Staff
President & CEO:
Before joining The Alliance in 2002, Janis served eight years as the Chief Operating Officer of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Prior to that, she worked for over a decade as a leader in healthcare and medical practice management.
Janis was born and raised in New York City. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education, and a MBA from Pepperdine University.
Read letter from CEO by clicking here.
COO/VP of Strategy:
Michael earned a PhD from the University of Florida. He served on the faculty and then became Assistant Vice President of the University of Florida Foundation. Later he served as Associate Vice Chancellor at UC Irvine. Prior to joining The Alliance, Michael was the CEO of The Painted Turtle - one of Paul Newman's charities.
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.
Pro Bono Director:
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.
ADOPTIONS PROGRAM:
Foster Children's Adoption Program Director
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 Director
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.
Guardianship Program Coordinator
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 seven years, five of which have been at The Alliance.
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.
The Gary Saltz Foundation Senior Fellow for Early Intervention Advocacy
Sasha received her B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University, and taught high school biology for three years before going to law school at UCLA. Sasha came to The Alliance as a Skadden Fellow in 2008 to help launch our early intervention work. Today, she is a staff attorney in the Early Intervention Advocacy Center.
Cindy Rodas
Parent Advocate Training Specialist for Early Intervention Advocacy
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.
Legal Assistant
Krystal received her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz in Sociology/Latin American Studies and Global Economics. Prior to joining The Alliance, Krystal worked for three years as a legal assistant/legal clinic coordinator at the Watsonville Law Center and assisted the indigent and farmworker population with accessing critical legal services. Krystal has volunteered as a crisis line advocate for survivors of domestic violence as welll as an interpreter for patient survivors of neurological trauma.
The Jack & Anita Saltz Fellow
Kathryn graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in Englsh. She received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles' School of Law.
Equal Justice Fellow, Munger Tolles & Olson, LLP and Edison International
Bio Coming Soon
COMMUNICATIONS:
Communications Manager
Erin has been working in Communications for many years. She was the Communications Director for the Women In Film/General Motors National Alliance, and prior to joining The Alliance, she served as the Membership and Foundation Manager for Women In Film's Los Angeles chapter. She is an award-winning screenwriter, and holds a Master of Arts degree in Screenwriting from California State University, Northridge.
DEVELOPMENT:
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.
Database and Interactive Media Coordinator
Development Assistant
Christopher earned a Bachelor of Science from Cal State Long Beach in Human Development and Communications. He has five years' experience in the nonprofit sector due to his involvement as a Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity Member in support of The painted Turtle - one of Paul Newman's Charities. He plans on obtaining his CFRE at UCLA in Spring, 2012.
Peer Advocates Interns:
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Bio Coming Soon
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Bio Coming Soon
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.
Read letter from our Legal Director by clicking here.
Development Director:
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.
Policy Director:
Angie Schwartz, Esq. joined The Alliance staff after having partnered with us on several critical litigation and legislation efforts while working at the Public Interest Law Project in Oakland. She is based in Northern California where she directs our Policy Unit and works close with legislators in Sacramento. Angie is a graduate of the Stanford School of Law, where she received a Rhode Fellowship for her outstanding work with underrepresented groups, and was a Skadden Fellow at National Center for Youth Law.
BENEFITS PROGRAM:
Staff Attorney, Benefits Program
Sonia graduated from Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Prior to joining the Alliance , Sonia practiced tax law for five years in New York .
Benefits Program Coordinator
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
Staff Attorney, Benefits Program
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Bio Coming Soon
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.
Staff Attorney
Taylor holds a B.A. from California State University, Long Beach and a J.D. from Whittier Law School. Prior to joining The Alliance, Taylor was the 2010-2011 Robin Nash Postygraduate Fellow at the Barton Child Law and Policy Center at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia.
Next Step for Youth:
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.
Youth Development Specialist
Elizabeth graduated from the University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill and has an MA from the University of Washington . Since 2008, Elizabeth has been working with transition aged youth in Los Angeles County on education and employment advancement.
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.
Michelle graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a B.A. in International Studies minoring in Conflict Resolution. She obtained a J.D. from the Univerity of La Vern College of Law with the goal of working for public interest and the non-profit community.
Next Step Statewide Training Attorney
Anjuli received her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and her J.D. from Whittier Law School where she was a fellow at the Center for Children's Rights. She also received a specialized certificate in international and comparative law. Anjuli first joined the Los Angeles office as a staff attorney of the SSI project. She then moved to Northern California where she spent some time working in business litigation. Anjuli re-joined The Alliance team in Northern California where she currently works in the Policy Unit on implementation efforts for critical legislation.
SSI Legal Assistant
Client Intake:
Intake & Database Manager
Yolanda has been working in legal services for the past seven years and joined The Alliance after many years with Bet Tzedek Legal Services.
Data Entry Clerk
Theresa is currently pursuing an A.S. degree in Paralegal Studies at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.
ADMINISTRATIVE:
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
Heather de la Vega, Executive Assistant, has a passion for education and a concern that all children grow up in loving families . Heather earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from California State University , Northridge and completed the Fund Raising Certificate Program through UCLA Extension.
Administrative Assistant
