Staff

Randi Aho is the Civic Education Program Manager at the Pat Brown Institute where she oversees the Institute’s suite of civic education programs, including Civic University©, Civic High©, the PBI-Manatt Civic Quiz, the James R. Galbraith Fellowship, and voter education and engagement. In 2020, Randi co-led the Institute’s 2020 census outreach as part of the We Count L.A. campaign. Randi has a background in human rights with experience in academic programming, advocacy, education, and nonprofit management. She has researched post-conflict reconciliation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and women’s and girls’ development in India and Senegal. Randi holds a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She received her B.A. in Global Studies and Intercultural Communications from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

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Tatiana Fernandez-Castro joins PBI as the Executive Assistant to the Institute. She works closely with the PBI team to streamline internal policies and procedures, coordinate events, provide financial management support, and run daily office operations. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a Master’s degree in Business Administration in Marketing. She has experience in the private sector, academia, non-profit, and federal government and has worked at UCLA, American University, and for the Department of State. She enjoys learning new subjects and perspectives about the world and the community. She grew up and lived in Costa Rica for over 20 years and speaks fluent Spanish. She likes to read, travel, watch movies, and listen to podcasts. Since moving to California in 2017, she has taken a liking to L.A.’s weather.

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Monserrat Ramirez-Mendoza helps to manage the James R. Galbraith Fellowship, a program that supports Cal State LA undergraduates and graduates with their professional development and knowledge of the public policy making process.

Monserrat is a lifelong Bell Gardens resident, and an active member in the Southeast Los Angeles Collaborative, an Initiative which “seeks to revitalize the landscape of civic engagement,” nonprofit capacity, and researched-based policies in the region.

She joined the PBI family in the Winter of 2014 as a student intern, and since then has supported the team with research, community outreach, event logistics, and social media marketing. Monserrat is a Make Life Count Co. adventurer who enjoys the outdoors experience and adheres to the saying, “leave no trace behind.”  

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Francisco Jasso is the Pat Brown Institute’s Research Associate where he analyzes original survey data that the Institute collects. He first joined PBI in May of 2022 and has worked on the LA County counterpart to the 2022 Nonprofit Finance Fund State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey and currently on a survey of the California Community Foundation’s Regional Recovery Hubs. He received his Ph.D. in political science at UC Irvine in 2021, studying race, ethnicity, and politics, public opinion, and participation. He has recently coauthored a scholarly journal article in Political Behavior and a book chapter in the Handbook of Politics and Public Opinion. He has also taught and TA’d courses in Race, Ethnicity, Politics, and Chicana/o Studies. 

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Nathan Chan is the Pat Brown Institute’s Research Associate. He analyzes original survey data that the Institute collects. This includes the Living and Working in SELA survey and the Asian American, African American, Latino, and Jewish community polls. He first joined PBI in August 2015, where he coordinated The Public Policy Education Program. He is a Ph.D. Candidate in political science at The University of California, Irvine where he studies race, ethnicity, and politics, public opinion, and political participation. He has published scholarly journal articles in Perspectives on Politics, Political Behavior, and Political Research Quarterly among others and has featured his research in the Washington Post and the Brookings Institute. He also teaches courses in American Politics, Research Methods in Social Science, and Voting & Elections. In Fall 2022, he will begin as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Loyola Marymount University.

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Viviana Villafuerte is a student professional at the Institute pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science. Her interest in politics began in high school where she took a journalism course and wrote articles, encouraging her to continue learning about politics and be dedicated to young people’s participation in diversifying the field. At the Institute, Viviana contributes in event planning, general office operations, and assisting program managers on various projects including our Civic University and polling program. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, volunteering at her local library by creating monthly articles, catching up on the news, and shopping.