2007 - 2008 Commission Officers

About the Commissioners

Adrian Dove, President (2006 - 2008), Second District

A Los Angeles businessman and writer, Commissioner Dove has served more than 20 years as a human relations and economic development professional at the federal, state and local levels of government, including the Governor's Office, the Mayor's Business Development Office, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office (HUD,) and the White House, as Budget Analyst. Most recently Mr. Dove has served as advisor to heads of foreign governments. Commissioner Dove is proud to have received early career mentoring from former Supervisor John Anson Ford and from L.A. Human Relations Commission Charter Executive Director John Buggs. Known for developing the "Chitling I.Q. Test" in the wake of the First Watts uprising and for co-authoring the original Philadelphia Plan while with the Labor Department in Washington, Mr. Dove's company, A.D. Associates, provides cultural diversity training and consulting services.

Mr. Dove was appointed to the Commission on Human Relations on January 21, 1997.

Supervisor Gloria Molina, First District

Felipe Agredano

The First District commissioner, Felipe Agredano, is a former President of the Garvey Board. Felipe Agredano has a long background of involvement in the academic programs of East Los Angeles, and was the first to establish the East Los Angeles College's Rosemead Educational Center, the Jaime Escalante Math Academy ( a life dream of the legendary Garfield High School teacher), and with Supervisor Molina's support, the first open-space classroom.

An instructor at East Los Angeles College and California State University, Northridge, Agredano was elected to the Garvey Board of Education in 2005. He formerly worked for California State Senator Jack Scott, Chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, and also holds a Masters degree from Harvard University. He serves on the outreach programs for both universities.

Mr. Agredano was appointed to the Commission on Human Relations on November 6, 2007.

Mario Ceballos, Vice President (2007-08)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, on recommendation of Supervisor Gloria Molina, has appointed Mario P. Ceballos as a Commissioner for the First District for the County Commission on Human Relations.

"I believe that my professional career in human resources management and public relations, combined with my many years of civic involvement, qualify me to be a member of this important commission," says Ceballos. "As an immigrant to this country from Guadalajara, Mexico, and a long-time resident of Los Angeles County, I am able to understand the important issues to bring about a better society for all of us who make L.A. County our home."

Mr. Ceballos holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Occidental College. His professional experience includes expertise in social marketing and advertising, community relations, mediation and conflict resolution, and human resources management. Ceballos has worked with a number of organizations, including the Daily Journal Corporation-Government Advertising, Los Angeles County Office of AIDS, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the LA Gay & Lesbian Center and the City of Burbank. His consulting firm, Ceballos & Associates, is dedicated to working with community-based organization in capacity building and infrastructure development. Ceballos' civic involvement include serving on the boards of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, VIVA! , KCET and the City of Los Angeles Task Force on Family Diversity.

Ceballos was the former vice-chair and member of KCET's Community Advisory Board where he served for over six years. Currently, he is one of the founding members of the Lesbian and Gay Professional Access Network and advisory board member to the Latin Pride Foundation, which is dedicated to bringing attention to Latin Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Bisexual issues in hopes of achieving equality and full acceptance of that diverse and valuable community to Los Angeles County.

Mr. Ceballos was appointed to the Commission on Human Relations on June 4, 2002.

Kathay Feng

Kathay Feng, Esq., is the Executive Director of California Common Cause, a government watchdog organization with 40,000 members in California. She brings to the Commission a long commitment to civil rights and anti-discrimination issues. She was previously the Director of the Voting Rights and Hate Crimes units at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), where she worked in a variety of civil rights areas including voting rights and redistricting, hate crimes, police accountability, and anti-discrimination law.

In the area of hate crimes, Ms. Feng headed APALC's work in providing victim assistance, advocating on policies and organizing community response to hate violence. She worked closely with the Ileto family following the hate-motivated shooting death of Joseph Santos Ileto, a Filipino American postal worker, shot to death in Los Angeles by a white supremacist because of his skin color and federal uniform.

Ms. Feng serves or has served on Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council, the California Secretary of State's Advisory Committees on Help America Vote Act, and on Voter Participation and Outreach, California Common Cause Board, LA County's Community Voter Outreach Committee (founder), LA County Human Relations Commission, LAPD Police Chief's API Forum, the Asian Pacific American Police Advisory Council, Organization of Chinese Americans, and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum.

Ms. Feng was appointed to the Commission on Human Relations on March 20, 2001.

Supervisor Yvonne Burke, Second District

Adrian Dove, President

A Los Angeles businessman and writer, Commissioner Dove has served more than 20 years as a human relations and economic development professional at the federal, state and local levels of government, including the Governor's Office, the Mayor's Business Development Office, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office (HUD,) and the White House, as Budget Analyst. Most recently Mr. Dove has served as advisor to heads of foreign governments. Commissioner Dove is proud to have received early career mentoring from former Supervisor John Anson Ford and from L.A. Human Relations Commission Charter Executive Director John Buggs. Known for developing the "Chitling I.Q. Test" in the wake of the First Watts uprising and for co-authoring the original Philadelphia Plan while with the Labor Department in Washington, Mr. Dove's company, A.D. Associates, provides cultural diversity training and consulting services.

Mr. Dove was appointed to the Commission on Human Relations on January 21, 1997.

Grand Master Tong Suk Chun

Grand Master Tong Suk Chun, President of the World Cultural Sports Foundation, Inc. has been championing the cause of equality for the past two decades, and has been appointed Los Angeles County Human Relations Commissioner, appointed by Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, Supervisor of the Second District. He joins an illustrious group of civic-minded men and women.

Since coming to the United States in the mid 70s, Master Chun has been passionately involved in community service. As a Grand Master, he has donated his time in providing Tae Kwon Do training to inner-city Los Angeles youth, and has touched the lives of over 20,000 students in the United States. Since 1991, Master Chun has served as the co-chair of the Martin Luther King, Jr. "Kingdom Day" Parade, and has worked on the Inner-City Games of Los Angeles, serving over 1,000 youths and young adults who participated in the tournament and demonstrations.

In direct response to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Master Chun founded the World Cultural and Sports Foundation, Inc. (WCSF). Today, the WCSF works in bringing cultural expression, cooperation and friendship to various groups by undertaking cultural exchange programs to and from Korea and Japan. The WCSF organization also has supported the annual "Feed the Homeless" event, sponsored by the Office of Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, the Shell Oil Company, and many other organizations. Master Chun has expanded his mission internationally, and has, since March, 2003, begun to help in Afghanistan and Pakistan by establishing NGO WCSF branches. In Afghanistan, he has established a WCSF English-language school that now has 840 students and five soccer teams. There also are WCSF branches in Korea and Japan.

In October 2003, Master Chun supported the 1st USA & Korea Peace Marathon, held in Seoul, Korea and organized by the Gag Nam Gu district government of Seoul City in conjunction with the U.S. 8th Army stationed in Korea. The event was attended by over 10,000 people. Attendees included American soldiers and their families, stationed in Korea, as well as the local citizenry. The event was so successful that it is being continued on an annual basis.

Grand Master Tong Suk Chun was appointed to the Commission on Human Relations on March 30, 2004.

Sergio Paz

Sergio Paz has been very active in his community, establishing a Lennox Teen Center, where he works with at-risk youth and gang affiliated youth to redirect their energies into positive channels of expression.

A native of Lennox, Paz has used his many talents and hobbies, in attracting youth away from gangs and criminal activity. As a proactive youth advocate and community activist, he has more than 16 years of experience in community organizing, and drug/violence prevention and intervention. He has provided technical assistance, awareness training, workshops and presentations to parents, professional groups and governmental agencies.

" My objective has always been to positively impact the lives of the youth who have taken the wrong turn in life" he commented. " I want to guide the youth to live long and prosperous lives through my work in prevention and intervention. Communities are going to be healthier when there is interaction and empowered affiliation to promote safer and healthier communities", he added.

Paz was involved with a gang in his youth, and it was the emotional pain that he caused his mother, friends and family that led him to break the cycle of gang affiliation. "I saw the need of youth in my community to have someone that could listen to them. I wanted to fill that void and be the person that could hear and understand their concerns," he recalls.

Paz is acting as Vice President of the Lennox Coordinating Council, board member on the California Prevention Collaborative and the Los Angeles Area Airport Advisory Committee.

Mr. Sergio Paz was appointed to the Commission on Human Relations on May 6, 2008.

Donna Bojarsky

As founder and co-chair of L.A. Works and member of the national board of City Cares of America, Ms. Bojarsky specializes in organizing and promoting volunteer service. In addition to co-chairing the New Leaders Project, a civic training program for young Jewish leaders, Ms. Bojarsky's DB and Associates provides political policy consultation, particularly to those in the entertainment industry. Ms. Bojarsky chairs the LA County Commission on Human Relation's Hate Crime Summit Committee and was one of the two Commissioners to attend the White House Hate Crime Summit. In addition, she was recently appointed by Governor Gray Davis to the "California Commission on Improving Life Through Service."

Ms. Bojarsky was appointed to the Commission on Human Relations on January 16, 1996.

Rev. Zedar Broadous, Vice President (2007-08)

Reverend Broadous is Publisher of the San Fernando Valley African American "Chronicle News" and is well know for his efforts in the promotion of understanding and equal opportunity for all peoples. He is President of the San Fernando Valley NAACP, founder of the San Fernando Black Chanber of Commerce and a board member of the Valley Interfaith Council.

Reverend Broadous was appointed to the Commission on Human Relations on June 11, 1996.

Bill Lambert

Mr. William S. Lambert, newly appointed to the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, represents the Third District. Appointed by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Mr. Lambert recently retired from his post as the Director of Government Relations at United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA).

William “Bill” Lambert was born in the Bronx, but he came to Los Angeles at an early age. He attended local schools and received a Bachelors degree from UCLA and a teaching credential and masters degree in Education from California State University, Los Angeles.

He began his teaching career at Montague Elementary, in the San Fernando Valley. Lambert soon became president of the Probationary and Substitute Teachers Association, and then vice president of Affiliated Teachers Organization of Los Angeles (ATOLA)

He believed that classroom teachers needed a separate voice, so he founded and became president of the Elementary Teachers Association. He then helped to found the Los Angeles Teachers Association, and became the organization’s first Assistant Executive Secretary.

Prior to 1968, LAUSD members were elected at-large. Lambert successfully lobbied in the Los Angeles City Council to create separate voting disricts for each School Board seat, ensuring that the School Board reflected the district’s diversity.

In 1970, Lambert became the first Assistant Executive Director of the United Teachers Los Angeles. He led the union in a successful strike, that ended with the first contract between the teachers and the LAUSD Board of Education. Lambert became a successful political lobbyist for the UTLA, and is credited with the adoption of the School Safety bill, which mandates that every school have a safety plan in place.

Mr. Lambert founded the “Children of the Dream” program through the Anti-Defamation League. This was a program that socialized youth of different and differing ethnic groups, who then created books and video vignettes to deal with their diverse issues. Bill Lambert was honored by the California Teachers Association, the National Education Association and the City of Los Angeles for creating the program.

Mr. Lambert was appointed to the Commission on Human Relations on February 6, 2008.

Supervisor Don Knabe, Fourth District

Susanne Cumming, Vice President (2007-08)

Susanne Cumming was appointed to the Commission on March 3, 1998 by the Honorable Don Knabe, Supervisor of the Fourth District of Los Angeles County. Her years as a Research Attorney with the Los Angeles Superior Court have given her experience with civil actions that allege discrimination and harassment. She enjoys the company of a Little Sister through Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Los Angeles, a mentoring program.

Lea Ann King

Lea Ann King was appointed to the Commission on June 22, 1992, serving as its President from 1997-1999. In addition to having chaired the Commission's Personnel and the Planning Committees, she redesigned and chaired the annual John Anson Ford Awards events from 1994-1998 and represents the Commission on its Corporate Advisory Committee. Ms. King also serves as Convener of the Human Relations Forum of Torrance and is a member of the Cultural Involvement Task Force of the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of the Volunteer Center, South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach, and the Planned Parenthood Federation's Western Region Diversity Committee. Ms. King is recognized by Who's Who in America 2000 and Who's Who in the World 2000 as a community leader in diversity program development, training, facilitating, community organizing and conference planning.

Eleanor Montano

Eleanor R. Montaño was appointed on November 2, 1982. She is currently serving in her 25th year on the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, and was the first Latina and second woman in 44 years to serve as President of the Commision on Human Relations.

She now also the new head of the Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections, replacing the renowned philanthropist, civic leader and advocate for incarcerated women, the late Mrs. Sybil Brand.

A tireless worker on behalf of youth, Mrs. Montaño was appointed to the Sybil Brand Commission on March 2, 1993, and subsequently re-appointed by Supervisor Don Knabe. Ms. Montaño has worked to ensure that the safety and well-being of children placed in custodial residential settings, group homes, and detention camps is enforced.

Much of Ms. Montaño's energy is devoted to dealing with gangs and the repercussions of gang violence. She relates to people from all socio-economic strata, and now serves with Women against Gun Violence and the ADHOC Committee on Gang and Juvenile Justice, and is the current President of Mothers and Men against Gangs. She is also a member of an LAPD Crisis Response Team in the Harbor area and is on call 24-hours a day to provide support and counseling for crime victims.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich, Fifth District

Vito Canella

Vito Canella was appointed to the Commission on June 30, 1981. In addition to serving on the LA County Commission on Human Relations since 1981, Mr. Cannella also serves on the Sybil Brand Institutional Inspection Commission. He operated his own barber shop from 1958 to 1966, when he was appointed Postmaster for the City of Montrose, a position he held until 1969. Mr. Cannella is active in many community organizations and devotes his time to improving inter-group communication and understanding. He was honored in 1998 when his Congressman entered his name in the Congressional Record for his participation in the successful passage of House Resolution 763 instituting the week surrounding Flag Day as national Flag Week.

Sandra Thomas, Vice President (2007-08)

Dr. Sandra Thomas, the second African-American woman ever appointed Commissioner on the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission by Fifth District County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, is a community advocate who firmly believes that economic challenges should never overshadow goal realization. Dr. Thomas was appointed to the Human Relations Commission on February 13, 2007.

Dr. Thomas' resume includes a number of academic achievements including a BA in psychology, MA in engineering from the University of Kansas and a PhD in psychological counseling from Columbia University. Dr. Thomas used her talents in the telephone industry where she worked as an engineer for 26 years. In 1968, she created what is now known as the "800" toll free telephone number system.

She faces life with gusto and firmly believes that her academic success can be replicated by others, if they are fortunate enough to conquer critical crossroads in their lives. Such a philosophy and an innate desire to help others have motivated Dr. Thomas to found the Quality of Life Center, Inc., where she serves as President and CEO.

Another individual with less enthusiasm for life would have retired to enjoy her three adult children, Roselyn, Vincent and Michael, and six grandchildren. Commissioner Thomas served as youth counselor for 20 years at the Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church of Pasadena, where her husband Rev. A. Douglas Thomas is the Pastor Emeritus, and she continues to counsel scores of youth and young adults.

Dr. Thomas has been a foster mother in the state of California for more than 22 years and hundreds of local children have grown up in and around her home. She was named "Outstanding Mother of the Year" at Altadena Elementary School in 1977, and was Pasadena High School's "Mother of the Year" in 1979 when she single handedly raised enough money to buy new uniforms, jackets and shoes for the entire athletic department.

Currently a councilperson in Altadena, Dr. Thomas is an active participant in the Pasadena/Altadena African-American Leaders Community Coalition, the Pasadena City College African American Advisory Council, the Pasadena Junior League, The Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Leadership Pasadena, D'Veal Family and Youth Services, the Altadena Community Center Board of Directors, and California State Senator Jack Scott's African American Advisory Committee.

She was selected as "2005 Congressional Woman of the Year" by Congressman Adam Schiff, and was named the first African-American female president of the Altadena/Crown City Kiwanis.

Dr. Thomas is a Life Member of the National Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) organization, and is the first individual to ever serve simultaneously at all levels of the NAACP organization. She is currently an NAACP National Trainer, a Regional Officer, the Southern California State Director and on the executive committee of the NAACP Altadena Branch, where she has just completed four very successful years as President.

John Wuo

John Wuo was born in Taipei, Taiwan and attended school there until 1966. In 1959, Wuo was diagnosed with a heart defect requiring open heart surgery. The operation was to be performed at UCLA Medical Center in 1966 , but due to difficulties in securing Visas, Wuo's parents sent the now 16 year-old by himself to undergo the required surgery. Wuo was taken home by one of the hospital volunteers to recuperate and stayed with this family until his graduation from La Canada High School in June 1968. After completing high school, Wuo attended the University of Redlands and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering in 1972.

John Wuo has continued his work as a proactive volunteer in a number of community and school endeavors, including but not limited to the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, the Arcadia Tournament of Roses, as President of the Arcadia Educational Foundation, and the American Cancer Society. Wuo currently is Co-Treasurer for Methodist Hospital Foundation Board, and President of the Chinese-American Elected Officials. He served as a full term Mayor of Arcadia in 2005-2006, and currently is still a Council Member for the City of Arcadia.

"I am extremely pleased with this trust that Supervisor Antonovich has placed on me," comments Wuo. "I believe in self-respect and respect for others, and I believe if each of us stepped out each day with that sense of self-respect, we would enhance the world around us and create more harmony.

"Human relations are the key to the betterment of the planet, and only through improving our communications with others, can we increase cooperation and good will" he concludes.

John is married to his elementary school classmate, Jane, and they have three children: Jeff, Jennifer, and Jonathan. All three Wuo children went through the Arcadia school system.

Mr. Wuo was appointed to the Human Relations Commission on April 15, 2008.