CCEA Plus 2025 Surf's Up! Riding the Waves of Opportunity

I am the Chief Executive Officer of Parents, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action (PESA). PESA was formed in 2013. PESA is the supporting non-profit of the Los Angeles Superior Court Teen Court Program that collaborates with Los Angeles County School Districts providing opportunities for high school students to actively participate in a Restorative Justice Program that involves actual cases. PESA also has countywide contracts with the Probation Department to provide Educational/Vocational Services to youthful probationers. PESA also provides support to school districts to reduce chronic absenteeism. PESA is also connected to multiple CTE/Linked Learning programs in Los Angeles County.

For the vast majority of my professional life I have been a criminal defense attorney, handling death penalty cases. These cases as well as others required creating a social history of the client. These social histories allowed me to learn what caused these individuals to make the wrong decisions and go down the wrong path. I have utilized that knowledge to create impactful programs at PESA to prevent others from making these poor life decisions and going down the wrong path.