Dr. Bill Baker is the son of Edwin and Dorothy Baker and is a retired software developer and manager. He has multiple degrees culminating in a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. During his career he focused on project management and process improvement.
Lisa Bode Heard worked for Nordstrom Risk Management for over 35 years handling employee prevention and injury claims and was awarded the Nordstrom Corporate Risk Management Employee of the Year. She is the current the alto soloist of the First Congregational Church of Long Beach and is very active on many church boards, committees and outreach programs. Her other love is performing and she has been seen in productions from New York to Los Angeles, including The Mark Taper Forum/Center Theatre Group and REDCAT. She can also be heard singing on musical versions of multiple children's books, including The Great Kapok Tree and The Kite that Bridged Two Nations and is a founding member of Three Special Girls/Orphean Circus.
Heather Chambers is the Treasurer and longtime supporter of DAYS Long Beach. She has worked with tax-exempt organizations since the late 1970s. Heather graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, returned to school, and in 1993 received her CPA license. Heather runs the family accounting business, Heather R Chambers CPA Inc., and has served as Treasurer of DAYS Long Beach since 2005.
Byron Jobin-Reyes, appointed to the Board in 2022, is a professional photographer who works all over the country covering large events, festivals, concerts, and expos while also serving the needs of private clients for weddings, portraiture, and headshot photography. He also works as a graphic designer, creating visual material, artwork, and marketing pieces for both print and web media. Byron has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Cal Poly Pomona and has been a member of First Congregational Church of Long Beach since 2018. He has served on the Board of Social Justice and Outreach, as well as the Welcome Ministry Team, and he has lent his considerable marketing, design, and photography skills to many efforts across the church. He and his husband, Sebastian, helped deliver food and gifts for DAYS Long Beach’ 2020 Holiday Gift Program, and he recently documented the COVID-19 vaccine education and administration event at Lincoln Elementary on behalf of DAYS Long Beach.
Julie Lie has lived in Long Beach for over 35 years and received her Master's degree in Civil Engineering from CSULB. She has been active in the community and previously served on the Boards of Leadership Long Beach, local United Way, Urban Community Outreach (UCO), several local community/ progressive political groups and the American Society of Civil Engineers. She was Executive Director of UCO from 2018 to 2020 and presently works for the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion, a new community development corporation that aims to increase the financial standing of underserved communities in Long Beach. She currently serves as an at-large member on the City's Homeless Services Advisory Committee and an active volunteer with St. Luke's Outreach/Shower Program and DAYS Long Beach. Julie is passionate about helping people secure basic needs in our community.
Dr. Kirsten Pickus serves as the Chairperson of DAYS Long Beach. Kirsten is a former grantmaker and director of community outreach for a large healthcare system and presently works as a consultant to community-based organizations. After earning her doctorate in community health planning from UC Irvine in 2001, she taught an innovative, interdisciplinary course on HIV/AIDS at the university, drawing on her background as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist working with people affected by HIV/AIDS, as well as her expertise in understanding psychosocial factors relating to illness, health promotion strategies, and public policy. She has a passion for relationship-building, social justice, and music.
Dominique Quevedo oversees all the domestic violence, family law and immigration work for LAFLA, including three courthouse-based domestic violence clinics. Dominique serves on the executive committee of the Long Beach Police Department Women’s Advisory Council and oversees compliance within the Foundation. In 2009, she received the Cal State University, Long Beach Lilian Robles award by the President’s Commission on the Status of Women and the Department of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies for her legal advocacy efforts. In 2013, End Abuse awarded Dominique the Domestic Violence Advocacy Award for her work with victims of violence in Long Beach. Dominique has worked at LAFLA since 2006. Prior to her role as Managing Attorney, she was a senior attorney within the Supporting Families Workgroup. In that capacity, she oversaw several pro bono projects. She has created fruitful partnerships with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Dominique received her JD from Loyola Law School, her Master’s Degree of Social Welfare from UCLA and her undergraduate degree from Westmont College.
Jesse Quinteros Nunez earned a Masters of Science in School Counseling from California State University, Long Beach and is currently the Head Counselor at Avalon K-12 school within the Long Beach Unified School District. In 2007, Jesse joined DAYS Long Beach as a program member and has worked with DAYS since then in different capacities both inside and outside of the classroom. In 2018, Jesse became the Program Director, allowing him to provide direct support to staff and oversight of the project. I’m 2020, Jesse was the recipient of The Dorothy Baker Award for his work with DAYS Long Beach and other community partners who helped distribute resources to families impacted by COVID-19.
Estefanie Rodriguez Munoz, appointed to the Board in 2022, came to the United States at the age of five and became a DACA recipient her senior year of high school, which allowed her to achieve her dream of going to college. She attended UC Santa Cruz and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a minor in Legal Studies. Her passion to help the community is what drives her forward to apply the tools learned and developed. She was an intern with Congressman Lowenthal of the 47th District, worked at DAYS Long Beach, and volunteered for Leaders Long Beach. She is currently working at a social service agency providing services to children diagnosed with autism. She is always looking for a way to give back and support her community.
Robert Stapp earned his BA and MCM in music and served as Minister of Music at three churches over a period of 27 years. In addition, he has extensive experience in human resources having worked with several non-profits, Director of Human Resources at Antioch University Los Angeles, and as the head of human resources for the State Bank of India in California. Robert has a strong commitment to immigrant rights and has for more than 40 years helped directly in the resettlement of refugees and advocating for asylum seekers.
Dr. Norma Stoltz Chinchilla is Professor Emeritus from the Departments of Sociology and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at California State University Long Beach where she was a member of the faculty since 1982. She has published books and articles on the impact of immigration on the Greater Los Angeles area and how Los Angeles, in turn, has been shaped by its immigrant residents. Dr. Chinchilla has received a number of awards for her immigration-related academic and activist work including the Lifetime Achievement Award for Contributions to Central American Studies from the Lozano-Long Institute and the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas. She is a member of the Social Justice Council of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach and the co-founder and former Executive Director of the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition. Currently, she coordinates the Long Beach Immigration Forum an network of individuals who work as volunteers in immigrant-serving programs and advocate for immigration policies that are more just, humane and pragmatic.
Nancy Valencia, the Executive Director of DAYS Long Beach, is a Long Beach native, attended LBUSD elementary and middle schools, graduated from Long Beach Jordan High School, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and teaching credential from California State University, Long Beach. Nancy worked as a counselor with Harbor Area Halfway House, reuniting female offenders with their families and providing resources for employment, housing drug counseling, and parenting classes. She taught elementary school in Long Beach Unified School District and Norwalk/La Mirada School District and in 2002 became a member of the Board of the DAYS Long Beach and in 2004 she became the Executive Director. Nancy is passionately committed to issues relating to children and social justice and is also a member of the board of Comunidades Con Poder Para El Cambio (CPC), and served on The Building Healthy Communities (BHC) School Work Group.
Cara Varnell is a long-time supporter of the DAYS Long Beach and has been involved with all aspects of the organization from management and planning issues to writing grants and coordinating fundraising events to teaching art, design and anything else needed for DAYSLB. She is an art conservator and since 1980 has worked for major museums around the country. For the past 20 years, she has been the owner of a private art conservation business in Los Angeles with a client list that includes museums and archives throughout the US and Europe as well as corporate and private collections
Dr. Kristine Zentgraf is Chairperson and Professor of Sociology at California State University Long Beach. In 2011, she received the CSULB Community Service Award. Recently, Dr. Zentgraf was honored as one of the 2015 Women of Distinction Award winners for the 70th Assembly District of Patrick O’Donnell. Dr. Zentgraf, was nominated by several CSULB faculty members and community members, for her commitment to immigrant rights, comprehensive immigration reform, and for her unwavering support for undocumented students at CSULB. For the past 15 years, Dr. Zentgraf has worked with the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition, a grass-roots community-based organization working for more humane and just immigration policies with greater respect for all immigrants.