OUR BOARD
Board Officers
Dr. Morales is the Assistant Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer for Communication, Community and Student Engagement for the University of Southern California. Dr. Morales has over 15 years of experience in K-12, community college, and higher education, where she has developed wide-ranging expertise spanning recruitment and retention of students with non-traditional experiences, equity focused professional development for STEM faculty, and strategies to support higher education staff and students of color. In addition, Dr. Morales is an ardent believer in building well-planned, sustainable communities – communities that work in synergy to create safe and thriving communities focused on families and children. Since November 2015, Dr. Morales served her community, first as a Planning Commission, then as a Councilwoman for the City of El Monte. During this tenure, she was been able to move policy and ordinances – focused protect families and children related to affordable housing, infrastructure, and education collaborations among local stakeholders.
Ms. Garcia is a founding member of the El Monte Promise Foundation and an ardent believer in building better communities. Ms. Garcia currently serves as the Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation for Los Angeles County. She is the first woman and first person of color to serve in that position since the founding of the department in 1944.
She works to achieve her vision through her active participation in numerous civic and professional organizations. She serves on the Board of the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials (NACPRO), Baldwin Hills Conservancy, Baldwin Hills Regional Conservation Authority (BHRCA) and the El Monte Promise Foundation. She served as a member of the Rio Hondo College Board of Trustees, the Chair of El Monte City Planning Commission and on the Board of the Watershed Conservation Authority (WCA), the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles River and Mountains Conservancy (RMC), the California Community Foundation’s Community Building Initiative, and on the Board of New Economics for Women.
Ms. Garcia was honored as the 49th Assembly District Latina of the Year for Community Involvement. She attended Citrus Community College, transferred and graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science and a M.A. in Urban Planning. Ms. Garcia enjoys traveling, attending Dodger games and spending time with her growing family. Ms. Garcia is a life-long resident of the beautiful community of El Monte.
Mr. Oscar Marquez currently serves as the President of El Monte Promise Foundation. He is a retired administrator from El Monte City School District, where he spent sixteen years as the Director of Student Support Services. Mr. Marquez also spent eight years as an English teacher at South El Monte High School, and before then he was an elementary and middle school teacher in the El Rancho Unified School District for eleven years. He has served in the Executive Committee for El Monte Promise Foundation since its inception in 2012.
Mr. Diaz is passionate about empowering communities through access, education, and resources for the advancement of individuals and families. Actively involved with various local initiatives and collaboratives, Mr. Diaz is an advocate of education, mental health, and economic advancement. Focused on creating eco-systems of equality, Mr. Diaz directs his efforts to facilitating pathways that bridge socio-economic gaps and build generational wealth. Having led some of the most successful and complex banking operations nationally, Mr. Diaz brings our board over 20 years of experience in the banking and financial services industry. As one of JPMorgan Chase’s first Community Managers nationally, Mr. Diaz helped launch the firm’s Community and Business Development Division in California—a division committed to racial equity. As Chase’s Community Manager for the San Gabriel Valley area, he supports local government, non-profits, and mission-aligned organizations in their quest to uplift underserved communities through financial health education. linkedin.com/in/zhemyrdiaz
BIO COMiNG SOON
BOARD MEMBERS
Bio coming soon
Roberto Lopez-Mena is the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for the Mountain View School District.
Bio Coming Soon
Mr. Seymour is a retired teacher and administrator of the El Monte City School District for 43 years, where he served as Superintendent for the last 25 years. He has also taught for the last 20 years at Cal Poly Pomona in the Administrative Masters Program. He is active both in the El Monte community and at Boys Republic in Chino Hills, where he has served on the Board for over 25 years. Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, he attended local schools and graduated from the University of Southern California.
Mr. Velasco is the Board Secretary of El Monte Promise Foundation and former City Council Member for City of El Monte. As a prominent actor, producer, and publicist, he is considered the “Information Voice” of Hollywood and Hispanics and is sought after as a speaker in the United States, Mexico, and Latin America. He is a successful actor who appears in both American and Mexican television and films. Mr. Velasco is involved with many local, national, and international non-profit organizations, such as the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, San Gabriel Civic Alliance, El Monte Women’s Club, and Greater El Monte Community Hospital. Mr. Velasco was raised in the city of Los Angeles and is a native of Jalisco, Mexico.
BIO COMING SOON
Mr. Vu is an administrator for the El Monte Union High School District and he is on a mission to save the world.
Historical Resources
STANFORD SOCIAL INNOVATION REVIEW WINTER 2011
A PLEDGE AND A PROMISE: BUILDING A SEAMLESS PATHWAY TO COLLEGE FOR EL MONTE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
EL MONTE COMMUNITY BUILDING INITIATIVE: REFLECTIONS OF A DECADE (2007-2016)
EL MONTE COMMUNITY BUILDING INITIATIVE OUTCOMES EVALUATION REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
