The Staff

Robin Toma, Executive Director

Robin S. Toma, the Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, has broad experience in the field of human relations. He was appointed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2000 after working five years with the Commission. He was invited to be a member of the US Delegation to the 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism, held in South Africa, Japanese American Leadership Delegation to Japan in 2003, and the Climate of Trust Delegation to Russia in 2005. He is co-author of the manual: “Day Laborer Hiring Sites: Constructive Approaches to Community Conflict,” and authored “A Primer on Managing Intergroup Conflict in a Multicultural Workplace."

Toma was lead attorney in seeking redress for over 2,200 Japanese Latin Americans who were forcibly brought to the U.S. and imprisoned by the US government during World War II. He is also part of an ongoing gathering of leaders known as the Executive Session on Criminal Justice and Human Rights organized by Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Previously, he served as staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California for nearly 7 years, promoting human rights and building multi-ethnic coalitions to bring about institutional change. A native of Los Angeles, Toma received his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his Master’s degree in Urban Planning and his Juris Doctorate from UCLA. He completed a three-year Kellogg National Fellowship/Leadership Program studying how genuine democracies can be built in culturally diverse societies around the globe. Toma lived two years in Barcelona, Spain and is fully fluent in Spanish.

Richard Verches, Chief Deputy Director

Richard has extensive professional experience in international human rights and refugee law, university administration and teaching, corporate communications, public affairs and government relations, non-profit organizations and philanthropy. Since 2003, he has taught a course on ‘Human Rights in the Americas’ in the Department of Chicana/o Studies at UCLA. He has also taught for Santa Clara University School of Law’s international human rights law summer program in Strasbourg, France since 2004. In 2002, he co-founded an immigrant education and financial literacy community organization and co-authored two booklets in Spanish. He was a Partner in DataTrends, a national research, strategic planning and communications firm; President of the Latin Business Association; and Director of Community and Media Relations, and Crisis Communications and Senior Consultant for International Affairs with ARCO, where he also created a leadership academy and internships for at-risk high school students in Long Beach. He worked for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland as a legal officer and consultant for the High Commissioner for Refugees and a human rights officer with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, assisting the Secretary General’s Special Representative with a General Assembly study on ‘The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children.’ In 1992, he coordinated a twelve-nation study on ‘Legal Measures to Combat Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination’ for the European Community in Brussels, Belgium.

His community service and civic leadership include coordinating the L.A. program of the German Marshall Fund of the U.S.' transatlantic leadership program since 1998 and serving on the Board of Directors of the Dashew International Center at UCLA, Advisory Council of the Center for Global Law and Policy of Santa Clara University School of Law, UCLA Foundation Board of Governors, and the UCLA School of Public Affairs’ Board of Advisors.

He was appointed by Governor Gray Davis to the State of California’s Quality Education Commission and High School Exit Examination Independent Consultant Selection Panel, and by Assembly Speaker A. Villaraigosa to the California Student Aid Commission. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the UCLA Alumni Association, Cerritos College Foundation, Salvadoran-American Leadership and Education Fund, and Social Public Art Resource Center, as well as the California Committee-South of Human Rights Watch. He was President of the UCLA Latino Alumni Association Board of Directors, Chair of UCLA’s Government Relations Alumni Advocacy Committee, President/CEO of the Latin Business Association, Senior Policy Fellow of the UCLA School of Public Affairs and Local Adjudication Board of the U.S. Selective Service.

He received his B.A. in Spanish Literature from UCLA and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law; and a Diploma in International and Comparative Human Rights and Humanitarian Law from the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. He is a graduate of Belmont High School in downtown L.A.. He resides in Whittier with his wife, Alexia, and daughter, Ksenia.

Elena Halpert-Schilt, Assistant Director

Assistant Director of the Human Relations Commission, Elena Halpert-Schilt , brings a wide array of talents and skills to this key position. She has dedicated her career of over twenty years in community-based organizations to improving the health and well being of Los Angeles County families. Ms. Halpert-Schilt will use her extensive experience in organizational development and administration and program implementation to add to the Commission staff's expertise, working in partnership to help strengthen the overall efficiency of the organization. In her current position she directs the activities of the Department's administrative division, including refining internal systems to improve Department functions and leading the preparation and implementation of the annual budget and finance system

While working primarily in community-based organizations that focus on improving maternal and child health in economically-challenged and disenfranchised communities, Ms. Halpert-Schilt has helped develop systems and partnerships that have contributed to improved life outcomes for community members. Her prior experience has been with such important, Los Angeles-based organizations as Los Angeles Best Babies Network, Healthy African American Families, MotherNet LA, the March of Dimes, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Department of Pediatrics and others.

Ms. Halpert-Schilt has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California , Los Angeles. She is a member of the Board of Directors of CoachArt, a non-profit organization that provides free art and athletic lessons to children with life threatening illnesses, and the Parent Advisory Board of Children's Hospital Los Angeles' HOPE Program. Ms. Halpert-Schilt lives in Westchester with her husband Alan, son Brad and daughter Erica.

Annie Flores, Manager of Administration

Annie Flores is the Manager over Administration. Annie is a 28 year veteran with the Los Angeles County. The majority of her County career has been spent working for the Internal Services Department (ISD) and she credits her broad knowledge of County government while working as Staff Assistant for two ISD Director's. Annie prides herself with the ability to get along well with people and was in her realm when she transferred over to the Strategic Planning/Customer Service Division. There she was responsible for a wide range of Customer Service incentives to help motivate employees and was able to explore her creative side as the editor of a monthly publication entitled "Customer Connection." Before joining the Human Relations Commission, Annie gained experience in the Discipline/Employee Relations Section where she represented all levels of Management in grievance hearings. In addition, she underwent intensive bargaining sessions for many of the 27 Union represented Bargaining Units within ISD that resulted in binding contracts.

Multi-tasking is imbedded in Annie's skills sets, as she not only held a full-time job, was a full-time student while juggling a family with 3 children, but also continued to take on new positions as opportunities arose.

In 1997 she went back to school and obtained her associates degree from East Los Angeles College in Liberal Arts, then went on to achieve her Bachelors Degree in Public Administration from Cal State Northridge. She enjoys being Team-mom for her sons little league team, as well as rallying her family once a month to serve the homeless at the Union Rescue Mission of Los Angeles.

Patricia Boone, Administrative Assistant II

Patricia Boone came to the Commission directly from the Los Angeles Superior Court where she worked for seven years. In her present position, she is responsible for accounting, budgets and finance for the department. A native Californian, Patricia graduated from East Los Angeles College with an Associate of Arts, and graduated from California State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Management, and a Master of Science in Management Information Systems. Ms. Boone is a world traveler who in her spare times dabbles in a variety of pursuits including fencing, playing various musical instruments and creating her own jewelry line.

Jacob Brown, Intergroup Relations Aid

Jacob Brown started with the Commission in 2006. Raised in Kansas City, Jacob graduated from Wheaton College near Chicago with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Urban Studies. He worked as a research assistant for two years on a project researching labor organizing among immigrant workers. As an undergraduate, Jacob examined issues of economic transformation, social movements, and public policy with a focus on the Los Angeles metropolitan region. Jacob has worked with multi-ethnic and inter-faith coalitions in Chicago, Bangkok, Thailand, and Manila, Philippines before relocating to Los Angeles — including an internship with the City of Chicago's Human Relations Commission in 2004.

Daniel Cacho

Daniel Cacho is a key player in the County Commission on Human Relation's Zerohour Youth Initiative, mobilizing youth to be agents of change against discrimination and inequities on their school campuses and in their communities through direct youth organizing. He is actively involved in establishing Campus Action Teams on school campuses. The purpose of the CATS program is to create safer, fairer, more learning-conducive campuses, so Daniel conducts creative workshops for young people addressing human-relations themes.

Cacho was originally from an impoverished area of Belize, and he was left to tend for himself while his grandmother spent long periods of time away in the nearest city to earn a living. He eventually made his way alone into the United States, where he got into problems with the law and was incarcerated.

But Cacho continued to grow and learn, participating in poetry courses and self-development workshops initiated by local non-profit Dreamyard LA. After transitioning out of probation camp, Cacho participated in Dreamyard LA as a mentor, conducting poetry workshops for incarcerated youth and eventually became a Dreamyard outreach associate. He is also a Fellow in the Public Allies program that trains young leaders to assume leadership roles in local non-profits serving Los Angeles County.

Through his association with the Pacific Institute, a corporation specializing in performance improvement and professional growth, change management and leadership development, he works with the L.A. County Probation Department advisory board, and is actively involved in reforms of the probation system.

Ava Gutierrez, Public Information Officer

A native of Havana, Cuba, Ms. Gutierrez has a strong background in international public relations and marketing, and vast experience in ethnic markets, both in the United States and abroad. Ms. Gutierrez began her professional career as a journalist with the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner. She was Assistant Public Relations Director of the California State Museum of Science and Industry, developed the first Hispanic advertising and media campaign for Greyhound at Bozell Worldwide, and was a key team member of both the national and international AT&T marketing program. Another career achievement has included the writing of a 200-page book on wine for Grosset and Dunlap.

Ms. Gutierrez will be actively working to promote the L.A. County Human Relations Commission by implementing a media campaign to assist municipalities and residents desiring to do outreach to vulnerable members of Los Angeles County.

Caroline Hata, Intermediate Clerk

Caroline Hata has been with the Commission since October 1993 as an Intermediate Clerk. Starting with the County in 1991, she was with the regional office at the Montebello Library, then at Library Headquarters in Downey until August 1993. She has been with the commission since that time.

Cherylynn Hoff, Senior Human Relations Consultant

Cherylynn Hoff, Senior Intergroup Relations Specialist, began her work with the Commission in 1999 coordinating human relations programming to youth in probation camps as part of California State Initiative SB1095 to transition juvenile offenders back into their communities. Ms. Hoff was also responsible for coordinating the Commission's Human Relations Mutual Assistance Consortium, that assists L.A. County cities in implementing strategies to prevent intergroup conflict, and its Media Image Coalition, the first of its kind uniting media advocacy groups to impact more accurate, respectful and balanced images and hiring of underrepresented groups in the media. Hoff also coordinated the Commission’s Youth ACT youth advisory council of diverse youth who advised the development of the Commission's youth initiatives, as well as its Zerhohour anti-discrimination campaign and school-based human relations program. Currently Hoff provides regional human relations technical assistance to the San Fernando Valley which includes implementing the Zerohour program at school’s in that region. Hoff is a co-founding member of the Joint Los Angeles City and County Juvenile Justice Task Force that has initiated a community, schools and government collaborative in the East San Fernando Valley that seeks to better coordinate city and county services and to strengthen the self-confidence, leadership skills, and assets of the family as the key means by which to reduce juvenile detention and recidivism in the region. Hoff organized a youth conference on non-violence that won a Los Angeles County Productivity & Quality Award; authored the Commission's Preparatory Conference End-Report to the United Nations 2001 World Conference Against Racism, and represented the Commission at the Non-Governmental Forum preceding the UN Conference; and coordinated Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan’s recent visit to Zerohour School Taft High in Woodland Hills. Cherylynn holds a B.A. in Humanities from U.C. Berkeley and a Masters Degree in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Sikivu Hutchinson, Intergroup Specialist

Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson brings a wealth of experience to the Commission. She was most recently Chief of Staff for Los Angeles Unified School Board member Genethia Hayes where she researched and provided analyses on issues before the school board, supervised the staff, served as community liaison and facilitated parent and community meetings.

Dr. Hutchinson has a doctorate in Performance Studies from New York University and a Bachelors of Art in anthropology from the University of California at Los Angeles. She has lectured on Critical Studies at California Institute of the Arts, where she developed and taught courses on Ethnic Studies and Women's Studies and has lectured on Liberal Studies at California State University Los Angeles. She also has developed and taught courses on racial identity and post modernism at Cal Arts, and has published several scholarly works on race and gender, including "Moving to the Center: Culturally Relevant Education and Student Agency in LAUSD," in California English, April 2002.

In her free time, Dr. Hutchinson is an avid long distance runner who loves New York, electric guitar and fiction. Her favorite authors include Toni Morrison, Don DeLillo, Joyce Carol Oates and Sherman Alexie.

Tony Massengale, Senior Human Relations Consultant

In mid-2007, Tony Massengale joined the Commission as Racialized Gang Violence Prevention Coordinator, to lead efforts in creating a new model for inter-ethnic youth and gang violence prevention. He will also inform the Commission's work with other stakeholders involved in developing the first comprehensive regional gang violence reduction strategy. Both goals will draw on Tony's 30 years of experience in youth development, gang intervention, and community organizing. His core approach will be to organize collaborative human relations and civic engagement infrastructure that helps build safe and healthy neighborhoods and improves the quality of life for youth and families on the margins and in the middle of society.

Tony has conducted specific inter-group/human relations work with Korean Youth & Community Center, Inter-ethnic Children's Council, Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission, Orange County Human Relations Commission, California Association of Human Relations Organizations, and other agencies working across lines of ethnic and cultural difference.

In 2000 Tony was invited by the Association of Community Based Gang Intervention Workers, to design and teach the gang intervention unit in the nation's only Certificated Specialist Training Program in Youth and Gang Violence Intervention. Sponsored by California State University's "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs, approximately 400 graduates have taken his course, Community Intervention and Transformation: A Civic Organizing-Leadership Approach to Building Gang Violence Prevention Infrastructure.

Tony served as co-director of the, Unity Collaborative gang intervention network, growing its membership from five to twelve agencies that have mediated or maintained several gang "understandings", truces and cease fire agreements across Los Angeles. He led the first-of-kind 2007 LAPD Gang Intervention Training Workshops for South Bureau police trainees, co-led the 2005 Southern California Gang Intervention Summit on Latino-African American Relations, assisted in the 2005 start-up of the countywide Cease Fire Committee, and is a consulting organizer for the Regional Violence Prevention Coalition and Inland Empire Violence Prevention Collaborative.

After serving in leadership, executive and community organizing roles with school and community programs--including Liaison Citizen, Community Youth Gang Services project, Industrial Areas Foundation's South Central Organizing Committee, Community Reinvestment V.P. at Drew Child Development Corporation-Tony served as an organizer and educator, in his own consulting practice, introducing his Civic Organizing Framework and Organizing-Leadership Tools to over 7,500 service professionals, educators, students, and grassroots practitioners in over 150 schools, colleges, government departments, youth and community nonprofits, in 12 states and six California counties. He helped start or strengthen over 30 collaboratives and his Civic Organizing framework has been taught at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, California State University Los Angeles/Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs, Stanford University; and by colleague, Paula Strand, at Georgetown Law School.

He was appointed Sr. Associate to Project Public Life at the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs; first "Visiting Mentor" to Stanford University's Haas Center for Public Service; Lead Planning Consultant for the James Irvine Foundation's Youth Development Resource Project (YDI); and, through Civic Organizing, Inc., was awarded over $360,000 from W.K. Kellogg Foundation (1997-98) and the Stassen-Taylor Family Fund (1998-2003).

Tony has co-authored or been interviewed for several national journals, magazines, news letters and books, and is featured in the forthcoming book, Hope Matters-The Untold Story of How Faith Works in America, by John A. Calhoun, President of Hope Matters; consultant to California Cities Gang Prevention Network, and former President of the National Crime Prevention Council (published in Fall 2007).

Born and raised in South Los Angeles Tony is a 19 Year resident of Pasadena, were he lives with his wife and two children who are college students. Tony is a graduate of Crenshaw High School, California State University Los Angeles, Zoe Christian Leadership Center, and has taken coursework at APU Haggard Graduate School of Theology.

Mary Louise Longoria, Senior Human Relations Consultant

Mary Louise holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chicano Studies from California State University, Northridge, completed Master's work at Pacific Oaks College in Administration, and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California (USC) in Policy, Planning and Administration. With five teaching credentials ranging from early childhood to special education, she has served as consultant to the Federal, State and County Departments of Education. As a Senior Human Relations Consultant, her projects include the Media Image Coalition, Cultural Diversity Month, and the Commission's annual John Anson Ford Awards Event. She was instrumental in the formation of the Asian Pacific Council in the San Fernando Valley and the Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force. A mother of five, her outside interests include community involvement, politics and travel and serving on the Commission of the city of LA Neighborhood Councils.

Grace Lowenberg, Executive Secretary

Grace Löwenberg graduated from East Los Angeles College and attended California State University, Los Angeles. Grace has been with the Commission on Human Relations since 1974 and has served as the Executive Secretary for three Executive Directors. In addition, Gracecoordinates all activities and scheduling for Commissioners. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors for the City Terrace Coordinating Council, Autumn Pointe Homeowners Association and the East Los Angeles Community Scholarship Foundation. She has coordinated fundraisers for both entities and other community service organizations. Grace also participates as a volunteer for the Los Angeles County East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station.

Frankie Maryland, Senior Human Relations Consultant

Frankie Maryland holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and a Master's degree in Negotiations and Conflict Management from California State University Dominguez Hills. Frankie's career involves over 25 years of progressively responsible employment in the public sector. In addition to developing training programs such as the Minority Women's Educational Project, Frankie was instrumental in the development of the Commission's Human Relations Mutual Assistance Consortium (HRMAC), a County-wide human relations infrastructure that works to strengthen the capacity of local communities to resolve their own intergroup tensions. Her skills include conflict resolution, development of hearings, community consultant services, community support coordination and public speaking. A mother of two sons, her outside interests include service on various boards, personal growth and development, and world travel.

Juan Carlos Martinez, Senior Intergroup Specialist

Juan Carlos Martinez is a native of Mexico City, Mexico, and came to the United States as a youth. Martinez has extensive experience working with diverse groups of people, and as Resident Leadership Training Coordinator, trained adults and youth in leadership skills for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles.

Martinez has extensive experience in program development, including work with elementary school children on after-school tutoring programs, conflict resolution, youth leadership development, and in teaching college students and adults in a classroom setting.

Martinez has two masters' degrees - in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles, and in History from the California State University, Fullerton. He also is a Pew Foundation Entrepreneurship Fellowship recipient. He also is proficient in using advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) and is bilingual (Spanish).

A naturalist in his spare time, Martinez enjoys visiting state parks and places full of history and culture. An admirer of folk music from around the world, music composed by Phillip Glass, and Art Deco Architecture.

RiKu Matsuda, Intergroup Relations Specialist

riKu Matsuda started with the Commission in 2004 and is currently an Intergroup Relations Specialist working with diverse groups of youth to develop Campus Action Teams (CATs) as part of the Commission’s zerohour anti-discrimination campaign. He was born in Garden Grove and raised in the Antelope Valley . He graduated from California State University at Long Beach in 2000 with a Bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology. Since graduating, riKu has worked in areas of youth organizing, leadership development, gender justice, reproductive/sexual rights, media justice, immigrant/refugee rights and multi-ethnic community building. riKu is a board member of the FTM Alliance of Los Angeles and serves on the community advisory board for qteam, a queer and trans youth of color multi-issue organizing collective in Los Angeles . riKu can be heard every other Thursday on “The Morning Review” from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. in the greater L.A. area on Pacifica ’s KPFK 90.7 FM, a public affairs show that he hosted since 2004.

Borden Olive, Senior Human Relations Consultant

Borden Olive was born in Kentucky and is a graduate of the University of California Berkeley. Prior to joining the Commission staff, he worked as a street gang worker for the Probation Department. He has two sons; one is an attorney, and the other is a model and a budding film actor. Borden developed basic concepts for the Commission's hate crime work and for the 1984 Olympic Games Rumor Control Center. He also received recognition for his work with the Oakwood Beautification Committee in Venice, which was one of the earlier attempts at community-based policing by the Los Angeles Police Department. Borden has investigated and resolved many community conflicts. He has recently worked on prejudice reduction training for the Sheriff's Department. He is a certified conflict mediator.

Ray Regalado, Senior Human Relations Consultant

Ray Regalado comes to the Commission with an extensive human relations background. He was on staff of the Orange County Human Relations Council where he worked in the area of hate crime victim support, hate crime awareness training and assisted in the compilation of the annual Orange County hate crime report. In addition, Mr. Regalado is a trained mediator with skills in conflict resolution. Ray has experience working with at risk youth, community organizing and leadership development. These skills were developed while working for a gang intervention agency. More recently, Ray worked as a Field Deputy for First District Supervisor Gloria Molina.

Joshua Tanamachi Parr, Senior Intergroup Specialist

Tanamachi Parr, joins the HRC staff as a Senior Intergroup Consultant. Stories of his grandmother's internment by the US government during World War II lead Mr. Parr to critically examine cultural identity and social justice. After an early career as a journalist in Cambodia, South Korea and Venezuela, he returned to the U.S. in 1994. Here, he began organizing communities of color to fight for educational and economic equity in the Bay Area. From editing a youth publication, to running writing workshops in maximum security Juvenille Halls, to starting gang violence prevention and post-911 hate crime programs, Mr. Parr has worked with a variety of diverse communities.

In 1999, he joined Youth Together, a cutting edge youth leadership development organization in the East Bay, where he learned the principles of youth advocacy, and the tools of community building. Mr. Parr then joined Intergroup Clearinghouse, a top human relations organization in San Francisco. There, he consulted for the San Francisco Unified School District to assess and prevent hate crime and hate violence in K-12 schools. From there, he graduated with a Master's Degree from USC's School of Planning, Policy and Development, studying Multicultural Community Development.

At the Commission, Mr. Parr works in the School Intergroup Conflict Initiative, working in LAUSD District 7, which includes Watts. There, he facilitates programs in youth leadership development and parent education. In the community at large, Mr. Parr is spearheading an effort to update community policing protocols with LAPD's SE Division. Soon, he will be moving the HRC into the schools of Western San Gabriel Valley.

Additionally, Mr. Parr is a Board member for the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center (APADRC), plays blues guitar, writes fiction, and coaches his son's basketball teams (this year, their team is undefeated.) He is known to travel whenever possible, and is involved in several international organizing efforts to promote meaningful cultural exchange.

Gustavo Adolfo Guerra Vasquez, Senior Intergroup Specialist

Gustavo Adolfo Guerra Vasquez is a native of Guatemala, who came to Los Angeles at the age of eight. Guerra Vasquez has lived in many different parts of Los Angeles. He received his Bachelors of Art in Spanish Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Guerra Vasquez went on to pursue a graduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley where he acquired a Masters Degree in Ethnic Studies and also became a doctoral candidate. This unique individual has also developed talents as a multi-disciplinary artist and has performed and toured with different spoken word groups who use their performances to improve Human Relations among individuals and communities.

Gustavo Guerra Vasquez co-leader of the Commission's youth initiative work will deal with Day Laborer issues, Immigration issues, and will provide assistance to some L.A. Unified School District schools as well as Pomona Unified School District.

Sharon Williams, Senior Typist Clerk

Sharon Williams is a 1987 graduate of Manual Arts High School and has taken additional courses at Abram Friedman Occupational Center, the National Business Academy, and Los Angeles Southwest College. She worked as a Typist Clerk for Atlantic Richfield Company and Accelerated Micro Computers, and as an Intermediate Typist Clerk for the Board of Supervisors before joining the Commission in the same capacity in 1990. In March of 1995, Sharon Williams was promoted to Senior Typist Clerk. On October 31, 2000, Sharon gave birth to her first child, Kordell Keshaun Handy.

Marshall Wong, Senior Human Relations Consultant

A native of Los Angeles, Marshall has served as a Senior Human Relations Consultant with the Commission since 1999. He is the Commission's Hate Crime Coordinator, has developed human relations curricula for County employees, and established the agency's Hate Crime Victim Assistance and Community Advocacy Initiative. Previously, he held positions with the Smithsonian Institute and the Mayor of Washington, D.C. From 1991-1994, he was a Fellow in the Kellogg National Leadership Program and has been a recipient of the Community Service Award from the National Multicultural Institute, the Abacus Award from the Organization of Chinese Americans, and the Mayor's Distinguished Service Award from the District of Columbia. Currently, he serves on a Community Funding Board for the Liberty Hill Foundation. Marshall received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and his Master of Social Welfare from the University of California at Los Angeles. Additionally, he has studied Spanish in Cuernevaca, Mexico and Antigua, Guatemala, has co-authored, "Organizing in Communities of Color: Addressing Inter-Ethnic Conflicts," for Social Justice, and has written articles for the Washington Times and Asian Week.

Celia Zager, Senior Human Relations Consultant

Celia Zager, a native of Los Angeles, retired from the Human Relations Commission after 14 years of service in May, l999. She has returned part time to continue to provide staff support to the Corporate Advisory Committee, to assist in fundraising for the John Anson Ford annual event, and to coordinate the production and distribution of the Cultural Diversity Month poster. She helped develop and co-directed the Human Relations Mutual Assistance Consortium after having served as publicity and public information director from l985 to l993. Cele's prior experience includes l2 years as Executive Director of the Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley, and 5 years as creator and director of the Housing Program for the State Department of Fair Employment and Housing. She previously worked as a newspaper reporter and research interviewer for McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. Cele's education in journalism and anthropology includes a Certificate in Archaeology from UCLA. Additionally, she is a practicing artist and a member of Women in Public Affairs and Friends of Archaeology, UCLA.