A second-generation social worker, activist, and community organizer who works with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services as a manager of a team responsible for building a next-generation child welfare information system. Her passions include ensuring safe spaces for women in our community to continue to exist and thrive!

Karen Peterken, is a dynamic storyteller whose passion for amplifying stories has fueled her 20-plus-year career as an award-winning film and television producer. She believes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in storytelling will have a more significant, positive effect on the entertainment industry and humankind as a whole.

As a lifelong Computer Technologist, Charles serves as a Principal Software Architect for DIRECTV LLC. He supports all efforts that promote women’s equality and lifestyles without violence, discrimination, and substance abuse.  As a father of a daughter and a son,  he wants his children and all women to have an equal opportunity to live beyond their wildest dreams.

Dr. C. Oliver Tacto (he/him) is an established national public health and student affairs practitioner actively leading various strategies that account for ongoing challenges in higher education’s cultural and systemic landscapes. He is a thought leader who aims to advance student well-being by developing best practices in community and student engagement, capacity building, and inclusive learning grounded in restorative practice, social justice, and collaborative leadership. Dr. Tacto is currently serving an inaugural role as the Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity & Equity, and Director of Student Engagement at Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School. 

A Pediatrician/Adolescent Medicine-College Health Physician at USC, Ms. Richardson holds the title of Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Vice-Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Department of Family Medicine at Student Health | Keck School of the Medicine University of Southern California. Her hobbies include baking, traveling, and crafting.

A marketing professional with a background in global gaming, technology, and entrepreneurial ventures. Additionally, she is an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, where she has taught various marketing courses across several academic programs over the past ten years.

A recent retiree from the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, Sandra co-founded a non-profit organization in the early 1990s to bring awareness to a rare form of childhood anemia known as Diamond Blackfan Anemia. She devotes her time to community activism, specifically with the homeless population in Long Beach.