Bill Allen
President and CEO, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
Bill Allen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation and CEO of its subsidiary, the World Trade Center Los Angeles. Mr. Allen is also a Vice Chair of FilmLA and the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, and a board member of several of the region's economic and philanthropic organizations, including the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy and Jobs, Weingart Foundation and UNITE-L.A.
Mr. Allen conceived, initiated, and supervised the process of developing L.A. County's first ever consensus built Strategic Plan for Economic Development and personally moderated the 26 public meetings which engaged more than 1,000 regional stakeholders from business, labor, government, education, philanthropy and the community to draft the elements of the plan. A cum laude graduate of the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California in 1979, Mr. Allen also received his master's degree in business administration from Pepperdine University in 1983. In 1999, he received a certificate in 21st Century Management from the Graziadio School of Business & Management at Pepperdine.
Dr. Lisa Catanzarite
Vice President of Research and Evaluation, UNITE-LA
Dr. Lisa Catanzarite oversees research and evaluation for UNITE-LA and its L.A. Compact initiative, including leading the L.A. Compact Data Workgroup and the new Charting Progress toward L.A. Compact Goals dashboard. Prior to joining UNITE-LA, Dr. Catanzarite worked as a professor and senior research sociologist at UCLA, UC San Diego, and Washington State University, and in private sector research and administrative positions. Dr. Catanzarite's published, peer-reviewed research centers on labor markets, social inequalities, and education.
Recent professional service includes National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine's Advisory Group for Evaluation of EEOC Compensation Data; UNIDOS-US' Advisory Group for Latina Wealth Project; California Department of Education's State Team for Social and Emotional Learning; and USC Sol Price Center's Steering Committee for Neighborhood Data for Social Change. Dr. Catanzarite completed a bachelor's in history, master's degrees in education and in sociology, and a Ph.D. in sociology at Stanford University, as well as a post-doctoral fellowship in sociology at UCLA and a certificate in Leadership in an Age of Disruption from CSUN.
Kelly Gonez
Board President, Los Angeles Unified School District
Kelly Gonez serves as President of the Los Angeles Board of Education and proudly represents Board District 6, which encompasses most of the East San Fernando Valley. Since her election to the Board in 2017, she has championed the needs of the most historically underserved students. She has authored policies leading to increased services for homeless students and to remove barriers to college for all high-needs students. Board President Gonez has helped to increase investment in early childhood education in Los Angeles Unified and pioneered the expansion of ethnic studies for all students in the District, including as a high school graduation requirement.
Prior to joining the Board, Board President Gonez was a middle school science teacher. She also previously served as an education policy advisor in President Obama’s administration, where she led initiatives to support English Learners, homeless students, immigrant students, and foster youth, among others. She lives with her family in North Hollywood.
Dr. Kimberly Hall
Chief Data Officer, First 5 LA
First 5 LA Chief Data Officer, Dr. Kimberly Hall, leads the Office of Data for Action in advancing data's role across the organization to drive strategy that impacts and supports the learning and development of Los Angeles County's youngest citizens. The office promotes excellence in evaluation and measurement, spearheads dissemination of findings and engages external stakeholders in our data-focused efforts. Since 2011, Dr. Hall's expertise and passion for using research and evaluation as tools for advocacy and social change have been foundational to First 5 LA's evolving emphasis on the influence of data. She is a thought leader and subject matter expert in evaluation, methodologies and analytics who plays a key leadership role in First 5 LA's strategic priority to expand the availability, use and power of data and parent voice to drive policy and practice change, disparities awareness, amplify advocacy, and build will.
Dr. Manuel Pastor
Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity, University of Southern California
Dr. Manuel Pastor is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. He currently directs the Equity Research Institute at USC. Pastor holds an economics Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and is the inaugural holder of the Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change at USC.
Pastor's research has generally focused on issues of the economic, environmental, and social conditions facing low-income urban communities – and the social movements seeking to change those realities. Pastor speaks frequently on issues of demographic change, economic inequality, and community empowerment and has contributed opinion pieces to such outlets including the Los Angeles Times, the San Jose Mercury News, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sacramento Bee, and The Hill, among many others. Pastor is on the Board of Directors for UNITE-LA.
David Rattray
President and CEO, UNITE-LA
David Rattray is the President and CEO of UNITE-LA. Since 1998, he has led UNITE-LA in ensuring the continuous improvement of effective and aligned cradle-to-career public education and workforce development systems in Los Angeles, resulting in all children and youth having access to a high-quality education. Previously, Rattray spent more than 20 years in the foodservice distribution industry. Rattray serves on the L.A. City Workforce Development Board and Youth Council and was vice chair of the State Workforce Investment Board's Lifelong Learning Committee. He is also the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Linked Learning Alliance. Rattray earned his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. UNITE-LA is the convening organization for the L.A. Compact partnership.
Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez
Los Angeles Community College District
Francisco C. Rodriguez, Ph.D., is the Chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), the largest community college district in the nation with nine, accredited colleges, more than 230,000 student enrollments, and an annual budget of $5.8 billion serving nearly 900 square miles of Los Angeles County. Dr. Rodriguez has charted a course that includes well-prepared, diverse and innovative faculty, state-of-the-art facilities and instructional equipment, superbly trained and professional support staff, and enhanced business and community engagement. During his tenure, Chancellor Rodriguez led the efforts for a taxpayer-approved $3.3 billion local facilities bond in 2016 and the hiring of close to 600 full-time, tenure-track faculty.
A noted scholar, practitioner and educator-activist, Dr. Rodriguez has 30-plus years of experience as an educator, faculty member, and administrator within California public higher education. Dr. Rodriguez currently is the UNITE LA Advisory Board Chair. Dr. Rodriguez graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a bachelor's degree in Chicano studies and his master's degree in community development. He received his Ph.D. in Education from Oregon State University.