong was LACDMH’s Senior Deputy Director overseeing
the Department’s clinical programs and community-based services over a broad range
of settings throughout Los Angeles County.

Concurrent with her Senior Deputy Director role, Dr. Wong was also the interim Chief of
the Full-Service Partnership (FSP) program, a 24/7 intensive outpatient service aimed
at helping clients at risk for homelessness, incarceration, and hospitalization, among
other negative life outcomes.

Starting in the County as a student over 30 years ago, Dr. Wong spent more than two
decades working in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles providing care to some of the
County’s most vulnerable and high-risk individuals experiencing serious mental illness
and homelessness. Prior to her current role, she served as the Mental Health Clinical
Program Head Over Downtown Mental Health Center general outpatient services,
CalWORKs/GROW, and Prevention & Early Intervention programs before becoming a
Service Area Chief over Service Areas 2 and 3. Dr. Wong has also served as Acting
Chief for Outpatient Services.

Dr. Wong earned her Psy.D. from the Pacifica Graduate Institute and her M.A. in clinical
psychology from California State University, Los Angeles, and she is a lifelong advocate
for vulnerable populations and social justice issues.

U.S. Senator Alex Padilla

Senate Committee on the Judiciary Member

Senator Alex Padilla, a progressive problem-solver, is the first Latino elected to represent California in the U.S. Senate. The son of immigrants, Padilla grew up in the San Fernando Valley and studied Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was drawn to politics in response to California’s anti-immigrant Proposition 187. Padilla was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1999 and the State Senate in 2006. As California’s Secretary of State, he oversaw a historic expansion of voting rights and voter participation. As United States Senator, Padilla has taken action to cut costs for families, combat the climate crisis, and help thousands of Californians secure millions of dollars owed to them by federal agencies. Padilla currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety. He is a member of the Senate Committees on Budget; Environment and Public Works; Energy and Natural Resources; Judiciary; and Rules. Padilla lives in the San Fernando Valley with his wife, Angela, and their three sons, Roman, Alex and Diego.

Neera Tanden

Domestic Policy Advisor

Neera Tanden currently serves as Assistant to the President and Chair of the Domestic Policy Council, which drives the development and implementation of President Biden’s domestic policy agenda in the White House and across the Federal government. Previously, she was Senior Advisor and Staff Secretary in the White House. She has served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, as well as presidential campaigns and think tanks. Prior to her roles in the Biden-Harris Administration, Neera was the President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, one of the largest think tanks in the country, with teams across all components of domestic policy including crime, education, immigration, health care, civil rights, and more.

Neera previously served as senior advisor for health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services, working on President Barack Obama’s health reform team in the White House. Prior to that, she was the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign and the policy director for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, where she directed all policy work. She also served in the Clinton White House on the Domestic Policy Council. She received her bachelor’s degree from UCLA and her JD from Yale Law School.

Teresa Bazemore

President & CEO, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco

Teresa Bryce Bazemore joined FHLBank San Francisco as president and chief executive officer March 15, 2021. She is a seasoned leader with more than 25 years of executive experience building and leading both mortgage insurance and services businesses. As president of Radian Guaranty from 2008 until 2017, she oversaw strategic planning, business development, and operations for the mortgage insurance business line. Prior to becoming president, she served as Radian’s executive vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary, and chief risk officer. Prior to Radian, Ms. Bazemore was senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary for Nexstar Financial Corporation and general counsel for the mortgage banking line of business at Bank of America. Ms. Bazemore served on FHLBank Pittsburgh’s board of directors from 2017 to 2019. Professional appointments she has held include: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Economic Advisory Council, Fannie Mae National Advisory Council, and Consumer Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve. Bazemore received her B.A. from the University of Virginia and J.D. from Columbia University.

Kristina Lawson

Chair, the Bay Area Council

Kristina Lawson serves as the Managing Partner and Chair of the firm’s Management Committee at Hanson Bridgett. As the firm’s chief executive, she oversees all aspects of the firm’s strategic direction and management. She is the first female Managing Partner in Hanson Bridgett’s 65+ year history. In addition to leading the firm, Kristina serves as the Chair of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Bay Area Council, an organization of 300+ influential employers committed to working with public and community leaders to keep the Bay Area the most innovative, globally competitive, inclusive, and sustainable region in the world.

Renowned in the legal industry and beyond as a progressive and collaborative leader, Kristina was recognized in the San Francisco Business Times’ 2023 and 2024 Power 100 lists of the Bay Area’s Most Influential Business Leaders. She is a former Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, a city of approximately 65,000 residents in the greater Bay Area. In 2015, Kristina was appointed by California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. to serve on the Medical Board of California, and was reappointed in 2022 by Governor Gavin Newsom, serving as the Medical Board’s President from 2020-2023.

Kristina is an expert in complex California entitlement, land use, environmental/natural resources, and municipal matters. She is a respected statewide authority on California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance and strategy, actively contributing to statewide CEQA modernization efforts. She is a frequent author of complex California land use ballot initiatives/referenda. As a trusted strategic advisor, Kristina often advises clients on public policy, land use ballot measure strategy, and government relations strategy.

At Hanson Bridgett, Kristina is committed to leading by example and building on the firm’s strong California foundation. She continues to advance the firm’s values-driven programs, fostering an inclusive culture of engagement and collaboration, and doubling down on DEI initiatives.

Lindsey P. Horvath

Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on November 8, 2022 and assumed office on December 5, 2022, after serving as a City Councilmember and the longest consecutivelyserving Mayor for the City of West Hollywood. Supervisor Horvath’s career has been defined by tackling the hardest problems, building diverse coalitions, and delivering results for her community.

Supervisor Horvath’s commitment to serving others was shaped by her family and faith, which instilled in her a strong work ethic and made her a tireless advocate in addressing the complex problems facing Angelenos throughout LA County. Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath made history as the youngest woman to ever be elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. She is the first millennial, and currently the only renter to serve on the Board, bringing a much-needed perspective to LA County leadership. Supervisor Horvath has a long history of civic and social justice advocacy. She has spearheaded policies to make West Hollywood an “Age-Friendly Community” to better serve residents of all ages. She also led the City to become the first in the nation to impose financial sanctions on Arizona for its discriminatory, anti-immigration SB-1070 law. Supervisor Horvath created the first-ever West Hollywood Community Response Team to Domestic Violence. She has worked on a broad range of transportation and mobility issues, from her service as a Transportation Commissioner to championing Metro rail projects in the District. She initiated the West Hollywood Bicycle Task Force, and through her leadership, West Hollywood was named “The Most Walkable” city in the entire state.

Supervisor Horvath is widely known for her leadership on women’s issues and served as a Global Coordinator for One Billion Rising, a global campaign of the V-Day movement to end violence against women and girls. She was the founding President of the Hollywood Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and previously served as President of National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) – LA Westside. She is also a champion for LGBTQ+ rights, having served as a Board member of the Victory Fund and a founding Board member of the NOH8 Campaign. In 2009, she represented the City of West Hollywood in the National Equality March in Washington DC. She has also advocated for LGBTQ+ older adults through her work on the Board of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE).

Supervisor Horvath served on the West Hollywood City Council for nine years, appointed in 2009, elected in 2015, and re-elected in 2019. In addition to her work as a Councilwoman and Mayor, Supervisor Horvath previously served in a number of roles, including: President of the California Contract Cities Association (CCCA); Board Member for CalCities (formerly the League of California Cities); Board Member for the National League of Cities (NLC); President of Women in Municipal Government (WIMG) for the National League of Cities; Chair of the Contract Cities Liability Trust Fund Claims Board & Oversight Committee; and Executive Committee Member and Legislative & Regulatory Chair for Clean Power Alliance of Southern California.

Supervisor Horvath received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management & Fundraising from UCLA Extension. She resides in West Hollywood with her dog, Winston.

Miguel A. Santana

PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Miguel A. Santana has more than three decades of experience in the public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors, where he has led major policy reforms and delivered community-driven solutions to some of Los Angeles’ toughest challenges.

In 2023, Santana became President and CEO of the California Community Foundation (CCF), one of the nation’s largest community foundations. The foundation stewards more than $2.6 billion in assets, nearly 2,000 charitable funds, and more than $300 million in annual grants. Under his leadership, CCF has spearheaded key initiatives, including a voter engagement effort that secured the passage of Measure A, creating a permanent revenue stream for affordable housing and services. CCF has also mobilized rapid response to crises, raising more than $100 million for wildfire survivors and $2 million to support Angelenos impacted by immigration enforcement actions.

Prior to joining CCF, Santana served as President and CEO of the Weingart Foundation and Fairplex in Pomona. As City Administrative Officer for Los Angeles, he managed the City’s $9 billion budget during the Great Recession, developed its first comprehensive plan to address homelessness, and helped secure a $1.2 billion voter-approved housing bond. He also served as Deputy CEO for Los Angeles County, overseeing social service programs supporting children, families, veterans, and persons experiencing homelessness.

Santana began his career at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and later served as Chief of Staff to L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina.

He remains active in civic leadership, serving as Chair of The Angeleno Project, Second Vice Chair of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Authority (LACAHSA), and as a board member of the Surdna Foundation and Black Freedom Fund.

Santana earned his BA in Sociology and Latin American Studies from Whittier College and a MPA in Public Administration from Harvard University.

Daniel C. Hedigan

Chief Executive Officer, FivePoint Holdings, LLC

Daniel C. Hedigan was appointed Chief Executive Officer in February 2022. Mr. Hedigan has more than 40 years of experience as a land development executive and practicing attorney, including 32 years at Irvine Company where he helped develop one of the nation’s largest master-planned urban environment on approximately 64,000 acres in Orange County.

He most recently served as President of Land Sales and Homebuilding at Irvine Company from 2013 to 2021, where he led design, construction, entitlement, finance, accounting, sales and marketing, customer service, design center operations and project management teams through all phases of the development process.

Mr. Hedigan also served in various positions of leadership for Community Development operating groups at Irvine Company, including roles as Executive Vice President, Irvine Pacific / Residential Land Sales; Executive Vice President, Land Sales and Marketing; Senior Vice President, Land Sales and Marketing; Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary; and Vice President and General Counsel.

Previously, Mr. Hedigan held general counsel roles at California Pacific Homes, American Real Estate Group, and Bracton Corporation. He began his career in private practice at a firm in Newport Beach and is a member of the State Bar of California.

Active in his community and industry, Mr. Hedigan has served on the California Building Industry Association’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee; on the School of Social Sciences Dean’s Council at University of California, Irvine; as an Advisory Board Chair at the Economic Self-Sufficiency Policy Research Institute; and on the Leadership Council of United Way as part of its United to End Homelessness initiative.

Mr. Hedigan holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from UC Irvine, and a J.D. and a Master’s degree in Economics from UCLA.

H. David Nahai

David Nahai serves as Chair of the Los Angeles Business Council.

He is the President of David Nahai Consulting Services, Inc., which specializes in the renewable energy, energy efficiency, and water sectors. He is also President of David Nahai Associates, Inc., a law firm specializing in real estate and sustainability transactional matters. A leading expert in water, renewable energy, and real estate matters, Mr. Nahai previously served as the General Manager and Commission President of the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. Mr. Nahai is also the former Chair of the L.A. Regional Water Quality Control Board, and former Senior Advisor to the Clinton Climate Initiative. He was reappointed to the Water Board by Governor Newsom in 2021 and is presently its Vice Chair. Additionally, he currently serves as Chair of the LAUSD Business Advisory Council, and as a Board Member of the UCLA Luskin Center, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, Climate Resolve and LAANE. Mr. Nahai holds graduate and post-graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and UC Berkeley.

Gene Block

UCLA Chancellor

A champion of high-quality, accessible public higher education, Gene Block has served as chancellor of UCLA — overseeing the university’s three-part mission of education, research and service — since 2007. His institutional priorities include academic excellence, civic engagement, diversity and financial security.

Under Chancellor Block’s leadership, UCLA has greatly enhanced its position as a national leader in enrolling undergraduates who come from low-income backgrounds, have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education or are among the first in their families to go to college.

During his tenure, UCLA has also greatly grown its profile and stature. Regularly the most applied-to university in the nation, UCLA has advanced in rankings in nearly every discipline, and has significantly deepened international partnerships and engagement with its 500,000 alumni worldwide as well as with other academic and civic institutions. Now with more than $1.72 billion in annual research grants, UCLA’s research and entrepreneurship ecosystem has thrived under Chancellor Block and UCLA has been recognized as one of the top universities for startups. In 2019, UCLA completed one of the largest fundraising campaigns ever undertaken by a public university, raising $5.49 billion.

An expert in neuroscience, Chancellor Block’s current research focuses on the effects of aging in the nervous system and how it impacts biological timing in mammals, including humans. He holds faculty appointments in psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and in integrative biology and physiology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science.

Chancellor Block earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stanford University and master’s and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Oregon. Before becoming chancellor of UCLA, Block served as vice president and provost of the University of Virginia, where he was also the Alumni Council Thomas Jefferson Professor of Biology. During his 29 years there, he served as vice president for research and public service and as founding director of the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center in Biological Timing.

Chancellor Block has served on the executive boards of several leading organizations, including the Association of American Universities, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. He is currently chair of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. He is the recipient of numerous professional awards and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

On August 3, 2023, he announced his decision to step down as chancellor at the end of the coming academic year, serving a total of 17 years in the role. His final day as chancellor will be July 31, 2024.