This team makes it happen!

Rudy Espinoza is the Chief Executive Officer 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.

Veronica Saldaña is the Vice President, Lending at Inclusive Action. Veronica comes with nearly 20 years of experience in the CDFI and credit union lending sector and has worked on national, regional, and local lending teams. She has extensive experience with business development and relationship building for new lending markets and has facilitated the deployment of over $500M in capital to high impact projects in low wealth communities across California. As a daughter of immigrants, Veronica is passionate about advocating for access to capital for borrowers and communities of color. Veronica earned a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles and Bachelor degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Doug Smith is the Vice President of Policy & 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.

Julie Jung is the Vice President, People & Operations 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.

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.

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.

Erica Liepmann is the Director of Strategic Communications at Inclusive Action. Erica is deeply passionate about the intersection of policy and communications – and brings vast experience in local government, the nonprofit sector, and political campaigns. Erica previously led digital communications in the Office of the Los Angeles Mayor. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Occidental College and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Southern California.

Alesan is the Communications Manager at Inclusive Action. She works alongside various departments at IAC to narrate storytelling to our audiences. She has experience doing social media management and coordinator work in film, food, and ceramic industry, but has always looked for ways to be in community. She is passionate about providing resources to local communities and is currently working on personal projects that highlight minority creators. She holds a B.A. in Media Studies and Production with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and Business from Temple University.

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.

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 and currently resides in Los Angeles County region.

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 Associate Director of Development 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bianca Molina is a Business Formalization Associate at Inclusive Action for the City. She brings over a decade of experience in restaurant and hospitality operations, with deep expertise in systems development, international franchise management, and restaurant leadership. Bianca is passionate about building community and equity through food. A proud Angeleno from Pico-Union and the daughter of immigrant parents, she holds a Bachelor’s degree from Cal State LA and an MBA from Cal State San Bernardino.

Carolina is the Coordinator of Outreach and Organizing at Inclusive Action. She has a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She began her organizing and outreach journey in 2010 as a student organizer — and has been a caretaker and advocate in her community since.

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.

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.