When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.

“When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.”

Connect. Collaborate. Create change. Join us at Alliance Summit.

Be part of the conversation shaping the future of education and equity in Los Angeles. The Alliance Summit brings together educators, policymakers, philanthropists, businesses, and community leaders to shape a shared vision for the future of public education and civic life in Los Angeles.

Together, we’ll:

  • Examine strategies to address the impact of federal overreach.
  • Spotlight models of success and resilience in Black LA.
  • Activate strategic levers to drive systemic and lasting change.

This free in-person convening will feature thought-provoking discussions, meaningful networking, and opportunities to build cross-sector solutions. We’ll highlight real-world innovations, uplift grassroots and grasstops voices, and reimagine what’s possible when schools and communities unite to protect and improve the lives of all Angelenos.

Friday, February 27, 2026 • 9 AM – 4 PM

South Park Center – 30th Floor
1150 S. Olive St., Los Angeles, CA 90015

Keynote Speaker

Angelica Salas

Executive Director, CHIRLA

Full Bio

Keynote Speaker

Angelica Salas

Executive Director, CHIRLA

Full Bio

Our Sessions

Playbook to Address Federal Overreach

This cross-sector panel explores how federal overreach is affecting Los Angeles communities and what it means for education, civic life, and community safety.

Panelists share what has been most disruptive and how communities are responding. Participants will help shape a shared, community-wide playbook for alignment and action.

Models of Success in Black LA

This session lifts up Black-led success from across Los Angeles. Panelists share examples of leadership and community-driven solutions from schools, media, community spaces, and civic institutions. Participants then join small-group discussions to explore what’s working and how these approaches could be expanded across sectors.

Levers to Create Systemic Change

This fireside conversation features a leader who has driven large-scale change through policy, funding, and institutional practice. The discussion focuses on lessons learned and strategies for addressing root causes within complex systems. Participants conclude with a guided reflection on how to apply these insights in their own work.

Our Sessions

Playbook to Address Federal Overreach

This cross-sector panel explores how federal overreach is affecting Los Angeles communities and what it means for education, civic life, and community safety.

Panelists share what has been most disruptive and how communities are responding. Participants will help shape a shared, community-wide playbook for alignment and action.

Models of Success in Black LA

This session lifts up Black-led success from across Los Angeles. Panelists share examples of leadership and community-driven solutions from schools, media, community spaces, and civic institutions. Participants then join small-group discussions to explore what’s working and how these approaches could be expanded across sectors.

Levers to Create Systemic Change

This fireside conversation features a leader who has driven large-scale change through policy, funding, and institutional practice. The discussion focuses on lessons learned and strategies for addressing root causes within complex systems. Participants conclude with a guided reflection on how to apply these insights in their own work.

Special Remarks

Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove

United States Representative
California District 37

Full Bio

A fierce advocate for justice and families, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove proudly represents California’s vibrant, diverse 37th Congressional District in Los Angeles County. Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she serves as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, and the House Committee on the Judiciary. She is the Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Brazil Caucus, and Policy Co-Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus. In Congress, Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove aspires to L.E.A.D. by prioritizing Land, Economic Justice, Art, and Democracy. Through her work on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove was able to help secure the release of her constituent Eyvin Hernandez, a Los Angeles County Public Defender who was wrongfully detained in Venezuela for nearly two years. Additionally, she passed the GRATEFUL Act to ensure that locally-employed U.S. embassy staff—especially those from countries in the developing world—can immigrate to the U.S. as promised after an honorable career of service. Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove is also a fierce advocate for the African diaspora both in California’s 37th District and around the world. Prior to her time in Congress, Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove spent her career advocating for communities and families. Upon graduation from the University of Southern California, she worked to advance job creation and public arts programs with Rebuild LA and the Los Angeles Festival, two nonprofits dedicated to uplifting communities in Los Angeles. In addition to her advocacy work, Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove brings to Congress nearly a decade of experience serving the people of Los Angeles in local office and the state legislature. In 2013, Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove was appointed to the Los Angeles County Commission on Children and Families, and in 2015, she was elected to the Los Angeles Community College Board. She successfully ran for California State Assembly in 2018 and California State Senate in 2021. She will always be a strong voice for justice and our most vulnerable community members as she continues her commitment to public service in the House of Representatives.

Master of Ceremonies

Jass Stewart

Chief Innovation & Impact Officer
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools

Full Bio

Jass Stewart is the Chief of Innovation & Impact and oversees strategy, innovation pilots, advocacy and political engagement, stakeholder engagement, and communication. Previously, he was the Deputy Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The department provides oversight to 400 school districts, and Jass’ portfolio included business and IT strategy, communication and marketing, talent management, operations management, and funder development.Before joining DESE, Jass held a broad range of public- and private-sector leadership positions. Most recently, he served three terms as a City Councilor at Large in Brockton, MA. He was the first person of color to serve on the City Council and the first openly gay elected official in the city’s history. He ran and governed on a platform focused on reform, accountability, and innovation. Jass is an Emmy-winning writer and director, and has received three Emmy nominations. He holds B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from Boston University and an M.B.A. from Fitchburg State University, and served as a Senior Fellow in urban studies and planning at MIT.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Pablo Villavicencio

Chief Executive Officer
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools

Full Bio

Pablo joined Alliance in 2017 as Chief Schools Officer. He has been responsible for setting the vision for coaching and development of Alliance’s school leaders. Like many children of immigrants, Pablo was underserved in low-performing urban schools in East Los Angeles. Pablo was the first in his family to graduate from college — the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to returning to Los Angeles, Pablo served as a Deputy Chief for the Oakland Unified School District where he focused on innovation for low-performing schools. He was also the Director of Principal Leadership and Support for High Schools in San Francisco Unified School District supervising principals. Pablo holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Economy of Industrialized Societies from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Education in Dual Language/Bilingual General Education from the Bank Street College of Education. He is a Teach for America, New Leaders, New York City Leadership Academy, and Cambiar Catalyst Fellowship Alum.

Our Panelists

Playbook to Address Federal Overreach

This cross-sector panel explores how federal overreach is affecting Los Angeles communities and what it means for education, civic life, and community safety. Panelists share what has been most disruptive and how communities are responding. Participants will help shape a shared, community-wide playbook for alignment and action.

Catherine Suitor | Moderator

Executive Director
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools Foundation

Full Bio

Catherine is responsible for leading and advancing the Foundation’s mission to raise resources, visibility, and credibility for the Alliance network of schools. Working in partnership with the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Catherine sets the Foundation’s overall vision and strategic plan, serves as its primary spokesperson and ensures day to day operations and fiscal management. Before joining the Alliance, Catherine was the Vice President of Development for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, where she was responsible for raising $55 million annually for community change initiatives in Los Angeles County. Catherine is a past board member at the ACLU of Southern California, Leadership Los Angeles, and New Roads School. She is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara.

Joni Angel

Executive Director
Los Angeles Coalition for Excellent Public Schools (LACEPS)

Full Bio

Joni Angel is an education advocate and leader dedicated to ensuring that every child has access to high-quality schools that meet their unique needs. She is Executive Director of the Los Angeles Coalition for Excellent Public Schools (LACEPS), which brings together 10 of L.A.'s leading nonprofit public charter school networks to collaborate and advocate for policies that accelerate learning for L.A.’s kids. Before her tenure at LACEPS, Joni spent 12 years helping to lead policy and advocacy at the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), where she spearheaded the Public School Choice 2.0 campaign, launched the CharterNation initiative that engaged thousands of charter school families in advocacy, and played a pivotal role in launching the organization's political arm, CCSA Advocates. Her commitment to education began in the classroom; she spent five years as a science teacher in New York and Chicago. Joni has served as a facilitator for Coro Women in Leadership. She is Board Chair at Valley Charter School. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School, where she was a Public Service Fellow.

Odilia Romero

Co-Founder & Executive Director
Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo (CIELO)

Full Bio

Born in Zoogocho, Oaxaca, Odilia Romero is the co-founder and executive director of Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo (CIELO). She is also an independent interpreter of Zapotec, Spanish, and English for indigenous communities in Los Angeles and throughout California. She has more than two decades of experience organizing indigenous migrant communities and advocating for language access. Her knowledge and experience are highly regarded, with multiple academic publications, awards, and lectures in universities across the United States. In 2024, she was listed on the ‘L.A. Influential’ list, for her work eradicating indigenous stereotypes. Ms.Romero has published on the challenges of training indigenous interpreters, developing women’s leadership, and preparing a new generation of youth. Her work has also been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Vogue, Democracy Now!, Quien, El País, TED X, Forbes, and the Day Emmy award-winning series Pan Y Circo “Nadie es ilegal migrantes de Ida y Vuelta” with Diego Luna.

Michele Siqueiros

Founding Chief Executive Officer
The LA Local California

Full Bio

Michele Siqueiros is the founding Chief Executive Officer of The LA Local, leading a historic effort to ensure the future of robust, independent local journalism in the Los Angeles region. A respected civic leader and coalition builder, she brings a career defined by driving systemic change. Previously, Michele served as President of the Campaign for College Opportunity (2008-2024), where she transformed a startup into California’s most influential higher education advocacy organization, securing historic policy reforms and over $6 billion in state funding.

Derek Steele

Executive Director
Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI)

Full Bio

Derek Steele is the Executive Director of the Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI), an Inglewood-based nonprofit advancing community well-being through education, health equity, housing justice, and policy advocacy. An engineer-turned-activist, Derek applies a strategic, systems-thinking approach to empower youth and communities of color, centering equity, lived experience, and community leadership in every initiative. Under his leadership, SJLI’s programs have built over 100 community gardens and even spearheaded a 120-unit affordable housing development, taking tangible steps to uplift Black communities in Los Angeles.

Models of Success in Black LA

This session lifts up Black-led success from across Los Angeles. Panelists share examples of leadership and community-driven solutions from schools, media, community spaces, and civic institutions. Participants then join small-group discussions to explore what’s working and how these approaches could be expanded across sectors.

Dr. Debra Griffith | Moderator

Chief Equity Programs Officer
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools

Full Bio

Dr. Griffith serves as Alliance’s Chief Equity Programs Officer (CEPO), where she leads the vision, strategy, design, and implementation of initiatives that improve equitable outcomes for all scholars, with particular attention to the experiences of Black and Brown students. Through collaborative and decisive leadership, she works across the organization to strengthen school culture, align systems to equity, and advance Alliance’s goal of graduating college-ready scholars.

Dr. Griffith brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across community college, university, and K–12 education systems, leading organizational change that strengthens belonging, readiness, and long-term student success.

Prior to joining Alliance, Dr. Griffith served as Vice President of Student Affairs, Diversity, and Inclusion at West Valley College, where she led institution-wide equity and student success strategy, advancing access, retention, and support for historically underserved students.

Before West Valley College, she spent 16 years at San José State University in progressively senior leadership roles, including Director of the Educational Opportunity Program and later Associate Vice President for Transition and Retention, overseeing large-scale student success initiatives supporting first-generation and underrepresented students.

Her work centers on helping organizations move from commitment to implementation by building the conditions that allow students and staff to succeed. Debra has spent 25+ rewarding years in higher education as an executive, coach, trainer, and speaker. She brings deep, relevant knowledge and experience in equity, diversity, and inclusion that will support Alliance in achieving its strategic goals and transform the actions and behaviors of both school staff and scholars for the better.

Prior to her time at WVC, she spent 16 years at San Jose State University serving in a number of progressive leadership roles, the last two of which were the Associate Vice President of Transition Retention and Director of the Educational Opportunity Program.

Toria Avila

Principal
Alliance Virgil Roberts Leadership Academy

Full Bio

Toria Avila is the Principal of Alliance Virgil Roberts Leadership Academy, a 6–8 middle school serving the Hyde Park/Crenshaw community of Los Angeles. A proud Watts native and Hampton University graduate, she brings over a decade of experience as a teacher and school leader within Alliance College-Ready Public Schools. Toria is deeply committed to academic excellence, anti-racist and Pro-Black practices, and ensuring Black and Brown scholars receive the high-quality education they deserve. Her leadership centers on protecting brilliance, cultivating strong school culture, and preparing scholars to lead and thrive in the world they will inherit.

Capri Maddox

Executive Director
Los Angeles Civil Rights Department

Full Bio

Capri Maddox serves under Mayor Karen Bass as the founding Executive Director of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Department, bringing more than two decades of legal and public service experience. Appointed to leadership roles five times by three Los Angeles mayors, an elected City Attorney, and an LAUSD Superintendent, she leads the department’s work to advance equity, accountability, and civil rights protections across the City of Los Angeles. Previously, Capri held senior roles including Special Assistant City Attorney, Executive Director of Partnerships for LAUSD, President of the Board of Public Works, and Deputy City Attorney. She remains committed to expanding pathways to opportunity for youth across Los Angeles.

Danny J. Bakewell, Jr.

Executive Editor & Chief of Staff
Los Angeles Sentinel

Full Bio

Danny J. Bakewell, Jr. is the executive editor and chief of staff of the Los Angeles Sentinel, the largest Black-owned newspaper on the West Coast. He is also President of The Bakewell Company, one of the nation’s largest Black-owned development firms, with projects focused in communities of color across Southern California. From organizing L.A.’s annual “Taste of Soul” family festival to leading in media and real estate, Danny Jr. leverages these platforms to celebrate and empower Black Los Angeles.

Joe Ward-Wallance

Co-Founder
South LA Cafe

Full Bio

Joe Ward-Wallace is the co-founder of South LA Cafe, a Black-owned community coffee shop, market, and cultural hub in the heart of South Central Los Angeles. He has built a movement through South LA Cafe to fight food insecurity and racial inequality by providing equal access to healthy food and a safe gathering space that uplifts his community. Through initiatives like a weekly grocery giveaway that has distributed over 33,000 free food bags to local families, Joe exemplifies a model of community empowerment in South LA.

Levers to Create Systemic Change

This fireside conversation features a leader who has driven large-scale change through policy, funding, and institutional practice. The discussion focuses on lessons learned and strategies for addressing root causes within complex systems. Participants conclude with a guided reflection on how to apply these insights in their own work.

Jass Stewart | Moderator

Chief Innovation & Impact Officer
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools

Full Bio

Jass Stewart is the Chief of Strategy & Innovation and oversees strategy, innovation pilots, advocacy and political engagement, stakeholder engagement, and communication. Previously, he was the Deputy Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The department provides oversight to 400 school districts, and Jass’ portfolio included business and IT strategy, communication and marketing, talent management, operations management, and funder development.Before joining DESE, Jass held a broad range of public- and private-sector leadership positions. Most recently, he served three terms as a City Councilor at Large in Brockton, MA. He was the first person of color to serve on the City Council and the first openly gay elected official in the city’s history. He ran and governed on a platform focused on reform, accountability, and innovation. Jass is an Emmy-winning writer and director, and has received three Emmy nominations. He holds B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from Boston University and an M.B.A. from Fitchburg State University, and served as a Senior Fellow in urban studies and planning at MIT.

Jeffrey Riley

Former Commissioner
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Full Bio

Over a career spanning more than 30 years in public education, Jeffrey Riley served in a wide variety of roles—including special education teacher, adjustment counselor, assistant principal, principal and superintendent. In 2018, he was appointed as the 24 th Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Riley holds a bachelor degree in philosophy from Pomona College in California, a master’s degree in school counseling from the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, and a master’s degree in school administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University in Massachusetts.

Schedule

9:00 AM
Guest Check-In & Light Breakfast
10:00 AM
Welcome & Cultural Opening
10:45 AM
Keynote & Thriving Communities Award
11:00 AM
Session I – Playbook to Address Federal Overreach
12:00 PM
Lunch
1:30 PM
Session II – Models of Success in Black LA
2:30 PM
Session III – Levers to Create Systemic Change
3:30 PM
Closing Plenary & Commitment Moment
For more information, please contact the Alliance Advocacy team at: [email protected].

Angelica Salas

Angelica Salas is the Executive Director of CHIRLA, where she has spent over two decades building immigrant power and transforming unjust systems through grassroots organizing, policy reform, and coalition-building.

Her leadership has advanced landmark victories for undocumented communities across California while mobilizing families, students, and workers at the front lines for empowerment. Her work embodies the Summit’s call to move from defense to long-term systemic change rooted in justice and community voice.