Rudy Espinoza is the Executive Director of Inclusive Action and an urban planner with a passion for neighborhoods, entrepreneurism, and financial empowerment. He specializes in designing and managing place-based initiatives, identifying profitable investment opportunities in low-income communities, building private/nonprofit partnerships, and training the working poor to participate in the socio-economic revitalization of their neighborhoods. Rudy holds a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from UCLA and a B.S. in Business Administration.

Nicole Anand is the Deputy Director at Inclusive Action and as a political economist and participatory designer, she designs and implements civic processes to change the status quo. For over a decade, Nicole directed the strategy, learning and research of international organizations focused on public sector innovation, anti-corruption, and social justice. She is passionate about creating public services that work for people and has partnered with the City of LA Mayor’s Office to co-create the city’s first open government agenda. Nicole is the co-founder of a global collective for multidisciplinary learners, and an educator in design research. Nicole holds a Masters degree in Development Management from the London School of Economics, and a dual Bachelors degree in Development Studies and Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

Alesan is the Communications & Development Coordinator at Inclusive Action. She works alongside various departments at IAC to narrate social media to the masses. She has experience doing social media management and coordinator work in the film industry, but has always looked for ways to help people. Alesan also provides support with sourcing opportunities and fundraising. She is passionate about providing resources to local communities and is currently working on starting an arts non-profit with her close friends. She holds a B.A. in Media Studies and Production with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and Business from Temple University.

Osman Ahmed is the Community Innovation Advisor at Inclusive Action for the City. A seasoned policy practitioner, advocate, researcher, and trainer, Osman has spent his career aiming to create systemic change for marginalized communities via grassroots organizing, evidence-based policy analysis, and innovative programming. He has coordinated local, state, and national policy advocacy coalitions and campaigns aimed at creating safety and prosperity for LGBTQ communities, undocumented immigrants, people of color, and other underserved communities. He also has extensive experience in workforce development and worker rights issues, having led the Worker Cooperative Business Development Initiative and the Day Laborer Workforce Coalition in New York City. He most recently worked as the Training Director for the Advocacy Institute based in New York. Osman has also served as the Director of the New York City Council's Progressive Caucus, working with city council-members to advance progressive policies and budgets. Osman obtained a master's degree in urban policy analysis from The New School and attended UCLA as an undergraduate.

Andrea is the Lending Director at Inclusive Action. As an immigrant raised in South Los Angeles, she has seen the impact that unjust economic policies have on underserved communities.  This has led her to conduct research on domestic household workers in Los Angeles, the impact of payday lending on California’s communities of color, and on social enterprises in Colombia. Andrea holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from USC and a B.A. in Latin American Studies from UCLA.

Shannon Camacho (she/her) is a Senior Policy Associate at Inclusive Action for the City, primarily focusing on the Street Vendor Campaign and the Immigrants Are Los Angeles (IRLA) coalition. Previously, she was a Data Analyst with USC’s Equity Research Institute where she conducted rigorous qualitative and quantitative research and data analysis on issues affecting immigrants in California. Shannon also worked as a campaign coordinator with the organization, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) for three years, where she led the Los Angeles Rapid Raids Response Network, which is a coalition of organizations that work together to defend immigrants from ICE enforcement and advocate for pro-immigrant policies. Her extensive experience in coalition building, community organizing, and data analysis allows her to bring community-centered justice into policymaking. 

Shannon graduated from UC Berkeley with majors in Political Science and Political Economy. She completed her Master of Public Policy degree at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. 

Shannon is deeply passionate about abolishing all forms of oppression, alongside communities of color- especially low-income undocumented immigrants. Shannon was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles and is the proud daughter of Bolivian immigrants, who are the inspiration behind all her advocacy and organizing. She continues to learn from, grow, and fight alongside her community, family, her amazing friends, and her German shepherd & mini poodle

Itzel Canada is an Underwriting/Servicing Associate at Inclusive Action Organization. With over four years of experience in the lending sector, she specializes in serving subprime credit customers. Itzel, a first-generation Mexican-American, draws inspiration from her parents' journey as immigrants from Mexico. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from UCR and a certificate in Finance with a concentration in Credit Analysis and Management from UCLA Extension.

Selena is an Operations Coordinator at Inclusive Action where she provides support with financial processes, event coordination, and meeting team needs. She brings her accounting and administrative experience from her previous work in her brother’s roofing business and an organization that provides supportive housing for Los Angeles’ communities. Her parents immigrated from Mexico and met in Boyle Heights. She grew up in East Los Angeles and Montebello. Selena holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Latin American Studies from Fordham University.

Luz Castro serves as the Policy Associate Director, helping advance policy priorities for IAC. Most recently, she lived in Washington D.C., but grew up in the city of Bell Gardens in Southeast Los Angeles, where she currently resides.

In an effort to better understand how policies affected her everyday life, Luz became involved in politics and began her political career with the offices of Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard and Rep. Linda Sanchez. Most recently, she led CHIRLA’s federal policy portfolio and registry campaign in Washington D.C. to provide a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants through an update to the immigration registry.

Luz is particularly passionate about immigrant workers' rights, and has experience with grassroots and labor organizing, supporting local campaigns such as Our Walmart and El Super. She received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Spanish from Whittier College.

Amy Chong serves as a Policy Associate, leading the Small Businesses Anti-Displacement portfolio, the Leadership Academy development, and supporting the Worker Justice portfolio and Inclusive Action’s policy and advocacy work at large. She was born in South Korea, raised in Los Angeles, and currently resides in Washington D.C. until she relocates back to Los Angeles.

She started her career as a grassroots organizer for the American Federation of Teachers, then was a legislative and communications intern for the California State Assembly, a Communications/Press intern for California Attorney General, Xavier Becerra, a Congressional Fellow for Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, and an intern for the Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. She was a Coro Public Affairs Fellow and gained invaluable experience in the sustainability, business development, human-centered design, and public health fields. She is passionate about policy systems change and centering community voices to innovate and co-creating solutions to better the status quo.

She holds her Master’s in Public Administration and Bachelor’s in Science from the University of Southern California. In her free time, she enjoys playing and teaching golf, spending time outside, exercising, yoga, and spending meaningful time with friends and family.

Marco is the Manager of Development and Content at Inclusive Action. In this role Marco leads all of the organization’s fundraising and development efforts and advises communications efforts. As a lifelong resident of Northeast L.A., Marco has seen firsthand the impact gentrification and exclusionary economic development have on communities and their people. This experience drives Marco’s commitment to ensuring communities have the resources and tools to remain in place and build wealth. Marco holds a B.A. in Latin American History with a minor in Political Science from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Vanessa is the Compliance Manager at Inclusive Action for the City, ensuring compliance with federal funding regulations. Originally from Pacoima, Vanessa comes with multifaceted professional experiences from planning, community engagement, housing programs, and city sidewalk vendor permitting.

She has worked as an urban planner, project technician, and community engagement practitioner. Her roles extended from COVID-19 rental assistance programs, city sidewalk vending permitting, and public planning entitlement processes. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Community & Regional Development from UC Davis and a master’s degree in Urban Planning from CSUN. Vanessa is passionate about working for an organization centering on community voices and advocating for economic justice.

Josephine is a Technical Assistance Associate at Inclusive Action. She brings in a multi-sector and multi-disciplinary skill set in business consulting, economic development, international development, and social impact measurements. Born in Ethiopia, Josephine has extensive experience working with national and global entrepreneurs, business executives, and non-profit leaders to launch, develop, and optimize their projects. She has helped redefine business strategies and partnership goals and deliver innovative programs with strong theories of change. She is the founder of Yenegat Chora, a non-profit social enterprise that works to empower low-income women in Ethiopia by providing access to education, financial literacy, and vocational training to help them start their weaving businesses. Josephine believes in the power of entrepreneurship, business ownership, and policy advocacy to address systemic issues of society and work toward equitable and sustainable communities. Josephine holds a Master's degree in Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California and a B.S. in Public Health from Elon University. 

Karina is the Technical Assistance Associate at Inclusive Action. Karina is passionate about helping underserved individuals create generational wealth through coaching and advocating for policy changes that support marginalized communities. Karina is a native to Los Angeles and prior to joining Inclusive Action worked in wealth management, specifically supporting individualized investment portfolios. She's motivated to make available to underserved individuals the plethora of resources and support she saw offered to wealthy individuals for their financial needs. She holds a B.A. in Economics from UC San Diego and a minor in Business from Rady School of Management.

Jesus is the Senior Associate, Portfolio Risk and Impact at Inclusive Action. As a former underwriting associate and public policy fellow, Jesus brings a multi-disciplinary skill set that includes financial and risk analysis as well as policy and data analysis. Emboldened by his experience as a lifelong street vendor, Jesus spent his undergraduate career researching the feasibility of Los Angeles’ street vending policies while simultaneously gauging the role that tax evasion played in enticing people to remain in the informal economy. In a subsequent major project, Jesus utilized single-dimensional and multidimensional frameworks to not only measure the political ideology of Latino micro-entrepreneurs, but to also address the broader failures of contemporary methodological tools used in political ideology research. Jesus holds a B.A in Politics from Occidental College with minors in Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies.

Chih-Wei is an Associate in Community Research and Innovation at Inclusive Action. His past research and public policy work ranged from clean energy access to transportation infrastructure to housing where economic justice was often the crux of the issues. Chih-Wei believes that locally-driven actions are key to an inclusive and just society where we all belong. Chih-Wei has a degree in Environmental Systems from Humboldt State University.

Julie Jung is the Operations & Finance Director at Inclusive Action and oversees the day to day management of finance, recruitment, and event coordination. Julie has extensive experience in both the Nonprofit, Health and Social Entrepreneurship sectors. She is passionate about creating sustainable communities and empowering underserved neighborhoods. Julie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, from George Mason University.

Alyssa Lopez is the Underwriting Associate at Inclusive Action. She is a lifelong Northeast LA resident and has passions in urban planning, design, and community organizing. Alyssa has experience collaborating and leading teams in the nonprofit sphere on land use, popular education, and mutual aid initiatives. Her work focuses on the development of equitable programs in Los Angeles for those living in underserved communities with the intention to make civic participation more accessible and build power within gentrifying neighborhoods. Alyssa holds a B.A. in Growth and Structure of Cities from Bryn Mawr College with minors in Spanish Literature and Latinx Studies.

Jay is the Loan Administration Coordinator at Inclusive Action for the City where he supports access to capital initiatives like the Semi’a Fund. He recently graduated from UCLA with a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning, focusing on Regional Economic Development.
As the son of Mexican immigrants, Jay understands the importance of economic inclusion and is motivated by a mission to integrate community development within economic growth strategies. Previously, Jay worked as a Research Fellow at Inclusive Action, where he co-led a sectoral analysis of the informal Los Angeles landscaping industry, identifying key workforce issues and industry insights to inform strategic advocacy efforts.
Jay also has a strong interest in education and occupational health. He previously taught English and Spanish in Mexico City, which strengthened his commitment to cultural exchange and community building. Most recently, he served as a Teaching Associate at UCLA, where he designed and taught an original seminar titled Beyond the War on Drugs, exploring substance use, public health, and policy reform.
Through his work at IAC, Jay is committed to creating inclusive economic systems and supporting communities historically excluded from viable economic opportunities.

Luis is a Technical Assistance Associate at Inclusive Action, born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, and currently supports the operation of his family’s food truck business. He is motivated to empower fellow small local business owners to thrive through business coaching and advocating for political initiatives. He is passionate about investing in our small local economies by providing the tools and education to Los Angeles micro-entrepreneurs. Luis graduated from UC Irvine with a B.A in Economics and a Minor in Entrepreneurship.

Jacqueline has been committed to addressing social challenges and creating impact through her work with diverse communities. She has cultivated a strong foundation in program leadership, organizational culture, designing programs, and diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. Jacqueline has held a range of roles, from managing economic mobility programs at Restore NYC, and leading youth and family programs in the South Bronx and East Harlem at The Bowery Mission. Her academic and professional experience working with BIPOC and immigrant entrepreneurs fuels her passion for an equitable economic future for all communities. Jacqueline received her Master's in Public Administration from New York University's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. She also holds a Bachelors in Sociology and Human Rights from CUNY Hunter College.

Monserrat Ramirez-Mendoza is the Executive Assistant at Inclusive Action. She is a long-life resident of Southeast Los Angeles who studied Political Science at Cal State LA. Monserrat is experienced in engaging constituencies, empowering them to advocate for positive change in their communities, and is devoted to supporting initiatives that improve the quality of life of our most underserved residents in LA County. She is an East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ) member and serves on the Asociación Cultural Los Ángeles board.  

Norma is a Senior Technical Assistance Associate at Inclusive Action. Having immigrated to Los Angeles at 21 years old and recognizing the importance of community, she has a passion for helping marginalized groups and providing guidance on resources to help them achieve their goals. She enjoys teaching accounting principles to small business entrepreneurs to empower them to make better financial decisions. Norma is passionate about identifying ways to support the needs of local businesses by creating connections and trust with clients. Norma has over 10 years of experience in management and is one of the co-owners of Telco Brewery, a small business in Santa Clarita. Norma holds a B.S. in Accounting from Cal State Northridge with minors in Entrepreneurship and Business Management. 

Sharon is the Underwriting & Technical Assistance Associate at Inclusive Action. She spent several years designing and leading national acceleration programs for sustainable technology startups, and most recently served as a business counselor with a collaborative of six community-based organizations empowering low-income and immigrant entrepreneurs in Los Angeles. She is passionate about community-led development and ownership. Sharon holds a BA in Anthropology with a focus in Archaeology from New York University.

Doug Smith is the Senior Director of Policy and Legal Strategy at Inclusive Action for the City, where he guides a coordinated strategy to transform unjust systems and build durable community power. Before joining Inclusive Action, Doug was the Director of Policy and Coalition Building at Public Counsel, where he led a team of movement lawyers supporting grassroots campaigns for housing and economic justice. Doug is also a Visiting Assistant Professor at Occidental College, where he teaches courses on community lawyering and serves on the California Department of Insurance Curriculum Board. Previously, Doug co-taught the Community Economic Development Clinic at UCLA School of Law, and from 2015 to 2020, Doug was appointed to the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission. Doug holds an M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA School of Public Affairs and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law.

Nancy is the Development and Data Coordinator at Inclusive Action. Nancy is a Boyle Heights native and her previous work has focused on supporting historically marginalized communities through direct services and development efforts. In her role, she supports the organization’s fundraising initiatives and manages data for the development team. Nancy is passionate about life-long learning, creativity, and community wellness. Nancy holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies and Educational Studies from Swarthmore College.

Maria Villamil is a Xicana Indigenous, daughter of  Mexico and Zapotec  Indigenous parents. She is an  Indigenous matriarch of two sons and a daughter. She was born and raised in Tongva Lands -Los Angeles

Before joining our team, Maria worked with California Native Vote Project, as a Senior Program Manager where she managed a variety of organizational programs and worked directly with the leadership team to ensure grant deliverables were met and managed a team responsible for community outreach, voter engagement and power-building across the state to achieve equity and justice for Native American children, families and communities by increasing Native civic participation and power. 

In her most recent tenure at CADRE- Community Asset Development Re-Defining Education-Maria served as the Director of Organizing & Practice and Community Organizer and Special Project Coordinator, She co-led the development and practice of CADRE’s core parent organizing and transformational leadership development. She was responsible for the management of CADRE’S organizing team and core parent leaders. She has been involved in community transformation and organizing since her early years in high school. She has had the opportunity to work closely in community transformation and human development with many community leaders and organizations across the city of Los Angeles and the State for the last two decades. Her experience and training on issues from school reform, race relations, community building across different communities, and organizing with marginalized youth and indigenous families do not compare to the living, breathing, and development of human transformation through her own personal practice, self-empowerment, and community relationships with others. 

One of her greatest passions is to organize intergenerational Justice Healing, Community wellness, and Education and governance reform in underrepresented, but specifically most vulnerable Native/indigenous, black, and brown communities. Maria believes that through community organizing, human advocacy, transformational strategies, and a new education pedagogy and reform, we can all transform and heal Black, Brown, and Native /Indigenous families to build better relationships within our families and lead change in our community and new development for Racial and Economic Justice, across Los Angeles and State. Maria has a Bachelor of Arts from Cal State Northridge in Chican@Studies/ Sociology and Healing arts and Massage therapy Certification from the National Holistic Institute

Azusena Favela joined The James Irvine Foundation in 2022 as a Senior Program Officer. Azusena has more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit, government, and private sectors, focused on community economic development. She previously served as Deputy Director for the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer & Business Affairs. She was responsible for the County’s Foreclosure Prevention, Center for Financial Empowerment, and Office of Small Business programs. She also provided oversight of the department’s COVID response strategies, including a cross-jurisdiction partnership to deploy $108M in small business and nonprofit grants using an equity lens. Before working for Los Angeles County, she served in leadership roles with Inclusive Action for the City (formerly Leadership for Urban Renewal Network), First 5 LA, CD Tech, and New Economics for Women. She also serves on her local neighborhood council. Azusena was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. She holds a master’s degree in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University and a bachelor’s degree in History, Chicano/a Studies, and a minor in Education from UCLA.

Roger is GitLab Foundation’s Program Officer focused on developing economic inclusion strategies and investments in the United States, Colombia, and Mexico. His work explores how partners can increase lifetime earnings for individuals while incorporating intersecting aspects of community development.

Roger has dedicated his career to social and racial justice in the United States and abroad. Before the GitLab Foundation, he led grantmaking and assisted with impact investing at the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation. In this role, he created the foundation’s participatory grantmaking program and collaborated with partners to address the root causes of inequities in the Affordable Housing, Criminal Justice Reform, and Environmental Justice sectors. Prior to this, he served as a strategic financial advisor at the Nonprofit Finance Fund, supporting organizations with financial management, forecasting, and scenario planning.

Roger is a trustee of the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation, a board member of Inclusive Action for the City, and active in the Los Angeles Latino giving circle. He earned an MA in International Development and an MBA from Brandeis University, and a BS in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina in Asheville. Roger grew up in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua and Guatemala, and currently lives in Los Angeles - where you can find him hiking and biking in the Angeles National Forest.

Grace Kim works with founders and executives committed to building lasting, high-performance organizations that benefit people and the planet.

She is the founder and CEO of GKC LLC, a strategy and design firm that specializes in helping executive teams navigate liminal moments (e.g., pre-IPO, post-acquisition, founder-led to growth stage, new strategy, etc.) to build enduring brands, teams, and organizations that lead with empathy, imagination, and a clear impact mandate. Her client portfolio includes multi-billion dollar companies, legacy foundations, non-profits, and family offices.

A social entrepreneur, she co-founded White Stork, an evacuation and medical supply operation founded in Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion. Previously, she helped build and lead a pioneering social impact strategy and design firm at GOOD Inc. Highlights include helping shape pre-IPO impact strategies for companies like Lyft and Airbnb, guiding leadership on how to operationalize their stated values, and designing strategies and programs to remove barriers to the human potential for organizations such as PayPal, Genentech, The North Face, Youtube, and Lululemon. She also designed and launched fellowships, coalitions, and initiatives for foundations and nonprofits like the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Levi’s, and the Girl Scouts of the USA and coached leaders of Fortune 500 companies.

Today, she serves on the global board of eko, a consumer advocacy organization representing 21 million members around the world; as the chair of the Racial Equity Committee for LeadersUp, a national nonprofit that helps young POC access career pathways; and as part of the executive advisory trio of Beyond 100Kin10, a national network of 300+ organizations committed to giving kids a great STEM education. She is the former executive director of Amplifier, a nonprofit design lab that builds art and media experiments to amplify the most important movements of our times.

David T. Hsu is a Senior Director at Omidyar Network, the social change venture established by philanthropists Pam and Pierre Omidyar. He leads the Building Cultures of Belonging portfolio team, which has a focus on strengthening the social infrastructure, innovations, and imagination for a United States spacious enough for all of us to belong. 

A strategist and social scientist with 20 years of experience, David has worked at the Hollywood-based cultural consultancy Propper Daley, tech startup NationBuilder, and U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division. Following the 9/11 attacks, he earned his PhD in Politics at Princeton University and was a visiting lecturer on global cooperation at the University of Pennsylvania. He wrote “Untethered: A Primer on Social Isolation” in 2018 to fuel momentum for solutions. He serves on the boards of Inclusive Action for the City in Los Angeles and CoGenerate.org.

Ami Spear is the Regional Director of Philanthropy – Southern California for Mercy Housing California, an affordable housing nonprofit that has created and preserved affordable housing for Californians for over 30 years. She previously directed programs with Genesis LA, a community lending nonprofit and CDFI. She was also a consultant and raised over $4.7 million in funding for nonprofits. Ami was the founder and executive director of the SoMa Foundation where she delivered technical assistance to small businesses and operated SoMa Steam Clean, a social enterprise that employed homeless youth and adults. She has an M.C.P. in City Planning from UC Berkeley and a B.A. in English Literature from UCLA. She is the recipient of a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship on Democracy.

KeAndra Cylear Dodds has dedicated her career to expanding access to affordable housing, transit, healthy environments, and economic opportunities, and developing policies that foster racial and social equity. She is currently the Executive Officer, Equity and Race at LA Metro. Before joining Metro, she worked as Manager of Preservation at the LA County Development Authority, where she oversaw the County’s affordable housing preservation and homeownership programs and developed several tenant protection policies. She also worked as a Housing and Transportation Deputy for Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. Outside of government, she has worked as Senior Program Director of Policy and Special Initiatives at Enterprise Community Partners, a national non-profit. She began her career as a state affordable housing attorney at Western Center on Law and Poverty. KeAndra received her law degree from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law and her bachelor’s from the University of Pennsylvania.

Bill Roschen is a principal at Roschen Van Cleve Architects and a past president of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission. Bill’s career manifests the new paradigm of “citizen architect” as civic leader who can engage communities in thoughtful conversations required to advance infill and redevelopment projects that make neighborhoods sustainable, affordable, livable, and healthy. Bill received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Architecture from Arizona State University with emphasis on sustainable design and holds a Masters degree in Architecture from Columbia University, with an emphasis on city planning and urban architecture, historic preservation and philosophy aesthetics. He and his partner, Christi Van Cleve, conceived and currently teach a four-part series of graduate seminars and a certificate and Master’s Degree program at Woodbury University School of Architecture, and have initiated the UP (Urban Policy) program and Policy Tanks within the School of Architecture.

Rémy De La Peza is the Founder and Principal of morena strategies, a collaborative community-based lawyering and consulting practice supporting neighborhoods of color influence the policies and development decisions that impact them. Rémy has 15 years of experience in affordable housing; state and local land use, planning, and zoning policy; equitable community and economic development; and community-driven campaigns.

Over the years, Rémy has provided technical assistance to partner organizations across the country, coordinated and served as leadership to various coalitions, and been a member of the Boards of ACLU-Southern California Pasadena/Foothills Chapter, Las Fotos Project, and currently West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation.

Rémy has a B.A. from the University of San Diego and J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. She is licensed to practice law in the State of California.

Veronica Saldaña is a member of the Commercial Lending team at Self Help Credit Union. As Senior Business Development Officer, she is responsible for relationship building, pipeline development, and loan evaluation for Self Help’s commercial lending in California for loans ranging from 500K to 20M. In addition, Veronica supports Self Help’s national food systems work - engaging closely with borrowers and funding partners and is a member of the national Equitable Food Oriented Development committee. Prior to joining the Self Help team, Veronica managed business development for the California Fresh Works Fund, a $200 million dollar loan fund created to provide access to capital for healthy food projects serving California’s food desert communities. Her six years of work with FreshWorks allowed her to better understand the grocery retail industry and spend significant time in 42 of the 58 counties across California. Prior to her food financing work, Veronica was Vice President of Lending at Genesis L.A., a Los Angeles based CDFI. She initiated her community development career in affordable housing development focusing on multifamily, special needs and migrant farmworker housing. Veronica has nearly twenty years of experience working in the CDFI and Community Development field. She earned a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Veronica is passionate about improving access to capital for immigrants, communities of color, and mission aligned businesses.

Angie Jean-Marie is founder and principal of Fait La Force Strategies, a boutique social impact consultancy. Fait La Force Strategies provide organizations, companies, and individuals the tools and expertise to hone their impact strategies, launch creative campaigns that build community, and move the needle on even the most intractable issues. A regarded social impact strategist with more than a decade of experience working in public policy, philanthropy, and with startup nonprofits, Angie's approach to social impact has been honed through her years at mission-driven organizations like TIME'S UP, Civic Nation, and the Goldhirsh Foundation. Angie holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in Government & Politics from the University of Maryland-College Park.

Alfred Fraijo Jr. is a Partner and Founder at Somos Group. He has significant experience in obtaining and negotiating land use entitlements for complex housing and mixed-use development projects throughout California. He specializes in advising clients on innovative, urban renewal projects in the inner-city, and other sectors with emerging markets. Alfred has significant experience in obtaining and negotiating land-use entitlements for complex housing and mixed-use development projects throughout California, including advising clients with innovative, urban renewal projects in the inner-city and other sectors with emerging markets. His expertise encompasses complex project permitting and financing of affordable housing projects and mixed-income housing developments. His real estate and land-use expertise includes master-planning projects, development of green energy facilities development, and permitting campuses for educational institutions and universities. Mr. Fraijo received his J.D. from Loyola Law School and a B.A. in Government from Harvard University.

Ginger Hitzke is the President of Hitzke Development Corporation and has over 15 years of experience in the field of affordable housing development. Mrs. Hitzke has participated in the development of over 1,400 apartments and affordable homes totaling more than $300,000,000 in real estate activity throughout California. Ms. Hitzke serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the San Diego Housing Federation and is also a member of the Housing Advisory Group, a Washington D.C. based affordable housing advocacy organization.