Responsibilities and Assignments:

As the General Manager, Grayce is responsible for the overall management of the department, including development of the budget, strategic planning, programs and services, policies, personnel and constituent and City government relations.

Interesting Fact:

When she is not empowering LA, you’ll find her strumming her banjos and ukuleles, riding her horses and mule or RVing.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Armando is responsible for Budget, Accounting, Payroll, Personnel, Facilities, IT, Marketing, and other administrative elements of outreach activities.

Personal Message/Interesting Fact:

I am happy to help and look forward to working with you.
Armando is an avid book, audiobook, comic, TV, and movie fan. He enjoys the occasional round of golf with his son, and shopping with his wife and daughter.

Skills:

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

• Assist Neighborhood Councils with administrative and technical support.
• Provide training, tools and resources to Neighborhood Councils.
• Initiate and foster community partnerships.
• Promote civic engagement within and outside the Neighborhood Council system.
• Connect Neighborhood Councils to City Departments and Services.
• Provide administrative support to the Congress of Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates, and the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners.
• Supervise the policy team of Neighborhood Council Advocates.

Fill out the form below to contact Mike:

Responsibilities and Assignments:

• Assist Neighborhood Councils with administrative and technical support.
• Provide training, tools and resources to Neighborhood Councils.
• Initiate and foster community partnerships.
• Promote civic engagement within and outside the Neighborhood Council system.
• Connect Neighborhood Councils to City Departments and Services.
• Supervise the valley team of Neighborhood Council Advocates.

Personal Message/Interesting Fact:

• Enjoys her east facing patio garden with the goal to grow peonies.
• Likes to go to Farmers Markets to discover the diverse bounty of fruits and vegetables available year-round.
• Is an avid foodie, but maintains a “clean” diet with no processed food and meat, which Los Angeles offers many options.
• Is a pretty good cook, which requires practice, watching a lot of Iron Chef and Top Chef, and reading Saveur and Lucky Peach magazines.

Fill out the form below to contact Semee:

Responsibilities and Assignments:

Tom is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

Personal Message:

Isn’t CA great? You bet it is!
“If food is the music of love, then eat on”

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

• Assist Neighborhood Councils with administrative and technical support.
• Provide training, tools and resources to Neighborhood Councils.
• Initiate and foster community partnerships.
• Promote civic engagement within and outside the Neighborhood Council system.
• Connect Neighborhood Councils to City Departments and Services.
• Manages the Department’s digital and outreach strategy. He is also the Citywide Election Administrator.
• Supervise the outreach team of Neighborhood Council Advocates.

Fill out the form below to contact Stephen:

Responsibilities and Assignments:

Man-Qin is the lead accountant for the department, responsible for all accounting operations, compliance and reporting requirements, as well as payment processing, and budget monitoring activities.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Sevak is in charge of  department IT and CMS.

Interesting Fact/Personal Message:

Avid automobile enthusiast. Sevak has been restoring a 1970 BMW for over 8 years.

Skills:

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Arin is responsible for the Department’s collateral and outreach materials, Audio-Visual assets, digital content, and marketing strategy.

Interesting Fact:

Arin has over 7 years of experience in technical theater, where he learned how to design sound and projections for plays and musicals.

Skills:

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Adriana is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

Interesting Fact:

Adriana is the former Education Representative of the Central Alameda Neighborhood Council and long time community organizer in the South Central Los Angeles community.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Brett is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

Personal Message/Interesting Fact:

Brett has been active in the South LA Neighborhood Council Community since joining the North Area Neighborhood Development Council as a committee member in 2013. He joined the board in 2014 and later served as SLAANC Vice-Chair and Budget Advocate.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Betty supports Neighborhood Councils in the Valley by helping them with ENS (early notification system) Posting and special projects.

Interesting Fact:

Pioneer member of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Gibson is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

Interesting Fact:

Gibson is bilingual speaker; he speaks Swahili and English. He is excited to assist by serving the community.

Skills:

• Public Speaking
• Car Enthusiast’ percent
• FIFA (any year)

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Jasmine is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

John is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Julien is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Lorenzo is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

Interesting Fact/Personal Message:

Lorenzo Briceno joined the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment with 10 years of Legislative experience with the Los Angeles City Council.  He previously worked as Assistant Chief of Staff to Councilmember Bernard C. Parks.  His Management experience leading a political office’s legislative team brings great value to our department. He holds a strong background and understanding of local government process and understands the council and committee process. He brings his insights into the Neighborhood Empowerment Department and has a desire for increasing civic engagement, while building strategic partnerships with stakeholders, and advocacy groups to further empower citizens of Los Angeles.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Mario is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Obiamaka is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

Interesting Fact:

Obiamaka Ude was born and raised in Los Angeles and is a city planner by training. She loves to travel, learn about cities, good design, and playing capoeira.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Octaviano is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Vanessa is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

Interesting Fact:

Vanessa previously served on the Pacoima Neighborhood Council. She loves coffee and DIY projects.

Skills:

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

• Greets and welcomes guests
• Answers questions and addresses complaints
• Answers all incoming calls and redirects them or takes messages
• Receives and distributes mail
• Monitors office supplies and places orders when necessary
• Keeps updated records and files
• Performs other duties as assigned

Personal Message:

I whistle while I work (after hours), on a never ending quest for world music I’ve never heard before.

Skills:

• Polite and Patient with callers
• Can engage in a conversation with anyone
• Ghostbuster, razor-sharp reflexes

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Jose is responsible for supporting Neighborhood Council Boards with capacity building, training, and organizing skills that Empower LA and engage the community.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Kyle assists the department admin team by processing various administrative requests, assist with weekly newsletter creating, processing , and working on other related administrative projects.

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Responsibilities and Assignments:

Interesting Fact:

Ann-Marie Holman is a former board member and Land Use Committee Chair for the Echo Park Neighborhood Council. Since 2015 she has headed the outreach team for the annual Congress of Neighborhoods, and teaches public relations and social media workshops there. She has a previous background in the private sector, as a corporate brand manager and in-house publicist. She is also an award winning professional dancer, whose performance credits include events like the Night On Broadway festival in Downtown LA. Ann-Marie got her start in government growing up in Utah, as a member of Senator Orrin Hatch’s Youth Advisory Committee.

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