The following bios were current as of the Sabbatical award date, but have not been updated.
Peter Braun is the Executive Director of the Alzheimer's Association of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, which provides support and assistance to people with Alzheimer's disease and their families and is dedicated to research towards prevention, treatment, and cure. Mr. Braun has grown the organization from a two-person office to one that employs 60 in six locations and serves thousands throughout the region, including the first program in the nation to provide Alzheimer's services in the Latino community.
Leigh Curran founded the Virginia Avenue Project in 1991, and serves as its Artistic Director. The Project is a free after-school program that uses the performing arts along with one-on-one mentoring to help at-risk youth in Santa Monica’s Pico Corridor discover their full potential. Children typically enter the program in the elementary grades, and almost all of them stay with it throughout high school. 100% of Project kids graduate from high school, 90% go on to college, and 85% are the first in their family to do so.
Joel Jacinto, Executive Director of SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans), has built the organization into the largest organization focusing primarily on Pilipino American youth and families in the United States. SIPA offers an array of health and human services as well as community economic development programs, including counseling and case management, outreach and education, after-school enrichment, affordable housing, small business development and financial literacy. Mr. Jacinto is also active in the field of Philippine culture through the education and presentation of Philippine dance and music.
Lynn Kersey founded Maternal and Child Health Access in 1996, where she serves as Executive Director, after a long career in health service. Maternal and Child Health Access is dedicated to ensuring access to health and social services for low-income women and their families through direct services such as education, support, training and case management, and through advocacy and policy change. Ms. Kersey is also involved in public policy issues affecting low-income access to health care.
Andy Lipkis began his career in the environmental movement at the age of 15, and founded TreePeople in 1973 to train and support the people of Los Angeles to plant and care for trees and improve their neighborhoods. In his career as TreePeople’s President, Mr. Lipkis has grown it to a multi-million dollar organization with 3,000 volunteers and 15,000 members. He is an internationally recognized expert on urban forestry, and has spearheaded local projects on sustainability and watershed issues.
Arturo Vargas is the Executive Director of NALEO (National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials) Educational Fund, a national organization with its headquarters in his native Los Angeles. NALEO Educational Fund empowers Latinos to participate fully in the American political process by helping legal permanent residents to become U.S. citizens, developing the next generation of Latino policy makers, and assisting elected and appointed officials throughout the country with policy and skills development.
Sabbatical Program