RAQUEL BELTRÁN
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Raquel Beltrán has served as associate director since September 2014. A native of San Diego, Raquel Beltrán’s professional experience includes over 35 years of public administration and non-profit experience. Her service with the Institute was preceded by six years as the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles’s executive director. Her prior years of experience have the unique characteristic of including work with a variety of organizations. Examples include business organizations, government agencies, organized labor, community organizations, institutions of higher learning, and community-based organizations. She is a graduate of the City of San Diego Management Academy; a former San Francisco Bay American Red Cross disaster preparedness specialist, and past –president of the Cal State Dominguez Hills Alumni Association. She is also a co-founder of the United Domestic Workers Union of America. Raquel earned her Masters degree in Business Administration from California State University Dominquez Hills, with Delta Mu Delta honors. She completed her undergraduate studies at California State University, East Bay with a B.A. in Political Science. What does Raquel do for fun? She is founder and president of the Mariachi Academy of Carson, an after-school cultural and education program.
LILY BABA
ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST
Lily Baba is the Institute’s administrative analyst. She has been a Cal State L.A. employee for the past 35 years, 22 of those years with the PBI. Lily has been a dedicated community volunteer for over twenty years. She serves on the board of the the Asian Youth Center. She is also a board member of Pacific Film Currents (PFC) and served as an associate producer for two PFC documentary productions, “442 for the Future” in 1997, and “Mothers, Daughters, Sisters,” in 2000. Lily received her Bachelor of Arts in Management from the University of Phoenix in 1996.
[email protected]
Max Baumgarten
PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST
Max D. Baumgarten serves as the Institute’s public policy analyst. He works on a variety of applied research projects on topics such as civic engagement, public transportation, and trade policy. Before joining the Pat Brown Institute, he taught courses in political and urban history at UCLA and the Skirball Cultural Center and authored articles in American Jewish History and California History. A native of Los Angeles, he completed his undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley and holds an MA in History from UCLA, where he is currently finishing his PhD. In his free time, Max enjoys biking, swimming, and watching television.
NICOLE HERNANDEZ
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
Nicole Hernandez came on board with the Institute as the Communications Coordinator in 2015. Nicole is committed to improving her community through communication, media, and advocacy. A proud alumnus of Azusa High School, in Azusa, CA, Nicole volunteered for 8 years as the high school’s badminton coach while finishing her BA and MA degree in Cultural and Visual Anthropology at USC. She began her career in social media and video content marketing for healthcare companies in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then transitioned to education reform and public affairs. In 2015, she served on the MacArthur Park Neighborhood Council, and in 2016, co-founded Puerto Ricans In Action, a civic and cultural organization that is laying the foundation for community unity and youth empowerment in Southern California. One of Nicole’s life’s dreams is to visit each National Park in the United States – so far, she has visited 7 out of 59.
SASHA PEREZ
YOUTH LEADERSHIP SR. PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Sasha Perez has served as the youth enrichment policy project senior program coordinator since August 2015. She has been an active member of the campus community and the surrounding community for the last 7 years working on issues impacting the Eastside area, the San Gabriel Valley area and the California State University (CSU) system. She has served as a board member on LA-32’s Neighborhood Council, Cal State LA’s Associated Student’s Inc. (ASI), Cal State LA’s Foundation and the California Statewide Student Association (CSSA). Her ambition is driven by her commitment to assisting those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. In her free time, Sasha enjoys film, TV and new media. She was previously executive producer and lead anchor for Golden Eagle TV, Cal State LA’s first TV station.
She holds a BA in Political Science and a BA in Social & Behavioral Economics.
Photos by David Ng
(626) 288-0833 Email: [email protected]
