Board of Governors

Board of Governors

Member’s play a vital role in LAEDC’s mission and governance.

The LAEDC Board of Governors comprises Los Angeles County businesses, government, and education leaders. Our Meetings feature keynote speakers who present critical organizational issues and regional information.

To learn more about membership, visit our Membership page or contact Vice President of Strategic Relations Melissa Kham.

LAEDC Chair & Vice Chair

STEVE OLSON, PARTNER, O’MELVENY & MYERS LLP
Steve Olson, Partner, O'Melveny

Steve Olson is a partner in the Los Angeles office of O’Melveny, a global law firm with 800 lawyers and 18 offices worldwide. Olson advises non-U.S. headquartered companies on investing and operating in the U.S. and navigating the regulatory and political environment. He is also co-chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Corporate Investigations Practice. In 2021, Olson served as interim General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer for Hyundai and Genesis Motor Americas. He is currently Chair of the Word Trade Center Los Angeles and serves on the board of the Public Policy Institute of California. Read More »

STEVE OLSON, PARTNER, O’MELVENY

steve olsonSteve Olson is a partner in the Los Angeles office of O’Melveny, a global law firm with 800 lawyers and 18 offices worldwide. Olson advises non-U.S. headquartered companies on investing and operating in the U.S. and navigating the regulatory and political environment. He is also co-chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Corporate Investigations Practice. In 2021, Olson served as interim General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer for Hyundai and Genesis Motor Americas. He is currently Chair of the Word Trade Center Los Angeles and serves on the board of the Public Policy Institute of California.

Olson rejoined O’Melveny in 2013 after serving as Senior Advisor to the U.S. Commerce Secretary. In that role, he addressed many of the country’s important business issues, including U.S. manufacturing policy, the protection of trade secrets, and U.S. anti-corruption policy. Olson also served as founding Executive Director of SelectUSA, the U.S. initiative to attract increased investment in the United States by domestic and international businesses. Under his leadership, SelectUSA helped channel more than US$25 billion in new foreign investment into the United States, creating and retaining tens of thousands of jobs. With the Director of the White House National Economic Council, Olson co-chaired the Interagency Investment Working Group, composed of senior leadership from 22 federal agencies and the Executive Office of the President, and was charged with coordinating federal investment policy and U.S. Foreign Direct Investment attraction efforts. During Olson’s tenure, from 2011 to 2013, SelectUSA handled a pipeline of more than 800 in-bound investments from businesses all over the world, providing valuable counseling regarding federal and state incentive programs and helping investors navigate the U.S. regulatory environment by acting as their ombudsman with other government agencies.

Upon returning to O’Melveny, Olson joined up with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation and the World Trade Center Los Angeles to launch the Select LA Investment Summit. Now in its eighth year, the event is recognized as Southern California’s premier international trade event that brings together global investors with business and government leaders from around Southern California.

As a former federal fraud prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, Olson also represents companies, boards of directors and executives in criminal and civil matters against government enforcement agencies and advises companies and independent directors in connection with complex and sensitive internal investigations. He has extensive jury trial experience both at the government and in private practice. Olson is consistently recognized by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and Benchmark Litigation as a leading lawyer in the area of White Collar Criminal Defense and he has repeatedly been named among the “Top White Collar Lawyers” by the Daily Journal, and the “Most Influential People in Los Angeles” by The Los Angeles Business Journal.

Halé Behzadi, Head of Private Banking, Citi Global Wealth
Halé Behzadi, Head of Private Banking, Citi Global Wealth

Halé Behzadi is the North America Head of Private Banking for Citi Global Wealth and a member of the Private Banking Global Leadership Team. Halé has more than three decades of experience working with ultra-high net worth families and their closely held business and philanthropic ventures and leads the Private Banking activities in 25 offices across the United States and Canada. Read More »

Halé Behzadi, Head of Private Banking, Citi Global WealthHALÉ BEHZADI, HEAD OF PRIVATE BANKING, CITI GLOBAL WEALTH

Halé Behzadi is the North America Head of Private Banking for Citi Global Wealth and a member of the Private Banking Global Leadership Team. Halé has more than three decades of experience working with ultra-high net worth families and their closely held business and philanthropic ventures and leads the Private Banking activities in 25 offices across the United States and Canada.

Most recently, Halé was the Global Market Manager of the Western Region at Citi Private Bank and directly responsible for leading the ultra-high net worth private banking practices in seven offices in California, Arizona and Washington. Halé co-chairs Citi’s California Leadership Council and is the Executive Sponsor of Citi’s North America Diversity Committee. Previously, Halé chaired the Mentoring Committee at Citi Private Bank and served as the Business Sponsor of Citi’s Pride Network for Southern California and the Women’s Network for Northern California.

Prior to joining Citigroup and establishing the Private Bank office in Beverly Hills in 2002, Halé enjoyed a long and distinguished career with Bank of America, where she was a Senior Vice President directing a team of private banking professionals in Beverly Hills.

Halé holds a BA in Economics from Georgetown University, where she is an active member of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Throughout her career she has played an active role in numerous civic and charitable organizations that provide social services, education and health care in the local community. Currently, Halé serves on the Board of Trustees for Viewpoint School as a member of the Executive Committee, in addition to chairing the Advancement Committee. She has previously held a number of leadership roles including Vice Chair and Chair of Committee on Trustees where she was focused on recruiting more diverse board members, especially women. She is also a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. Halé was recently recognized as a Deborah Award recipient by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for her leadership and civic contributions exemplifying the qualities and ideals of ADL. She holds Series 7, 24, 63 and 65 FINRA licenses.

  • Executive Committee

    LAEDC Executive Committee members also serve on the Board of Governors

    • ABL Inc.
      David Abel, Founder
    • ACT-1 Group
      Brett Howroyd, President
    • Alston & Bird LLP
      Tom Wingard, Partner-in-Charge
    • Amazon
      Ron Frierson, Director of Economic Development, U.S. West Region
    • Amazon Web Services Educate
      Mariana Holliday, Global Program Lead, Education to Workforce Solutions
    • Bank of America Merrill Lynch
      Daniel Timmons, SVP, Global Client Market Executive
    • California Community Foundation
      Efrain Escobedo, Vice President, Education & Immigration
    • California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
      Dan Montplaisir, Vice President for University Advancement
    • California State University, Dominguez Hills
      Dr. Thomas A. Parham, President
    • California State University, Long Beach
      Dr. Jane Conoley, President
    • California State University, Los Angeles
      Dr. Jose Gomez, Executive Vice President + Chief Operating Officer
    • California State University, Northridge
      Erika Beck, President
    • Capital Group Companies
      David Foley, Quantitative Analyst
    • Caruso
      Luciralia Ibarra, Vice President of Planning, Land Use, and Government Affairs
    • CBRE
      Lewis C. Horne, President, Greater Los Angeles-Orange County Region, Former LAEDC Chair
    • Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
      Thomas M. Priselac, President + CEO
    • Chevron
      Jeff Wilson, Manager, Corporate Affairs
    • Citibank N.A
      Halé Behzadi, Managing Director, Global Market Manager
    • City National Bank
      Scott Witter, Executive Vice President, Core Banking Division
    • Comcast NBCUniversal
      Yvette Estrada Senior Manager, Government Affairs
    • Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
      Jeffrey Forrest, Director, Older Youth Initiatives
    • County of Los Angeles
      Fesia Davenport, Chief Executive Officer
    • David Fleming 
      David Fleming, Former LAEDC Chair
    • Deloitte
      Jodie Lesh, Managing Director
    • Dentons
      Tom Vandiver, Partner
    • East West Bank
      Travis Kiyota, Senior Vice President, Head of Global Corporate Affairs
    • Employment Training Panel
      Robert Meyer, Director of Economic Development
    • EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants
      Rose Nordbrock, Principal and Practice Group Leader
    • Ernst & Young LLP
      Mark Sogomian, Partner, Assurance Services
    • Giroux Glass
      Nataline Lomedico, President & CEO
    • gkkworks | CannonDesign
      Praful Kulkarni, Principal | Director of Integrated Services
    • Goodwill Southern California
      Patrick McClenahan, President and CEO
    • Greenberg Traurig, LLP
      Barbara A. Jones, Co-Managing Shareholder
    • Hackman Capital Partners
      Zach Sokoloff, Vice President, Asset Management
    • ICG Advisors, LLC
      Jeff Assaf, Senior Managing Director
    • Jacobs
      Gerard Orozco, Vice President & Executive Client Account Manager
    • JP Morgan Chase Bank
      Brennon Crist, Managing Director of Middle Market Banking
    • Kaiser Permanente
      TBD
    • Metro
      Bryan Sastokas, Chief Information Officer
    • Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce
      Gene Hale
    • Latino Restaurant Association
      Lilly  Rocha, CEO & Executive Director
    • Los Angeles County Public Works Department
      Mark Pestrella, Executive Director, Department of Public Works
    • Los Angeles County Workforce Development
      Kelly LoBianco, Executive Director
    • Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)
      Bryan Schweickert, Assistant Director, Key Accounts Section, Customer Service Division
    • Los Angeles Rams
      Maria Camacho, Director of Government Affairs
    • Los Angeles Regional Consortium
      Dr. Narineh Makijan, Chair/Assistant Vice President
    • Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
      Adam Burke, President & CEO
    • Los Angeles World Airports
      Justin Erbacci, CEO
    • Meta (Facebook)
      Juan Salazar, Local Policy and Community Affairs
    • MUFG Union Bank
      Tom Thompson, Managing Director
    • Nissen Consulting Group
      Steve Nissen, President & CEO, Former LAEDC Chair
    • Nixon Peabody LLP
      Justin X. Thompson, Los Angeles Office Managing Partner
    • O’Connor Cochran LLP
      Maura O’Connor, Managing Partner, Former LAEDC Chair
    • Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis
      Goetz Wolff, Appointee for Supervisor Hilda Solis
    • Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath
      TBD, Appointed by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath
    • Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn
      Jayme S. Wilson, Economic Development Deputy for Supervisor Janice Hahn
    • Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger
      Monica Banken, Family Services and Econ Deve Deputy
    • Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell
      Schenae Rourk, Appointed by Supervisor Holly Mitchell
    • O’Melveny
      Steven J. Olson, Partner
    • Port of Long Beach
      Dr. Noel Hacegaba, Managing Director of Commercial Operations & Chief Commercial Officer
    • Port of Los Angeles
      Gene Seroka, Executive Director
    • PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
      Benjamin Luedeke, Partner
    • RSM US LLP
      David Hill, Partner
    • Servicon Systems, Inc.
      Laurie Sewell, President 
    • Silverstein Properties, Inc.
      Bill Dacunto, Executive Vice President
    • Southern California Edison
      Zanku Armenian, Director, Public Affairs
    • Southern California Gas Company
      Diana Boyadijian, Senior Government Affairs Manager
    • The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
      Shannon Sullivan, Executive Director
    • Talino Venture Labs
      Winston Damarillo, Founder and CEO
    • UCLA
      Gene Block, Chancellor
    • UCLA Extension
      Eric A. Bullard, Ph.D., Dean of Continuing Education and UCLA Extension
    • UCLA Health
      Santiago Munoz, Chief Strategy Officer
    • University of La Verne
      Devorah Lieberman, President
    • Univision Communications, Inc.
      Alejandra Santamaria, Vice President, Director of Sales
    • US Bank
      Rudy Medina, President, Southern California Market
    • USC
      Effie Turnbull-Sanders, Vice President of Civic Engagement and Economic Partnerships
    • VinFast US
      Mikey Hothi, Senior Government Affairs Strategist
    • Watson Land Company
      Jeffrey R. Jennison, President
    • Waymo
      Ellie Casson, Head of City Policy and Government Affairs
    • Wells Fargo Bank
      Angela Yim-Sullivan Market Executive, Senior Vice President
    • Western States Petroleum Association
      Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President
    • Whittier College
      Linda S. Oubre, President
    • Working Nation
      Art Bilger, Founder and CEO
  • Board of Governors

    LAEDC Membership

    • ArtCenter College of Design
      Jered Gold, Vice President, Marketing & Communications
    • Arizona State University
      Dulce Vasquez, Director of Strategic Partnerships
    • ArroyoWest
      Jesse Torres, Principal
    • Bank of China
      Yong Ou, General Manager
    • Bernards
      Lee Sehon, Vice President of Commercial Operations
    • The Boeing Company
      Mark Taylor, Director, State & Local Government Operations
    • Charter Communications
      Stephen Sawyer, Director of Government Affairs
    • Citrus College
      Michael Wangler, Dean of Career, Technical & Continuing Education
    • City of Arcadia
      Tim Schwehr, Economic Development Analyst
    • City of Beverly Hills
      John Mirisch, Councilmember
    • City of Burbank
      Mary Hamzoian, Economic Development Manager
    • City of Compton
      Aja Brown, Mayor
    • City of Carson
      LaToya Butler, Business and Employment Development
    • City of Culver City
      Todd Tipton, Redevelopment Administrator
    • City of Duarte
      Craig Hensley, Director of Community Development
    • City of El Segundo
      Barbara Voss, Economic Development Manager
    • City of Gardena
      Jackie Choi, Economic Development Manager
    • City of Irwindale
      Marilyn Simpson, Principal Planner
    • City of Industry
      Sam Pedroza, Public Affairs Manager
    • City of Lancaster
      Chenin Dow, Economic Development Manager
    • City of Lomita
      Ryan Smoot, City Manager
    • City of Monrovia
      Craig Jimenez, Community Development Director
    • City of Montebello
      Michael Chee, Deputy Director, Public Affairs
    • City of Palmdale
      Luis Garibay, Director of Economic and Community Development
    • City of Pasadena
      David Klug, Economic Development Manager
    • City of Rancho Palos Verdes
      Karina Bañales, Deputy City Manager
    • City of Pico Rivera
      Julia Gonzalez, Community & Economic Development Deputy Director
    • City of Rosemead
      Ben Kim, Acting City Manager
    • City of Santa Fe Springs
      Wayne Morrell, Director of Planning
    • City of Santa Monica
      Jennifer Taylor, Economic Development Administrator
    • City of South El Monte
      Rene Salas, City Manager
    • City of South Gate
      Chris Jeffers, City Manager
    • City of Torrance
      Fran Fulton, Economic Development Manager
    • City of Vernon
      Carlos R. Fandino Jr., City Administrator
    • City of West Hollywood
      Tara Worden, Business Development Analyst
    • College of the Canyons
      John Milburn, Interim Vice President, Workforce and Economic Advancement
    • Compton Community College
      Lynell R Wiggins, Director of Adult Ed & Workforce Development
    • Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
      Qiana Charles, Vice President, Regional Executive
    • FivePoint
      Sandy Sanchez, Community Development Director
    • Foley & Lardner, LLP
      Diane Ung, Partner, Healthcare
    • Gensler
      John Adams, Managing Principal
    • Glendale Community College
      Freddy Saucedo, Associate Dean (Interim), Career Education and Workforce Development
    • Global Green
      William Bridge, CEO
    • Golden Road Brewing
      Bobby Banahan, Brand Director
    • Google
      Javier González, Head of California Local Government Affairs, Public Policy, & External Affairs
    • Grifols Biologicals LLC
      Karen Glenn Martinez, Corporate Affairs Senior Manager
    • Hospital Association of Southern California
      Adena Tessler, Regional Vice President, Greater Los Angeles Area
    • Insperity
      Eric Swift, Business Performance Advisor
    • Jeff Bomberger
      Author, Meditation Coach, Intuitive Guide
    • KPMG LLP
      Bindiya Khurana, Principal, Advisory
    • Los Angeles City College
      Armando Rivera-Figueroa, Dean of Economic and Workforce Education
    • Los Nietos School District
      William W. Gideon Jr., Ed.D, Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum & Instruction
    • Loyola Marymount University
      Dayle Smith, Phd, Dean, College of Business Administration
    • Lynwood Unified School District
      Patrick Gittisriboongul, Ed.D, Asst. Superintendent, Technology & Innovation
    • Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
      Christine Frey, Government & Regional Affairs
    • Microsoft
      Tim Ryder, General Manager Microsoft Manufacturing
    • Mt. San Antonio College
      Bill Scroggins, President
    • Northrop Grumman
      Matthew Garth, Public Affairs
    • NPower
      Punita Patel, Placement Manager
    • Paramount Pictures
      Jessica Kwon, Manager Government Relations
    • Pasadena City College
      Salvatrice Cummo, Executive Director, Economic and Workforce Development
    • Ron Tomson
      Sharon Bensason, President
    • Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County
      Robert Ferrante, Chief Engineer and General Manager
    • Saybrook University
      Nathan Long, President
    • Sentinel Peak Resources
      Amanda Parsons, Community and Government Affairs
    • Skanska
      Ellen Mair, Director of Business Development
    • United Airlines
      Papia Gambelin, Managing Director
    • Valley Presbyterian Hospital
      Gustavo Valdespino, President & CEO
    • Vasquez & Company, LLP
      Gilbert Vasquez, Managing Partner
    • Vectis DC
      David Herbst, Founding Partner and Chairman
    • Verizon
      Randal Hernandez, External Affairs, Southern California
    • Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc.
      Michael Walbrecht, Vice President, Public Affairs
    • Water Replenishment District of Southern California
      Angie Mancillas, Government Affairs Representative
    • Windale Group
      Scott Somers, Co-Founder & Managing Partner
  • LAEDC Affiliate Members
    • Acara Solutions
    • ArroyoWest
    • AvAirPros
    • AV Edge
    • Catalina Express
    • Central City Association and Downtown Center Business Improvement District
    • Hatch Spaces
    • Junior Achievement (JA)
    • JVS SoCal
    • Larta Institute
    • Leavenworth Endeavors
    • Los Angeles Local Development Corporation
    • Latino Coalition for Community Leadership
  • LAEDC Strategic Partners
    • Asia Society of Southern California
    • California Fashion Association
    • Japan Business Association
    • National Association of Women Business Owners, Los Angeles
    • Bizfed
    • California Stewardship Network (CSN)
    • Latino Business Chamber of Greater Los Angeles
    • Biocom California
    • British American Business Council
    • Japan America Society of Southern California
    • Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
  • LAEDC Regional Development Partners
    • San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership
    • Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation
    • The Valley Economic Alliance
    • Previous Board Chairs
      • 2021/2022 Rudy Medina,
        Southern California Market President, U.S. Bank
      • 2020/2021 Steve Nissen,
        President and CEO, Nissen Consulting Group
      • 2019/2020 Dianne Harrison,
        President, CSU Northridge (CSUN)
      • 2018/2019 Eric Rowen,
        Principal Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP
      • 2017/2018 Jodie Lesh,
        SVP, National Delivery System Strategy, Planning and Design at Kaiser Permanente
      • 2016/2017 Chris Martin,
        CEO and Chairman of AC Martin and Martin Project Management
      • 2015/2016 Praful Kulkarni,
        founding partner of gkk works
      • 2014/2015 Raul A. Anaya,
        President, Bank of America – Greater Los Angeles Region
      • 2013/2014 Lew Horne,
        President, CBRE Inc., Greater Los Angeles and Orange County Region
      • 2012/ 2013 Christopher Carey,
        Chief Financial Officer, City National Bank
      • 2011/ 2012 Robert Hertzberg,
        California State Senator and former Speaker of the California State Assembly
      • 2010/2011 Maura O'Connor,
        O'Connor Cochran LLP
      • 2009/2010 Lloyd Greif,
        USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

    Meet Some of Our Members