THE
CONVERSATION
IN TIRELESS EFFORTS TO STRIVE FOR
A WORLD IN WHICH EVERY CHILD
AND FAMILY CAN OVERCOME THE
OBSTACLES THEY FACE — A WORLD
WHERE EVERYONE HAS THE
OPPORTUNITY TO THRIVE.
THE
RALPH M. PARSONS
FOUNDATION
WAYFINDER FAMILY
SERVICES
IS HONORED TO SUPPORT
WELCOME
Jay Allen, President and CEO, Wayfinder Family Services
Aspen Institute
LUNCH
WAYFINDER AWARDS
Dr. Harold A. Davidson
Camilla Walker
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
PANEL
MODERATOR
Val Zavala, award-winning journalist
PANELISTS
Alberto M. Carvalho
Superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District
Mark Ghaly, MD, MPH
Secretary
California Health and Human Services Agency
Debbie Innes-Gomberg, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
John Kobara
Chief Facilitator of Change, Random Acts of Progress
PROGRAM
WAYFINDER SPONSOR
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
INNOVATOR SPONSORS
City National Bank
Harold Davidson & Associates, Inc. Investment Counselors
Kaiser Permanente
RBC Wealth Management
VERIZON
CHAMPION SPONSORS
California Bank & Trust
Linda Myerson Dean
Andrea and Glenn Sonnenberg
ADVOCATE SPONSORS
Otis Blum
California Strategies
Paul Boyle, Psychology, Inc.
Peacock, Piper, Tong + Voss LLP
Thank you to our sponsors. Their generosity supports
Wayfinder Family Services’ life-changing programs and services to
children, youth and families.
SPONSORS
PANELIST Dr. Mark Ghaly was appointed Secretary of the
California Health and Human Services Agency in early 2019 by
Governor Gavin Newsom. In serving California, Dr. Ghaly has the
privilege of working with partners across sectors and disciplines
to improve the lives and life chances of ALL Californians.
This has been especially true during our response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Ghaly is a primary care pediatrician
who continues to use his clinical and community experiences,
working in California’s health care safety net system, to inform a whole person,
whole community approach to integrating services so they are equity-anchored
and person-centered for ALL, but especially the most vulnerable Californians.
Dr. Ghaly holds the deep belief that together our collective efforts can not only
serve Californians well today but set us on a path where ALL Californians have
a brighter and healthier future. Nothing he does can be done well without the
support of his wife, Dr. Christina Ghaly, and his four young children.
PANELIST Alberto M. Carvalho has served as
Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD) since February 2022. Since then, he has led the
development and implementation of the District’s 2022-2026
Strategic Plan, as well as LAUSD’s Education Transformation
Office, Cultural Arts Passport, and Family Academy. Through
his efforts, LAUSD has also strengthened relationships with
local municipalities, made progress in greening schools, and
secured upgraded credit ratings, generating millions in savings.
Prior to LAUSD, Carvalho led Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS).
During his 14-year tenure, M-DCPS became one of the nation’s highest-
performing urban school systems, winning the 2012 Broad Prize, earning
systemwide accreditation from AdvancED, and receiving numerous accolades
from the College Board and Magnet Schools of America. As a result of his
transformational leadership, Carvalho has been recognized as Superintendent
of the Year by AASA, the Council of the Great City Schools, and the National
Association for Bilingual Education.
Carvalho has been appointed to several boards, committees, and task
forces, including the National Assessment Governing Board and the National
Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. He currently serves on
the Advisory Committee for the Harvard Program on Education Policy and
Governance, the Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council, the Posse
Foundation, and the Aspen Institute’s Planet Media Task Force, among others.
THE PANEL
THE PANEL
PANELIST Dr. Debbie Innes-Gomberg is a Deputy Director
for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health with
responsibility for Quality Improvement, Quality Assurance,
Outcomes and Training.
Over the course of her 31 year career with Los Angeles
County, she has assumed leadership roles, overseeing the
administration of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) from
2009 to 2019, outcome evaluation from 2006 until the present, prevention
services, adult services, Jail Mental Health Services and served as a District Chief
for the Long Beach/South Bay areas of Los Angeles County for 6 years.
Dr. Innes-Gomberg is a member of the American and California Psychological
Associations, as well as their Public Service Divisions (CPA- Div. 4 and APA- Div
18). She was the 2023 Chair of the California Quality Improvement Committee
(CalQIC) Conference. She has served as the Co-Chair of the County Behavioral
Health Directors’ Association’s (CBHDA) MHSA Committee, including a member
of its Governing Board. She is a leader in LA County and across the state on
outcome evaluation of public mental health programs.
PANELIST John Kobara considers himself a facilitator of
change. He founded Random Acts of Progress, to assist and
coach organizations and individuals to align their work to their
passions to fully express their potential to build a more joyful,
equitable, just, and compassionate world.
His popular Adopting a Compassionate and Philanthropic Career
and Lifestyle has been delivered to thousands of attendees all
over the world. His work on compassionate leadership has been the subject of his
more than 600 blog posts.
John worked primarily in the non-profit arena, interrupted by for-profit work,
public-sector jobs and three pioneering start-ups. For 12 years, he served as EVP
and COO for the California Community Foundation.
John serves on the boards of the MLK Community Hospital Foundation,
Cities4Peace, Japanese American National Museum, Social Benefit Navigator,
Southern California Golf Foundation and Walden University.
John was a Coro Fellow in LA and earned degrees from UCLA, USC, and
Occidental College.
THE PANEL
MODERATOR Val Zavala spent 30 years as a broadcast
journalist at KCET public television in Los Angeles winning
numerous journalism awards, including 19 L.A. Area Emmy®
Awards. She retired in 2018. During her time at LA’s preeminent
PBS station she served as a reporter, anchor, producer and
V.P. of News and Public Affairs. For much of that time she was
also anchor of Life & Times and executive producer/anchor of
SoCal Connected. She covered a broad spectrum of Southern
California issues including politics, education, healthcare, environment,
demographics, the economy, arts and culture.
She received her undergraduate degree from Yale University and a master's in
journalism from American University in Washington D.C.
She currently serves on the board of the combined KCET and PBS SoCal public
broadcasting company and is very involved in local community. She lives in
Altadena with her artist-husband Mark and their dog Casey.
Dr. Harold Davidson is President of Harold
Davidson & Associates, Inc.; a Los Angeles
based investment-counseling firm founded
over 40 years ago. His firm provides portfolio
management services for individual and
institutional clients in stocks, bonds, and real
estate investments.
Harold Davidson earned his bachelor’s, master’s,
and doctoral degree in Finance and Urban
Economics from USC. He was previously a
professor of Finance and Real Estate at both USC
and UCLA.
Harold’s philanthropic activities include currently serving as a board member for
Wayfinder Family Services (formerly Junior Blind), where he served as Treasurer
for 12 years followed by Chairman of the Board for 12 years; former Vice Chairman
of the Board of Trustees and current board member for the Luskin Orthopaedic
Institute for Children for over 28 years; and on the Board of Governors for Cedars-
Sinai Medical Center. Harold was Past International President of Zeta Beta Tau
Fraternity and has served as Executive Director of the USC Chapter of ZBT for
the past 30 years. He received such awards as “Man of Distinction” from the
International Fraternity of ZBT and together with his wife, Nadine, the Lifetime
Achievement from Hillcrest Country Club in 2016. Harold has also been a member
of the Water Buffalo Club for over 30 years.
WAYFINDER HONOREES
Camilla Walker is a senior vice
president and senior Relationship
Manager within the Commercial Banking
division of City National Bank. In this
role she provides credit, treasury
management, and ancillary banking
products to middle market companies
across various industries.
Ms. Walker has 20 years of financial
services experience. Prior to helping
start City National’s Westside office,
she worked in Investment Banking at
Wachovia Securities, Private Equity at
Bank of America, Portfolio Risk and Analytics at Ares Management, and
Commercial Banking at Wells Fargo Bank.
Ms. Walker graduated summa cum laude with highest honors from
University of Georgia. She has been recognized as a top banker with two
President’s Circle Awards. Ms. Walker serves as co-chair of the Los Angeles
Walk to End Alzheimer's and co-chair of the Wayfinder Family Services
Impact Council. She leads the Commercial Banking Educational Series and
serves as a member of its sales advisory council.
WAYFINDER HONOREES
WAYFINDER HONOREES
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation was established in 1961 by the founder of the
Ralph M. Parsons Company, a renowned global firm specializing in engineering
and construction. In 1976, the Foundation became fully independent from the
company, in which it now has no financial interests. Today, the Foundation and
Parsons Corporation are completely separate entities and share only Mr. Parsons’
name.
The Foundation's grantmaking focuses on work within Los Angeles County, one
of the most exciting, dynamic, complex, and quickly evolving environments in
the country. The region’s racial, ethnic, cultural and economic diversity presents
extraordinary opportunities for nonprofits seeking to create healthy and vibrant
communities and improve the lives of the people they serve.
The Parsons Foundation strives to support the work of the County’s best nonprofit
organizations, recognizing that communities thrive when all individuals are able
to access the resources they need to feel safe, stable, and engaged. The majority
of their grantmaking is for unrestricted general operating support because they
recognize that organizations need flexibility in order to fulfill their missions and
meet community needs. To strengthen the fabric of Los Angeles, they invest
in highly effective civic and cultural, education, health, and human services
organizations. The focus is on agencies providing direct services.
To The Foundation, success is measured by the achievements of the people their
grantees serve. They are grateful to their nonprofit partners who work tirelessly
to realize a positive vision for Los Angeles, and they celebrate the astounding
accomplishments of these high-performing nonprofits through their grantmaking.
WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT WAYFINDER FAMILY SERVICES
AND THEIR MISSION IN ENSURING THAT THE NEEDS OF
CHILDREN, YOUTH AND ADULTS ARE SERVED.
HAROLD DAVIDSON & ASSOCIATES, INC.
INVESTMENT COUNSELORS
ABOUT US
The Aspen Institute is a nonpartisan forum for values-based
leadership and the exchange of ideas. Founded in 1947, The Aspen
Institute is committed to creating a more free, just, and equitable
society. We drive change through dialogue, leadership, and action
to help solve society’s greatest challenges. For more than 70
years, the Aspen Institute has earned a reputation for excellence in
bringing together thoughtful people with diverse backgrounds and
points of view; cultivating and supporting values-based, purpose
driven leaders; and turning ideas into action and impact.
The Society of Fellows (SOF) is a national community of Aspen
Institute supporters, who actively participate in the Aspen
Institute’s programs, act as advocates and ambassadors, and help
sustain the Institute’s mission. Founded in 1964, SOF provides
important unrestricted support that advances all facets of the
Institute’s work.
To learn more:
www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/society-of-fellows
Aspen Institute Society of Fellows
ABOUT US
At Wayfinder, we understand the unique challenges facing some of
our state’s most vulnerable children, youth and adults. Those with
disabilities, those without a home of their own, those who have
been abused and many, many more. We believe in the amazing
potential in, and for, each and every one of them. And, together,
we find a way to turn that potential into reality. We strive to give
everyone at Wayfinder...
A CHANCE TO THRIVE
Early childhood development, special education, recreation,
residential rehabilitation and workforce development programs give
people of all ages who have disabilities the opportunity to thrive.
A SAFE HAVEN
Safe, temporary shelter for youth who have been removed from
their homes for the first time due to abuse or neglect; group homes
for those with severe disabilities; and medical and mental health
services to build resiliency in community residents and clients in
our programs.
A LOVING FAMILY
Foster care and adoption services that ensure that every child has
the opportunity to be part of a safe, nurturing, lifelong family.
To learn more: www.wayfinderfamily.org
Harold,
Your family comes together with immense pride to honor
your remarkable contributions to Wayfinder Family Services.
Your leadership, dedication, passion, and tireless effort in
the mission to support vulnerable children, youth and their
families is exemplary.
We lovingly remember Davre and Charlotte Davidson. Your
service is such an honor to their legacy at the Foundation
for the Junior Blind.
It is with the love of the Davidson-Farkas-Harris families
that we say “Congratulations” and wish you many more
years of continued service.
Celia Davidson Farkas & Les Mayers
Debi and Neal Harris (Prior Board Member)
Alisa and Craig Farkas
Carin and Scott Farkas (Past Board Chair)
Dustin, Bailey & Charlotte Harris
Aaron & Courtney Farkas
Reed & Dori Farkas
We are proud to support Waynder Family Services
and congratulate Harold Davidson for his
well deserved recognition of decades of service.
Together, thousands of lives are changed for the
better every year.
ALPERSTEIN, SIMON, FARKAS,
GILLIN & SCOTT, LLP
Scott and Carin Farkas
Joel and Sylvia Simon
Richard A. Luftman
Celebrating a place
where everyone can
move forward.
Verizon is a proud supporter of
Wayfinder Family Services and
their missiontogive everyone the
resources they need to thrive.
HNW_NRG_B_Inset_NoMask
Investment and insurance products: • Not insured by the FDIC
or any other federal government agency • Not a deposit of, or
guaranteed by, the bank or an affiliate of the bank • May lose value
© 2023 RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, registered
investment adviser and Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC. 23-BH-02837 (10/23)
Proud to support
Wayfinder Family Services
For over 100 years, a commitment to our communities has been
one of RBC Wealth Management’s core values. We are proud of
our reputation for corporate citizenship and believe our most
visible imprint is through the great work being done by the
organizations we support.
Strengthening your financial security
SM
To learn more about RBC Wealth Management,
please visit one of our Southern California branches
or visit us.rbcwm.com/southernca.
23-BH-02837_SouthernCA_WayfinderFamilyServices_AD_TH_FINAL.indd 123-BH-02837_SouthernCA_WayfinderFamilyServices_AD_TH_FINAL.indd 1 10/10/23 11:00 AM10/10/23 11:00 AM
To Harold Davidson:
As a former Foundation for the Junior Blind
leader, it was a pleasure working with your
family.
I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you
on being honored for your outstanding service
as a board member.
This well-deserved recognition serves as a
testament to the positive impact you've had on
the community.
Annette Shapiro
Linda
Myerson
Dean
Proudly contributing to
a stronger community.
A division of Zions Bancorporation, N.A. Member FDIC
Proud to support Wayfinder Family Services
Erica Fernandez
SVP, Region Manager
(916) 341-4910
calbanktrust.com
With great appreciation to
Jay Allen and the amazing team
at Wayfinder Family Services for
all they do to make our world a
better place.
Andrea and Glenn Sonnenberg
— CONGRATULATIONS —
Harold A. Davidson
Camilla Walker
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
from
Miki Jordan and Dave Emenhiser
Nick A Weber, CFP®, AIF®, CRPS®
Wealth Manager
Ofce: (916) 932-4101 ext 16
1110 Iron Point Road, Suite 160
Folsom, CA 95630
CA Insurance License# 0F60861
[email protected]
www.nickweberwealth.com
Nick A Weber, CFP®, AIF®, CRPS®, is licensed to sell securities in CA, AZ, CO, FL, ID, MS, NC, NM,
NV, OR, TN, and TX. The Investment Fiduciary standard of care applies to advisory services only.
Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Nick A. Weber, Registered
Representative. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Iron Point Financial
Advisors, Inc., and the Securities America Companies are separate entities. www.nra.org, www.sipc.org
1
: Please consider the charges, risks, expenses, and investment objectives carefully before investing. A prospectus containing
this and other information about the pooled-income fund can be obtained from your nancial professional. Read it carefully
before you invest or send money.
The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any
federal tax penalties. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specic information regarding your individual situation
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WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER.
At Kaiser Permanente, we don’t see health as an industry. We see it as a cause.
And one that we very much believe in. During this extraordinary time we are
especially thankful to the heroism of our frontline workers. And, we would
like to express our deepest gratitude to all of our outstanding care teams and
individuals who deliver on the Kaiser Permanente mission each day to improve
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21,000+
children, youth, adults
and family members
served annually
1 million+
hours of critical services provided
100%
free of charge
services
9 Is proud to be a trauma-informed organization that
provides a safe, nurturing environment to increase
resilience in all clients
9 Provides services to more children who are blind than
any other nonprofit in California
9 Possesses the expertise to assist children with vision
impairment and multiple disabilities
9 Operates the only short-term shelter for foster
children that accepts infants and toddlers in
Los Angeles County
9 Advances equity and strives to improve the social
determinants of health for our clients and families
9 One of the largest statewide foster care and adoption
agencies in California
learn more:
WE ARE
INVESTED IN
THE FAMILIES
WE SERVE
California American Water is proud to
support Waynder Family Services and
the Aspen Institute Society of Fellows.
Our customers are our neighbors,
friends and family.