Leadership
Robert Sainz
President & Executive Director
Biography
With an unwavering commitment to advocating for vulnerable populations, Robert Sainz serves as the President and Executive Director of New Ways to Work, a nonprofit focusing on advocacy and technical assistance to improve workforce and education programs and systems. Serving young adults who often live in the shadows, the agency has an intense focus on those from foster, probation, and homeless systems. Having recently concluded a 30-year public sector career in the City and County of Los Angeles, Robert previously served as Assistant General Manager for the City of Los Angeles Economic Development Department where he managed over $70 million annually in public agency grant funds, resulting in programs and services for thousands of Angelenos.
Behind the glitz and glam that have become synonymous with the LA brand, Robert has a proven history of digging beyond the surface—tackling the most devastating social problems that face residents living in communities with diminished resources. Whether addressing juvenile delinquency, youth and adult unemployment, or youth disconnection from education and work, the LA native specializes in building coalitions and partnerships that maximize resources to produce quantifiable results.
Thanks to a clear vision for how to reengage young people, Robert established the City of Los Angeles YouthSource System, Los Angeles Performance Partnership Pilot (LAP3) and is a founding member of LA:RISE – an innovative model serving homeless and re-entry populations. He also established HIRE LA, one of the nation’s largest public-private youth employment initiatives that combined the visibility of corporate America with solutions designed by policy experts. As part of his extensive tenure with the second largest city in the nation, Robert also served as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Youth Opportunity Movement and worked as the Assistant and Interim Executive Director of the City of Los Angeles Commission for Children, Youth and Their Families.
Never straying from a challenge, Robert began his career in the Los Angeles County Management Trainee Program in 1990 and later assumed the role of Probation Director leading the department’s Office of Community Relations and Office of Prevention Services. As a national voice on workforce development, Robert served as past President and Trustee in the US Conference of Mayor’s Workforce Development Council and as an advisory member for the National Dropout Prevention Council. He is also a board member of School & Main; Alliance for a Better Community; and cofounder of the Reconnecting LA’s Youth (RELAY) Institute at California State University, Northridge. Robert is married; father of three children, and grandfather of two.
Gregory Burks, Ph.D.
Senior VP of Development
Biography
Dr. Gregory Burks brings more than 30 years of executive leadership in workforce development, nonprofit management, and community economic development to his role as Senior Vice-President at New Ways to Work. His career spans the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles, and community-based economic development, giving him a rare, ground-level understanding of how workforce systems are built, scaled, and sustained.
As Senior Vice-President at New Ways to Work, Dr. Burks applies decades of operational leadership to the development and implementation of new programs and processes that advance the organization’s national workforce development work. He is currently leading the redesign of the City of Los Angeles Workforce Development System through New Ways to Work, the very system he originally architected 13 years ago.
At the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, Dr. Burks served as a branch Executive Director and VP of Operations, where he reorganized administrative operations, grew training enrollment by 50 percent, secured $1 million in grant revenue, and developed an accredited alternative high school in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Education. He eliminated $75,000 in reserve debt while reducing operating expenses by 20 percent, managing an annual budget of $2 million and a staff of more than 50.
At the City of Los Angeles, Dr. Burks served as Director of Workforce Development Adult Operations, where he led the redesign of the City’s entire workforce development system, growing annual enrollment from 6,000 to 30,000 participants. He managed 500 full-time staff across 17 WorkSource Centers, secured $80 million in grant funding, met 100 percent of the City’s contractual goals, and helped the system earn national recognition for best practices. Earlier in his City career, he managed the South Los Angeles and Harbor regions for the Community Development Department, overseeing $150 million in contracts and serving a constituency of 1.5 million residents, and led the Youth Opportunity Movement, managing three youth centers in Watts, East Los Angeles, and Pacoima.
As Chief Operating Officer of the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation, Dr. Burks secured a Community Development Financial Institution designation from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, grew financial development revenue by 350 percent, doubled the operating budget, and built a $6 million revolving loan fund supporting small businesses in South Los Angeles.
Through Burks Consulting Group, LLC, Dr. Burks also provides strategic planning, executive coaching, and capacity building services to nonprofits, human services organizations, and small businesses across Southern California and Northern Nevada, including the EmployNV Youth Hub initiative for Nevadaworks.
Ari Malka, Ph.D.
Senior VP of Research & Evaluation
Biography
Ari Malka is a Senior Vice-President of Research and Evaluation at New Ways to Work. Dr. Malka has over a decade of experience in conducting applied research, program evaluation, and leading leadership and organizational development initiatives. In addition to evaluating several large-scale programs in Los Angeles, he also teaches an MBA course at Rice University.
Early on, Dr. Malka was very involved in both academia and practice. In addition to teaching several undergraduate courses and conducting organizational research, he held formal internships at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and ExxonMobil. Dr. Malka’s early work in conducting job and training needs analyses and applied research on organizational teams has led to his unique insight into human capital practices in the private and public sectors. As a human capital consultant at PDRI, Dr. Malka worked on a variety of federal contracts relating to leadership development and assessment, employee selection, and organizational development. During this time, he collaborated closely with federal employees and leaders in various federal agencies.
Dr. Malka received his B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin and his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Houston.
Lauri Collier
Managing Director
Biography
Lauri Collier is the Managing Director of the California Opportunity Youth Network (COYN) and the LA Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC). Lauri is dedicated results-oriented leader, skilled problem solver, and holds expertise in the unique challenges of opportunity youth—including youth who experience foster care, juvenile justice, and homelessness. Over the past decade, she works as a cross-sector collaborator known to facilitate change within large scale systems. A visionary—who thinks strategically—while leading complex initiatives and works across multiple system partners to achieve collective goals.
Previously, as division-chief of housing and operations at St. Anne’s, she worked in collaboration with DCFS Youth Development Services to bring the Transitional Housing Plus (THP+) funding stream into Los Angeles County in partnership with DCFS and licensed one of the first Transitional Housing Plus Foster Care (THP+FC) housing programs in Los Angeles County. She also served as the director of the Los Angeles Transition Age Youth Collaborative, which developed an evidence-based, trauma informed, work-force development curriculum in collaboration with Columbia University School of Social Work’s Workplace Center. She expanded the reach of work readiness curriculum by and partnering with over 15 community-based organizations, and the curriculum is currently being embedded
Farrah Parker
Senior Communications Manager
Biography
Branding Consultant Farrah Parker serves as one of the newest additions to the New Ways to Work team where she will help guide public relations and marketing efforts. The Los Angeles native currently consults for international brands including the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, retired NBA Champion Matt Barnes, and Grammy Award winner Anthony Hamilton to name a few. With an incredible passion for narrating powerful stories that inspire, Parker started her career with the Los Angeles Lakers public relations team during the Shaquille O’Neal/Kobe Bryant era. Alongside a dynamic team, she helped coordinate international media efforts and diverse community relations efforts that solidified the brand’s dominance across the globe.
After experiencing multiple championship seasons with LA’s home team, Parker ventured to City Government where she worked under the leadership of Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa and Mayor Eric Garcetti to facilitate workforce and economic development efforts to improve the quality of life for marginalized populations. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Parker holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations, both from the distinguished Annenberg School for Communication.
In addition to her wealth of public relations expertise, Parker has also been quoted as a communication expert in publications including but not limited to USA Today, The Hill, The Wall Street Journal, Fox Business News, CNN.com, The Independent, Shape Magazine, and CNBC.
An advocate in the fight to bridge the healthcare gap, Parker narrated the audio book Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor’s Soul. As part of her belief that higher education helps close the wage gap that plagues communities of color, Parker has also taught Interpersonal Communication at California State University, Dominguez Hills and Communication Theory at Compton College. With expertise that spans across multiple industries, she has a longstanding history of positioning clients as industry leaders through the construction of powerful messages that cultivate loyal audiences.
Sean Hughes
Policy Director
Biography
Sean Hughes has more than two decades of experience advancing public policy and systems change on behalf of children, youth, and families. His career spans federal government, national nonprofit leadership, and consulting, providing him with a unique perspective on how policy is developed, implemented, and sustained across systems.
During nearly a decade in the U.S. House of Representatives, Sean helped develop and enact numerous federal laws, including the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-351), which established the federal extended foster care and subsidized guardianship programs.
As Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Social Change Partners, Sean works with public agencies, foundations, and community organizations to design and implement systems change initiatives that improve outcomes for children and families. His recent work includes: successful budget requests to establish the California Youth Apprenticeship Program (CAYAP), California Youth Apprenticeship Committee (CYAC), California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA), and Emergency Medical Services Corps (EMS Corps) grant programs. Enactment of ACR 16 to develop a comprehensive statewide plan for serving Opportunity Youth, and facilitation of the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) OY Working Group, Co-sponsorship of AB 805 to establish the Career Apprenticeship Bridge (CAB) program, Co-sponsorship of California’s Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) Out-of-School Youth (OSY) waiver, Development and establishment of the Congressional Bipartisan Opportunity Youth Caucus.
Andrew Moore
Managing Director
Biography
Andrew Moore’s career in workforce development spans more than two decades. Andrew has built a nationwide network of dozens of reengagement centers to reconnect tens of thousands of older youth to school and work.
With degrees from Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government, Moore formerly served as Director, Youth and Young Adult Connections at the National League of Cities’ and authored Reengagement: Bringing Students Back to America’s Schools (Rowman & Littlefield: 2016). In his new role, he will lead NRI in serving as a key mechanism for peer learning. Leveraging the most reliable programs and policies to get young people ages 16-24 plugged in to opportunity, the network consists of more than 600 leaders with 35+ operating sites. Membership also includes those working in fields such as alternative education, workforce development, juvenile justice, and city government.
Khieem Jackson
Managing Director
Biography
Khieem Jackson is a United States Marine Corps veteran and senior government and community relations professional with deep experience across federal, state, and local advocacy, legislative affairs, issue management, and bipartisan coalition building. A resourceful decision maker and efficient problem solver, he brings common sense solutions to complex challenges and has consistently excelled in fast paced, high stakes environments, supporting peer to peer engagement between decision makers worldwide.
Khieem holds a degree in Aerospace Studies and Aviation Business. Commissioned as a Marine Corps Officer and Naval Aviator, he flew attack helicopters and fixed wing transport aircraft. He served as Deputy Director of the Headquarters Marine Corps Office of Legislative Affairs to the United States House of Representatives, advancing the Commandant’s legislative priorities, engaging Members of Congress, and developing national legislative strategy. He later served as Director of Federal Legislative Affairs for Marine Corps Installations West.
Khieem formerly served on California’s Power of Democracy Steering Committee, established by Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye to strengthen civic learning, democracy, and access to justice statewide.
Committed to future generations, Khieem was appointed California Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction, leading the Equity and Access Branch and over 1,100 professionals. He shaped state policy and programs spanning equity, STEAM, Career Technical Education, adult and alternative education, mental health, community schools, the State Special Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, literacy, civics and arts education, workforce development, charter school oversight, and government affairs.
His equity work extends into the community through support of the CBO Alliance in the Inland Empire, and as Founder of Black Men for Educational Equity (BMEE), advancing equity for at-promise youth and Black men and boys statewide.
Charneece Fraticelli
Program Director
Biography
Charneece Fraticelli is an education-focused program coordinator and administrative professional with over 15 years of experience supporting at-promise and opportunity youth across California’s career-technical education and grant-funded programs. As Senior RAPSA Program Coordinator and former CTE Program Coordinator at SIATech, she has led multi-day policy forums, coordinated statewide grant compliance reporting, and built lasting partnerships between schools, community colleges, and workforce organizations. Her work blends hands-on program management with a deep commitment to creating safe, supportive pathways for students — combining strong organizational systems with genuine care for the communities she serves. In continued efforts to bring apprenticeship opportunities to students located in Southern California though the California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship grant that focuses on Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Counseling. Charneece works on special projects within this grant.
Charneece’s career began in direct youth services — as a Direct Care Counselor managing case records for at-risk residents, and in afterschool and recreation programs supporting children’s academic and social development. That early grounding in child welfare and education continues to shape her approach today: every program she runs is built around the belief that young people thrive when the adults around them are organized, present, and genuinely invested in their success. She brings the same care to her board and stakeholder relationships, treating every district administrator, educator, and community partner as part of a shared mission to expand opportunity for the next generation.
Eric Moore
Program Director
Biography
As founder and CEO of Educate California, Eric Moore has developed an organization whose mission is to ensure that all California youth graduate high school prepared for college and careers. Educate California exists to combat California’s more than 400:1 student-to-counselor ratio, by providing 14-24-year-old youth, their families and organizations that empower youth, with resources that historically would be provided by high school counselors.
Moore’s professional experience includes 8 years as a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Securities and American Express Financial Advisors. In 1998, Moore founded Educate California after experiencing first-hand how parental engagement helped his struggling son graduate high school. In the year 2000, Moore officially transitioned from advising families on investments, estate planning and other financial matters to helping families prepare their children for life after high school.
In the community, Moore serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Executive Service Corps of Southern California (ESC), an organization that provides coaching and capacity building for nonprofits. Moore also serves as a consultant to the California State University Chancellor’s Office.
A native of Los Angeles, Moore studied Organizational Psychology at California State University, Long Beach. His personal interests include non-profit development, do-it-yourself home projects and his dog. Moore resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife Katrice. They have two adult sons.
Karen Vega
Program Manager
Biography
Karen John Vega has over 20 years of experience both in the private and public sector as an Administrator/Sr. Project Assistant. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an option in Office Systems. She started her career with the City of Los Angeles, Commission for Children, Youth & their Services and Youth Opportunity Movement. She later transitioned to the private sector working for a well-established clothing manufacturing company as an Administrator overseeing HR/Accounting/Domestic and Oversea Productions, where she was responsible for day-to-day operations, including managing staff, handling the company’s finances, and ensuring that the office runs efficiently and smoothly. She is truly a “one-stop shop” when it comes to office management and is always looking for ways to improve the efficiency of the office. Currently, she works for nonprofit New Ways to Work as a Program Manager.
Staff & Consultants
Adrian Veliz
Consultant
Biography
Adrian Veliz is a seasoned workforce and economic development strategist with more than 25 years of experience designing programs that open economic pathways for disinvested communities across Los Angeles. His career spans community relations, grant management, business consulting, and program leadership from South LA’s Watts neighborhood to City Hall.
Currently, Adrian provides technical assistance to the City of LA Economic & Workforce Development Department, supporting the WorkSource and BusinessSource networks. He previously served as Director of Workforce Development at The Rightway Foundation, leading programs to empower foster youth, system-impacted individuals, and justice-involved young people into stable careers. As Director of Programs at Vermont-Slauson EDC, he managed $1.5M in CDBG funding and delivered executive business consulting. Adrian is a Board Member of All Peoples Community Center, one of LA’s oldest nonprofits in South Central.
Earlier, Adrian spent nearly two decades with the City of Los Angeles, across the Community Development Department (CDD) and Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD), managing $4M+ in WIA and CDBG contracts. He was pivotal in developing the Watts Neighborhood Council and Watts Gang Task Force. He directed the Watts Entrepreneur Business Accelerator (WEBA), a $1M federally-funded program. His career-long youth development work includes the award-winning Students for Higher Education (SFHE) program and the LA Edutainment Internship Program, connecting 5,000+ youth to careers, supporting 400+ businesses, and creating 1,000+ local jobs.
Alyssa Rubal
Consultant
Biography
Alyssa Rubal is an emerging social work professional with a strong foundation in counseling, education, and program management across academic, community, and justice‑involved settings. Currently pursuing a Master of Social Work at Salem State University, she brings extensive experience supporting youth, college students, and underserved populations through direct service, instruction, and large‑scale program coordination. Her clinical training includes providing individual counseling to adolescents, facilitating psychoeducational workshops, contributing to equitable school policy development, and delivering crisis‑intervention and de‑escalation support.
Alyssa’s professional background spans higher education, nonprofit work, and grant‑funded workforce development initiatives. At East Los Angeles College, she has served as an Adjunct Instructor and Program Implementation Manager. She implemented over 10 grants to aid justice-impacted individuals, and oversaw financial tracking and records for 300+ students. Her instructional experience includes motivational interviewing, counseling skills, ethics, boundaries, and case management to adult learners.
Her work with New Ways to Work and The Amity Foundation further demonstrates her strengths in case management, cross‑agency collaboration, and resource navigation. She has supported students in accessing education, training, employment, and essential services, ensuring individuals receive comprehensive, culturally responsive support. Alyssa’s career reflects a commitment to equity, empowerment, and expanding access to education and opportunity for marginalized communities.
Grant McCandless
Consultant
Biography
Grant McCandless is a strategist, researcher, and consultant who helps nonprofits and government agencies demonstrate measurable outcomes and impact. As President and CEO of Social Impact Consultants, a 501(c)(3) consultancy headquartered in Henderson, Nevada, he leads engagements in strategic planning, economic and fiscal impact analysis, best practices research, and data-driven performance systems across Nevada and the West.
Currently serving clients in the workforce development, housing, and education sectors, Mr. McCandless designs and delivers research that shapes policy, informs investment, and supports organizational decision-making. His recent work includes a Nevada workforce study estimating nearly $20 billion in additional GDP and $5.5 billion in fiscal benefits from connecting 30,000 disconnected youth to education and employment by 2030.
Mr. McCandless also leads data and performance engagements that help institutions build clearer measurement systems and stronger data cultures. For UNLV’s College of Education this spring, he led performance management and dashboard development workshops to align metrics with strategy, improve reporting, and help staff tell compelling data stories to college leadership and external stakeholders.
Before founding Social Impact Consultants, Mr. McCandless served as Director of Research for RCG Economics in Las Vegas. He has worked with nonprofit and government organizations since 2013, beginning with Habitat for Humanity International.
Denae Boggs
Consultant
Biography
Denae Boggs, MA, LMFT is a seasoned educator with a background in Marriage & Family Therapy. She is a Cuesta College Professor Emerita from the Addiction Studies, Social Work, and Human Services Department, earning the Teaching Excellence Award in 2023. As the full-time faculty lead of Addiction Studies and Human Services, Denae consolidated the addiction courses into an Addiction Treatment Studies Certificate of Achievement and Associate of Arts Degree, applying for and obtaining accreditation with two California state recognized agencies, CCAPP and CADTP. To help meet the statewide workforce gap in Substance Use Disorder Counselors, she encouraged the transition to offering the program online and in-person, with synchronous Zoom classes for skills based courses to maintain the high quality learning experience. She helped develop the local Human Services (HS) AA Degree and transfer partnership with SNHU Bachelor’s in HS. Denae returned to Cuesta College as an adjunct professor and serves as the Strong Workforce funded Addiction Treatment Studies Coordinator. In academic year 2025-2026, she reapplied for and obtained the ATS Program, CCAPP accreditation renewal and enhanced the ATS Program curriculum to align with AB2473 requirements. As a New Ways to Work Consultant, Denae has served as the Cuesta College Liaison for the Substance Use Disorder Earn and Learn Grant and contributes to the CalVIP and DOL Pathway Home Grants.
Heidi Peyser
Senior Technology Consultant
Biography
Heidi has been advising non-profits and government agencies about leveraging technology since 1998 and has been consulting on website development and how to effectively translate communications traditionally / historically done in PDF and print to web content since 2001. Heidi has assisted many counties, cities, towns, special districts and non profit agencies nationwide in making this transition in a manner complementary to their existing communications and stakeholder needs.
Additionally, Heidi has been part of mixed-methods research design and coordination since 2000. From 2000-2008 She lead the fourth round of a 25 year, 5 round, longitudinal study of lesbian-led families. Heidi then continued in research by leading the discovery methods for municipal website redesigns across the country.
Heidi is a former foster youth. She lives in Columbus, Georgia with her wife and two teenage boys. She has undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology and research and is fluent in front end website development languages. She currently works as a senior information architect for Planeteria Media in addition to being a technological consultant for New Ways to Work.
Jason Santos
Consultant
Biography
I am a community-driven Workforce Development and Community Impact professional with three years of hands‑on experience supporting individuals from diverse backgrounds as they work toward stability, employment, and long‑term success. My approach is rooted in lived experience, compassion, and a commitment to helping people move forward with confidence.
Over the past three years, I’ve supported more than 100 individuals across workforce development, reentry support, recovery environments, and community programs. I focus on empowering people through relationship‑based support, trauma‑informed communication, and practical resource navigation.
I completed 300+ hours of supervised SUD counseling training, building strong skills in motivational interviewing, trauma‑informed care, and client‑centered practices. During my training, I also served as President of Students Against Substance Abuse (SASA), where I supported graduation planning and helped strengthen student engagement.
I’m known for my warmth, humility, and ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Whether I’m helping someone prepare for employment, supporting individuals in recovery, or coordinating program operations, I show up with integrity, consistency, and a genuine desire to see people win.
My work is driven by a deep belief in second chances, community healing, and building systems that uplift people, not just temporarily, but for the long run.
Joseph Stark
Consultant
Biography
Joseph Stark, Ph.D. is a seasoned workforce and adult education leader with more than two decades of experience designing and directing programs that open economic pathways for underserved learners. His career spans classroom instruction, site administration, and executive leadership across some of California’s most complex public education systems — from the Culver City and Burbank Unified School Districts to the Los Angeles Unified School District, and now to a regional role with the community colleges in the San Diego and Imperial Counties. Currently serving as Regional Apprenticeship Director for the San Diego & Imperial Counties Community Colleges Regional Consortium, Dr. Stark leads interagency partnerships that connect community colleges, workforce boards, employers, and economic development agencies to build and sustain registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship pathways. He recently secured a $750,000 James Irvine Foundation grant to advance inclusive regional apprenticeship intermediary efforts and has championed landmark programs in behavioral health, fire trades, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare. As Executive Director of LAUSD’s Division of Adult and Career Education— overseeing a $155 million budget and serving more than 52,000 students annually — Dr. Stark led the district’s first adult education pre-apprenticeship program, pioneered guided career pathways, and drove a 20% enrollment increase.Dr. Stark is a published researcher, author of Pre-Apprenticeship as a Lever for Workforce Equity (CGU, 2025), and a practitioner-scholar committed to advancing human-centered, equity-driven education.
Laura Romero, Ed.D
Consultant
Biography
Dr. Laura C. Romero is Founder and President of her consulting firm, Brillante Strategies, where she advises people and organizations on professional development and public affairs. Laura is an international speaker who enjoys addressing audiences on topics such as mentoring, civic engagement, public-private partnerships, networking, careers, and workforce development. She is also an independent contractor providing Coaching Services to UC San Diego and has served as an Executive Coach and Instructor for the Loyola Marymount University College of Business Administration Executive MBA Program.
During her UCLA career, Laura promoted the University’s mission of research, teaching and public service by working with corporate and community leaders, government officials, school administrators and staff, volunteers, students, and alumni. She worked in the Office of Government & Community Relations, the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, the Extramural Programs and Opportunities Center, and taught the new “Civic Engagement in Los Angeles” seminar. Before UCLA, Romero worked as Acting Director of Public Affairs at Univision Los Angeles and National Mentoring Coordinator and Trainer of Communities In Schools, Inc./Univision Mentoring Initiative.
Dr. Romero has the honor of serving as a member of the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) Board of Trustees, LA’s BEST Advisory Board Member, and recently served as Vice President of the UCLA Latino Alumni Association Board.
Leonardo Cablayan
Consultant
Biography
Leonardo is a gifted communicator, connector and a dedicated nonprofit professional. With over 25 years of leadership in the nonprofit industry, Leonardo has served as Western Regional VP for Operation Hope educating youth in financial literacy and VP of Adult Financial Literacy through Operation Hope’s HOPE Centers. Additionally, Leonardo has served as Director of Brotherhood Crusade’s Youth Source Center, where he managed a team responsible for workforce development, academic planning and achievement, community outreach and service delivery, and support services. Working to empower small businesses, Leonardo has collaborated with local community-based organizations and public sector agencies to educate and provide resources with organizations that include: Community Coalition, LAEDC, BizFed, Los Angeles, LAECD and others.
Ensuring that citizens know about resources, services and information necessary for success, Leonardo has always been in influential leadership positions, making sure that everyone is informed and able to live life to the fullest. Whether it be in technology as a services sales consultant for Hewlett Packard and Compaq, assisting first time home buyers gain home ownership with Wells Fargo and Countrywide, or volunteer and board leadership positions with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Crenshaw YMCA, Crenshaw Chamber of Commerce or the Pasadena Branch of the NAACP.
Lisa Morris-Hibbler, DPA
Consultant
Biography
Dr. Lisa Morris Hibbler is an accomplished executive, educator, and strategic advisor with over three decades of leadership experience spanning local government, workforce development, organizational strategy, and community engagement.
Dr. Morris Hibbler retired from the City of Las Vegas after more than 27 years of distinguished service, where she held several executive leadership positions, including ICMA Credentialed Deputy City Manager and Chief Community Services Officer. I
She is currently Managing Partner and Co-Founder of JBM Strategic Partners, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, organizational development, workforce development, leadership coaching, and capacity building. Through her work, she helps public, private, and nonprofit organizations align strategy, people, and performance to achieve long-term success.
Her contributions have earned numerous honors, including induction into the UNLV College of Education Hall of Fame, recognition as the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs Alumni of the Year, the 2024 African American Trailblazer Impact Award, Nevada Business Magazine’s Women to Watch, Vegas Inc.’s Women Inspiring Nevada, and the ICMA Community Heroes Award.
Otto Solorzano
Senior Consultant
Biography
Turning public dollars into programs that work, and keeping them sound and accountable along the way, is harder than it looks. It’s what Otto Solorzano has done for more than 30 years. A public-finance and operations leader who spent most of his career inside Los Angeles County government, including as a chief financial officer over a $3.2 billion budget, he helps public agencies and nonprofits be strong stewards of public dollars, stay audit-ready and compliant, and turn ambitious mandates into programs that actually serve people.
Otto’s real strength is the financial and operational backbone behind big programs. At the Department of Public Social Services, he built the internal controls and fiscal discipline that keep public dollars safe and audit-defensible. More recently, as Chief Operating Officer of the County’s new Justice Care and Opportunities Department, he worked closely with the department’s newly appointed Director to support the build-out of its early operational and financial foundations, coordinating with the Auditor-Controller and partners across County government in service of the residents the department serves.
Across every role, Otto is known for the same thing: building trust. He brings government and community partners to the same table, coaches leaders through complicated systems, and keeps organizations audit-ready and compliant with federal, state, and local requirements, including 2 CFR 200 and the grant rules tied to funders like the Department of Labor and EPA.
Pamela Paige
Consultant
Biography
I bring over 20 years of extensive workforce and job development expertise working with diverse populations including adults, dislocated workers, disconnected and younger youth, homeless individuals, reentry populations, and women. In March 2021, I retired from the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) after 24½ years of service. In my role as the Workforce Development & Section 3 Manager, I oversaw a staff of 30 across 14 public housing developments. Our unit operated on an annual budget of $6.5 million and served 3,500 active clients.
During my tenure, I managed the Watts/Los Angeles WorkSource Center, HACLA Summer Youth Employment Programs, and HACLA Employment Technology Centers. I also established and maintained financial and professional alliances with the City and County of Los Angeles and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Notably, my team and I secured a $3.7 million HUD Jobs Plus Grant for the Nickerson Gardens Housing Development.
Additionally, I have comprehensive experience working with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) for the City and County of Los Angeles, the Rodriguez Settlement/LARCA Program, the National Emergency Grant (NEG), the Transitional Subsidized Employment Program (TSE), the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and LA Probation Housing Based Day Supervision. I have also been an active member of the Los Angeles World Airport (LAWA) Taskforce, the California Workforce Association (CWA), the Interdepartmental Health Equity Collaborative.
Robyn Taylor
Consultant
Biography
Robyn is an educator, designer, and advocate whose work sits at the intersection of education, recovery, and the arts. With over a decade of experience supporting individuals and families facing systemic barriers, she brings a multifaceted background in housing services, addiction counseling, educational systems, and justice‑impacted communities. Her creative lens allows her to identify opportunities, reimagine systems, and design programs that honor both individual dignity and structural realities.
She has partnered with multidisciplinary teams to develop trauma‑informed, culturally responsive programs in arts education, reentry, and workforce development. These experiences have shaped her commitment to restorative justice and her belief in the transformative power of learning and creative expression. Robyn is dedicated to building pathways that help individuals move toward stability, purpose, and meaningful careers.
Sabrina Rock
Consultant
Biography
My name is Sabrina Rock. I am an instructor in the Addiction Studies, Social Work, and Human Services Department at Cuesta College. I primarily teach the addiction studies program courses at the California Men’s Colony (CMC) in San Luis Obispo, California. I also serve as the CMC Faculty Coordinator through the Rising Scholars Program. I am passionate about creating trauma responsive spaces that promote learning and transformation. As a consultant with New Ways to Work, our team has developed a DOL and DAS Registered Apprenticeship Program for Substance Use Disorder Counselors. I am passionate about supporting students’ success in their academic and professional careers while maintaining their well-being.
As a research psychologist, I have worked in organizations providing consultation, professional trainings, assessment, and coaching. My research and publication projects have included topics such as sensory processing sensitivity, gender identity and social norms around emotional expression, dissociative states in people with addiction, the use of physical touch in therapy, and a model of adolescent development with consideration of diverse gender identities. I have a pending publication of a chapter in an anthology about transpersonal education titled “Serving Incarcerated Students: A Transformational Trauma Responsive Andragogy.”
Shawn Evangelista
Consultant
Biography
Shawn is a consultant specializing in project management, social media, graphic design, and IT support. He previously worked as a graphic designer, administrative assistant and job developer for The RightWay Foundation, working with transition-aged foster and re-entry youth in Los Angeles County. He currently assists New Ways to Work in providing a wide array of administrative support as well as managing media and different projects as the organization continues to grow.
Simon Lopez
Consultant
Biography
Simon has over 30 years of experience designing local and national economic mobility programs and policies, in collaboration with community leaders and stakeholders, to create equitable ecosystems that ensure economic opportunities for all communities. Simon currently serves as the New Mexico Asset Funders Network (AFN) Program Officer, engaging statewide and regional funders, financial institutions, and community stakeholders to facilitate learning and develop solutions that advance wealth building and economic mobility for NM families. Simon is also the Founder and Principal of Blue Yucca Advisors, a consulting firm that supports statewide New Mexico equity coalitions, strategic planning for equity-centered organizations and collaboratives, providing technical assistance to a range of economic justice initiatives.
Prior to AFN, Simon was a Program Officer with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation New Mexico team, focusing on employment equity and family economic security grants and partnerships. He managed a portfolio of $10M that supported 90 community partners and stakeholders. Simon has also served as a Policy Analyst for the New Mexico Speaker of the House of Representatives, Javier Martinez. He was formerly the Chief Impact Officer for Goodwill of Southern California, where he oversaw 60 workforce and economic development programs, and a department budget of $23 million. He served as Senior Director of Workforce and Leadership Development at the National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS), leading national policy and advocacy efforts to design and implement more inclusive workforce systems for Latinos and workers of color.
Sophie Trivino-Perez
Consultant
Biography
I was born in Paris, France, and have lived in the United States for more than 20 years. I am a multilingual professional fluent in English, Spanish, and French, with additional training in American Sign Language (ASL).
I am currently pursuing a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) at California Baptist University, where my research focuses on invisible disabilities, disability inclusion, and the barriers faced by neurodivergent individuals across education, employment, and healthcare systems. I earned her Master of Public Health from California Baptist University in 2023 and her Bachelor of Science in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education from Utah State University in 2021. I am also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).
Professionally, I serve as Senior Coordinator of the Pathways Program at New Horizons, overseeing employment-readiness services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In this role, I coordinate community-based vocational training, supervise employment programming, develop curriculum, collaborate with employers, and support individuals in building the skills needed for meaningful competitive employment. I also work as a Resource Development Consultant, assisting nonprofit organizations with grant writing, strategic planning, and workforce development initiatives.
Throughout my career, I have dedicated myself to advocating for individuals with disabilities and creating opportunities that promote independence, inclusion, and equitable access to education, employment, and healthcare. My work combines public health, disability services, workforce development, program evaluation, and community engagement to improve outcomes for underserved populations.
As both a public health professional and someone with lived experience as a neurodivergent individual, I am passionate about increasing awareness of invisible disabilities and improving systems
Steve Trippe
Senior Consultant
Biography
Steve Trippe is an accomplished facilitator, presenter, partnership developer, strategic planner, and program designer. He is a nationally recognized expert in youth workforce policy and practice, work-based learning, and systems collaboration. He is a seasoned veteran in youth work, began his career as a service provider in San Francisco in 1975 has been with New Ways to Work for over 40 years, serving as President and Executive Director before transitioning to senior fellow in 2021. He is the principal designer of New Ways’ All Youth-One System approach and developed Work-Based Learning toolkits for states, cities, school districts, community colleges and model programs. He has been involved in youth employment, career development, and education policy at the national, state, and local levels. He developed and implemented a number of model initiatives, including: the Foster Youth Pathways to Employment Initiative; the California (Foster) Youth Transition Action Team Initiative; New Ways Workers; Diploma Plus and Communities and Schools for Career Success in California; the Quality Work-Based Learning Initiative; the California Youth Council Institute; the School-to-Work Intermediary Project and Network; and the Sonoma County and Riverside Youth Ecology Corps. He most recently served as a partner in the design and implementation of the California Opportunity Youth Network. Steve served as Treasurer of the National Foster Care Coalition, co-chaired the California Foster Youth Career Development and Employment Task Force, and served on the Leadership Team for California’s Breakthrough Series Collaborative on Independent Living Program Transformation. He was a member of the National School-to-Work Advisory Council and chair of the National Youth Employment Coalition. At home, he served as a member of the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, the Russian River Redevelopment Planning Commission and is past president of the Monte Rio Union School District.
Swati Chandra
Consultant
Biography
Swati Chandra is a strategy and innovation executive with more than 20 years of experience working at the intersection of government, business, and community. She specializes in designing initiatives that drive systemic change in workforce development, economic resilience, and food security. She is known for building the cross-sector partnerships that turn bold strategies into measurable outcomes.
As Executive Director of the LA County Food Equity Roundtable, Swati assembled a coalition of 100+ organizations and 200+ food system experts, secured over $14 million in federal funding, and won unanimous Board of Supervisors approval to establish the first-ever government Office of Food Security. She was invited to speak at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in recognition of her leadership.
Her workforce development work spans program design and systems reform. As Executive Advisor to LA County’s Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services department, she led data-driven evaluation of WIOA-funded programs shifting metrics from outputs to outcomes and redirecting investment toward higher-performing centers. During COVID-19, she was part of the crisis response team that designed and launched Great Plates Delivered in under six weeks, delivering 4 million+ meals to seniors through 80+ local restaurants.
Swati also brings private sector experience from senior leadership roles at large media companies and technology start-ups, making her a uniquely effective advisor to government agencies and mission-driven organizations.
Tamika Taylor
Consultant
Biography
I am a workforce development, grants management, compliance, and strategic planning professional with more than 25 years of experience supporting public agencies, nonprofits, educational institutions, workforce boards, and community-based organizations.
My expertise includes grant writing, grant management, program compliance, public agency procurement platforms, workforce development system design, youth development, strategic planning, procurement management, program implementation, performance management, and organizational capacity building. I have successfully managed federal, state, county, city, foundation, and corporate-funded initiatives focused on workforce development, economic mobility, education, youth services, health equity, and community development.
As a consultanr with New Ways to Work, I support workforce development systems, project management, strategic planning, policy development, implementation planning, procurement processes, organizational assessments, and technical assistance initiatives that improve outcomes for youth, young adults, and underserved communities.
In addition to my consulting work, I provide grant management, compliance monitoring, grant writing, program evaluation, and business consulting services through my own practice. I specialize in helping organizations secure funding, strengthen operations, improve compliance, and develop sustainable systems that support long-term growth and impact.
Tommie Baines
Consultant
Biography
I was attracted to social work as a profession because my parents opened their home to foster children before I was born. So my earliest memories of professionals coming to our home to ensure the safety and well-being of children resonated with me as a meaningful use of my life energy.
As an undergraduate I served in a community mental health facility, and a local juvenile hall. After graduation, I worked in group homes, a psychiatric hospital, and an adolescent treatment program before joining Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services.
After extensive work in Child Protective Services and graduate level education in both Social Welfare and Public Administration, a move to the Probation Department to work with youth and their families through the juvenile court has yielded a wide range of practice efficacy and cultural competence over the past three decades. Whereas assignments as a therapist in a detention facility and a deputy assigned to a field office have sharpened my knowledge and skills working with troubled youth, it also afforded the opportunity to interface with community agencies and resources. In other roles, administrative assignments included policy analysis, contract administration and monitoring, program development, grant writing, and strategic planning before moving to a management position and focusing on reentry programming and development.
In all, my career has spanned over 35 years of public service as a law enforcement professional, advocate, social worker, mentor, and educator working with children and families.