River LA Board

Harry Chandler

Board Chair

Harry Chandler
Board Chair

After nearly thirty years as a media executive at 20th Century Fox, Showtime, Hearst Entertainment, the Los Angeles Times and Overture Services (now Yahoo Search), Harry Chandler now devotes much of his time to the River LA board and other non-profit pursuits.

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.

Krisztina "Z" Holly

Vice Chair

Krisztina "Z" Holly
Vice Chair

Krisztina Holly, known by her colleagues as "Z" is a Hungarian American innovator and entrepreneur. She serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office.

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.

Debra Wong Yang

Treasurer

Debra Wong Yang
Treasurer

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.

Cynthia Hirschhorn

Board Member

Cynthia Hirschhorn
Board Member

Cynthia is an architect and environmental designer who’s proud to activate her passions for healthy communities, public art, urban gardens and water resiliency with her service on the board of River LA. Her focus on water issues is also reflected through her service on the board of AltaSea at the Port of LA. Cynthia founded and directs flowproject.la, a platform for water-related civic art, and Civicas, a women’s leadership network.

A native of Los Angeles, Cynthia attended Yale College and has a BA in Cultural History and a Masters in Architecture from UCLA. She and her husband Charles have three adult children, live in Pacific Palisades and love to travel.

Jordan Kerner

Policy Co-Chair

Jordan Kerner
Policy Co-Chair

Jordan Kerner’s feature film credits include: Charlotte’s Web, Snow Dogs, Inspector Gadget, George Of The Jungle, Up Close & Personal, When A Man Loves A Woman, The Three Musketeers, The Mighty Ducks Trilogy, Fried Green Tomatoes and many others. His most recent film, The Smurfs, grossed over $500 million.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cedd Moses

Board Member

Cedd Moses
Board Member

Cedd Moses is the founder and inspiration behind 213 Hospitality, a company which operates several of Los Angeles' most celebrated bars, restaurants, and breweries. Including The Varnish; Cole's Originators of the French Dip; Seven Grand Whiskey Bar; The Golden Gopher; Tony's Saloon; The Broadway Bar; Caña Rum Bar; Las Perlas; Casey's Irish Bar; Honeycut; The Normandie Club; and Arts District Brewing Company.

Moses was instrumental in bringing National recognition to LA’s craft cocktail culture in LA beginning with a dive bar called Liquid Kitty 19 years ago. Upon establishing 213 Hospitality in 2000, Moses has dedicated his professional pursuits to the revitalization of Downtown Los Angeles. He has done so by converting empty or underutilized Commercial buildings with historical and architectural significance into mixed-use developments featuring residential lofts, creative and office spaces, restaurants, breweries and cocktail lounges. Due to his contributions in Downtown LA, Moses is widely acknowledged as one of the city’s most impactful real estate developers and plans to transport that same enthusiasm to other cities like New York, Austin, and San Diego.

For nearly two decades, Cedd worked as a professional money manager, known for his business acumen and socially responsible investing. In the mid-90s he shifted gears to concentrate on hospitality projects and development, an extension of his ongoing passion for the city’s arts and underground music subculture. Moses also produced Cool School, a film directed by Academy Award- winning Morgan Neville, spotlighting LA’s Ferus Gallery and the 60s avant-garde artists, including his own father.

Currently, Cedd is developing a project inside the historic Fred Harvey Room within Los Angeles’ Union Station amongst other projects. He is also on the board of LASI (Los Angeles StreetCar), Historic Core Business Improvement District, and The Museum of the American Cocktail.

Cedd Moses was raised in Venice, California partly by his father, the famous Abstract Expressionist painter Ed Moses. In his spare time, Moses can be found playing squash or at the racetrack.

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.