Our Board
Harry Chandler
Board Chair
Harry Chandler
Board Chair
He is a graduate of Stanford University and attended UCLA's Graduate School of Film and Television, and the Anderson School of Management. He has also become a writer and photographer with his first book, “Dreamers in Dream City”, having been published in 2009 by Angel City Press.
Cynthia Hirschhorn
Vice-Chair
Bob Kelly
Treasurer
Bob Kelly
Treasurer
Bob Kelly is an Executive Vice President and Regional Director for Capital Group Private Client Services. Prior to joining our organization in 2005, he spent four years as a regional president at Mellon Private Wealth Management. Before that he was a principal and managing director at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. and a consultant and general manager of a valuation consulting firm. Bob earned an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BS in economics from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School). He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of the advisory board of the Western Los Angeles County Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the advisory board of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank as well as a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).
Debra Wong Yang
Secretary
Debra Wong Yang
Secretary
Debra Wong Yang is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Los Angeles office. Reflective of her broad practice and comprehensive abilities, Ms. Yang is Chair of the Crisis Management Practice Group, former Chair of the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group, which includes the FCPA Practice Group, and former Chair of the Information Technology and Data Privacy Practice Group. She is also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.
Ms. Yang received her Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School and was a law clerk to the Honorable Ronald S.W. Lew in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Krisztina "Z" Holly
Board Member
Krisztina "Z" Holly
Board Member
She is best known as the creator of the firstTEDx, the founding executive director of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Vice Provost for Innovation and founding executive director of the Stevens Center for Innovation at the University of Southern California. She has been involved in various startups and was a prominent mountain bike advocate in New England for a decade. She is currently an advisor to the Obama Administration and the World Economic Forum. She is married and resides in Los Angeles.
Jordan Kerner
Board Member
Jordan Kerner
Board Member
In addition to his numerous awards, Kerner was named the Producer of the Year by the Hollywood Entertainment Museum in 2006. As President of Kerner Entertainment and previously a founding partner in The Avnet/Kerner Company, Kerner began his career in the entertainment industry working in various capacities for San Francisco CBS affiliate KPIX-TV. He relocated to Los Angeles and worked in the Motion Picture Department of Ball, Hunt, Brown and Baerwitz, a Beverly Hills law firm. Two years later, Kerner joined CBS as a Talent and Program Negotiator in the network’s Business Affairs Department. From 1978 to 1981 he held positions in development at Universal and QM Productions, until moving to ABC Entertainment as Director of Dramatic Series Development. He became Vice President of that division in 1983. While at ABC, Kerner was responsible for developing shows such as “Moonlighting,” “MacGyver,” “Dynasty,” “Spenser: For Hire” and “Call to Glory.” Kerner is a former Governor of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Beverly Hills Bar Association Barristers. He is the Founder and former Cochairman of the Committee for the Arts of the Beverly Hills Bar Association. He currently is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Producers Guild and the American Film Institute. A 1972 graduate from Stanford University, Kerner received a degree with distinction, and honors in Political Science and Communications. He then earned a JD-MBA degree from the University of California at Berkeley and San Francisco in 1976, serving on the Law Review and founding COMM/ENT, the Journal of Communications and Entertainment Law.
James Johnson
Board Member
James Johnson
Board Member
A Los Angeles native, James Johnson most recently served as Chief Political Coordinator of the 92,000 member SEIU Local 721 and as a member of the union’s staff leadership team. He has had an impressive 30-year career with SEIU starting in 1985, when he became a Project Organizer and worked with a team that recruited thousands of workers and new leaders into the union.
In 1987, at the urging of Gilbert Cedillo and Kent Wong (both on SEIU Local 660 staff at the time), he joined the local staff as a union representative, with responsibilities from organizing breaks to helping negotiate Los Angeles County Clerical and Supervising Clerical Contracts covering more than 19,000 workers for Los Angeles County’s largest bargaining unit.
In 1996, James joined the staff of SEIU Local 535, where he served as a Senior Field Representative, Southern Political Director, and Program Director. It was there that James was instrumental in passing landmark legislation approving the first State Workload study for Child Welfare Social Workers in 15 years and increased funding for the state’s major human services programs.
After the realignment of SEIU public sector locals in California, James became the principal liaison for SEIU Local 721 at the LA City Council and played a key role in fighting for increased public services in the aftermath of the 2008-09 recession.
James is the Political Director for the California League of Conservation Voters and currently serves on the Board of the SCLC of Southern California. From 2002-04 he served on the Liberty Hill Foundation Fund for a New LA Funding Board. James was recognized by Congresswoman Judy Chu as the 27th Congressional District 2013 Community Activist of the Year.
David Schindler
Board Member
David Schindler
Board Member
David Schindler is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Latham & Watkins and former Co-Chair of the firm's White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice. Mr. Schindler advises clients on the defense of white-collar and government investigations, healthcare fraud and abuse, intellectual property, e-commerce, business litigation, and civil litigation.
Mr. Schindler has conducted internal investigations and represented companies, Boards of Directors, and individuals in connection with trials, ancillary proceedings, and government investigations involving a wide array of criminal, quasi-criminal, and regulatory matters.
Christopher Rising
Board Member
Christopher Rising
Board Member
Christopher Rising manages the day-to-day business activities of Rising Realty Partners, while also serving on its Investment Committee.
Drawing on his experience as Senior Vice President, Asset Transactions at MPG Office Trust, Inc., Christopher is skilled at managing acquisitions and creative development. At MPG, he worked directly with the CEO to improve finances through debt reduction and restructuring. In 2003, he founded his own company, The Rising Real Estate Group (RREG.) As the company grew, he seized the opportunity to partner with BPG and created Hamilton Capital Partners (HCP), an equity fund vehicle. He began his professional career as an associate at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro. He worked at Cushman Realty Corporation (CRC) under brokerage legend John C. Cushman, III. Christopher then served as a Director at Cushman & Wakefield of California, Inc. (C&W), joining C&W after its merger with CRC in 2001. Christopher is a member of the Board of Regents of Loyola High School, the Athletic Advisory Board at Duke University and the Board of Overseers at Loyola Law School. Formerly he served as President of the Loyola High School Alumni Association. Christopher is a graduate of Duke University and Loyola Law School.
Ellie Kanner
Board Member
Ellie Kanner
Board Member
Ellie has been a Film and Television Director for over thirty years. Some of her works include The Drew Carey Show, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Two Guys and a Girl, Sex and the City, and Friends. She won a Casting Society of America award for her work on Friends. Kanner's other television casting credits include Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century, Clueless, Time Trax, Special Unit 2, and The Dead Zone. She also cast the films High Strung (1991), Sleep with Me (1994), Kicking and Screaming (1995), MVP: Most Valuable Primate (2000), and Air Bud: World Pup.
Ina Coleman
Board Member
Ina Coleman
Board Member
Ina Coleman is a consultant in Organizational Development at Sirenia Partners, focusing on inclusion, diversity and gender equity. She analyzes organizations environments and recommends changes to improve inclusion, employee morale and efficiency. Ms. Coleman has significant experience communicating a compelling business case for fostering diverse and inclusive workforces. She assesses, recommends, and assists in implementing the tools necessary to change mindsets surrounding the purpose and benefits. A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Business School, she serves on several boards, including Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisors and is Vice-Chair of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council Board of Directors. At Stanford University, she serves on the Council of the Humanities and Sciences, the Clayman Institute for Gender Research and the Center for Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicitiy (CCSRE). In addition, she serves on the advisory board of LA-Tech.org, a non-profit initiative of the Los Angeles Tech Community and is an advisor to several start-ups.
Jeff Seabright
Board Member
Jeff Seabright
Board Member
Over forty years experience at senior levels in the US Government and private sector, with current focus on elevating business ambition to help solve systemic global challenges, including climate, biodiversity, inequality and the plastic crisis. Helping individual and collectives of companies create purpose-led, long term value through courageous leadership and strategic collaboration. Strong business development professional with a M.Sc, focused in International Relations from London School of Economics and Political Science.
Fred Boltz
Board Member
Fred Boltz
Board Member
Fred Boltz heads Resolute Development Solutions, a consulting firm specialized in climate change, environment and resilience. Dr. Boltz formerly served as Managing Director and member of the leadership team at The Rockefeller Foundation, where he led the environment program and key resilience initiatives. He earlier served in Conservation International’s leadership team as head of conservation strategy and practice, climate change lead and head of international policy. He holds a Ph.D. in natural resource economics from the University of Florida. A native English speaker, Dr. Boltz is fluent in French and Spanish, and conversant in Portuguese, Malagasy and Mandarin Chinese.
Richard Sneider
Board Member
Richard Sneider
Board Member
Born in Mexico City Richard came to the USA to pursue his university education, and obtained his PhD at Claremont Graduate School in Intellectual History in 1991. Richard Founded One World Apparel LLC and served as CEO of Unger Fabrik/One World Apparel LLC. With manufacturing in 14 countries, One World and Unger served as the leader in the apparel manufacturing arena, distributing to most of the USA retail world. Sneider sits on boards and or serves as an advisor for groups ranging from Conservation International to National Geographic to IUCN. He participates in multiple bio-diversity research expeditions and projects, analysis, funding, and advocacy for environmental concerns.
Gary Ross
Board Member
Gary Ross
Board Member
Gary Ross is an American film director, writer, and author. He wrote and directed the film The Hunger Games , as well as Pleasantville and the Best Picture nominated Seabiscuit , among others.
Gary Ross is married to Allison Thomas and they have settled their family on the LA River in the valley. Gary bikes the LA River multiple times a week.