Arthur Ajemyan became Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in January 2021, having been promoted from Vice President, Corporate Controller, a position he held since May 2014. He had been Corporate Controller since August 2012. From 2005 to 2012, Mr. Ajemyan held various positions in the accounting and finance department at Reliance, including Group Controller and Director of Financial Reporting. Prior to joining Reliance, Mr. Ajemyan, a certified public accountant, held various professional staff and manager positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP from 1998 to 2005.

Dr. Kristy Appelhans is the Senior Director of Global Post-Market Medical Surveillance at Herbalife Nutrition. To date, she brings nearly 20 years of experience working in a diverse capacity within the health and fitness industry. 

Dr. Appelhans completed her undergraduate education in Clinical Nutrition in 2003 and subsequently completed her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine in 2007. She has been in private practice since 2009. In 2016, Dr. Appelhans also completed a Masters in Science in Regulatory Affairs.

As the head of Safety at Herbalife Nutrition, Dr. Appelhans oversees a comprehensive global post-market safety surveillance program and nutrition safety education. She is also frequently involved in various industry-related harmonization and regulatory projects, including her advisory contributions in 2012 in collaboration with other organizations in the completion of IADSA’s (International Alliance of Dietary Supplement Associations) Global Guide to the Handling of Adverse Event Complaints. Amongst her numerous publications related to global food and dietary supplement safety and surveillance, Dr. Appelhans most recently co-authored a chapter on post-market safety surveillance in the book titled New Product Development in Nutraceutical and Functional Foods: from concept to market.  
With Dr. Appelhans’ leadership, a dynamic team of health, science, and consumer relations professionals are able to support Herbalife’s markets globally in properly managing, assessing, and addressing all health-related inquiries, including adverse events. Additionally, Dr. Appelhans is the key point person for the implementation of appropriate operating procedures, technologies, and standardized nomenclature which are necessary for the Company to conduct meaningful post-market data trending and signal detection in the interest of consumer safety.

Susan Baker is the President and CEO of The Mary E. Bazar-Robin Foundation, a 501(c)(3) family foundation shepherding and preserving the legacy of its founder, Betty Bazar. Prior to her passing at the age of 97 in 2021, Betty was a long-time supporter of the American Red Cross and its mission, which dovetailed with her passions for healthcare and human rights.

Before beginning her foray into philanthropy, Susan practiced law in the greater Los Angeles area for more than 25 years, starting as an entertainment litigator with the law firm of Wyman, Isaacs, Blumenthal & Lynne, where she represented the interests of Sony Pictures, New Line Cinema, Garth Brooks, Sid & Marty Krofft and other studios and artists. Subsequently, she defended attorneys in professional liability claims and related matters, including a First Amendment lawsuit heard by the United States Supreme Court in which Susan and her colleagues represented the late Johnnie Cochran. She concluded her career handling appellate matters, both on behalf of parties and as a judicial attorney at the Second District of the California Court of Appeal.

Susan received her bachelor's degree from California State University, Northridge, and her J.D. from McGeorge School of Law.

Terry Brown is Chief Human Resources Officer of L.A. Care Health Plan. In this role, Mr. Brown is responsible for all Human Resource functions including total rewards, learning and career services, talent acquisition, business support and the Center for Organization Excellence. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Brown served as L.A. Care’s Sr. Director of Total Rewards, responsible for L.A. Care’s compensation, benefits and support services. Mr. Brown joined L.A. Care after spending more than 25 years in human resource consulting. During this time, he served in leadership roles in several leading consultancies including Pearl Meyer & Partners, Sibson Consulting and Compensation Resource Group, Inc. assisting management and boards of directors with human resource strategy and operational human resource issues. Mr. Brown has an MBA, from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering from Mississippi State University.

Verna Grayce Chao is executive vice president in charge of City National Bank’s Treasury Management Solutions and serves on the bank’s Executive Committee. Ms. Chao manages a department of more than 200 colleagues who are responsible for City National’s commercial deposit products. She also oversees the bank’s fintech subsidiaries, which include Exactuals, a Los Angeles based provider of innovative SaaS solutions for complex payments in the entertainment industry, FilmTrack, a Studio City-based leader in intellectual property rights management, and Datafaction, the bank’s accounting solution. Ms. Chao previously served as general manager of Datafaction before being promoted to her current role in March 2019. Datafaction is a leading developer of specialized accounting and productivity software.

Ms. Chao has more than two decades of financial services and management experience. Before joining City National’s Datafaction in 2017, she served as the general manager and chief marketing officer of Source Medical Solutions in Los Angeles. Additionally, she was the marketing director for Dell and program director for IBM. In 2021 and 2020, Ms. Chao was recognized as one of the most influential women in banking by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Active in the community, she is a founding member of Chief, Los Angeles Chapter. Chief is a private network that connects and supports rising female leaders.

Ms. Chao earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and her master’s degree of business administration from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of Crenshaw Christian Center, Angela oversees a multi-million dollar budget and is responsible for a large church membership, five schools, a worldwide television ministry, nearly 200 employees and 1,500 volunteers.

Notable achievements throughout her 40-year career include such publications as Who's Who in Religion and Outstanding Young Women of America. She has also been a member of Town Hall Los Angeles and the American Management Association and has received numerous awards including recognition from the California Legislature Assembly and the City of Los Angeles.

Additionally, Angela was named the 2004 Division 2 Honorary Fire Chief, which resulted in her Ministry adopting an entire battalion of fire stations. She also established a Community Development Corporation (the Vermont Village CDC) and is the President and Chair of its Board of Directors. She also serves as Corporate Secretary on the Board of the Fellowship of International Christian Word of Faith Ministries (FICWFM), a ministerial organization founded by her father, in 1990.

Angela is a missionary at heart and her visionary leadership has resulted in the establishment of Apostle Frederick Price Ministry Training Institutes, to promulgate her father's teachings of faith in Tema, Ghana, and in Los Angeles.

 Renee Fraser, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of Fraser Communications, the largest female owned and led integrated advertising agency in Southern California. Fraser Communications is a $30 million firm creating, producing and placing media campaigns in digital, social, as well as TV, radio and outdoor. Clients include Lexus, East West Bank, Nuvision, Hyundai, Ontario Airport, First 5 California with their Talk. Read. Sing.^® campaign and more. Renee serves as the Chair of the Board for Wise and Healthy Aging and serves on the boards of Girls Inc. and NAWBO-LA, as well as the national board of 2020 Women on Boards. Previously, she served on the boards of National Volunteers of America, United Way of Greater LA County, Harvard University Women’s Leadership Board at The Kennedy School and Women Presidents Organization.

Renee was honored as one of the “50 Most Influential Women” by Los Angeles Magazine for her many contributions in civic leadership (United Way board, National Volunteers of America board and Co-Chair of Business Task Force to end homelessness in L.A./Home for Good). Renee encouraged entrepreneurship through her radio show “Unfinished Business” for five years. She’s a featured columnist on Business.com and has been featured on Forbes, the Huffington Post, and many others. She is also the creator and host of “The Deciders” on KABC 790AM in Los Angeles, airing every Saturday at 5:30 PM PST. In everything she does, her steadfast principle of “doing well by doing good” follows her closely.

Renee received her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from University of Southern California. She enjoys life with her three wonderful daughters.

Nairi Gardiner is a deeply experienced operating and financial executive who has reshaped and revitalized global businesses to strategically build brands and deliver accelerated growth within the rapidly evolving media, entertainment, and consumer products industries. With past success driving large-scale global transformations, Nairi knows how to help organizations strategically advance and build more effective structures to compete and win.    

Recently retiring from an accomplished 30+ year career at Warner Bros./WarnerMedia, Nairi served as the Executive Vice President, Finance & Operations for Global Brands and Experiences, the multibillion-dollar business delighting fans with integrated media content, curated products, and themed experiences showcasing the brands they love. Prior to EVP, she oversaw global expansions, built best-in-class partnerships, and fostered an inclusive high performing culture with progressive leadership roles within Consumer Products, DC Entertainment, and Theatrical Distribution & Marketing. 

Nairi is also a financial expert with early career Big 4 experience, qualified as an Audit Committee Financial Expert (ACFE) and a licensed CPA. She holds an MBA in Finance & Marketing from UCLA Anderson School of Business and a BA in Economics from Stanford University.   

Nairi is a current board member of the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region and a member of LA’s Tiffany Circle. She has been recognized as a leader in the Los Angeles area and actively supports organizations serving the community and the advancement of women.  

Liz has been married to her husband Mike for 46 years. They have 4 kids and 14 grandchildren. That is her first priority. Her second priority is volunteerism. Starting as a Brownie leader, Liz did various PTA jobs culminating as San Marino PTA Council President. She was a member of the San Marino Schools Foundation and past President of San Marino Junior Alliance. She was Board member and twice Benefit Chair of Five Acres, the past President of the San Marino Auxiliary of Five Acres, and 12 year active member of the Pasadena Showcase House of the Arts. Liz is a member of The Luminaires, which benefits the Doheny Eye Institute. Having served a three year term on the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter Board. Liz now sits on the Los Angeles Region Board of Directors and Co-Chairs the Philanthropy Committee. She is also Chair of the Prepare San Gabriel Valley Committee where she works extensively with each city to ensure their preparedness efforts are met and they are connected to the resources of the American Red Cross. Liz Giordano is also a member of the Tiffany Circle Society of Women Leaders and Philanthropists.

Meloni Midori Hallock is a Managing Director, Partner and co-founder of Acacia Wealth Advisors at HighTower. She has more than 30 years of experience in providing ultra-high-net worth-individuals and families with comprehensive personal financial planning services, including asset allocation and investment planning, estate and gift planning, charitable giving, tax planning and risk management. 

Prior to Acacia Wealth Advisors and HighTower, Meloni was a tax partner in Ernst & Young’s Los Angeles office, where she served as the Pacific Southwest Area Director of Personal Financial Counseling.

Meloni has an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Missouri St. Louis and B.A. from the College of William and Mary. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and holds the Personal Financial Specialist™ (PFS™) and Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) designations.

Meloni has been a long-time board member of the American Red Cross of the Greater Los Angeles Region and is a founding member of the LA chapter’s Tiffany Circle Society for women in philanthropy. Meloni has served on the board of the California Community Foundation and now is a member of the Investment Committee. Meloni continues to serve on the Cabinet of Women United for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. She is also on the Board of Trustees for the Japanese American National Museum. 

Hamrick joined Alcoa Fastening Systems in 2011. Prior to Alcoa, She worked for Johnson & Johnson in the consumer sector managing worldwide human resources for the Neutrogena franchise. Later, she headed the J&J Consumer Supply Chain organization where she had responsibility for Latin America and North America. Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Hamrick worked for Raytheon Vision Systems in the Network Centric Systems Division and spent more than 10 years with Pacer International. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA and is certified as a DDI Facilitator.

With over 20 years banking experience, Jay Hong is a Senior Manager for the Greater LA North RCBO in Pasadena, CA. Jay is currently tasked with developing new opportunities through his network of referral sources as well as managing an existing posrtfolio of diverse middle market companies located thoughout Southern California. As a Senior Relationship Manager, Jay works closly with client’s C-level management to provide strategic financial solutions through Wells Fargo’s suite of services.

Jay received his BS in Bussiness Finance from the University of Southern California and previously held his series 6 and 63 broker’s license.

Jay is involved in the local community through his leadership as Board Member of pathways LA, serving on both the Finance and Program committees. Currently, Jay resides in South Pasadena with his family.

Julie A. Kachgal began her career as a specialist at New York City’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM).  During her time at OEM she supported various planning initiatives and participated in emergency response efforts at New York City’s Emergency Operations Center.  Early in her career she realized the value she could bring to community preparedness by bringing her skillset to the Private Sector and was fortunate to have an entry-level emergency management position at The Walt Disney Company. 

Julie initially joined The Walt Disney Company in 2007 and was responsible for the implementation of crisis management policy globally.  In 2012, Julie left Disney to gain experiences in other private sector entities.  With this effort, she acted as the local emergency manager at Warner Bros. Studios.  In 2016, Julie accepted an opportunity at Unibail- Rodamco-Westfield, a global commercial real estate company, to gain experience in the Risk Management sector.  At Westfield, Julie oversaw the US portfolio as the Director of Risk & Resiliency.  In 2021, Julie returned to The Walt Disney Company to lead the Global Crisis Management Department.

Julie is credentialed through IAEM as a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) and through the Disaster Recovery Institute as a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) and Certified Risk Management Professional (CRMP). She holds a Bachelor’s Degree (BA) from the University of North Texas and a Master’s Degree (MPA) in Emergency and Disaster Management from the Metropolitan College of New York.  She is published in the Encyclopedia of Crisis Management, Encyclopedia of Disaster Relief and has co-authored Emergency Management and Disaster Response Utilizing Public-Private Partnerships.

Joseph Kanimian has been practicing law since 1991. He has his own firm in Glendale California, specializing in civil litigation, general business transactions and non-profit corporations.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts, MBA and JD degrees from the University of La Verne, where he was an administrator and instructor. He is a lifetime sustaining member of Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles.

A member of the Red Cross L.A. Region board for more than nine years, Joseph also serves as chairman of the board of trustees of Ararat Home, Inc., a Convalescent Hospital and Assisted Living not-for-profit corporation, aw well as chairman of the Diocesan Council of the Armenian Church Western Diocese. He is fluent in five languages.

Shannon is a Principal in Deloitte’s Risk & Financial Advisory (“RFA”) practice, and the national point of contact for Deloitte’s Technology Media and Telecommunications (“TMT”) Assurance practice. In this role, Shannon drives our strategy for talent deployment, client allocation and succession planning for TMT assurance clients and practitioners. Located in Los Angeles, California, she has over 20 years of experience leading advisory risk engagements and information technology reviews in support of independent financial statement audits and internal audit engagements.

Shannon leverages industry experiences to help clients rationalize controls, evaluating the control procedures in place, determining an acceptable level of business risk exposure and recommending risk management and control techniques. Her experience includes external and internal audits, third party system and organization controls reporting, information technology consulting, financial and operational consulting, third party licensing and regulatory risk and controls. She leads large, complex internal audit co-sourcing engagements, leveraging subject matter specialists and our global resources. Shannon has worked with major studios, film producers and distributors, technology companies and cable and satellite broadcasters.

Shannon is Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and a member of Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). She is active in Deloitte’s Inclusion Initiative, has served as the West Coast Advisory and Los Angeles Women’s Initiative Leader, and was nominated for the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Women Making a Difference Award. She has facilitated media and entertainment panels, including “Video Anytime Anywhere: Video Across Platforms - TV, Internet and Mobile” at Digital Hollywood and “Women in Media”.

Prior to joining Deloitte, Shannon worked for the Utah State Department of Emergency Management, managing Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) grant programs with a focus on emergency preparedness, business continuity planning, and disaster recovery efforts.

Barbara Mathews is responsible for corporate governance and securities law matters, and oversees the Corporate Governance and Finance and the Contracts and Intellectual Property sections of the Edison’s Law Department which she joined in 1996 as an assistant general counsel. Prior to that, she was a partner in the law firm of Arnold & Porter, where she served in the Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Denver offices. She began her legal career as a law clerk for the Hon. Helen J. Frye, United States District Court Judge for the District of Oregon. She serves on the board of directors of the Society of Corporate Secretaries & Governance Professionals and as chair of its Membership Committee. Mathews received her bachelor’s degree in political science from The Colorado College and her J.D. from Catholic University Law School.

Jennifer McCormick came to the United States in 1997 with only her suitcase. She was born in Tianjin in northern China and graduated with an International Business degree from Tianjin Hexi District University. In China she had worked for Sealand Service, Inc. (Maersk Line) as a Sales Representative in the ocean shipping industry. Upon her arrival to the US, she continued her work in the shipping Industry working for Evertop Freight, Inc. from 1997 to 1999 in Los Angeles. Her success led her to become Vice President of Sales of the busy West Coast region for the Hong Kong firm Jardine Logistics, Inc. of which she worked until 2003 when she became Vice President of Sales for Dart Express, Inc.

In 2005, Jennifer made the decision to start her own freight logistics company, American Freight Logistics, Inc., of which she is still the CEO and owner. American Freight handles shipping of ocean and air cargo from all corners of the world.

In 2019, Jennifer was chosen to attend the Women Entrepreneurs Program through BNP Paribas at Stanford University.

She is a member of American Red Cross Tiffany Circle Los Angeles region, also a member of the American Red Cross Tiffany Circle National Council, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Asian Council, is a member of JAAG, and joined the Otis College Board of Trustees.

Jennifer enjoys charity work, painting, photography, playing her GuQin (an ancient Chinese zither), travelling, history, and spending time with her husband Mark and son Robert where they reside in Walnut, California.

Buzz McCoy is president of Buzz McCoy Associates, Inc. He is a real estate and business counselor, an educator and a philanthropist. He retired as a partner of Morgan Stanley & Co, Inc., where he directed the firm's real estate finance activities and West Coast operations. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. A member of a long-time Red Cross family, McCoy has been a volunteer for many years, including as a member of the Junior Red Cross. He is a past chapter chairman, vice chair, and treasurer. He has also served on the Southern California Regional Red Cross Blood Services Board of Directors. McCoy has served in leadership positions at numerous community organizations, including the Urban Land Institute, Urban Land Foundation, Counselors of Real Estate, Stanford Alumni Association, Stanford University Center for Economic Policy Research, Hollywood Bowl, Hoover Institution, UCLA Medical Center Ethics Committee and USC Thornton School of Music. McCoy has published more than 75 magazine articles on the subject of business ethics and real estate finance.

Wendy McMahon is president and co-head of CBS News, the CBS Television Stations and CBS News Digital. She began her new role in May 2021.

McMahon and Neeraj Khemlani, also president and co-head of CBS News and Television Stations, are responsible for a newly-formed division which unifies CBS News, CBS News Digital and CBS Television Stations. Together they have editorial and business oversight of CBS News broadcasts and operations; the 24/7 streaming news service CBSN; CBSN Local streaming networks; cbsnews.com; 28 CBS-owned stations and their Digital extensions; CBS News Audio; and CBS News' affiliate service Newspath.

McMahon is as an experienced, award-winning television stations executive with a record of success driving audience and revenue growth as well as creating industry-leading content, products and newsrooms. As an innovator of next-gen storytelling and champion of community-focused content, she is recognized for her extensive creative, marketing and digital expertise, as well as pioneering the uses of data and technology to deepen viewer engagement and drive operational modernization.

Prior to joining CBS News, McMahon was president of the ABC Owned Television Stations Group, with direct responsibility for the Walt Disney Company's eight broadcast stations, local newsrooms and streaming assets, as well as oversight of the 1,500 team members who collectively achieved their 12th consecutive year of local television news leadership in 2020. Under her leadership, the Group realized its largest local television news competitive advantage in a decade and achieved national leadership in digital reach and streaming minutes consumed across their markets.

Earlier, McMahon was the senior vice president, ABC Digital, where she crafted a multi-platform future for the group, responsible for leading digital content, products and technology, and audience development strategies and initiatives. As senior vice president of ABC Digital, she led the pivot to streaming and launched the group's first connected TV apps. McMahon also launched the digital-first brand Localish and a first-of-its kind data journalism unit that powered exclusive investigations across the network and stations.

During McMahon's tenure at the ABC Owned Television Stations Group, she oversaw the creation of a Race and Culture team as well as the multi-cultural series, Our America.

Previously, McMahon served as vice president of marketing at KABC in Los Angeles and as a creative services director at CBS-owned stations WBZ in Boston and WCCO in Minneapolis. She began her career as a promotion manager for WTOC in Savannah, Georgia.

In 2019, McMahon was named the Young Alumna of the Year by her alma mater, Louisiana State University and the Digital Leader of the Year by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Throughout her career, her teams have received numerous Emmys, Associated Press and regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in news reporting including the 2020 National Edward R. Murrow award for breaking news coverage. Her creative teams have also been honored with several Promax, Telly and Broadcast Design awards for excellence in marketing and brand development.

McMahon graduated summa cum laude from Louisiana State University with a bachelor's degree in mass communication, broadcast journalism.

Tomoko Nagashima has 20 years of experience, primarily serving asset management clients. She previously worked in PwC's Tokyo office from 1999 through 2003 where she served as engagement manager on multi-national asset management company audits and investment trust fund audits. In addition to her client service responsibilities, she served as the partner champion of PwC’s Assurance Diversity Initiatives for Southern California as well as a Board member of Ascend. She graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in Business Administration. She is a CPA licensed in the states of California, New York and Massachusetts.

Scott J. Olmsted is the Senior Vice President and the Group Head of Technology within Global Commercial Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In this capacity, he is responsible for leading a team which advises emerging growth to public companies in the technology, media and entertainment industry across multiple segments of their business including capital raising, advisory and day to day operations. His experience includes private and public companies as well as portfolio companies of venture capital and private equity firms. Scott has successfully managed multiple teams at the Bank for over 15 years to deliver customized solutions to clients to meet their ever changing needs.

Scott joined Bank of America in 2000 as a credit underwriter in the Commercial Division based in Los Angeles. He was promoted to a Client Management Associate in 2002 where he provided transactional support to the California Middle Market Banking Region. He was appointed a Vice President and Client Manager in 2003 with responsibility for his own portfolio of clients. Scott was promoted to a Senior Vice President in 2006, Market Manager in 2011, Group Head of the Technology Industry in 2013 and the most recent inclusion of Media and Entertainment into his responsibility in 2016.

Before joining Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Scott worked at The Walt Disney Company in the Imagineering Group. He was responsible for the financial aspects of the construction of both the Paradise Pier and Golden State sections of the California Adventure theme park in Anaheim.

He received a MBA from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and an undergraduate degree in Biopsychology from the University of California Santa Barbara.

Scott is on the Board as a Vice Chairman for the Los Angeles Region American Red Cross. He serves on both the Governance & Nominating Committee and Chairs the Facilities Committee.

Jesús G. Román serves as Verizon’s Chief Regulatory and Legislative Counsel with responsibility over proceedings at the Public Utilities Commissions and Legislatures in eight West area states.  Jesús also leads local government affairs and corporate social responsibility throughout Southern California.

Jesús has worked on some of Verizon’s most notable endeavors including the acquisition of TracFone Wireless, the launch of Verizon FiOS Fiber-Optic Network, the implementation and expansion of 4G LTE, and the deployment of 5G across California and the West states.  While working on many initiatives with different cities and counties, including Inglewood in connection with Super Bowl LVI, Jesús was the lead negotiator of public private partnerships with the cities of San Diego and Long Beach, agreements that accelerate deployment of fiber and 5G wireless facilities to the residents, workers and visitors of those cities.

Jesús has also worked to promote widespread deployment of advanced wireless and 5G connectivity, with a strong commitment to digital inclusion and diversity. Jesús coordinates development of policy positions on a range of issues, including public safety, resiliency, consumer protection and climate protection.  Additionally, Jesús and his team lead Latino engagement throughout Southern California ensuring the community is represented.  Recently, Jesús was appointed to serve as Verizon’s representative on the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission’s Advisory Board.  He also has recently been appointed to the Board of the American Red Cross for the Los Angeles Region.

Jesús started his legal career at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro in San Francisco and subsequently worked at a law firm in Puerto Rico for nearly three years where he discovered and honed his passion for telecom law.

He obtained his law degree in 1993 from the University of California at Berkeley's School of Law, where he was a member of the California Law Review.  Jesús is licensed to practice law in California, Puerto Rico and various federal courts. 

He received a Master in Public Affairs, with an emphasis on Domestic Policy, from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs and received his undergraduate degree from UCLA, where he was recognized with the Outstanding Senior Award.

A firm believer in opening doors for others, Jesús has served in leadership positions with the Western Region Puerto Rican Council, the San Francisco School Volunteers, La Raza Centro Legal, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility and the UCLA Alumni Association’s Scholarship Program, among others.

Jesús also has a commitment to disaster preparedness and city engagement.  He completed his city of residence’s Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) Academy and the Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy.

Todd A. Stevens is President and CEO of Black Knight Energy LLC, a Kanye Anderson backed company that is focused on investing in oil and natural gas in assets in North America. Before this he was President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of California Resources Corporation (NYSE “CRC”), California’s largest independent oil and natural gas producer for ~6.5 years. Prior to CRC, Mr. Stevens worked for 20 years in various management positions at Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE “OXY”) and most recently served as Vice President, Corporate Development. During his career with Occidental, he led most of Occidental’s growth initiatives and his responsibilities included mergers and acquisitions, evaluating and developing finance-related strategic and business opportunities, restructuring alternatives and asset dispositions, land management activities and worldwide exploration activities. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California after graduating from the United States Military Academy, West Point, with a Bachelor of Science degree which led to his first job out of college, which was serving as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army.

Mr. Stevens serves as a Director on the following boards: EPIC Midstream Holdings, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, American Red Cross – Los Angeles Region, Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission Advisory Board, Los Angeles Kings Business Advisory Board, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Foundation, Val Pac (San Fernando Valley Business Political Action Committee), USC Viterbi School of Engineering Advisory Board, and USC Marshall School – Masters of Business for Veterans Programs at USC (Executive Partner). 

Josie Tong feels right at home on the Westside of Los Angeles, known for its vibrant, upscale communities with a neighborhood feel and an international flair.  She represents local and international buyers and sellers who rely on her local knowledge and exceptional research and marketing skills. Josie is experienced in handling complex transactions, serving as a focal point between clients' attorneys, private bankers, and advisors across multiple time zones around the world.  She speaks fluent English, Mandarin, and Cantonese and has a BA in accounting and a MBA from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Josie recently represented the American Red Cross in the sale of their historic mansion and a Cultural Heritage Landmark, the Cravens Estate in Pasadena, California. Josie and her partner donated 100% of their 6-figure commissions and marketing expenses back to the Red Cross from this significant sale.

Prior to real estate, Josie had 20+ years of experience in consulting including with Price Waterhouse and in the electronic payment industry. She held management positions at a wholly owned subsidiary of multi-national Deluxe Corp. including positions as GM/Director of Asia Pacific Operations and VP/Controller overseeing operations with annual revenue of over $140 million.

Josie enjoys travel, current affairs, art, and architecture. She is actively involved with the community, especially the American Red Cross. She is a member of the American Red Cross Tiffany Circle National Council, Chair of the Los Angeles Region Tiffany Circle from January 2017 through June 2018, and a former member of the Board of the American Red Cross Santa Monica Bay Chapter. She is on the Advisory Board of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center. She is a former trustee of the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. She is a frequent speaker at the Asian Real Estate Association of America. She is also a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, LA World Affairs Council, Asia Society, Fellows of Contemporary Art, Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club, Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, and Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Torbati joined the Cedars-Sinai medical staff in October 2000 after completing his emergency medicine training at the University of California in San Diego, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Torbati is a clinically active board-certified emergency physician and also serves as the co-chairman and medical director of the Ruth and Harry Emergency Department- a position he was appointed to in 2013. Sam has been a dedicated and involved member of the medical staff for more than the 20 years, serving on dozens of Emergency Department and Medical Center executive and operational committees.

He is a respective member of the Cedars-Sinai executive leadership team and has played key roles in the development and implementation of essential organizational initiatives such as CS-Medicine, CS-Link, and most recently, the COVID-19 Physician Best Practice Guidelines. In his role as the emergency department medical director, Sam enhanced the ED’s EMR to be among the best in the nation and further optimized throughput of an already lean emergency department that leads the pact in quality and performance among all academic medical centers in California. Sam, who holds an academic appointment as associate clinical professor of emergency medicine at Cedars-Sinai/ is academically active with publications and medical teaching. He lectures routinely on a wide variety of topics in emergency medicine and serves as an investigator on numerous studies, including numerous current studies on COVID-19 therapeutics.

He currently is the principle investigator of the C3PO trial studying the use of convincement plasma in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease. Other current areas of research including sepsis, ECMO, pulmonary embolism, trauma and stroke. Sam is nationally active with the specialty of emergency medicine serving as an oral board examiner and item writer for the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He serves on the American College of Emergency Physician (ACEP) Quality and Performance Committee and is also a reviewer for the Journal of Emergency Medicine and Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, where he also serves as Cardiology section editor. Sam resides with his wife Gilda and their 4 children in Encino, California.

Kecia M. Washington is the Director of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).  In this role, Kecia has a leadership role in various relationships and initiatives involving diversity, innovation, and a sustainability workforce. Her responsibilities run the gamut from Co-chairing the Economic Activities work group for the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone to serving as the LADWP lead on the Los Angeles Clean Tech Incubator’s Diversity Committee to creating partnerships with nonprofits to funnel foster youth into careers in the energy and water sectors. Kecia has also partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Innovation in securing and implementing a Living Cities Grant on Procurement reform.   

Prior to this Kecia was the Director of Economic Development for the LADWP.  In that role she was tasked with managing legacy economic development programs as well as developing and implementing initiatives that focus on the retention, expansion and attraction of business customers.   

Under her leadership, Economic Development partnered with the Water System and others to enact the Capital Projects Business Retention Program, the first of its kind in the nation that offered assistance to small businesses impacted by utility infrastructure work. Economic Development recently launched Stem N Sustainability, a joint effort with Los Angeles Trade Technical College, California State University Northridge and Los Angeles Unified School District to expose high school- and college-aged women students to STEM job opportunities available in the utility sector. The college students act as mentors to the younger students as each group work toward developing an education pathway toward careers in the utility industry.   Kecia was also the Executive Director of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Office of Contractor Relations. In that role she was charged with enacting and implementing programs, policies, procedures, and rules that assist in the economic recovery and stability of small business in the city while ensuring equity, parity, and transparency in the City’s contracting process and affirming the City’s right to impose contracting and small business conditions on projects using City real property or financial backing.  

Kecia has also served as the Assistant Director of Supply Chain at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). During her tenure, she assisted LADWP in streamlining its bid notification system, drafting local bid preference program, and modernizing the bid protest procedures. Before her tenure at Supply Chain Management, Kecia was the Director of Education and Outreach for LADWP. In that position she was able to establish and maintain beneficial relationships with education institutions and other stakeholders to both educate them on water and power issues and create beneficial partnerships to provide training and education to LADWP customers. Additionally, in this role she was tasked with managing LADWP’s Job Opportunity and Training Program wherein a small percentage of contracting dollars were set aside to provide training and jobs for the unemployed and underemployed.  

Kecia also served as Mayor Villaraigosa’s Associate Director for Energy. In that role Kecia was tasked with providing policy direction to LADWP and was the first point of contact for administrative issues involving LADWP.  

Kecia also has significant management experience developing and implementing legislative, regulatory and policy objectives in the energy, transportation and education arenas. Past employers include Southern California Gas Company, Sempra Energy, San Diego Gas and Electric Company, the Orange County Transportation Authority, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Los Angeles Community College District.  

Kecia is a voluntarily inactive member of the California Bar. She obtained a Juris Doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley.  

Kecia is on the Executive Management Committee of the Valley Economic Alliance.   

Kecia is on the Board for the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation.   

Kecia sits on the Board for the Los Angeles Business Council Institute.  Kecia is a charter member of the Omega Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.   

Kecia is a member of the Inland Empire Chapter of Jack and Jill of America.