Development & Donor Services
Christine Dean
"In my 20s, my friend and I witnessed a violent attack on a gay man in Hillcrest, the WeHo of San Diego, and ran to a gas station for help. The attendant said it happened every weekend. When I entered the career force, social justice was my top priority." Before joining Liberty Hill, Chris fundraised seven years at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, two years at the Los Angeles Times Family Fund and six years at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. Chris holds an A.B. in Art from Occidental College, a teaching credential from San Diego State University and an M.A. in liberal studies from Dartmouth College.
Leslie Ivie
"In high school I spoke out against racism and injustice at a community gathering in front of the King Drew Medical Center after the 1992 civil unrest in L.A. Before I had the power to vote I learned that I, like all people living in times of oppression, had power in my voice." Leslie holds a B.A. from Smith College, was a Riordan Fellow at UCLA Anderson School of Management, earned a J.D. from Chapman Law School, and will complete her M.P.A. at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy with a focus on Nonprofit Management in 2014. Prior to joining Liberty Hill, she served as a fundraiser for several non-profit organizations and also served as a trial attorney with the L.A. County Public Defender’s office and volunteered with the ACLU of Southern California and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.
Carol Lee
"Growing up, both of my parents worked in sweatshops – my mother in the garment industry and my father in the restaurant industry. Their experiences being exploited as non-English speaking new immigrants influenced my decision to go into nonprofit work educating students about prejudice and oppression, and eventually into philanthropy." Carol joined Liberty Hill in 2004 and is a member of the Los Angeles chapter of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. She holds an A.B. in Women’s Studies from Occidental College.
Blanch Ross
“As a child my father would often share his experiences growing up in segregated Texas, hearing his stories sparked my interest in the civil rights movement, which I later studied as an undergraduate student. The fight for racial justice is not over; Liberty Hill is working to eliminate the injustices that affect communities of color today.” Prior to joining Liberty Hill Blanch worked in fundraising at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Blanch holds a B.A. in History from Cal State Fullerton and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Cal State Northridge.
Marlon Morales
"I learned to organize from strong Salvadoran immigrant women like my mom whose sense of fairness motivated her to help other women resist the harsh realities of domestic work and service industry exploitation of 1980's LA. I saw first-hand the power of collective action." Marlon began organizing in the LGBT community in 1996 while studying anthropology at UCLA. He refined his talent at the Central American Resource Center where he directed community technology, literacy and youth violence prevention campaigns. The range of his proficiency includes advancing neighborhood engagement initiatives for PICO California and conducting civic education and policy change mobilization for Being Alive, People with HIV/AIDS Action Coalition. Over the last 16 years, he has been amplifying the voices and concerns of the grassroots in various communities. He has established many cultural movements and sits on diverse boards that affect issues related to the LGBT, HIV/AIDS and Salvadoran communities in Los Angeles. He shifted professional attention to fundraising at the Barlow Foundation in 2006. Journaling and baking sweet and savory treats are his favorite pastimes.
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Adrine Akopyan
“I always knew that I wanted to help people, but I was convinced that social injustice was limited to developing countries. Liberty Hill opened my eyes to the injustice in my own backyard.” Prior to joining Liberty Hill, Adrine was volunteering in Armenia, where she co-founded Homeland Handicrafts. She graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in International Development Studies and Political Science.
Jaclyn Tran
“Having friends and family who worked in the garment industry and various other service jobs allowed me to witness wonderful people subjected to harsh conditions with limited resources to be able to fight back. I learned early on that everyone deserves a quality of life and access to legitimate options.” Prior to joining Liberty Hill, Jaclyn dedicated her professional work to a range of social justice issues including diversity in higher education and working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Jaclyn holds a B.A. in Ethnic Studies and International Urban Development from the University of California, Berkeley.
Leslie Ivie
Communications
Barbara Osborn
"In 1969, my mom piled all her kids onto a bus to march in Washington. That’s where I had my first experience of people power." Barbara joined Liberty Hill in 1999. She oversees communication strategy, multimedia production, the Foundation’s online presence, marketing, public relations and branding. Her past lives include 15 years working as a journalist (she still has
an award-winning weekly radio show on KPFK 90.7 FM) and as a college instructor. She holds a Ph.D. in Communications from UC San Diego and co-teaches
a doctoral seminar at USC Annenberg that helps forge research partnerships between graduate students and community organizations. She sits on the board of
A New Way of Life, a re-entry program for women.
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Rose Auerbach
"I was 2 or 3 when Liberty Hill gave a grant to my preschool to buy the building they're still in today. Going to City Hall to support childcare ordinances: That was my idea of an awesome field trip!" Rose has stuffed envelopes, managed websites and organized data for campaigns large and small. She attended UC Santa Cruz, where she received a B.A. in American Studies.
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Liberty Hill thanks the following people who have volunteered their time working with staff in the Liberty Hill offices this year.