Staff
Chief Executive Officer:
Janis started at The Alliance as Executive Director in 2002. Her prior positions include eight years as the Chief Operating Officer of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation. Janis holds a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education and earned a MBA from Pepperdine University.
Director of Development:
Marlene earned a Bachelor's of Science from the University of Illinois and a Master's of Art in Philanthropy and Development at St. Mary's University. For the last 15 years, she has been a Director of Development or consultant for various successful fundraising campaigns.
Managing Attorney:
Lara is a graduate of the State University of New York, Buffalo, with a Juris Doctor and a Master's in Science in Public Policy focusing on children and family services. Prior to joining The Alliance, Lara worked as an attorney for the Children's Law Center and as a Research Attorney for three consecutive presiding judges of the Los Angeles Juvenile Court.
ADOPTIONS PROGRAM:
Senior Staff Attorney
Cynthia is a graduate of UCLA and University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She has managed Foster Children's Adoption Program for eight years, has been a leader in the success of National Adoption Day and was part of a litigation team that succeeded in a law suit to protect the benefits of developmentally disabled adopted children.
Legal Assistant
GUARDIANSHIP PROGRAM:
Staff Attorney and Pro Bono Manager
Diego holds a B.A. from University of California at Los Angeles and a J.D. from UCLA's School of Law. Diego is a former Equal Justice Fellow and in addition to his work as pro bono coordinator, he is the supervising attorney on the Guardianship Program.
Legal Assistant
Claudia is a graduate of UCLA with her bachelor's in Philosophy. Prior to joining the Alliance she worked as the Memory Training Program Coordinator at the UCLA Center on Aging.
SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM:
Director, Special Education Program
Jill holds a J.D. from University of California at Los Angeles' School of Law and has practiced special education law for five years, including as a senior associate for a private Orange County firm.
Staff Attorney
Sam graduated from University of California Davis with a B.S. in Psychology and received his J.D. from U.C. Davis School of Law.
Staff Attorney & Skadden Fellow
Sasha received her B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and holds a J.D. from University of California at Los Angeles' School of Law. Sasha, a member of The Alliance's 2006 Summer Internship class, is a Skadden Fellow focusing on early identification and intervention, and taught biology at King Drew Medical Magnet High School in Compton, CA.
Cindy Rodas
Legal Assistant
Cindy graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a double major in Criminal Justice and Political Science and completed the Paralegal Certificate Program from the University of San Diego. Before coming to The Alliance, she volunteered at the Public Law Center in Santa Ana and the College Legal Clinic in Fullerton. She also worked as a legal assistant for a private firm and, most recently, as an intern at the California State Attorney General's Office.
PRO BONO COORDINATOR:
Staff Attorney and Pro Bono Coordinator
Diego holds a B.A. from University of California at Los Angeles and a J.D. from UCLA's School of Law. Diego is a former Equal Justice Fellow and in addition to his work as pro bono coordinator, he is the supervising attorney on the Guardianship Program.
COMMUNICATIONS STAFF:
Communications Director
Laura received a Bachelor's in English Language & Literature from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She worked for three years on The Alliance's Benefits Program prior to her current position in Communications.
DEVELOPMENT STAFF:
Director of Development
Marlene earned a Bachelor's of Science from the University of Illinois and a Master's of Art in Philanthropy and Development at St. Mary's University. For the last 15 years, she has been a Director of Development or consultant for various successful fundraising campaigns.
Manager of Events and Donor Relations
Joelle came to The Alliance after five years as Director of Programs & Education for Heal the Bay. She is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a major in Elementary Education and Business Administration.
Manager of Grants
Laurie is a graduate of University of California at Berkeley and worked for 13 years in fundraising and grant-writing at California Institute of the Arts.
Development Assistant
Legal Director:
Before joining The Alliance in 2005, Laura was the Director of Litigation for Bet Tzedek Legal Services, where she worked for 15 years. Laura has also been Adjunct Faculty at the UCLA School of Law as well as an Instructor for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.
Communications Director:
Christianne holds a B.A. in Women's Studies and Communications from the University of New Mexico . She has been working in public affairs and marketing for the nonprofit sector for over a decade and is an active member of the Public Relations Society of America Los Angeles Chapter.
Pro Bono Manager:
Diego holds a B.A. from University of California at Los Angeles and a J.D. from UCLA's School of Law. Diego is a former Equal Justice Fellow and in addition to his work as pro bono coordinator, he is the supervising attorney on the Guardianship Program.
BENEFITS PROGRAM:
Staff Attorney, Benefits Program
Kristina graduated from Brown University and Boston College Law School. She previously clerked for the Honorable Percy Anderson, Central District of California, and practiced civil litigation at Lavely & Singer.
Legal Assistant
After earning her Associate's degree in Psychology from Marymount College, Carmen transferred to Whittier College, where she graduated with a Bachelor's in Psychology. Before joining The Alliance she worked for a private firm that practiced workers' compensation, personal injury and family law.
Legal Assistant
Mary holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. Prior to joining The Alliance, Mary lived in Argentina for three years and worked as a child mentor at various elementary schools
HEALTH CARE PROGRAM:
Social Worker
Barbara holds a Masters in Social Work from San Francisco State University. Barbara worked for many years as a medical social worker and has also served as the California Director of Human SERVE.
Public Health Nurse
Sherry joined The Alliance's Health Care and Benefits Programs in 2005. Sherry's previous work includes ten years with the Department of Children and Family Services as a Public Health Nurse.
NEXT STEP & MENTORING PROGRAM:
Staff Attorney, Next Step Program
Rachel graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a double major in World Literature and Film & Digital Media. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison Law School.
Director, Mentoring Program
Vincent is a graduate of University of California at Los Angeles and has 21 years of experience working with foster and probation youth and was formerly a Commissioner on the American Indian Commission.
Program Coordinator
Stephanie is a former foster youth who has been working with transitioning foster youth for the past 7 years. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor's in Social Work from Cal State L.A. while working at The Alliance.
INTAKE SUPERVISOR:
Intake Supervisor
Yolanda has been working in legal services for the past seven years and joined The Alliance after many years with Bet Tzedek Legal Services.
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:
Office Manager
Kathy has worked at The Alliance for over 14 years. Having been a part of the team since the beginning, she knows the ins and outs better than anyone and keeps the office going.
Executive Assistant
Administrative Assistant
DATA ENTRY:
Data Entry
Liz is a former foster youth and currently takes care of her two younger brothers while pursuing her educational studies at Trade Tech College and working at The Alliance.
