Events

Albert Hernandez is the Chief Executive Officer of Home Again Los Angeles, a nonprofit he has led since 2015, growing it from a $100,000 agency into a $3 million organization that has helped hundreds of unhoused and at-risk families secure stability. As Immediate Past District Governor (PDG) for RI D5280, Albert combines his nonprofit leadership with a lifelong commitment to service, empathy, and community impact.

Ray Richmond is a longtime television critic and columnist for  Daily Variety, Hollywood Reporter and Deadline. His books include a biography of actress Betty White and the collector’s guide “The Sopranos: The Complete Visual History” 

He teaches television history at Chapman University in Orange, CA.

Jerry Lazar is a third-generation magician and a member of the Magic Castle in Hollywood. He has served as an entertainment editor and writer for many prominent  magazines, newspapers, and news websites. He is also a certified mediator who has supervised dispute resolution programs for California Lawyers for the Arts and the LA County Bar Association. He is currently a volunteer  panelist for the LA city attorney’s Neighborhood Justice Program. His daughter Maia is a LAUSD high school teacher.

Hilary Helstein is an acclaimed American film director, producer, screenwriter, and festival leader known for her powerful documentary work and commitment to storytelling that bridges history and humanity. She began her career in the humanitarian field with Steven Spielberg’s USC Shoah Foundation, where she directed and produced over 250 interviews with Holocaust survivors, liberators, and rescuers. Drawing on this experience, Hilary spent more than a decade creating the award-winning documentary As Seen Through These Eyes, narrated by Maya Angelou and co-produced by the Sundance Channel, which has been screened internationally and honored at major festivals.

In addition to her filmmaking, Hilary is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, a dynamic annual celebration of global cinema that highlights Jewish culture, heritage, and diverse human-rights stories for audiences across Los Angeles and beyond. Based in Los Angeles, she champions film as a medium for education, connection, and community engagement. 

Caitlín Higgins Ní Chinnéide is Ireland's Consul General to the South Western United States. Immediately prior to this role, Ms. Higgins Ní Chinnéide served as Deputy Head of Mission in Ireland’s Embassy in Mexico.

Ms Higgins Ní Chinnéide joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland in 2012 as Desk Officer for Eastern Europe. Since then she has served in a number of positions including Deputy Director of the UN Policy Unit; Deputy Director of the Conflict Resolution Unit; and Consul in the Embassy of Ireland in Madrid.

Ms. Higgins Ní Chinnéide holds a BA in Modern History and Politics from the University of Oxford, and an MPhil and PhD in Modern Irish History from Trinity College Dublin; she was also called to the Irish Bar in 2014. Ms Higgins Ní Chinnéide hails from Dublin, and is a fluent Irish and Spanish speaker.

Gina Amato Lough is the Directing Attorney of Public Counsel’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. She leads a 30-member team of attorneys, paralegals, administrative staff, and social workers who serve asylum seekers, immigrants in detention, survivors of violent crime, unaccompanied children, and victims of fraud. Gina has been a public interest attorney and community leader for over twenty years. She joined Public Counsel in 2008, and for 14 years, she led the Immigrants’ Rights Project’s Survivor Team Gina graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 2001 with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master’s Degree in Public Policy (MPP). Outside of her work, she loves to dance, make art, and spend time with her family.

Ernie Yoshikawa, Development Manager, has been working at the Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC) for 21 years and is a longtime Koreatown resident. Ernie leads KYCC fundraising events, manages agency volunteer and intern programs, and has supervised and implemented a variety of youth and case management programs for K-12 students. He holds a B.A. in Asian American Studies and American Literature and Culture, M.A. in Ethnic Studies, and M.S. in School Counseling, and is a Certified Volunteer Administrator.

Raul Fernandez served 33 years with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) as a teacher, administrator, and principal at Los Angeles High School, where students participated in the 360 program. After retiring, he consulted with charter schools and later worked with EduCare Foundation supporting student development. He now serves as Interim Managing Director of Magic University at the Magic Castle, home of the Academy of Magical Arts.

GARRETT TUJAGUE (Pronounced - TOO-jay)

Has enjoyed a stellar career in Football, beginning at Chabot College where he earned All-America honors as an offensive lineman. After two years he transferred to BYU where he played left guard and graduated in 1992.

His impressive coaching assignments included Assistant Coach at Chabot College and The University of Redlands; Head Coach at College of the Canyons; Offensive Line Coach at College of the Canyons, BYU, Virginia, and NC State. He currently is the Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator at NC State.

Garrett earned a bachelor’s degree in recreation management from BYU in 1992 and a master’s degree in educational counseling from the University of Redlands in 1997. He is a dedicated husband to Cami and father to son, Carson as well as daughters Savanah and Summer.

Master Simon Rhee is a World Tae Kwon Do Kukkiwon–certified 7th degree Black Belt, Tournament Grand Champion, stuntman, actor, and fight choreographer. He has designed fight scenes and trained Hollywood stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, and Keanu Reeves. A past president of the International Stunt Association, he is a Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame inductee and a recipient of multiple Taurus World Stunt Awards.