The Advancement Project

Before co-founding Advancement Project, Steve English was a partner in the Los Angeles office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius for twelve years, helping to manage a 20-lawyer litigation department.  Together with Co-Directors Connie Rice and Molly Munger, Steve launched a coalition lawsuit, Godinez v. Davis, that won approximately $1 billion for new school construction in Los Angeles and other urban areas - money previously slated for less crowded, more affluent suburban school districts.

Read Stephen English's full biography

As Grant Writer, Jennifer Arceneaux proactivelyresearches traditional and innovative funding opportunities to support and growAdvancement Project’s $14 million budget. Her expertise in grant writing benefits from the five years prior she spent reviewing proposals as Program Officer in Education & Youth Development at United Way of Greater Los Angeles, where she managed a portfolio of grants totaling $2 million dollars to organizations working to improve high school graduation rates in Los Angeles County. Motivated by her joint passions for education work as well as performing and visual arts, she has worked in grant writing, grassroots fundraising, program development, executive support, and membership for diverse nonprofit educational justice and arts organizations and museums. Jennifer is a native of Los Angeles and attended local public and private schools. She graduated from Duke University with a degree in Literature and Media Studies and minor in Spanish.

Taisha attended Whittier College where she focused on in Religious Studies, Gender and Literature with a focus in post structuralism within biblical studies. She continued on to graduate school in New Jersey where she received her Master's Degree in Theological Studies with a focus on cultural studies. While in graduate school Taisha worked for United Way, a local and national organization which seeks to support and strengthen communities by focusing on three core issues: Income, Education and Health. As a graduate student, Taisha was a member of TERRA (Transforming Ecological and Religious Resources into Action), Latin@ Caucus, and was the Orientation Coordinator for the Class of 2008. She is a member of academic honor societies, a recipient of community leadership scholarships, has performed in three productions of the Vagina Monologues and continues to be a community volunteer.

Erin Coleman joins Advancement Project as Data Coordinator for Healthy City. Erin earned her Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles and her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Iowa. As a graduate student, Erin focused her efforts on research projects and interactive mapping tools promoting affordable housing and equitable Transit Oriented Development. She conducted her client project for the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing on the relationship between rail development and gentrification in Los Angeles. In fulfillment of her internship requirements, Erin served as a research associate on a comparative analysis of two housing microfinance programs for the Center for Environmental Planning and Technologyin Ahmedabad, India. Erin also served as a teaching assistant for a web-based GIS course, and a research assistant on analyses of the Mortgage Interest Deduction and Backyard Housing.

As coalition organizer Antonio is responsible for the operations of the Urban Peace Academy’s gang intervention entry level training funded by the city’s GRYD office. This includes the development of curriculum and building the capacity of instructors and staff in the Academy through leadership development. Antonio joined the Advancement Project after working for Occidental College as program manager of violence prevention services at Hathaway-Sycamores Family Resource Center. He received a B.S. in Kinesiology from San Francisco State University and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Kinesiology at California State University Long Beach. Antonio is interested in teaching sports studies and sociology at the University level. Antonio also has experience serving as interim director and Pat Brown Institute's Youth Enrichment Project, a school based violence prevention program, and has coached high school basketball in the Oakland Bay Area.

Scott Dow brings an extensive background in legislative and practical teacher, school, school district, and education policy experience to the Advancement Project. Before coming to AP, she was a legislative advocate and worked in candidate and initiative campaigns for the California Teachers Association. Sharon served on California First Lady Sharon Davis' California Creativity Forum, a blue ribbon committee established to promote the arts in K-12 education. She also served as a CTA Training and Bargaining Specialist in Los Angeles County for over 50 CTA urban teacher associations, conducting training, negotiations, and consulting work in the areas of school finance and school district budget analysis, school reform, teacher professional issues, teacher compensation, organizing, and negotiations. For many years Sharon was an instructor at CTA's School Finance and Negotiations Institute and also served as CTA professional staff in the Anaheim and West Los Angeles areas. Sharon was a teacher of History, Foreign Language, Reading, and Art in the public schools of Klamath Falls, Oregon and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Oregon Education Association. She holds BS and MS degrees from Southern Oregon University.

Caitlin graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor's degree in Design and a minor in Religious Studies. As an AmeriCorps Vista and member of the Digital Arts Service Corps, Caitlin's goal is to build the capacity of Healthy City and foster information accessibility through design. Her previous user-centered design work spans from tampon packaging to solar fruit driers and she is excited to see how the design process translates to the digital realm with HealthyCity.org.

Caneel Fraser’s work within the Urban Peace team focuses on juvenile  justice, criminal justice, and reentry issues.  Prior to joining the Advancement Project, Caneel maintained her own practice representing indigent criminal defendants in state and federal courts.  In addition to her trial and appellate work, she provided pro bono legal services to children in immigration proceedings and legal support to organizations working with at-risk youth.  Her previous experience includes serving as a Deputy Public Defender in both Los Angeles and Alameda Counties, representing public housing tenants as an attorney with Bay Area Legal Aid, and working on workforce and equal opportunity issues at the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.  She holds a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in Sociology from Stanford University and is a graduate of Harvard Law School.

Prior to his work with the Advancement Project, Eric Lam was a Senior Human Relations Specialist with the Orange County Human Relations Council.  He has experience working in low-income housing and in diverse communities throughout CA and NY developing and implementing social and educational services and change.  Eric has a background in community services, empowerment and engagement with an emphasis in leadership development and youth organizing holding positions with South Park Youth Center in San Diego, Project Access in Westminster, and the NYU Metropolitan Center for Urban Education in New York City.  Eric is Vietnamese and has also been involved with the Asian Pacific Islander Youth Collaborative in Orange County.  He holds bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Urban Studies & Planning from University of California, San Diego as well as a Master of Arts degree in Sociology of Education, Education Policy from New York University.

Susan K. Lee currently serves as the Director of Urban Peace at the Advancement Project California.  In that capacity, she oversees the implementation of an Urban Peace agenda that includes working with the government, philanthropy, law enforcement, school districts and a variety of stakeholders in the community to achieve a collaborative and comprehensive solution to violence and gangs. The Urban Peace team is deeply engaged in more than 10 communities throughout the State of California to implement a holistic strategy to achieve community safety and to expand opportunity for children and youth.

Lee has over 19 years of experience in non-profit management, strategic planning, fundraising, facility development, staff training & development and community engagement as well as research and expertise in immigration history and law. Her work in San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, has primarily focused on empowering and serving low income immigrant communities of color.  Before joining the Advancement Project, as the Director of Children & Family Services at Koreatown Youth & Community Center, she expanded mental health, youth and family support services and also successfully oversaw the implementation of a $5 million dollar Early Childhood Initiative resulting in two new  facilities providing  high quality child care  for  105 infants, toddlers and preschool aged children. She brings program expertise in early childhood education & development, youth development, school readiness and success for K-12 students, outpatient mental health, and violence prevention.

Susan Lee holds a BS in Economics from University of California Berkeley as well as a JD from Boalt Hall, School of Law, UC Berkeley and is currently on leave from the Ph.D. program in Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley.  In addition to being a member of the California State Bar, she has more than 6 years of experience teaching undergraduate courses in Asian American history and community issues at UC Berkeley, and has published on issues of immigration, citizenship and immigrant rights. Her scholarship has been recognized through numerous fellowships and awards, including the Jurisprudence Award from Boalt Hall School of Law in 1995. She is active in supporting other community based organizations and schools and was the Chair of the Larchmont Charter School Board of Directors, a start-up charter elementary school.  Susan lives in Los Angeles with her husband Bobby, daughter Zoe and son Francis.    

Maidel Luevano is a Project Coordinator for Healthy City. She received her masters degree in Urban Planning from UCLA and bachelors degree in Sociology and Ethnic Studies from UC Santa Barbara. Her graduate work focused primarily on the intersections of art & culture with city planning. Prior to joining Advancement Project, Maidel worked as the Cultural Development Manager at LA Commons, where she managed the Neighborhood Docent program, as well as, Project Willowbrook: Cultivating a Healthy Community through Arts and Culture; A Cultural Asset Mapping Report; in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. She received a Fulbright grant to conduct a year-long arts education research project in Cusco, Peru, where she taught animation classes at a local after school program and researched the state of art education in Peru. Before that, Maidel worked in the Los Angeles non-profit sector with various organizations on topics ranging from youth development, arts education and higher education/college access. Maidel is originally from Long Beach and looks forward to continuing to support positive change in communities throughout Los Angeles, as part of the Advancement Project team.

As a Policy Manager, Ms. Marshall works in a variety of research, coordination, and advocacy roles to manage issues around violence reduction and urban policy. Jamecca came to the Advancement Project from Team SAFE-T: A California Partnership for Safety and Preparedness where, as director of programs and development, she managed organization grants and donors and guided policy direction, school outreach and grassroots efforts to improve school safety and emergency readiness in California. From 2004-2006, Jamecca worked at the Alliance for Education as a Policy Analyst focusing on middle grade education reform. Jamecca received her AB in American Studies with Specialization in Race and Ethnicity from Stanford University and Masters of Public Policy and History from The George Washington University. Jamecca is also a graduate of the Stanford in Washington Public Policy program and in 2004?2005 was fellow at the American Historical Society's National History Center. She is active in the community serving as an advisor and volunteer for several local organizations related to education, local history preservation, and mentoring.

Alison Morgan joins Advancement Project after most recently serving as Development Director of the Western Center on Law and Poverty. A long time fundraiser for progressive political candidates in California, Alison has helped numbers of politicians become financially competitive and ultimately win their elections. Based in Los Angeles, Morgan & Associates clients have included Senator Barbara Boxer, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, Los Angeles Mayor (and Speaker Emeritus) Antonio Villaraigosa, former and current State Senators Sheila Kuehl and Fran Pavley, Assembly members Karen Bass and Michael Feuer former LA City Council members, Ruth Galanter, and (now former Assembly member) Jackie Goldberg, and former State Superintendent Delaine Eastin. Alison is on the Board of LA social justice foundation Liberty Hill, and still leads fundraising workshops. Married to campaign strategist Parke Skelton, their worlds have been blissfully upended by navigating the lives of now 9 year old Zora, and 13 year old Jasper.

Jonathan Nomachi received his undergraduate degree in Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and his Master's in Public Policy at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. Jonathan spent the last eight years at Community Health Councils (a health advocacy organization in South Los Angeles) serving most recently as the Research/Data Manager where he coordinated and advanced the research and data needs for the agency. Jonathan has extensive experience in Community Participatory Research approaches as well as data collection and evaluation techniques. Jonathan is a native of Los Angeles and hopes to continue to empower underrepresented communities at HealthyCity.

Silvia Paz received a B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in Medical Sociology from the California State University of Long Beach (CSULB).  Before joining Advancement Project’s Healthy City Project, Silvia worked as a Program Coordinator for AccessOC, an Orange County based program focusing on improving the health of vulnerable people who are uninsured by providing access to no-cost outpatient surgeries.  Silvia also worked for the NCLR/CSULB Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training, as a Project/Evaluation Coordinator, where she coordinated health-related projects targeting the Latino community and worked closely with the National Council of La Raza’s Institute for Hispanic Health staff as project support around data and evaluation.  The projects she worked on ranged from a focus on the HIV/AIDS epidemic within the Latino community; to education around maternal and infant health; as well as behavioral health.  Silvia also worked with CSULB faculty to assess the environmental pollution concerns of a community near the Port of Long Beach.  Silvia has always been interested in improving the health and wellbeing of underrepresented communities and working for Healthy City provides the opportunity to engage these communities.

Fernando Rejón manages the overall operation of the training Academy for gang intervention workers, through coordination and facilitation of practitioner-led tables including the professional standards committee and regional training team.  In addition, he manages the Advanced Law Enforcement Training which provides an overview of the particular role of intervention practitioners in effective violence reduction and community policing strategies.  He has over 10 years of experience working in non-profits including 14 years of community organizing and program development experience.  He began organizing as a university student fighting for the successful establishment of an Ethnic Studies program and working on preventing impending gentrification efforts in San Diego.  While in college, he worked as a counselor for youth on probation re-entering the community from juvenile hall and camps. Later, he worked on issues of environmental justice in Pacoima where he co-developed and managed training institutes for community members, both youth and adults, focused on environmental health including the development of community-based curriculum to empower residents to seek social justice.  He has also worked with indigenous communities organizing for alternatives to free trade agreements and to establish dialogues between U.S. people of color and indigenous peoples in México and beyond.  He holds a B.A. in Sociology and Communication Studies from the University of San Diego and a M.A. in Chican@ Studies from California State University, Northridge. 

Caroline Rivas joins Healthy City after serving as Policy Director for Expansion and Quality of Healthcare Coverage at Community Health Councils (CHC) in Los Angeles. Caroline has led national, state, and local coalitions to develop and implement creative initiatives to increase access to health insurance for children and adults. While at CHC, she advocated for systemic change to maximize and expand healthcare coverage and improve the quality of care provided to children and families. Caroline's previous work experience includes, Children's Institute International and Big Sisters of Los Angeles. Caroline holds a Master of Social Work from Boston University with a specialization in Human Service Management.

Timothy L. Shugrue has more than 15 years experience as an accounting and human resources professional. He joined The Advancement Project in September 2010 with significant prior experience working for non-profit and for profit companies and law firms in accounts management and financial reporting, most recently for the Police Assessment Resource Center (PARC), a non-profit organization providing oversight and counsel to city and county officials, police leaders, jail administrators and community and civil rights groups with respect to accountability, risk management and recommended practices, where he had served as Accounting Manager and Human Resources Manager for over 7 years. Timothy is originally from Boston, Massachusetts.

Angela Vazquez recently obtained her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Southern California where she was one of five students at the School of Social Work to be recognized with the Dean’s Award for Excellence and Innovation.  Angela concentrated her graduate studies in Community Organization, Policy, and Administration and is deeply committed to working with and advocating on behalf of at-risk youth. As an MSW Intern, Angela provided case-management and internal advocacy at a residential treatment facility for teenage girls in foster care, and has also lead teams of young adults with mental illness at the Painted Brain to promote self-advocacy skills and organize opportunities to eradicate the stigma of mental illness in communities throughout Southern California. After a summer internship at the Southern California Leadership Network, Angela enhanced her commitment to social justice by facilitating coalitions between business, government, and nonprofit leaders. Angela is also a cum laude graduate from Claremont McKenna College with a Bachelor’s in dual studies of Psychology and Religious Studies where she built a passion for social science research and issue analysis. She is excited to be part of a team expanding educational opportunities for underserved children and youth through research and mobilizing coalitions.