An accomplished leader with over 20 years of management experience including 14 years in the long-term care field, Corinne leads the strategic work of CLTCEC. Since joining as Executive Director in 2013, Corinne has reimagined the mission, vision, and values of CLTCEC to ensure that workers are prepared to meet the growing demands of long-term care.

As a subject matter expert, Corinne has spoken to the value brought to the health care system by training nursing home workers and MediCal funded In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) home care providers at the American Society on Aging annual conference, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), and the California Future Healthcare Workforce Commission. She has successfully led CLTCEC to train over 8,000 IHSS providers, with funding primarily from a Health Care Innovation Award from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Innovation (CMMI). This project produced the first study to find that training home care workers is associated with both better health outcomes and cost savings.

In 2017 Corinne established two innovative funding partnerships with Health Net and L.A. Care Health Plan to provide training for IHSS home care providers in Los Angeles. She also serves on the Advisory Committee for UCLA’s Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (UCLA GWEP) and on the Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP) Executive Advisory Board.

Corinne is a graduate of California State University-Los Angeles and worked in entertainment prior to joining the labor movement to work on behalf of nursing home workers and their residents. Corinne’s dedication to improving the long-term care system through education was inspired by seeing the challenges women in her family experienced as caregivers and the impact quality care can have on seniors’ life spans and quality of life. Married for nearly 10 years and a mother to two young girls, Corinne practices yoga and is inspired by the outdoors.

As a physician and researcher, Carlos brings an extraordinary depth of knowledge and personal commitment to his role as Lead Instructor for the IHSS+ Training Program at the CLTCEC.

“I see teaching as an act of empowerment,” Carlos says. “It is gratifying for me to see ourstudents realize their potential to improve the quality of the healthcare system.”

He grew up in Cuba, where he earned his medical doctorate from Havana University and practiced as a physician for 14 years. Carlos emigrated to the United States in 1998 due to an invitation from a group of UCLA researchers. Carlos has held several post-doctoral positions, conducting research projects at the UCLA/Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and subsequently earned an MPH in Epidemiology at the UCLA/Fielding School of Public Health. Carlos earned the 2009 New Investigator Award from the International Society of Quality of Life Research. He is the lead author on nearly 20 scientific publications.

Carlos is a gifted instructor with a passion for educating students from underserved communities, immigrant communities and communities of color. He began teaching in the Havana School of Medicine in Cuba and has since held faculty positions with Los Angeles Community College (LACC), Newbridge College, and Westwood College, where Carlos was nominated as the Faculty of the Year in 2013.

At the CLTCEC, Carlos leads an exceptionally diverse team of instructors who are fluent in Spanish, Armenian, Cantonese, Mandarin and Korean. His goal: to drive culturally competent programs that aim to empower caregivers and reduce healthcare costs. During his tenure at CLTCEC, Carlos has contributed to the education of more than 1,000 home care workers.

“Through education,” he says, “We are helping to improve the quality of healthcare across the system.” The process of teaching is always a process of learning. While I'm educating my students about their vital roles as Home Care Providers, the Home Care Field has taught me the critical role that home care workers play on outstanding concepts such as health promotion, disease prevention, and disease recovery. I hope in the near future clinicians and health plans in general could address it more exhaustively.``

Charles is fluent in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Taiwanese, which has been an invaluable resource given the diversity of the CLTCEC’s students. Like several of our instructors, Charles has a background in medicine and healthcare administration. He earned his medical degree at Autonomous University of Central America, San Jose, Costa Rica and his Master of Health Administration at the University of Southern California.

He has spent most of his career in the elder care industry. Before joining the CLTCEC, Charles worked at and adult day health center/community-based adult services program where he supervised a multidisciplinary team to serve the Asian community.

Karine has served as an instructor with CLTCEC since 2014. She brings a wealth of clinical experience as an RN at facilities including Olive View UCLA Medical Center, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Glendale Community College, and Family Care ADHC. Her teaching experience include serving as preceptor to college students. She has volunteered for nearly ten years at the Glendale Community Free Health Clinic, providing medical assistant services. Karine earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from West Coast University, where she graduated cum laude. As lifelong learner, she plans to pursue a Master of Science in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN/FNP) program.

``Through education, compassion, and kindness towards each individual,” Karine says, “We will improve the health and quality of our community.``

Naira is a registered nurse with expertise in promoting quality, patient-centered care and a passion to serve her community. She earned her bachelor’s in nursing from West Coast University and has certifications in CPR and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Naira has held positions as an RN and case manager at a number of healthcare providers in Los Angeles County, including Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente and Providence Tarzana Medical Center. Naira is fluent in Armenian and Russian, which is an invaluable asset to the CLTCEC.

Soo Young has over seven years of work experience as a RN and 10 years of experience as an IHSS homecare worker for a developmentally disabled family member.

She has held nursing positions at Davita / Montebello, Pioneer Region, Sanctuary Hospice in Downey, and Fresenius Medical Center in Los Angeles.

At CLTCEC she previously served for three years as the lead instructor for CLTCEC’s 17 week classes class, teaching classes in Korean as well as supervising and coaching instructors.

She holds an associate’s degree in nursing from Los Angeles City College, and a bachelor of arts in English Education from Ewha Woman’s University, Seoul, South Korea.

As the parent of and primary caregiver for a child with autism, she is certified in Behavior Therapy, Floor-time Therapy, Social & Play Therapy. She served as a volunteer as an RN at Young Nak Presbyterian Church and as President of Andy Lim Autism Foundation, Inc.

Antonio is a physician with a lifelong commitment to improving the health of families and communities. He grew up in Cuba, where he earned his medical doctorate with a specialty in family medicine and OB/Gyn from Universidad de Ciencias Medicas de Santiago de Cuba. He emigrated to the US in 2011, where he has dedicated himself to medical education.

“As an instructor for the CLTCEC, I am gratified to work with IHSS providers,” Antonio says. They have a tremendous responsibility as a member of the consumer’s healthcare team. For example, properly administering medications is critically important to the health and well-being of the care recipients. It is also important for providers to understand when it is appropriate to seek out emergency care in order to reduce the burden on the healthcare system and reduce
hospitalizations. Through my work, I am helping to improve healthcare quality throughout the community.”

Susie brings 13 years of experience in program development, partner relations, and marketing to her role as CLTCEC’s Director of Home Care Programs. She previously served as Director for the COPE Health Scholar program, a healthcare experiential education program with over 4,200 students. At COPE, Susie worked closely with the CEO to develop new initiatives for strategic growth and was responsible for specialized programs that built on COPE’s Health Scholar training.

Susie holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UC San Diego. Her language skills include fluency in Korean and basic proficiency in Spanish and French.

“I believe education is a powerful tool for empowerment,” Susie says. “Through CLTCEC’s training program for home care workers, I hope we can improve the quality of life for both providers and consumers.”

With a deep interest in public policy and systems change and a commitment to improving communities JC is passionate about improving the lives of Angelenos. He has extensive experience organizing and mobilizing people living in underrepresented neighborhoods.

His previous positions include Internal Organizer for SEIU United Service Workers West-Janitorial Division, Regional Field Director for Terra Strategies- Political Consulting Firm, and Field Organizer for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

JC holds a Master of Social Work, Community Organization, and Administration from the University of Southern California.

Fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and English, Jen joined CLTCEC in 2017 as a home care intern and was soon promoted to field coordinator.

Chen founded and successfully ran two businesses The Pink Lady Collection and Chen’s Family Products. He has direct experience as a caregiver for his father and is also an active member of SEIU Local 2015.

Jen is an early immigrant from Taiwan who grew up in a poor family with his father. “Life has never been easy for me, as my father had a stroke when he was 65 years old. I became his primary caregiver until he passed away 4 years ago. I thought I was the unluckiest person in the world, but my mind changed after I started working in our organization. The stories of others taking care of a child or taking care of parents or spouses while working so hard every day and living in poverty is something I can easily empathize with. So many others are struggling with their lives, fighting different things every day and their stories encourage me to provide help for them in the best way I can.``

Syuzanna has dedicated her career to advancing health education, with a focus on culturally competent and linguistically diverse approaches that meet the needs of underserved communities. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Los Angeles and her Master of Public Health at California State University, Northridge. While in her master’s program, Syuzanna spent a year as a home care provider through the In-Home Support Services (IHSS) program, which gave her real-life experience and insight into the challenges faced by caregivers. She is fluent in Armenian, which has been invaluable as she serves multilingual communities.

Syuzanna joined the CLTCEC in 2015 as a Program Coordinator and today she is the Director of Programs for the CLTCEC’s Nursing Home Education Fund. She leads a statewide team dedicated to improving educational opportunities for certified nurse assistants and other nursing home workers as well as increasing the pool of skilled health workers to meet the needs of a rapidly growing senior population.

Brenda is a seasoned administrative professional with extensive experience in the healthcare and higher education sectors. Her previous experience includes a position as a Scholarship Assistant for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, providing administrative support to senior leadership and assisting students, parents, and educational administrators with questions and concerns regarding financial aid. Prior to joining the Education Fund, Brenda also held positions as a staffing coordinator and compliance coordinator for healthcare staffing agencies, which informs her work in her current position as a program assistant.

Adi has a long-standing commitment to delivering culturally competent education in a variety of settings.

She holds a certificate in Early Childhood Education and worked as a teacher aide for an elementary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District prior to joining the CLTCEC.

Early in her career, Adi worked as a material handler for a healthcare equipment and supplies company. It was here that she developed the administrative skills that are invaluable in her current role.

Adi’s work is strongly influenced by her deep faith. She is dedicated to developing and maintaining productive relationships with program partners, including nursing home supervisors, nursing home staff, and education providers. Her fluency in Spanish enables her to engage with nursing home staff from underserved populations.

Ernesto brings a passion for social justice to his work as field coordinator for the CLTCEC. He earned his bachelor’s in Political Science/Chicana/o Studies from California State University, Northridge. Prior to joining the CLTCEC, Ernesto held a variety of staff positions for political candidates and elected officials, including Congressman Tony Cárdenas in Washington, D.C.

Ernesto’s experience on political campaigns informs his work as a field coordinator with the CLTCEC. His job responsibilities include recruiting certified nurse assistants and other nursing home workers for continuing education programs to develop their skills and set them on a path to career advancement.

“The people who do this work struggle to provide high-quality and compassionate care while also dealing with the challenges of long hours and a stressful work environment,” Ernesto says. “We want to let them know that there are people who do care about them and want them to succeed and advance in their careers.”

Sonia joined the CLTCEC in 2014 as a program assistant and has since assumed increasing levels of responsibility within the organization. In her current role as a field coordinator for the Education Fund, Sonia is responsible for recruiting nursing home workers into CLTCEC training programs, with a focus on enrolling housekeeping staff into our newly launched Certified Nurse Assistant Training Program.

“It isn’t just a matter of enrolling people in training,” Sonia says. “Many of our workers have spent 10 years or more in housekeeping roles. They need a lot of personal coaching and emotional support to make the leap to pursue an education and career advancement. We let them know it’s never too late to improve yourself and continue learning.”

Before joining the CLTCEC, Sonia earned her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles and her master’s in educational counseling from the University of La Verne. Her previous positions include serving as a program service assistant for the California Student Opportunity and Access Program, which supports low-income students who are first in their families to attend college, and as a resident advisor for the Migrant Education Summer Institute at the University of La Verne.

Julia has demonstrated a deep commitment to empowering low-wage workers, communities of color and women in the workplace. As a student at San Francisco State University, Julia worked as a Grassroots Organizer for the Bay Area Restaurant Workers’ Movement and interned with Women’s Building, assisting migrant women with writing resumes, job applications and interview coaching. After graduating with dual bachelor’s degrees in Labor and Employment Studies and Latino/a Studies, Julia worked as an organizer for UNITE HERE, a labor organization representing hotel workers. In her current position as a Field Coordinator for the Education Fund, Julia engages Certified Nurse Assistants and other nursing home workers to take advantage of training benefits available to them as members of SEIU Local 2015.

Since joining CLTCEC as Application Development Manager in 2013, Ken has transformed our data systems, developed multiple software applications including an online class course platform, and greatly improved the organization’s efficiency overall.

Ken has over 20 years of experience in the production and direction of front end, middleware, and back end applications and services with an emphasis on hosted administration systems and multimedia presentations. Previously Ken served as Senior Technologist and Vimation and Senior Web & Media Developer at Virtual Image Consulting.

When not building applications at CLTCEC, Ken is an avid musician.

Lucia has had an extensive career in non-profit financial management. She has a master’s degree in accountancy from the University of Phoenix. Her previous roles include serving as a contacts and grants coordinator with the University of Southern California, as the fiscal director for the Institute for Leadership Development and Education, and Chief Financial Officer for Mental Health America of Los Angeles. As the Finance Manager for the CLTCEC, Lucia is responsible for day to day accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, and the annual audit.

Lucia’s work is guided by the words of Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh: “If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear hardship today.”

Jasmine brings exceptional organizational skills to CLTCEC, supporting our Executive and Operations Directors across a wide range of functions, including human resources, logistics, and finance. Before joining the CLTCEC, Jasmine spent 11 years with AT&T Mobility, where she was promoted from Lead Sales Consultant to Operations and Assistant Store Manager. Her responsibilities included providing sales staff with coaching and training, as well as a wide variety of operational functions including data analysis and reporting to budget monitoring and policy compliance.

“As much as I enjoyed my time with the private sector, I always felt hollow and like I had betrayed my calling,” Jasmine says. “I was very excited when I found the opportunity at CLTCEC. I feel fortunate to be able to finally use my skills with an organization that truly makes a difference.”

She holds a bachelor’s in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Interpersonal and Organizational Structures, with a minor in Criminal Justice, from California State University Long Beach.

Bio coming soon!

Alisa is a communications strategist who leads the design and execution of digital communications campaigns for progressive organizations and non-profits. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her master’s in journalism from Syracuse University. After working as a reporter for the Oregonian newspaper and editor for McCall’s magazine, Alisa became a writer in the non-profit sector. Organizations she supported include the David Geffen School of Medicine, City of Hope, and Caltech. More recently, Alisa has worked as a communications manager specializing in using social media and text messaging campaigns to organize workers for SEIU Local 2015.

“Through my communications work,” Alisa says, “I give people and organizations the tools to win elections, pass legislation, raise money, inspire supporters, and make the world a better place.``