Symposium Speakers

We have an exciting line-up of speakers from nonprofit, government, and philanthropy.

Jan Masaoka, CEO, CalNonprofits 
 

At the end of this year, Jan Masaoka will leave her position as CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits) after 11 exciting and fulfilling years. During this time CalNonprofits has grown into an important and recognized voice for California's nonprofit community, bringing tangible results for nonprofits through advocacy in the legislative, administrative, and judicial branches of California government. She describes CalNonprofits as "community organizing in the community of nonprofits."

Prior to CalNonprofits, for 14 years Jan was executive director of CompassPoint, a consulting, research and training leader for community nonprofits. She founded and wrote the acclaimed Blue Avocado for 12 years. She has written two books on nonprofits: Best of the Board Cafe (Fieldstone), Nonprofit HR (Nolo Press), and co-authored Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability. She is a well-known speaker on nonprofit matters including financial strategies, philanthropic reform, boards of directors, volunteerism, and organizations rooted in communities of color.

Elizabeth Kim, Senior Assistant Attorney General, California Department of Justice, Director of Charities Division 
 

As newly appointed Supervising Deputy Attorney General, Elizabeth Kim heads the Charitable Trusts Section at the California Department of Justice. She has over 20 years of experience in law enforcement and public service.

In her new role, Elizabeth oversees the enforcement of California's charitable giving laws, and matters such as nonprofit registrations, fundraising regulation, online giving regulation, fraud, and self-dealing. The Division also provides guidance to charities and the public on California's charitable giving laws.Elizabeth has worked with CalNonprofits and many other nonprofits in the development and implementation of public policy related to many aspects of the Division's work. She also currently serves on the board of the National Association of State Charities Officials (NASCO).

Session One

Chet P. Hewitt, President and CEO, Sierra Health Foundation (Moderator) 
 

Chet Hewitt has served as a frontline group home worker, youth development counselor, community organizer, juvenile justice project director, Director of Alameda County Social Services Agency, Senior Manager at the Rockefeller Foundation, and currently as president of the influential Sierra Health Foundation (based in Sacramento). He was named Administrator of the Year by Black Administrators in Child Welfare; other national honors include the Annie E. Casey Foundation Child Welfare Administrator of the Year, and the Grantland Johnson Intergovernmental Cooperation Award.

Hewitt is a board member of the Public Policy Institute of California and exemplifies the role of activist foundation leader. In addition to grantmaking, the Sierra Health Foundation brings city, business, nonprofit, and community leaders together to address controversial issues. He established the Center at the Sierra Health Foundation, and co-founded Equity on the Mall, a march for equity typically drawing more than 2,000 marchers.

Julie Baker, Californians for the Arts/California Arts Advocacy 
 

Julie Baker is a passionate arts professional. Prior to becoming Executive Director of Californians For The Arts in October of 2018, Julie Baker served on the board for four years as chair of the membership committee and Confluence, an arts advocacy conference. She is the owner of Julie Baker Projects, a full-service arts consulting firm. From 2009-2017, Julie served as the Executive Director of The Center for the Arts, a nonprofit performing arts venue, and California WorldFest, an annual music and camping festival based in Grass Valley.

Baker worked in New York City at several prominent art galleries and the international auction house Christie’s before becoming the president of her family’s art marketing agency, Gerngross & Company Inc. She later formed Julie Baker Fine Arts, a gallery of emerging artists, and for two years co-founded Flow, an art fair in Miami. She currently serves on the board of CHIRP, California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project.

Michael Green, International Pollutants Elimination Network 
 

Michael Green has over 25 years of experience working to protect people from exposure to harmful chemicals in our air, water, food, and consumer products. He currently serves on the board of the Int’l Pollutants Elimination Network and is a strategic advisor to Just Transition Alliance and Million Marker.

Michael is the founder and former CEO of the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), a leading advocate for comprehensive chemical policy. CEH is a nationally recognized pioneer and leader in researching unhealthy consumer products and then undertaking groundbreaking legal work that has led to landmark victories related to hazardous consumer products and toxic emissions. Our sofas are toxics-free and our candies are lead-free (among thousands of other products changed) due to CEH. Michael is a recipient of The California Wellness Foundation's Leadership Award and has also been awarded the prestigious Compassion in Action Award for his work protecting children from lead by the Dalai Lama Foundation.

Lisa Matsubara, Planned Parenthood of California 
 

Lisa Matsubara, JD, is the Chief Legal & Advocacy Officer at Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California (PPAC), where she works on statewide public policy as well as legislative and regulatory advocacy focusing on sexual and reproductive health care.

Prior to PPAC, she worked on a wide range of health care issues as legal counsel for the California Medical Association (CMA), including the defense of the ACA’s contraceptive coverage mandate, the Reproductive FACT Act, Title X, and legislation to expand access to abortion services and lactation accommodations in the workplace. Ms. Matsubara is on the board of the California Society for Healthcare Attorneys and has been a member of the American Society of Medical Association Counsel and American Health Lawyers Association. She is a graduate of the William Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i and Dartmouth College.

Alberto Retana, Community Coalition 
 

Alberto Retana is the President and CEO at Community Coalition, based in South Los Angeles. During his tenure he has strengthened an already legendary and powerful organization rooted in the Black community to an even more powerful force for community-driven change.

His leadership has been pivotal in orchestrating events like embRACE LA, bringing together over 1,200 Angelinos to engage in crucial discussions about race and equity. His expertise in mass civic engagement strategies has left an indelible mark. One of Alberto's notable achievements has been the creation of the People First Platform, a comprehensive policy agenda that draws its strength from the perspectives and insights of over 4,200 residents.

Alberto previously served in the Obama administration with the U.S. Department of Education. He was recognized as one of LA's 500 Most Influential People and was honored with the ACLU's Educational Equity Award. Alberto Retana's story is rooted in his immigrant heritage, with Mexican and Costa Rican roots, and his connection to South Los Angeles remains unwavering.

Session Two

Senator Monique Limón, District 19
Chair, CA Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector
 

Senator Monique Limón was elected to the Senate in November 2020 and represents the 19th Senate district that includes all of Santa Barbara County and over half of Ventura County, the same district where she was born and raised. Before the State Senate, Monique served four years in the State Assembly where she chaired the Banking and Finance Committee and was Vice Chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus. As the founder and chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector, she authored the successful bill mandating a single state website where all state grant opportunities for nonprofits are posted and searchable, a site already visited by one million users.

Now in the State Senate, she founded the Senate Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector; she has continued her strong involvement with nonprofits and most recently authored SB557, one of the seven bills in the CA Nonprofit Equity Initiative bill package. A UC Berkeley graduate with a Masters degree from Columbia University, Monique served two terms on the Santa Barbara Unified School Board and as Assistant Director for the McNair Scholars Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara prior to serving in the Senate. Women’s issues are also a priority for Monique. As former Commissioner on the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women she helped connect private and public resources with women in the community.

Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara)
 

Assemblymember Gregg Hart was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2022 to represent the 37th Assembly District. With a deep understanding of local people and local issues, he is proud to have served the Santa Barbara community for more than 30 years – as a Planning Commissioner, City Council Member, California Coastal Commissioner, and Santa Barbara County Supervisor.

Assemblymember Hart began his professional career as a Legislative Assistant for former State Assemblymember Jack O'Connell and went on to become the original manager of the Santa Barbara County Association of Government’s (SBCAG) Traffic Solutions program. There, he promoted local green and sustainable transportation options. Later, his expertise in this arena led him to serve as the Deputy Executive Director for SBCAG, supporting regional efforts to widen the 101 freeway and improve bus and passenger rail service throughout Santa Barbara County.

Growing up in Santa Barbara, Hart attended local public schools, then graduated from Santa Barbara City College and the University of California, Santa Barbara. For more than twenty years, he owned and operated Transitions Preschool, a local, family business dedicated to early childhood education and quality childcare.

Martine Singer, Children's Institute
 

Martine joined Children’s Institute in 2016, with a passionate commitment to working in communities impacted by decades of racism and underinvestment. As President & CEO, she oversees one of LA’s oldest and largest social impact organizations, managing an annual operating budget of over $100 million and more than 1,000 staff. Martine previously served as President & CEO of Para Los Niños, Executive Director of Hollygrove (now part of Pacific Clinics), and held executive positions with several global media companies, serving as the founder and publisher of the first foreign-language edition of The New York Times and launching the Los Angeles Times’ award-winning online service.

A native New Yorker, she holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. She serves on the boards of the California Behavioral Health Association, Eisner Health and Wise Readers to Leaders.