Smart Growth California

LAFC Steering Committee Members

The Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative is led by an active steering committee comprised of representatives from: the California Community Foundation, Enterprise Community Partners, First 5 LA, Liberty Hill Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Resources Legacy Fund, Garfield Foundation, and the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation.

Members

John Guevarra (Co-Chair)

FIRST 5 LA

As a Program Officer at First 5 LA, John helps to develop and manage projects and advocacy efforts that benefit children and families in Los Angeles County. John brings together over 10 years experience working with government, non-profits, political, and philanthropic sectors to help create more livable and equitable communities.

At First 5 LA, John manages the Built Environment Policy Advocacy Fund, a multi-year grant and technical assistance program focused on improving neighborhood conditions for children 0-5 and their families in the Best Start communities. The fund focuses on three areas: transportation/mobility, parks and open space, and food security. John also helps guide the Link program, a pooled fund focused on improving and increasing parks and open space investments in Best Start communities.

John holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a former board member of People for Parks and the YMCA-Hollywood, and a former youth basketball coach. He currently enjoys his time with his wife, son, and dog in South Pasadena. John joined the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative steering committee in 2020.

Joanna Kabat (Co-Chair)

LIBERTY HILL FOUNDATION

As Director of Grantmaking and Capacity Building for Liberty Hill Foundation, Joanna Kabat oversees competitive grantmaking programs as well as corresponding capacity building programs run through Liberty Hill’s Wally Marks Leadership Institute. These programs support grassroots community organizations fighting for progressive change in Los Angeles for low-income workers, tenants, undocumented immigrants, LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color.

Joanna began her career at American Jewish World Service, a funder of international grassroots development work, and then went on to develop social justice educational and volunteer programs for teens at BBYO, Inc. Following that, she directed the executive office at the immigration services and advocacy organization HIAS. Joanna has also been involved in indigenous rights advocacy in Mexico, voter engagement work, and local AIDS activism in Los Angeles.

Joanna received her bachelor’s in English literature and human rights studies from Barnard College. A native Angeleno, Joanna returned to Los Angeles after a decade of living in New York and D.C. to attend the USC Price School of Public Policy, where she received her Master of Public Administration in 2014. She has been a member of the LA Funders’ Collaborative Steering Committee since 2016.

Jean Armbruster

LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Jean is the director of the PLACE Program (Policies from Livable, Active Communities and Environments) at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Launched in 2006, the program’s mission is to foster policy, systems, and environmental change that supports the development of safe, healthy, active environments. The PLACE Program leads the Department of Public Health’s built environment efforts, making grants and providing technical assistance to support the development of bicycle and pedestrian master plans, safe routes to schools plans, traffic safety efforts, and tree planting initiatives in LA County cities and communities. The Program also works to increase access to affordable housing, public transit, and parks and sees these as critical to reducing health inequities.

Jean is passionate about cross-sector collaboration as a strategy for improving health outcomes. She leads the County’s interdepartmental Healthy Design Workgroup, dedicated to planning, designing and building healthy communities in Los Angeles County unincorporated areas. She also plays a leadership role in the City of Los Angeles Vision Zero Initiative, which aims to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2025 through engineering, education, and enforcement activities. Jean joined the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative steering committee in 2012.

Lisa Craypo

THE ARTHUR AND ROSALINDE GILBERT FOUNDATION

Lisa Craypo, Principal at Ad Lucem Consulting, has more than 20 years of experience in strategic planning, initiative design, philanthropic advising, program evaluation and research. She has successfully led numerous clients through strategic planning processes, conceptualized and managed funding initiatives, designed and conducted program evaluations, provided training and technical assistance, and developed innovative tools to meet client needs.

Through Ad Lucem, Lisa provides strategic consultation to a range of clients including foundations, public health departments, healthcare providers, and nonprofits. Lisa approaches projects with a partnership model that facilitates identification of priorities, development of strategies, and clear linkages to impacts.

In her role as consultant to The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, Lisa serves as program officer for Type 2 diabetes and obesity prevention grantmaking, which focuses on healthy land use and access to parks. In 2013, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation became a member of the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative, and as the Foundation representative, Lisa has encouraged the Collaborative to include a focus on parks and health in discussions and events. Lisa joined the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative steering committee in 2013.

Sean Doss

California Community Foundation

Sean Doss manages the foundation’s Program Related Investment portfolio and lending activities and leads grantmaking, strategy development, community engagement and convening activities related to housing and economic opportunity program initiatives.

Prior to joining CCF, Doss served two years as Executive Advisor and FUSE Executive Fellow to the City of Los Angeles Housing & Community Investment Department where he obtained seed funding for and devised a plan to modernize and streamline the department’s housing development operations in Los Angeles. Additionally, Doss previously held leadership roles at JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, US Bank and PNC Bank where he was responsible for structuring, underwriting and managing a portfolio of loans to national real estate developers, real estate investment trusts, full-time investors, owners and operators of commercial real estate.

Sean earned a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Management from the University of Manchester (UK). Sean joined the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative steering committee in 2020.

Gisele Fong

The California endowment

Gisele Fong is a Program Manager for The California Endowment’s on the Los Angeles regional and Inclusive Community Development teams. Within philanthropy and within community based organizations and coalitions, Gisele has worked for over a decade on health impacts from air and goods movement pollution, environmental justice, and supporting capacity building of communities to bring their vast wisdom of needs and solutions to decision making tables.

Gisele has served on numerous boards and commissions including the California Air Resources Board’s Environmental Justice Advisory Committee, Harbor Community Benefit Foundation, a community based performance arts organization, and a social justice oriented bilingual charter school.

Gisele earned her MA in Asian American Studies and PhD in History from UCLA, and is a resident of Long Beach. Gisele joined the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative steering committee in 2016.

Alfredo Gonzalez

RESOURCES LEGACY FUND

Alfredo Gonzalez is Southern California Director at Resources Legacy Fund (RLF).
Alfredo leads efforts to broaden and diversify the constituency for environmental conservation with a specific focus on engaging communities of color and younger Californians.

Prior to working at RLF, Alfredo served as director of the South Coast and Deserts Region for The Nature Conservancy, where he managed various programs including a Los Angeles-based urban conservation project and oversaw large scale land protection and habitat restoration projects across the region. Alfredo previously served in senior government affairs positions for the Southern California Association of Governments and the County of Santa Clara, and was a policy analyst for Latino Issues Forum in San Francisco.

Alfredo received a BA in Communications from UC Berkeley and an MA in Public Administration from California State University, Los Angeles.

Roger Perez

ROY AND PATRICIA DISNEY FAMILY FOUNDATION

As Program Officer, Roger leverages his deep commitment to the social sector as he works with organizations and initiatives centered on Affordable Housing Preservation, Criminal Justice Reform, Environmental Justice. Roger is responsible for helping guide the Foundation’s programmatic strategy and portfolio theory. He is also playing a role in the organization’s emerging Impact Investing and deepening relationships in the field of philanthropy.

Prior to joining RPDFF, Roger was a strategic financial advisor with Nonprofit Finance Fund – a national nonprofit and community development financial institution that serves nonprofit organizations and foundations. He led projects focused on business model analyses, growth scenarios, and organizational assessments with social sector organizations seeking to understand their full costs of service provision and improve societal outcomes. Throughout his career, Roger has worked with both nonprofit and for-profit clients as a consultant, project manager, and researcher in the United States and abroad. He currently serves on the board of California ChangeLawyers, Steering Committee of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, and is an active member of the Switzer Environmental Leadership and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer networks. Roger received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina, Asheville, a Master of Arts in International Development and a Master of Business Administration from Brandeis University. Roger joined the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative steering committee in 2020.

Alex Johnson

The California Wellness foundation

Alex M. Johnson is a program director at The California Wellness Foundation, where he currently manages grantmaking related to the Community Wellbeing portfolio. His responsibilities include strategy development, reviewing letters of interest, requesting and evaluating grant proposals, conducting site visits, making funding recommendations and monitoring active grants.

Prior to joining Cal Wellness in June 2018, Johnson was managing director for Californians for Safety and Justice in Los Angeles. While at CSJ, Johnson led efforts calling for an end to over-incarceration and a renewed focus on safety priorities rooted in prevention and health. Prior to his role at CSJ, he was executive director of Children’s Defense Fund-California, where he led statewide advocacy, policy, program and organizing efforts to ensure access to quality affordable health coverage and care for children and low-income families, reform the juvenile justice system, promote educational equity, end child poverty, and improve outcomes for children of color. Alex also worked for Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas where he helped lead policy and programmatic efforts focused on education and public safety; and New York City Department of Education where he managed complex civil litigation and special disciplinary proceedings as part of a quality initiative to improve academic outcomes for K-12 students of color. He began his career as an assistant district attorney for the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office where he advocated for victims of domestic violence.

Alex serves on the boards of the Los Angeles County Board of Education, Southern California Grantmakers, California Advisory Board for the Trust for Public Land, and the Wiley Center for Speech and Language Development. He previously served on the California Complete Count Committee and the California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board. His writings have appeared in the Sacramento Bee, Huffington Post, The Guardian, Los Angeles Daily News, San Jose Mercury News, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, and the California Health Report.

Alex earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Morehouse College in Atlanta, and his law degree from American University, Washington College of Law. Alex joined the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative steering committee in 2020.

Alexandra Paxton

Water foundation

Alex Paxton develops and implements programs for the Water Foundation. Prior to joining the Water Foundation, Alex worked for over a decade on local strategies for redevelopment, displacement mitigation, workforce development, and urban sustainability for a range of employers including LA Unified School District, then-LA City Councilmember Eric Garcetti, Mayors James Hahn and Antonio Villaraigosa, the LA City Community Redevelopment Agency, the LA Economic Development Corporation, and Estolano LeSar Perez Advisors. She also taught a course on Sustainable Urban Economies for the Masters Program in Urban Sustainability at Antioch University.

Alex received a BA in American Studies, an MFA in Theater Management, and a law degree from Yale University, as well as an MS in Social Anthropology from University College London. Alex joined the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative steering committee in 2019.

Eleni Sotos

GARFIELD FOUNDATION

Eleni joined the Garfield Foundation in December 2014. Prior to joining the Foundation, Eleni was director of the New Economy Funders Network (formerly the Sustainability Funders), a philanthropy affinity group focused on transitioning our economy into one that is just, sustainable and equitable. Prior to NEFN, Eleni served as the California Coordinator of the Health and Environmental Funders Network and for five years was the Program Director of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) at Commonweal, where she managed an international network of over 3,000 health professionals, health-affected and community-based groups, scientists and grant makers. Before CHE, Eleni worked at the Jenifer Altman Foundation and Tides Foundation in San Francisco, and at Replication and Program Strategies in Philadelphia.

Eleni holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from West Chester University and a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Delaware. With a deep love for animals and nature, she volunteers her free time with a local nonprofit that offers community access to low-cost spay/neuter and emergency veterinary surgery. She spends much of her free time volunteering, traveling and appreciating the joys of living in the Bay Area. Eleni joined the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative steering committee in 2020.

Elizabeth Trombley

KAISER PERMANENTE

Elizabeth Trombley currently serves as Southern California Regional Manager of Upstream Community Health for Kaiser Permanente. In this role, she oversees the Region’s upstream community health improvement strategy which seeks to maximize Kaiser Permanente’s positive impact on the health of communities by leveraging all organizational assets, including and beyond coverage and care, to address social, economic, and environmental determinants of health.

Prior to this role with Kaiser Permanente, Beth served as Director of Public Affairs and Brand Communications for the Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center where she directed the public relations, corporate communications, community health improvement and community benefit grant program, and the government affairs for the hospital and health plan.

Before joining Kaiser Permanente in 2005, Beth served as the Senior Health Policy Analyst for the New York State Senate Committee on Health advising on public health policy and strategy for New York State. Beth became engaged in public health work while working in the non-profit community on the East Coast in the areas of violence and injury prevention. Beth holds a Masters in Public Health from the Boston University School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from Ithaca College. Beth joined the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative steering committee in 2021.

Jimar Wilson

ENTERPRISE COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Jimar Wilson is Vice President & Southern California Market Leader at Enterprise Community Partners. Prior to joining Enterprise, Jimar was CRA Officer at American Business Bank where he managed the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act program. Mr. Wilson has held regional community development manager positions at Boston Private and Northern Trust, covering Arizona, California and Colorado markets. Mr. Wilson previously worked at West Angeles Community Development Corporation (CDC) as project manager and housing director, managing the CDC’s housing development, asset management and financial literacy programs in South Los Angeles. Jimar is an adjunct assistant professor in community and economic development at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.

Mr. Wilson serves on the board of directors of Crenshaw Family YMCA, Ebony Repertory Theatre, and A Step to Freedom. Previous board appointments include 100 Black Men of Los Angeles, The Fringe at Center Theatre Group (The Crew), and John M. Langston Bar Association. Jimar is a recipient of the prestigious German Marshall Memorial Fellowship, which included travel throughout Europe with other opinion leaders to help foster greater transatlantic relations. He also received the Our Authors Study Club Living Legends Award, with additional recognition by the LA NAACP Youth Council for outstanding community service.

Mr. Wilson earned his B.A. in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Master in City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow. He is also a graduate of the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate at the University of Southern California. Jimar joined the Los Angeles Funders’ Collaborative steering committee in 2021.