Lourdes Perez

PHA Co-Director

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Lourdes’ focus has remained on improving child and family wellbeing for all through policy, systems and environmental changes, even in the face of adversity. Lourdes has over 16 years of experience in policy, systems and environmental change approaches. All Children Thrive gives her the opportunity to work alongside communities, and offer support to the communities who have been marginalized and underinvested in progressing social justice and creating protective environments for all children to thrive. Lourdes holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University Stanislaus.  

(Joanna) Mimi Choi, MD, MPH 

UCLA Co-Director

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Mimi brings her lived experience as a pediatrician, public health professional, and mother of two young daughters to think creatively about what children and their families need to be healthy, happy, and resilient.  All Children Thrive brings together her passion for lifting up marginalized communities with fostering policy and systems change across the state.  Mimi received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Biology from Stanford University, Medical Doctor degree from Harvard Medical School, Master’s in Public Health degree from UCLA, and completed her pediatric residency training at UCSF.

Leticia Alaniz

Program Specialist

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Crystal Harding

ACT Coach

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Crystal is a first-generation immigrant from Liberia, West Africa. She understands the importance of access, community, and education in order to contribute to positive change. For her undergraduate experience Crystal attended Alabama State University in Montgomery the heart of the civil rights movement. She moved back to Sacramento and earned her master’s degree in Social Work at CA State University, Sacramento. Crystal has served in various fields for over 15 years including academia, health systems, community, and nonprofits. She has been active in local governance and in 2020 was elected to serve a four-year term as Director on the Board of North Highlands Recreation and Park District. #MyDutyIsToServe

Myrita Craig, MS, HPE 

Program Manager

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Myrita brings a broad range of expertise and heart to the ACT team. For more than a decade, she has worked in leadership roles in social services, academic research, and neighborhood health environments, which has provided a unique perspective on systemic oppression and transformation in our communities. Working with ACT is an opportunity to be in service to and to learn from community: her deep passion lies in the nourishment and connection people experience when growing and sharing food. Myrita holds a Masters of Science in Health Promotion and Education from the University of Cincinnati and is ABD with a Doctorate in Public Health from Boston University’s School of Public Health.

Duke Cooney

Program Manager

Pronouns: he, him, his

Paige Tengeluk

ACT Coach

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Paige comes from a culture that values people, collective community work, and the natural environment. Having lived in this country for more than half of her life, her mission is to end destructive systems and bring a trusting, collective, and compassionate approach to communities, empowering them to be their own voice in rights advocacy. Her lived – and work – experiences with people from diverse background communities have molded her experiences making her a stronger champion to serve the population of California, hand-in-hand with the All Children Thrive statewide initiative. Paige holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and an Associate of Arts in Political Science.

Mónica Acevedo Guerrero, MPA

Program Manager, ACT Coach & Policy and Sustainability

Pronouns/Pronombres: she, her, they, them / ella, elle, ellos

Monica has devoted her career to empowering diverse community and youth voices to take political action so that their sense of agency is nourished “Desde la Raíz’ (from the roots)’.  She acts because it allows her to remember her Community and Sus Raíces (Her roots)  and help others catalyze change through knowledge. Monica holds a Masters of Public Administration from California State University Long Beach and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a Minor in Political Science from California State University Dominguez Hills.

Charlene Choi

Policy and Sustainability Principal Analyst

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Charlene acts because all children have inherent rights, and it is imperative that adults and young people themselves have the best interests of children in mind when changing the systems and environments where kids live, play, and grow. Charlene has led the strategic development of community-based organizations, coalitions, and programs from Port-au-Prince to Los Angeles, and she is also passionate about the local implementation of health and human rights. Charlene holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Jazmine Clark

Communications Manager

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Jazmine has witnessed the impact social action has on children who have limited access to safe environments and supportive role models. She knows our future leaders are being born without bounds, therefore she feels it is our responsibility to ensure children everywhere, especially those in marginalized communities, have access to everything that they need to thrive.  With over 15 years of video production and 5 years of content strategy and creation, it is her goal to find creative communications strategies that educate communities on preventing adverse childhood events through dismantling systems of oppression. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Digital Cinematography at Full Sail University.

Kristina Gelardi, PhD

Director of Research and Learning

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Kristina works to ensure that equity and community participation are more than talking points: she empowers people with tools and training so that every person – regardless of previous experience with data – can ask and answer their own questions about what policy change their community needs.In partnership with other ACT researchers, she provides technical assistance to cities, their community partners, and our staff.  Kristina has a PhD in Human Development from the University of California, Davis, and a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Barnard College, Columbia University.

Jared Schor

Data Manager

Pronouns: he, him, his

Jared provides guidance to program partners interested in using their communities’ data to better address issues of child wellbeing.  Prior to his current role, Jared worked as customer experience design analyst and is passionate about bringing human-centered design principles to the field of public health.  His ambition is to help communities co-design systems that allow people to live better lives.  Jared holds a master’s degree in Sociology from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in Economic History from the London School of Economics. 

Kaniyaa Francis

Associate Program Manager

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Kaniyaa is grateful to work with the ACT team and communities throughout California to co-create policy and systems change to help ALL young people thrive and break the cycle of intergenerational trauma. Kaniyaa partners with the other ACT researchers to provide research and policy technical assistance to ACT cities, and possesses considerable experience in policy research, advocacy and community engagement.  Kaniyaa is a current M.P.H. candidate at Columbia University and has a B.S. in Global Disease Biology from the University of California, Davis.

Jonathan Litt, JD, MSW

Evaluation Manager – Agile Visual Analytics Lab (AVAL)

Pronouns: he, him, his

Jonathan is passionate about empowering others to use evaluation data to make more timely and sound decisions impacting children, families, and communities. Jonathan oversees the ACT evaluation including data collection, management, analysis, and stakeholder engagement to ensure diverse and dynamic information needs are met efficiently and effectively. Jonathan holds a Juris Doctorate, Master’s of Social Work in Organizational and Community Practice, and Bachelor’s of Arts degrees in International Relations and Psychology from Michigan State University.