Our Leadership

The people driving East LA Rising.

Our team brings together decades of combined experience in youth development, community engagement, education, and nonprofit operations. They are mentors and advocates, organizers and visionaries, all rooted in the conviction that young people thrive when supported with passion and purpose-and that lasting change flows from empowered youth leading their own communities forward.

Leadership

Guiding East LA Rising.

Our staff

The team behind our clubhouses.

AA

Ana Araujo

Executive Director

24 years leading East LA Rising
Board of Directors

Leadership guiding East LA Rising.

Luis HernandezPresident

Captain, Los Angeles County Fire Department

Eddie RamosSecretary

Forensic Mental Health Psychiatric Evaluator, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, with more than 20 years in nonprofit community services

John NeshekTreasurer

Owner, Neshek Automotive Services, established in 1960

Claudia CorletoMember

PhD Candidate, USC School of Education; Department Coordinator, Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science

Community Advisory Council

Leaders and mentors who strengthen our mission.

Our Community Advisory Council brings educators, youth workers, and community leaders into our strategy and programming decisions. They advise on youth development priorities, challenge our thinking, and ensure our work reflects the needs and dreams of East LA families.

Tomasa Aguilar

Executive Director, Vecinos Unidos Community Center

Rev. Daniel Mwangi

Lead Organizer, Eastside Faith and Labor Coalition

Dr. Hannah Sokolov

Senior Researcher, Center for Community Health Equity

Keisha Brown

Founder, Sisters in Stride Youth Mentoring

Antoine Beauchamp

Director of Programs, Riverbend Community Health Clinic

Dr. Imani Hayes

Public Health Practitioner, Tri-County Health District

Wei Chen

Executive Director, Asian American Workers Alliance

Father Miguel Santos

Parish Outreach Director, Sacred Heart Parish

Naomi Bird

Cultural Programs Director, Northern Tribes Coalition

Joseph Ramirez

Rural Field Organizer, Heartland Communities Project

Dr. Linda Whitehorse

Director, Indigenous Wellness Research Institute

Marcus Bell

Reentry Programs Director, Second Chance Initiative

Join us

Help us inspire East LA's youth.

We're seeking passionate educators, mentors, and leaders to join our team and board. If you share our vision of youth empowerment and community change, we'd love to connect with you.