2026 Speakers & Coordinators

  • This year's Congress of Neighborhoods will be an incredible event

    thanks to our amazing coordinators, presenters, and speakers.

    Don't miss out—make sure to register

    and be part of this special day of community and collaboration!

    Register here!

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  • Hal Bastian, President of Hal Bastian Inc., is a 33 year commercial real estate veteran who has spent the last 20 years helping to create the Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) Renaissance. On October 1, 2014, he founded his own consulting practice dedicated to building an even better DTLA and helping other downtowns to use the best practices he has developed for DTLA in their city centers.

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  • Gina M. Fields is an event host and a facilitator. She works with the Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles and Los Angeles County Dept. of Beaches and Harbor. It has been her honor to be Chairperson of Empowerment Congress West Area Neighborhood Development Council (ECWA) for 5 years and President of the McClung Bronson Block Club for 18 years.

    She is proud to be a community activist in the vibrant Leimert Park area, and South LA at large. She received her B.A. from UC Berkeley.

  • Shane Kalminski is a passionate community advocate with a love for neighborhood engagement and civic involvement. When not immersed in public service or managing social media strategies for various organizations, Shane enjoys attending live theater, hosting get-togethers for friends, and diving into good books or creative writing. With a talent for bringing people together, Shane focuses on creating welcoming spaces where everyone feels valued.

    Whether organizing neighborhood events or finding creative solutions to community challenges, Shane is committed to fostering connections, amplifying residents' voices, and making every corner of the Hollywood feel like home.

  • Marta Segura is the City of LA's first Chief Heat Officer and Director of the Office of Climate Emergency Mobilization (CEMO), whose mission is aligning Equity, Health, and Climate to create resilient, equitable communities protected from extreme heat and climate change. Under her leadership, CEMO has created the Heat Relief 4 LA campaign, the City's first Heat Action Framework, and the Cool Spots LA app via collaborative efforts aligned with various City plans and community voices. Most recently, Segura was a Program Officer for The California Endowment, a City planning commissioner, and a senior advisor to Mayor Garcetti.

  • Teresa has been instrumental in the development of campaigns such as ABC7 and the Southland Firefighters Spark of Love Toy Drive, which helps collect over 500,000 toys every year for underserved children and just celebrated 32 years of giving; PrepareSoCal, a year-round emergency preparedness initiative; Feed SoCAL, a hunger initiative to address the regional banks food shortage during the summer months and the Circle of Health, a yearlong initiative to help Southern California families and communities lead healthier lifestyles.

  • Margaret Irwin has served as Elder Director on the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council since 2019.

    Through the COVID pandemic to now, she has set up resources for the aging neighbors within her community. Leading volunteers to call on seniors, her work was mentioned in a New York Times article on how people were helping seniors during the pandemic shutdown.

    Margaret serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for Cornerstone Theater Company. She

    is committed to serving her community and the City of LA. She grew up in Nashville and has

    been a resident of Eagle Rock for 37 years.

  • Rebekah Guerra Day is the Community Engagement Management Analyst for the City of LA’s Board of Public Works, Climate Emergency Mobilization Office (CEMO). With over five years of experience in social services and stakeholder engagement, Rebekah is instrumental in mobilizing diverse communities to address the impacts of extreme heat and climate change. Their expertise in community engagement and public health, coupled with a strong commitment to social and climate justice, drives them to foster meaningful connections and inspire collective action toward a more resilient and equitable future for all.

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Amy Homma

  • Director and President, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

    Amy Homma is the Director and President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures where she works to enhance, deepen, and evolve the Academy Museum’s overall public and community profile and develop internal and external strategies to affirm and actualize the museum’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Homma leads the creative direction for the museum’s content and programming teams including Curatorial, Exhibition Design, Digital Strategy and Content, Film Programs, Education and Public Engagement, Community and Impact, and Publications to strategize and drive meaningful engagement with audiences of all backgrounds, abilities, and interests. Homma previously served as the Academy Museum’s chief audience officer and inaugural director—and then vice-president—of Education and Public Engagement, during which time she developed a team to helm the museum’s K- 12 programming, including the Shirley Temple Education Studio initiatives, as well as public programs ranging from lectures, symposia, and panels to in-gallery talks and online programming. Before her time at the Academy Museum, Homma was the acting deputy director of the Arts & Industries Building at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and director of digital learning at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Homma graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received her Master of Arts in Teaching from George Washington University.

  • Kay Hartman has served on the Palms Neighborhood Council, including as current President, previous Treasurer, and previous Area Representative, since 2019; the Congress of Neighborhoods Planning Committee, including as previous Vice Chair and previous Workshops Subcommittee Chair, since 2020; the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates, including as current Parliamentarian, previous Co Chair, and previous Vice Chair of Outreach, since 2021. She has a degree in Mathematics from California State University, Long Beach and worked in various positions in software development in her 42 year career.

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  • Meet Mihran, an expert Aerospace Engineer and a dedicated community representative!

    With a passion for integrating technical, procedural, and organizational changes into council operations, Mihran brings a wealth of experience in representing large communities and deepening civic engagement with LA City policies and ordinances.

    He also serves as President of the Winnetka Neighborhood Council.  

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  • Tristen is LASAN’s Neighborhood Council and BID Liaison. She joined LASAN in January as the Executive Division's Service Coordinator. Before joining LASAN, Tristen worked on the $2M Peace and Healing Center Pilot Program with the City’s Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department. Tristen began her City career in 2019 as a member of Council District 11's Field Staff under Councilmember Bonin’s administration. She started as a caseworker for the Venice/ MDR area and was promoted to District Director by the time she left in May 2022.

  • Jennifer McMillan is an educator and creative professional with extensive experience in virtual/online teaching, content creation, graphic design, and video editing. She serves as Media Coordinator for Empowerment Congress West Area (ECWA). In her spare time she loves cooking, watching sports, and personal development.

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  • Stacey has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. Her education and experience in performing arts has cumulated to a career of political activism relating to social justice and government accountability. Vocal strength and technique is a vital part of being an effective communicator; Stacey is grateful for the honor of sharing her skills with fellow NC board members and stakeholders.

  • Wendy is a former neighborhood councilmember and current commissioner for the Local Agency Formation of LA County. She has worked at Los Angeles Mission since 2016.

  • Amy Clarke is the Deputy Director of Operations for the City of LA’s Board of Public Works, Climate Emergency Mobilization Office (CEMO). A former SLNC Co-Chair/Board Member, Amy has over two decades of experience in community leadership/engagement, creative strategy, media relations, and public communication, and just began her 8th year of civil service with the City of LA. She is also a songwriter, musician, and artist well-versed in policy, research, project management, operations, and government administration. Amy is committed to sustainability, with themes of social justice, collective healing, and environmental preservation woven into her work.

  • Her expertise includes leadership development in communication dynamics and high-intensity conflict resolution with countless groups, including the U.S. Postal Service, dozens of schools and district offices in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the cities of Palmdale, Bell, Malibu, and Manhattan Beach among others, and community organizations such as Neighborhood Councils, using new communication techniques to raise the bar and empower groups and teams of all kinds to function more effectively. She has introduced her program concept, called the “New Social Contract”, which is an essential agreement to hold oneself fully accountable as a leader and role model within one's immediate organization / community, and in the public square at large

  • 30 years ago, Troy was homeless and a client of the Los Angeles Mission. He is now President and CEO of Los Angeles Mission. Troy has been working to end homelessness in Los Angeles for over 20 years. He has held executive roles with Shields for Families, the LAMP Community, and the Weingart Center for Homelessness.

  • Charles Miller, Chair of Los Angeles Climate Reality Project.  In 2022 he was part of the California delegation to the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15).   A certified California native plant and wildfire defense landscaper and LEED Green Associate, Miller serves as co-lead for USGBC-CA’s Advocacy Group.  His training includes a sustainability education from UCLA and Zero Waste training from the California Resource Recovery Association.   

    Miller serves on the LA County Metro Sustainability Council, the Board of Directors of Westwood Greenway and LANCSA while also CD5 representative on the LA Community Forest Advisory Committee.  He has served several elected terms with the Palms Neighborhood Council.

  • Lisa Hart is the executive director of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance (LANCSA) and is on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Green Committee. She represents the LANCSA on the LA28 sustainability working group, the South Coast Air Quality Management District Environmental Justice Advisory Group, and the LA County-City Just Transition Task Force. She is also on the SoCal Stop Artificial Turf Task Force executive committee. You can learn more about the LANCSA’s work at ncsa.la.

  • Director of Strategic Communications, Los Angeles City Ethics Commission

  • Awoe (ah-way) is an urban sustainability professional dedicated to building climate resilience in our communities and built environment. He currently supports building decarbonization efforts across California at the Air Resources Board. Awoe is passionate about empowering people to engage civically and fight for a just future. He pursues this through his activism with Urban Environmentalists LA and Sunrise Movement LA. Awoe also runs Fostering Our Earth, a newsletter and podcast exploring visions of a sustainable future through interviews and in-depth discussions.