Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges

We are thrilled to welcome Emily Vaughn Henry to the Board of Directors of the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges! Our 8th and final new member spotlight, Emily brings to the Foundation more than 25 years of transformative leadership leveraging technology to drive organizational capabilities within large-scale public and private systems. Most recently Emily served as the Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the lead agency responsible for coordinating and managing homeless services in Los Angeles County, and a close partner to Los Angeles Community College District in supporting students facing housing insecurity or homelessness. Emily also brings to the Foundation deep experience in both K-12 and higher education. She has served as chief technology officer for the West Contra Costa Unified School District, Pasadena Unified School District, Green Dot Public School and La Sierra University, in addition to corporate experience. In 2014 she founded the Women's Technology Leadership Group (WTLG) which focuses on helping women advance in technology and leadership roles by providing tools to be successful contributors in the workplace at any level in the organization.  Vaughn Henry holds a Master’s degree from USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and a Master's and bachelor's in information technology from the University of Redlands.  Welcome Emily!

Fall classes begin this week at the Los Angeles Community College District. The Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges is preparing to support more ambitious students, innovative faculty, and life-changing programs than ever before, thanks to the generous support of our donors, funders, and corporate partners. Enjoy this welcome message from Chancellor Rodriguez. https://lnkd.in/gept7mEU

🔦 We're thrilled to welcome Laura Peralta to the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges Board of Directors and to spotlight her this week. Laura's impressive professional career has spanned government, nonprofit, and corporate roles. She has served as a political appointee at the U.S. Department of Labor under the Obama administration, Policy Deputy for the Los Angeles City Council, and as Congressional Aide in the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition to her current role at JP Morgan Chase, she has held community development roles at Citi and Bank of the West. She is passionate about mentorship and giving back to students who aspire to transform their lives through education. Laura earned an Associate of Arts degree from Santiago Canyon College, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Political Science from UC Irvine, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the USC Price School of Policy.   🔗 LACCD Connection: She credits her own community college experience for providing life-changing educational opportunities through the work of dedicated counselors and professors. Laura is also an active and generous volunteer within the Los Angeles Community College District, providing financial literacy workshops for students at Los Angeles Trade Technical College and more. Thank you, Laura, and welcome!

Our new board member spotlight this week is the ever-proud East Los Angeles College alum, Diego Sepulveda. ☀ Diego is a relentless advocate for LGBTQ justice, immigrant rights, and college affordability and accessibility. He serves as a Senior Philanthropy Advisor with the Liberty Hill Foundation and has held diverse professional roles including national and local political engagements such as the 2020 Warren presidential campaign and as Commissioner for the cities of Huntington Park and South Gate.       Diego is an alumnus of Coca-Cola’s NextGen LGBTQ Leaders Initiative, Equality California’s Leadership Academy, LGBTQ Victory Institute’s Victory Empowerment Fellowship, and People for the American Way / Young Elected Officials Network’s Front Line Leaders Academy. In addition to the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges, Diego serves on the board of The LGBTQ Center Long Beach.    🔗 LACCD Connection: Diego attended East Los Angeles College before transferring to UCLA where he co-founded the UCLA First Gen Alumni Network - the first in the University of California system. Diego became not only the first in his family to graduate from college, but the first to obtain an advanced degree when he earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the School of Enterprise Management and Social Impact (SEMSI) at American Jewish University. 

💗 🍦"Again, thank you for helping me and I especially want to thank you for the ice cream." Yesterday we gave a Kroger/Food4Less/FoodsCo gift card, along with other supports, to a Los Angeles Community College District student who has been facing a number of challenges outside of school. This morning we received this touching note. "For the past few months, I have been getting my groceries once a week from the food bank. When I went to Food 4 Less yesterday, I was finally able to buy my favorite ice cream, Mocha Almond Fudge. You don't know how happy I was to devour half a tub of it when I got home. I have forgotten how it tasted until yesterday. For 15 minutes while I was enjoying my ice cream, my problems seems to disappear and it brought me to smile, and I owe it to you. You are like an angel brought to shed some light in my life.    Again, thank you for helping me and I especially want to thank you for the ice cream."

This week's new board member spotlight is Zaneta J. Smith, MSW, a social impact leader, influencing systems at social enterprises, nonprofits, universities, and businesses throughout Los Angeles and beyond. Welcome Zaneta! A former White House Intern in the Obama Administration, Zaneta discovered she had a knack for explaining macro-level data to the masses. She returned home to Los Angeles to support faith and community-based organizations in developing mentoring programs for at-promise and transitional-age youth facing institutional and structural racism.  Her training in clinical practice and social enterprises while pursuing her Master of Social Work (MSW) led her to roles in various social enterprises in Los Angeles, including Downtown Women's Center and LA Kitchen. Today you can find her supporting community-led efforts through her roles at Watson Consulting Group, Smith & Co., among others. 🔗 LACCD Connection: Zaneta is an alum of the Project MATCH program, an award-winning initiative of the Los Angeles Community College District to promote quality instruction and diversity in community college teaching. Zaneta’s teaching experience includes Adjunct Professor roles at West Los Angeles College and the California State University Los Angeles School of Social Work.  In addition to her new board role with the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges, Zaneta serves as a Dream Council member for the MLK Community Hospital Foundation and as a Board Member for the Living Into the Future Foundation. Zaneta has received many accolades including Nike Legacy Project Changemaker Award, Biddy Mason Award, Rising Champion, and Impact Maker to Watch Award. She received a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Spelman College.    

This week, energized by the Olympics, we're thrilled to feature Rachel Sumekh, one of the 8 new board members welcomed by the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges this spring. Read more below about Rachel's incredible work and deep ties to both Los Angeles Community College District and the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games! Rachel Sumekh is an entrepreneur and social impact consultant with RNS Impact. Her clients include start-ups, nonprofits and philanthropies. For 10 years, Rachel served as the CEO and Founder of Swipe Out Hunger, the nation's leading nonprofit in addressing hunger amongst college students. In 2021, Swipe merged with the College and University Food Bank Alliance (CUFBA) becoming the home for the campus food pantry movement. Rachel wrote the Hunger Free Campus Act which passed in California and eight other states, sending $100+ million to anti-hunger programs on campus. Swipe Out Hunger has been recognized by The Obama White House and landed Rachel on the Forbes' 30 Under 30 list. 🔗 LACCD Connection: Like her two siblings, Rachel is a proud LACCD alum. She attended Los Angeles Pierce College prior to transferring to UCLA.   🌎 Olympic Connection: Rachel is one of a handful of Angelenos invited to design an emblem for LA28. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gfMds86c

➡ Exciting news! The Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges is honored to be one of the 32 recipients of the NASH Catalyst Fund, receiving part of the $220,000 awarded to enhance college affordability and access! Our initiative, funded by The National Association of Higher Education Systems with support from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, will provide financial support to Los Angeles Community College District nursing students, including through NCLEX exam stipends and basic needs grants. Since 2016 the Foundation has helped address financial barriers for more than 2,000 nursing students. 🎓

Please join us in welcoming Ben Winter to the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges Board of Directors! The Foundation was thrilled to welcome eight new board members this spring. This summer we are excited to highlight one new member each week. Ben Winter is the Senior Vice President of Linc Housing, an L.A. County-based nonprofit that develops and preserves affordable housing. The organization is one of the largest of its kind in California and strives to build communities and strengthen neighborhoods for people underserved by the marketplace. Ben has spent much of his career in the public sector, working in various roles with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under both the Obama and Biden Administrations. Ben brings to the Foundation deep expertise in housing and homelessness initiatives, including prior work to assess and address housing needs for Los Angeles Community College District students within the public and philanthropic sectors. Locally, he has served in several leadership roles with the City of Los Angeles, including most recently as the Chief Housing Officer for Mayor Eric Garcetti where he spearheaded and created initiatives to address homelessness. Ben also worked with the California Community Foundation, overseeing the organization’s housing and homelessness initiatives. Ben’s professional and philanthropic pursuits have been grounded in a personal ethos that centers on removing barriers to economic opportunity and making our society more peaceful and equitable.    Ben holds a double bachelors in Spanish literature and international studies from the University of Wisconsin. He has a master's in urban planning, housing, and economic development from New York University. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California in the Sol Price School of Public Policy.    

This spring the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges welcomed eight outstanding new board members. We are thrilled to introduce and highlight a new member each week this summer. ☀ Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Frank J. Lee, CFA! Frank Lee is an Executive Director and Banker at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. He brings to the Foundation 25 years of financial investment and management experience including 15 years of direct experience working with community college foundations to maximize their investment portfolios. Frank has called Los Angeles home for nearly 20 years and believes that community colleges are the lifeblood of the local community and economy.  Frank holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and is also a licensed Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).