OUR TEAM
STAFF
Your favorite nonprofit professionals.
Click on a Team Member to learn more about them!
Alexis Underwood, she / her
Volunteer Outreach & Partnerships Strategist
Andrea Barreto, she / her
Community Engagement Strategist
Andrea Ohlsen-Esparza, she / her
Director of Volunteer Engagement & Secondary Education Programs
Damaris Escobar, she / her
Volunteer Support Specialist
Gisele Roberts, she / her
Interim Executive Director
Jaylene Benggon Chung, she / her
Managing Director
Jess Doss, they / them
Elementary Program Support Specialist
Netta Most, she / her
Head Mentor Strategist
Pilar Alvarez, she / her
Education Director
Sophie Shapiro, she / her
Communications Specialist
Yazmin Miles-Méndez, she / her
Operations and Systems Strategist
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Guiding our vision and securing the resources we need to reach it.
Click on a Board Member to learn more about them!
AJ Nseir, he / him
Board Chair
Director, Client Services - Sony Pictures Entertainment
Briar Darden, she / her
Board Secretary
Business Affairs Executive
Carolyn Gan, she / her
Board Interim Treasurer
Executive Director, California Partners Project
Darian Greenbaum, she / her
SVP, Mattel
Darren Bernstein, he / him
Real Estate Investor
David Stone, he / him
Co-Founder, Partner, TFC Management
David Yang, he / him
Independent Consultant, Brand and Marketing Strategy
Eliana Pipes, she / her
Professional Writer, Young Storytellers Alum
Jay Gibson, he / him
Writer, Producer
Llisa Prater, she / her
Board DEIB Officer
HR / Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging Expert
Marika Cahn, she / her
Music Executive, Bill Silva Management / Live Nation-Hewitt Silva
Michelle Paris, she / her
VP, Head of Global Events, IMAX
Olivia Chausson, she / her
Board Vice-Chair
Strategic Advisor - Media & Entertainment
Pete Stein, he / him
Motion Picture Literary Agent, Creative Artists Agency
Raymond Tambe, he / him
Partner, Johnson Shapiro Slewett Kole LLP
Sam Brown, he / him
President of Film & TV, STX Entertainment
FRIENDS OF YS
ANDREW BARRETT*
Founding Member & Chair Emeritus
ANI SHEHIGIAN*
Chief Transformation Officer, International Data Group
BILL THOMPSON
Senior Vice President and Executive Director, City Year Los Angeles
BRAD FALCHUK*
Founding Member; Co-Creator of GLEE, American Horror Story; Host & Executive Producer, Famous Last Words
BRITTANY LITTLE*
Co-Founder, Little Bell Productions
CHRISTOPHER MACK*
Director, Grow Creative, Netflix
CHRISTINA COLLINS*
SVP, Synergy, Integrated Planning, and Affiliate Marketing, Disney Entertainment
DONNA ARKOFF ROTH*
Producer / Roth-Arnold
ELLEN GOLDSMITH-VEIN*
CEO, The Gotham Group
ERIC FRIEDMAN*
Executive Producer, Disney Channel’s Bizaardvarks
ERIC GARCETTI
Former Mayor of the City of Los Angeles
FRANKLIN LEONARD*
CEO, The Black List
GINA REYES*
Television Literary Agent, UTA
GREG HODES*
Partner, WME Entertainment
ILENE RESNICK*
Philanthropist
JAKE ZIM
CMO and Head of Monke Business, Another Axiom
JAMIE TARSES**
Producer and Executive
JOHN HALL*
Senior Vice President and Institutional Client Group Relationship Manager, US Bank
JOHN IM*
Licensed Therapist, Curry Psychology Group
JOY FEHILY*
Owner, Joy Fehily Management + Consulting
KARY ANTHOLIS*
American Publisher and Editor, Chair Emeritus
KOKO ARCHIBONG*
Senior VP, Private Wealth Advisor, Capital Group Private Client Services
LANI MONOS*
Vice President, Global Corporate Social Responsibility, Sony Pictures Entertainment
MATTHEW WEAVER
CEO, MediaWeaver
MATT CHECKOWSKI*
VP Global Multisensory Brand Innovation, Mastercard
MAURÍCIO MOTA*
CEO and Co-Founder, Wise Entertainment
MIKKEL BONDESEN*
Founding Member; Founder, Fabrik Entertainment; Executive Producer, Famous Last Words
NATALIE FAIR*
Educator
NESS HAMAOUI*
General Contractor and Real Estate Developer
NORMAN LEAR**
Writer & Producer
PATTY (PATRICIA) SIQUEIROS*
Executive Director, Variety Boys & Girls Club
PAUL CUMMINS
President and CEO, Coalition for Engaged Education
PAUL LIEBERSTEIN*
Executive Producer, Actor, Screenwriter
PETER PRINCIPATO*
President & CEO, Artists First
RICHARD WEITZ*
Co-Chairman, WME Entertainment
ROB MANDEL*
Founding Partner, The Management Group
SAM ROGOWAY*
President & CPO, Modern Age
SANDRA SIMS*
HR Specialist, Long Beach City College
SEBASTIAN BUCK*
Co-Founder, Enso Collaborative
SUSAN ARNOLD*
Producer, Roth-Arnold
RORY PULLENS*
Partner, Pull & Row Productions
RUDRAKSHI NAIR*
Founder, Bad Brain
TESS SANCHEZ
Author, Casting Director
TRACY AFTERGOOD*
Development Executive
TENDO NAGENDA*
Head of Production, Feature Films, Netflix
TERRI EDDA MILLER*
Co-Founder, MilMar Pictures
TROY WILLIAMS*
Owner, Simply Troy Events
VANESSA MORRISON*
President, Fox Animation
*Denotes Former Governing Board Member
**Emeritus Board Member (In Memoriam)