Our staff helps a diverse range of nonprofit organizations and funders to make an impact every day by creating more equitable, just and vibrant communities.
Alicia Lara is the President and CEO of Community Partners, a nonprofit fiscal sponsor and intermediary based in Los Angeles. Community Partners is home to creative ideas powered by the innovative leaders that seek our fiscal sponsorship and intermediary services to uplift their communities. Alicia leads the strategic vision, goals and initiatives that drive the organization’s impact and reach.
Before joining Community Partners, Lara served as United Way Worldwide’s Senior Vice President of Impact. She developed and led global strategies and initiatives to drive stronger outcomes for vulnerable communities and built national and international strategic partnerships with corporate, public-sector and nonprofit leaders.
Alicia has dedicated her career to changing and improving the lives of marginalized communities, most notably in the public health sector. Before working with the United Way Worldwide system, Alicia spent eight years with The California Endowment, a health-related philanthropic organization with a grant-making budget of $150 million annually. During this time, she held various positions within the organization, including Vice President of Programs, Director of Responsive Grant Making and Senior Program Officer.
Alicia began her career as a fierce advocate for the health and well-being of women of color. As a Director for California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, she cultivated and led a statewide network of advocacy experts from the Native American, Asian Pacific Islander, African American and Latino communities to influence health care policies around services, prevention and homelessness. She also worked closely with various health organizations to develop cultural competency, language and accessibility standards to reach these groups, respectively.
She currently serves on the board of directors for Ms. Foundation for Women, Funders Together to End Homelessness, and CADRE in Los Angeles. A lifelong learner, Alicia is a relentless challenger of the status quo and envisions a world grounded in racial equity and justice where all people live in strong and vibrant communities.
Joyce Williams is the Chief Finance and Operations Officer at Community Partners. She has over twenty years of senior leadership experience providing oversight in finance, audit, technology, human resources, and administration in for-profit and not-for-profit organizational settings. Ms. Williams previously served as the Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer at California State University, Los Angeles, Chief Financial Affairs and Operating Officer at Emerson College Los Angeles and Director of Finance at Omnicom Media Group. After obtaining her B.S. in Accounting from Cal State LA, Ms. Williams received her MBA from Keller Graduate School and a master’s in information systems from the University of Illinois Springfield. In addition, she holds a doctorate in business administration from Grenoble École de Management with a research focus on factors that affect educational innovation She is a certified information systems auditor and professional project manager. Ms. Williams is committed to community engagement and supporting not-for profits in planning, developing, and implementing their organizational mission, business strategy, and transformative practices.
Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development
Andrew Levey is a California licensed attorney with extensive experience in employment law and human resources management. As vice president of human resources for Community Partners, he provides leadership and guidance in all personnel matters including employment/labor relations, training and development, talent management and employment law. Prior to joining Community Partners, Andrew was the chief human resources officer at Nigro, Karlin, Segal, Feldstein & Bolno, LLC where he oversaw all human resource functions. He has also worked at Paramount Pictures where he served as the vice-president of human resources-legal. He received a J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships
Phyllis Owens has over 20 years of progressive management experience in philanthropy, media and communications, strategic partnerships and planning. As Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Initiatives, she is responsible for cultivating new program opportunities, intermediary engagements and grantmaker partnerships for Community Partners in addition to providing oversight of our fiscal sponsorship program and managing strategic initiatives with VP Lupe Solorio. Her portfolio of fiscally-sponsored projects contains a range of statewide and national policy and capacity-building efforts. Phyllis leads a strategic initiative funded by the National Science Foundation, an unprecedented opportunity for Community Partners, which includes partnerships with the Los Angeles Mayor’s Data Team and Cal State LA, and is designed to increase data accessibility for nonprofits and promote citizen engagement among underserved and marginalized populations.
Previously, Phyllis held leadership positions at American Public Media, where she was Commentary Editor for award-winning business news and global finance programs Marketplace, Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Money. She is also an entertainment industry veteran, with roles that included Vice President of Creative Affairs for producer Kathleen Kennedy and director Frank Marshall.
Phyllis served on the Board of Directors of Project Redwood, spending eight years with the nonprofit partnership providing funding and expertise to help early-stage social entrepreneurs take startups to the next level and achieve a sustainable scale. Currently, she serves on the steering committee for the Neighborhood Data for Social Change at the USC Price School for Social Innovation. A native of Los Angeles, Phyllis holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University and an A.B. degree with honors in Psychology and Social Relations from Harvard University.
Vice President of Capacity Development and Sustainability
Lupe Solorio serves as the Vice President of Capacity Development and Sustainability for Community Partners, where she has provided management and fiscal expertise for the last 19 years. She has extensive knowledge in nonprofit management, organizational development and fiscal sponsorship. In her role, Lupe oversees the implementation of Community Partners’ fiscal sponsorship and intermediary programs. Under her leadership, her team provides project leaders with individualized technical assistance and facilitates internal and external trainings in program planning, board development, proposal writing, evaluation and sustainability.
In partnership with the Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Partnership, Phyllis Owens, Lupe is a co-lead in seeking and developing new intermediary alliances and initiatives to meet the needs of funders and the communities they serve. Her most recent engagement includes overseeing Transforming LA, an intermediary partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health that equips local mental health nonprofit organizations with the capacity to provide preventative mental health services to the most vulnerable populations. During her tenure at Community Partners, Lupe helped develop the re-granting service, which has now become a hallmark of the work within the organization’s intermediary service offerings.
Lupe is a frequent speaker and presenter with nonprofit organizations and has served on the board of the Asian Business League and, most recently, as the chair of the board of the Latinx American Cinemateca of Los Angeles. She has volunteered as a panelist for Public Allies LA, and on the steering committee for the Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month for the City of Los Angeles. A native of Los Angeles, she received a dual B.A. in international relations and Spanish from the University of Southern California.
Cristina brings valuable legal and nonprofit experience from her time with the California Innocence Project, San Diego Public Defender’s Office, and the United States Small Business Administration. She is excited to join Community Partners in finding creative solutions to community challenges.
Blessie supports the finance team as senior finance associate. She has an associate’s degree in business administration from Manila Central University. She previously worked at Los Angeles Universal Preschool overseeing payroll and accounts payable, and California Institute of Technology as an administrative assistant in the graphic arts department. She loves to travel and goes home to the Philippines as often as she can.
Jennica Bisbee is currently Grants Associate at Community Partners. She most recently was Outreach Coordinator for Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), organized community outreach efforts, was Assistant Site Manager for the Cal State LA Walk-up COVID vaccination site and served in other roles in response to the needs of the pandemic. She has previously worked at The Harmony Project, a community-based music education nonprofit, and The Center for Arts Education in New York City. Highlights of these experiences included serving Los Angeles during the height of the COVID pandemic, coordinating both grant- and NYC Department of Education-funded arts programs in New York City public schools, working with cultural institutions in New York City, and supporting federally-funded research programs. U.S. Department of Education programs she co-coordinated included research for the Arts in Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) grant and programming for the Arts in Education-Professional Development for Arts Educators grant. In 2017, she participated in Women of Color in the Arts’ Leadership through Mentorship Initiative and served on the initiative committee the following year. In addition, in 2017-2018 she participated in Race Forward’s Racial Equity in the Arts Innovation Lab.
She holds a M.A. in Music Business from New York University and B.M. with Elective Studies in Business from the University of Puget Sound.
Wendy Castillo provides support to the fiscal sponsorship and intermediary programs teams as a program associate. She graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Ethnic Studies. Previously, she worked at the Immigration Center for Women and Children where she helped undocumented immigrants apply for U visas, a visa set aside for victims of crime and legal permanent residency. She is currently pursuing an MPH in Community-Oriented Public Health Practice at the University of Washington. In her free time, Wendy enjoys going on walks and listening to podcasts.
Julie Cole provides support to the executive team and the organization in general. Prior to joining Community Partners, she worked primarily in the field of land use planning and development. Julie was inspired to seek a professional position in the nonprofit sector after ten years as a volunteer docent with two organizations, leading walks to educate and advocate for historical resources and preservation in the City of Santa Monica and for natural resources and conservation in Topanga State Park. Julie holds a B.S. from California State University, Northridge, in health science, with a focus on environmental and occupational health. Her passions include hiking, exercise, gardening, and nature.
Amanda Colligan supports Community Partners and fiscally sponsored projects through review of public and private grant agreements, and other revenue contracts. Previously, Amanda was the executive director of the Educational Consortium of Central Los Angeles, a bridge between nonprofits and local underserved schools. Prior to working in the nonprofit sector, Amanda was a public health researcher at UCLA and U-W Madison, where she studied the links between health and the environment. A desire to have a more direct effect led her to local advocacy and program implementation. Amanda received a master’s in public health from Columbia University and a bachelor’s in chemistry from Oberlin College. Out of the office Amanda is an avid active transportation enthusiast — biking and walking —always looking for new ways to see Los Angeles.
Maria manages the accounts receivable department. She is currently pursuing her B.A. degree at the University of Phoenix in Business Administration. Previously, Maria worked for 21st Century Auto as a Senior New Business Underwriter Assistant for seven years. She enjoys bowling and outings with her family.
Senior Director Operations and Continuous Improvement
Dianne Debicella oversees and manages the daily operations at Community Partners. Prior to joining Community Partners, Dianne spent 10 years as the Senior Program Director of Fiscal Sponsorship at Fractured Atlas. In that role, she helped over 10,000 sponsored artists and emerging organizations, representing all artistic disciplines, find funding and other resources to support their work. She led the program to become one of the largest, most renowned art fiscal sponsorship programs in the country and oversaw the fundraising and distribution of over $100 million. Dianne co-founded Brooklyn Community Supported Art + Design (CSA+D) and she serves on the steering committee of the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors. She received her B.F.A. from Massachusetts College of Art and her M.P.A. from Pratt Institute’s Arts and Cultural Management program. Dianne previously worked as a Project Coordinator for a restoration painting studio and as a Manager of Site Development for Planet Aid.
Terrence Feagin serves as a Senior Finance Associate for Community Partners where his shared passion for community services and finance prompted him to begin his career with us in August 2022. He has years of experience in nonprofit accounting and finance. In his role, Terrence works with project leaders and their staff to educate them on the principle of accounting and managerial theories, performs financial analysis, and interprets financial data to assess projects’ financial health.
Terrence graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2013 with his bachelor’s degree in business management and then went on to serve our country in the United State Navy aboard the USS Nimitz. While serving, Terrence was able to obtain his MBA in Finance from Florida Tech in 2019. After traveling the world and five years of serving our country, Terrence began his career in finance where he has been able to build his experience and determination to help our organization and many other projects succeed.
Terrence currently lives in Southern California a long distance from his original birthplace of Mansfield, Ohio with his wife and three daughters. Some of his passions involve videography, sports, and public speaking.
Luismiguel Flores is an alumni from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Management and Human Resources, and currently supports Community Partners’ human resources department. His ideal weekend involves camping, off-roading, trout fishing in the Eastern Sierras, or visiting Mammoth Lakes, California.
Senior program director Cynthia Freeman oversees a $10+ million portfolio of fiscal sponsorship projects; manages capacity-building initiatives and regranting programs for foundation, government, and corporate clients; and supervises staff and consultants. Prior to joining Community Partners in 2006, Freeman worked as a policy director for the Association of Community Human Service Agencies. Previously, she spent seven years in the field of philanthropy, most recently at the New York Foundation, making grants to community organizing, advocacy, and start-up projects in New York City’s five boroughs. Freeman has consulted for numerous nonprofit organizations and worked on initiatives with government entities including the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Burbank Police Department, and New York City Department of Homeless Services. She began her career as a community organizer and fundraiser for ACORN.
Freeman has served on the steering committees of Interfaith Funders and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy NY and is prior board chair of Jumpstart and co-leader of the Southern California Fiscal Sponsors Network. A trained Heart to Heart racial justice dialogue facilitator for LA’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation initiative, Freeman serves on the Saturday Dialogues facilitation team for the Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere – Los Angeles (AWARE-LA). She is a graduate of Brown University, to which she received preferential admission as a legacy and full-pay applicant, and has an MPA in nonprofit management from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Evonne serves as Senior Program Director for Community Partners’ Intermediary team and is focused on leading re-granting efforts for government clients. For the past 20 years, Evonne has worked in the nonprofit sector at the intersections of art, culture and social justice and has held leadership positions in museums, community-based arts organizations, national cohorts and artist-led ventures. Throughout her career and most recently in consulting , Evonne has been committed to developing and advancing principles and practices around equity, cultural equity and inclusion. Evonne received a B.A. in American History at Columbia University and an M.A. in the Sociology of Art from the New School for Social Research in New York City. Evonne serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture and is a member of the mayor-appointed Cultural Affairs Commission for the City of Los Angeles.
Alex works in our Grants Department and brings 13-years of experience in the nonprofit sector, having managed grants with the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an option in Accounting from Cal State LA and will begin a Masters in Accounting program Fall 2020. When she’s not working, Alex enjoys traveling, playing video games, and hanging out with her two cats, Fenix and Jujubee.
Salma Hernandez joins the team as the Contracts and Insurance Associate. Salma is an experienced paralegal with a history of working in the law practice industry. Prior to joining Community Partners, she was working with The City of Los Angeles Housing +Community Investment Department, in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. As a native Angeleno, she is excited to work with Community Partners and engage with projects local to Los Angeles. Her interests include spending time in nature, cooking, traveling, and eating.
Readius has worked within the information technology field for over 30 years. Prior to joining Community Partners, he held multiple positions at UCLA and Xerox Corp. Readius applies his skills through the programs, courses and specialized training he provides to all levels of personnel. He oversees the development, project management, infrastructure maintenance, security and administration of virtual and cloud infrastructure, data center services, networks, servers, storage and software applications for Community Partners.
Michelle currently works with the County Covid-19 Community Equity Fund within Intermediary Programs, providing administrative and technical support for over 40 partner community organizations. Michelle has been working in the API non-profit space for about 6 years prior to joining Community Partners, with experience in programs for domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy, nonprofit fundraising and development, as well as nonprofit administration and operations. Michelle has also served as a volunteer with Project by Project LA, whose mission is to develop leadership through innovative philanthropy. You may have heard of their annual tasting benefits, Plate by Plate! Michelle earned her Master’s degree in Health Research and Evaluation from Claremont Graduate University, and her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Evolutionary Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University. In her free time, Michelle enjoys playing with her rambunctious terrier mutt, and also safely enjoying food outings with friends and family.
Preston Mills is the Data Program Manager at Community Partners. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Sociology from Tulane University, he returned to his home city and built his career at the intersection of data and community engagement. He joined the Equity Research Institute at USC to conduct interviews around the country in drafting a report known as BRIDGES|PUENTES. He later went on to lead data systems trainings, analysis, and administration, for one of Los Angeles’ largest after school programs. His latest role as the City of Los Angeles’ Community Data Manger sat at the nexus of training both local nonprofit organizations and Cal State LA students to leverage open data to bolster community impact. As part of the Community Partners team, he uses GIS (geospatial information systems) and programming data to strengthen the impact of intermediary efforts.
Stephanie Nitahara (she/her/hers) is a Senior Program Manager at Community Partners supporting CP’s work with Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Health and Department of Mental Health. She’s active in the Little Tokyo community and passionate about building sustainable community power, creating inclusive workplaces, and finding innovative approaches to development and philanthropy. Stephanie has vast nonprofit experience locally and nationally, previously serving as the Executive Director of Kizuna and Interim Exeucitve Director as well as Associate Director of the Japanese American Citizens League.
Stephanie enjoys crafting, finding a new recipe to cook/bake, writing for Yo! Media, and everything about her senior chihuahua-pomeranian.
Elisa manages Community Partners’ internal and external communications. She is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach where she received her degree in Narrative Film Production with a concentration in producing and creative writing. After college, Elisa was accepted into USC Annenberg’s Reporter Corps where she reported on the arts and education. Her work has been featured in Alhambra Source, The Hechinger Report and KPCC’s Take Two. She has worked at WriteGirl and held positions in network television. Her passion for community engagement and equal opportunity for the underserved led her to her current position with Community Partners.
Lateesha is an Administrative Assistant at Community Partners with the California Accountable Communities for Health initiative (CACHI). She brings nearly ten years of experience as an administrative professional. Prior to joining Community Partners, LaTeesha wore multiple hats including executive administration, program and grants administration, and nonprofit capacity building. She worked with private foundations and public charities on equitable and collaborative initiatives in South LA, including the inception of the South LA Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z). Lateesha is an alumni of California State University, Los Angeles, and holds a bachelor’s degree in social work.
Elizabeth has been working in accounting for four years, with a focus on accounts receivable. Currently she works in the accounts receivable department at Community Partners and has been with the company for two years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Business Law from California State University Northridge.
In addition to her academic and professional achievements, Elizabeth is currently pursuing a certification in data analytics to further enhance her skills in the field. She is committed to staying current with emerging trends and technologies in the industry.
Elizabeth takes pride in being one of the youths that benefited from a prior fiscally sponsored project of Community Partners. She values the importance of community involvement and giving back.
When she is not at work, Elizabeth enjoys spending time outdoors with her dogs and engaging in strength training to maintain a healthy lifestyle. She believes in the importance of balance in life and strives to maintain a well-rounded approach to her personal and professional endeavors.
Patti Sanchez (she/hers) is a Program Director with Community Partners, where she manages a portfolio of intermediary programs focused on building capacity, sharing knowledge, and uplifting equity through cross-sector partnerships and community-centered design. She brings over 16 years of leadership and program development experience working in government, private philanthropy, and direct social services. Prior to joining Community Partners, she worked with L.A. County’s Department of Public Health in the Policy and Strategic Initiatives unit of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Control division. There she worked on a range of behavioral health projects including policy analysis, workforce development, and project management. Prior to that, Patti was Senior Director of Programs at the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, where she led and co-designed its programs and initiatives, including the management of its $3m national grant portfolio, which focused on strengthening community-cohesion through free outdoor concerts in rural and urban areas. Earlier in her career, she led the second largest senior nutrition program in L.A. County, providing direct services and reducing social isolation for seniors living in the Southeast communities of Los Angeles.
Patti holds an MBA from the University of Southern California and a BA in American Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has volunteered in a range of capacities, most recently with the City of Alhambra’s Arts and Cultural Events Commission, Neighborhood Housing Services of the Inland Empire, and Latino Community Foundation’s Los Angeles Latino Giving Circle. As the daughter of immigrants and a first-generation college student, her lived experience drives her commitment to expanding opportunities where everyone can thrive. Patti was born and raised in greater Los Angeles and still loves exploring the area with family and friends.
Arpiné provides program management, technical assistance, facilitation and logistical oversight for Community Partners’ strategic health initiatives. Her background includes policy and program development, coalition building, and public sector, nonprofit and community collaboration. During her tenure with Community Partners, Arpiné managed the Kaiser Permanent Healthy Eating Active Living and Southern California Thriving Schools initiatives. Prior to joining Community Partners, she was the City of El Monte Health and Wellness Coordinator for the Policies for Livable, Active Communities and Environments initiative supporting the development of healthy, safe, and active environments for all community residents. Arpiné holds a Master’s of public health and a Bachelor’s in biology from the University of Southern California.
Leslie Toy has dedicated her career to championing health equity issues for communities of color through her work at various non-profits and civil rights organizations across the country for over the last decade. Currently at Community Partners she serves as Program Manager for the County COVID-19 Community Equity Fund, an over $16 million investment program, in partnership with the LA County Department of Public Health, Department of Health Services, philanthropy and 58 grassroots community-based organizations (CBOs) working to fight the spread of COVID-19 in communities disproportionately impacted by the virus. In her past roles she has led strategic partnerships with over 60 California CBOs and clinics through the Health Justice Network, which aimed to reduce health disparities across Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and other communities of color through culturally competent outreach, education, and enrollment. She is passionate about the intersections of health, immigration, and language access. She has worked at Advancing Justice-LA’s Health Access Project and was the Norman Y. Mineta Public Policy Fellow through the Japanese American Citizens League in Washington DC. She has also served on the Washington D.C. and Los Angeles boards of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, and currently serves as part of the executive leadership team for API Forward Movement’s advisory board. Leslie graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and is a proud third/fifth-generation Chinese American.
Hollie assists the accounts payable department. She came to Community Partners with a background in professional caregiving for individuals with developmental disabilities. She is currently working on completing her Bachelor’s degree. In her spare time, she enjoys writing short fiction and watching British TV.
James brings 15 years of nonprofit experience to Community Partners, where he manages finance and accounting both core and project operations. Though he works in accounting now, James began his career in social justice philanthropy as a program officer at Liberty Hill Foundation. Since then, James has worked in nonprofit financial analysis at Nonprofit Finance Fund and supported the Chrysalis Center with government grant invoicing, budgeting, cash flow, forecasting, and data analysis. He has also performed general ledger accounting at Green Dot Public Schools and TPx Communications, a for-profit telecommunications firm. A CPA candidate, James holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Certificate in Accounting from UCLA Extension. In his free time, James enjoys Microsoft Excel and playing guitar and piano.
Daphne helps manage the public and private grants received by our fiscally sponsored projects and intermediary partners. She brings more than 15 years of Federal grants management experience, previously overseeing homeless, community and economic development programs at the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. She earned her Master’s of Public Policy degree from the University of Southern California and an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Daphne is an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coach Federation.
