Join NWPC CA for: "Appointment Training"

When: Friday, November 19th, 2021, 12pm - 1pm 
Location: ZOOM
Cost: FREE for current NWPC CA members, $25 for non-members.  Ticket included for members who join/renew.






























Topics of discussion:

• Researching the opportunities at the state, county and municipal levels for appointment to Boards and Commissions.
• Review of the application process and guidance on strategic networking, including the importance of endorsements, how to get letters and phone calls of recommendation.
• What boards and commissions do at various levels, and why they are important to policy decision-makers.
• Building a better resume for later elected and appointed offices.

Featured Speaker:

Cathryn Rivera-Hernandez, of Carmichael, is the appointments secretary in the Office of the Governor. She has been a member of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board since 2002. Rivera-Hernandez served as chief deputy cabinet secretary in the Office of Governor Gray Davis from 1999 to 2002. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where she was co-editor-in-chief of the La Raza Law Journal.






Panelists:

Sarah Sharpe comes to the CPUC with more than a decade of experience in environmental justice advocacy and non-profit administration. Sarah was most recently the Associate Director for Central California Asthma Collaborative and concurrently served as the Director of Outreach and Communication for the Berkeley/Stanford Children's Health and Air Pollution Study for the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.  Previously, Sarah was the Environmental Health Program Director for Fresno Metro Ministry for more than 8 years, where she served in a variety of leadership roles.

A third-generation Valley resident, Sarah has a background in grassroots organizing for social justice, labor rights, environmental justice, and immigrant's rights in the San Joaquin Valley. Sarah is a past member of the Central Valley Air Quality (CVAQ) Coalition's Steering Committee, the Citizens Advisory Committee for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District representing Fresno County, Californians for Pesticide Reform Steering Committee, and the Central California Environmental Justice Network's Unity Council (CCEJN).

As a former community organizer with the United Farm Workers in Delano, Sarah served as the program coordinator of the Farm Worker Safe Drinking Water Program. Sarah's background also includes work with the Coalition for Clean Air, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 250, and teaching Spanish in high-need schools in Brooklyn, New York through the New York City Teaching Fellows Program. Sarah has a Bachelor's degree from the University of California Santa Barbara in both Communication and Latin American and Iberian Studies and a Master's degree in teaching Spanish from City University of New York, Brooklyn. She currently lives in Fresno with her two sons, Kaiyadaye and Kaleb.

Natalie Samarjian is the President and CEO at Coro Southern California. Coro's mission is to strengthen the democratic process by preparing emerging leaders for effective and ethical leadership in public affairs. Under Natalie’s leadership, Coro has developed a new strategic plan, expanded programs, partnerships, and revenue, and cultivated a growing community of Coro alumni who are transforming communities across the country.

Natalie comes to Coro Southern California from the California Women's Law Center (CWLC), where she worked to address the comprehensive and unique legal needs of women and girls through impact litigation, public policy advocacy and legal education. Prior to CWLC, Natalie was Staff Attorney and Dickran Tevrizian Fellow at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA), where she provided individual representation to victims of domestic violence, supported impact litigation, including a successful appeal in Montagner v. Montagner, engaged in public policy advocacy, and conducted extensive community outreach and legal education. Before joining NLSLA, Natalie was a Labor and Employment litigator at Rutan & Tucker, LLP. While at Rutan, Natalie was actively engaged in pro bono efforts, successfully representing an asylum seeker before the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to embarking on her legal career, Natalie was a Human Capital Consultant in Deloitte & Touche LLP's Public Sector practice where she led the firm's National Public Sector Human Capital Community of Practice Initiative.

Natalie earned her Juris Doctorate from UCLA School of Law, her Master of Science at the Heinz School of Public Policy & Management at Carnegie Mellon University, and her Bachelor of Arts UCLA. Natalie is an alumnus of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs and Emerge California. She was a 2017 recipient of the Empowerment Congress’ Emerging Civic Leaders 40 Under 40 award and a 2021 recipient of LA Impact-Makers to Watch. Natalie currently serves as a Los Angeles City Commissioner on the El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument Commission, and a Los Angeles County Commissioner on the Economy & Efficiency Commission. She also serves on the boards of Heidi Duckler Dance, and Emerge California. 

Karriann Farrell Hinds has dedicated her professional career to public service and advocating for equal rights and equal access to opportunity and services in her community. Karriann is the President of the National Women’s Political Caucus of California and serves in two appointments, as the President of the Los Angeles County Commission for Women, and, as a gubernatorially appointed public member on the California Board of Accountancy. Karriann is a long-time member of the board of the ACLU of Southern California, as well. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, where she met her husband, Elliot, who is also an attorney, and Loyola Law School, Karriann is a licensed attorney and currently works as Director of Government and Strategic Affairs of Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services and serves as a consultant on community affairs and strategic development with the Public Policy Institute of Santa Monica College. Karriann uses her platforms to advocate for increasing gender parity in appointments to boards and commissions at the local and state levels, and mentors and trains women to seek appointments. 

Angelica Ramos-Allen is one of NWPC’s bright stars, an NWPC certified from the tech capital of the world: Silicon Valley, CA. As a political consultant with a 95% winning average, she has a reputation for taking on campaigns that became the upset of the year. (Silicon Valley has been a tough place for women’s equality efforts). Her career includes helping women wherever they need assistance: being a CA-certified mediator and rape crisis counselor, a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) with Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, Law Facilitator for at-risk youth with Fresh Lifelines for Youth, and a Fellow with the Children's Defense Fund.

She is also President of the National Women's Political Caucus of Silicon Valley and services on the NWPC CA State Board as the Communications Chair.  Angelica is dedicated to gender parity at all levels of leadership. She now serves as Santa Clara Supervisor Susan Ellenberg's Policy Director (a candidate she helped overcome a 5 to 1 spending difference from her opponent).

Moderator:

Sabrina Ashjian is a Clinical Supervising Attorney at UC Berkeley’s Environmental Law Clinic and the California State Director for the Humane Society of the United States. Ashjian began her career as a public defender. She was also a consumer fraud & environmental crimes prosecutor, pursuing cases against companies for predatory practices and environmental harms. She served as Chairperson of the State of California’s Cannabis Control Appeals Panel after being appointed by Governor Brown.

Ashjian serves on the national non-profit board of National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) and statewide non-profit boards of National Women’s Political Caucus of California (NWPC CA), Emerge California, California Lawyers Association Environmental Law Section, and on the advisory board of Fund Her. For multiple organizations, she is the Legislative & Public Policy Chair and conducts trainings statewide on the fundamentals of legislation.

Ashjian received a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University, a master’s degree from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Journalism, and a JD/MBA from Pepperdine University. She is a certified trainer for NWPC. Ashjian is admitted to practice law in California, New York, and in the United States Supreme Court.


Questions?:  Please contact Laura Somers at programmanager@nwpcca.org