About Us

Executive Committee

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Charles Hannah
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer,

Born in New Zealand and an independent film and television producer since 1984..., he has produced/executive produced 15 feature films and 18 documentaries and built and run production and film financing businesses in Sydney, Tokyo and Los Angeles. In the 70s, he was a multi-national marketing executive including a 4-year posting to Tokyo where he managed sales in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. In the early 80s, he created and ran two successful restaurants. He returned to live in Los Angeles in 2006 and has lived in Sherman Oaks since 2008. From 2015 to 2018 he was the Los Angeles Team Leader for the Quaker lobbying group FCNL, focused on criminal justice reform and other issues and from 2018 to 2019 he served as Director of Development for the nonprofit, Economic Development Advocates.

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Rick Corsini,
Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer

A partner in Corsini Stark Architects, was born in Los Angeles and received his Master... of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard University and his Bachelor of Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona. In addition to over 25 years of professional practice, Rick has held faculty appointments at schools of architecture including Cal Poly Pomona, Woodbury University and the University of Southern California. As Co-Chair of the LA/AIA Government Outreach Committee, he was the author of this open letter to Mayoral Candidates in https://www.aialosangeles.org/news/news-and-blogs/letter-to-la-mayoral-candidates/. Rick is a board member of the non-profit Silver Lake Forward.

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Dr. Claudia Serrato

Dr. Claudia Serrato is an Indigenous culinary anthropologist, a professor of ethnic... and food studies, and anIndigenous/Mesoamerican traditional plant-based chef. Claudia was born and raised in East Los Angeles, predominantly on a Mesoamerican (P’urhépecha, Huasteca, and Zacateco) sazon and diet. She began to cook alongside her elders at an early age, gaining time-tested food knowledge. Since 2014, Claudia has been actively involved in the Native food justice and sovereignty movement, cooking alongside other Indigenous chefs at cultural food gatherings, summits, and pop-ups throughout Turtle Island (North America). In 2015 she was granted an honorary title of sous-chef de cuisine by the Native American Culinary Association (NACA). Claudia's mission is to activate, remember, and regenerate Indigenous & Mesoamerican taste memories, flavors, foods, and foodways through the culinary arts and cuisine.

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Alan
Salazar

Alan Salazar is a traditional storyteller, published author, Native educator and... a tribal elder in both the Fernandeño Tataviam and Ventureño Chumash Tribes. He is a spiritual adviser, builder and paddler of traditional Chumash canoes. His Native ancestors were brought into the San Fernando Mission starting in 1799. His Chumash ancestry is from the Chumash village of Ta'apu near Simi Valley, California and his Tataviam ancestry is from the Chaguayanga Village in Santa Clarita. He is a founding member of the Kern County Native American Heritage Preservation Council and the Chumash Maritime Association; a member of the California Indian Advisory Council for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History; and has been a community advisor with the Ventura County Indian Education Consortium for over 25 years. He has been a long-time advocate for Native animals and had a prominent role in P22’s Celebration of Life at the Greek Theatre, and his burial.

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Julia Samaniego

Julia Samaniego is a member of the Fernandeño Tataviam Tribe from the... Siutcanga Village (the Place of the Oaks, translated into Spanish and known today as Encino), with ties to the Chumash through the Ta'apu Village. Her Native lineage links her to Alan Salazar through the same blood-line. As one of two Nursery Managers for the Wallis Annenburg Wildlife Crossing, Julia oversees the propagation of Native plants for the Crossing. She has been trained in Restoration Fire Resilience through the Community Nature Connection; in addition to restoration, seed cleaning, plant identification & propagation of Native plants. She has presented talks from a Native woman’s perspective on reconnecting with Native plants.

Board of Directors (as at March 15, 2025)

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Michael Mahdesian
Michael Mahdesian, Chairman of Servicon, a facilities servicing company for hospitals, aerospace, biotech etc...., and a leader in sustainable practices. Former bureau deputy at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) overseeing international humanitarian aid and post-conflict transitions to peace and democracy, and Los Angeles Planning Commissioner. Resident of Studio City.

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Beverly Lowe
Beverly Lowe, Ph.D. Urban & Regional Planning, USC Price School of Public Policy and ED.M from... Harvard University School of Education. Former Professor USC School of Gerontology, authored research at RAND Corporation on low-income housing and aid for unemployed fathers.

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Jason Schlatter
Jason Schlatter, Chief Development Officer of Friends of the LA River. A leader in equity, intercultural... relations and organizational development who has led multiple collective impact initiatives to reduce poverty, reverse homelessness and increase environmental literacy and workforce development throughout the state of California and beyond. Resident of Studio City.

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LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton, Story teller, actor, director, author, presenter, host, education advocate, Emmy, Grammy and... Peabody Award winner and National Humanities Medal recipient. Known for his leading role as Kunta Kinte in “Roots”, Geordi La Forge in “Star Trek: Next Generation”, as host of the PBS educational series “Reading Rainbow” for 23 years, and the CW prime-time game show “Trivial Pursuit”. Resident of Sherman Oaks.

Forward Alliance Los Angeles

Los Angeles County has the largest Indigenous population in the United States and includes descendants of those who lived here in pre-colonial times who were displaced by settler colonialism; and Indigenous diasporas from Latin America and Oceania. The histories of these peoples are layered into the fabric of our community.

The Lake Balboa Park project has been conceived as a story to be written and shared by the citizens of Los Angeles; a story that recognizes and celebrates the land on which it sits, and which gives a voice to its Indigenous peoples. A native plant nursery & foraging garden, a Native American model village, the rehabilitation of Bull Creek, an environmental and first-nations studies center and the entire 2,000-acre Sepulveda Basin, all contribute to this story –– providing a first-hand understanding of the rich diversity of our history, our people and our native habitat.

Our Mission

Our mission is to nurture new generations of well-informed community leaders while providing facilities that will enhance the lives of neighbors and visitors. In association with the Los Angeles Unified School District, we will educate school children about habitat and watershed restoration, avian migration, the impacts of climate change, Native American history and Indigenous knowledge –– in a studies center situated in 2,000 acres of outdoor classrooms in the middle of one of the world’s largest cities. The studies center will share a net-zero pavilion with a Native American restaurant that will provide a culinary studies program and serve as a high-quality showcase for Indigenous foodways and cuisine. The adjacent park gateway/community/resilience center will be built with a wide range of facilities to serve neighboring communities and visitors. It will also be a safe place in the event of extreme temperatures.

Our vision

Our vision for Los Angeles is as a global model for equity and sustainability, culturally rich and environmentally resilient, with sufficient affordable housing and accessible green and civic spaces to bring our diverse community together.