Calendar
March 13, 2023
38th Annual “Women of the Year” Awards and Scholarship Celebration
Sheraton Grand Hotel Los Angeles
11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
Folder with nested links below from the conference
December 3, 2022
A New Way of Life Gala (Barbara Osborn)
Saturday 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Boulevard., Los Angeles, CA 90049
October 1, 2022
DPR “I Matter” Girls Empowerment Conference 2022
Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
East Los Angeles College; 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, CA 91754
September 28, 2022
Wednesday 12:30 p.m. -2:00 p.m.
Beyond Silos: Domestic Violence and Health Care Partnership
The California Endowment
1000 N. Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
- Opening Remarks & Keynote Address: Reproductive Justice and Access Post-Roe: Implications for Survivors of Domestic Violence Karen Earl, Chief Executive Officer, Jenesse Center, Inc.; Richard Thomason, Policy Director, Blue Shield of California Foundation; Sheila Kuehl, Third Supervisorial District, County of Los Angeles; Margaret Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer, YWCA USA
- Fireside Chat – Keynote Reactions: State and local perspectives Susie Baldwin, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Office of Women’s Health; Chanel Smith, Executive Director, Women and Girls Initiative; and Leah Aldridge, Project Manager, ValorUS
- Centering Lived Experience: Survivors’ journeys navigating health care Giovanna Martinez, BA, Victim Services Programs Supervisor, Human Services Association; Survivor, Jenesse Center, Inc.; Survivor, YWCA of San Gabriel Valley; Survivor, East Los Angeles Women’s Center
- Exploring Innovative Partnership Models to Improve Survivor Access to Quality Care Rebeca Melendez, Wellness Director, East Los Angeles Women’s Center; Melinda Cantu, MSSW, LCPAA, Vice President Child Abuse Prevention and Intervention Services, SAFE; Ashley Starr Frechette, MPH, Director of Health Professional Outreach Connecticut Coalition Against DV; Amanda Gould, Senior Program Manager of the LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence, Los Angeles LGBT Center
- Transformative Collaboration: Exploring challenges, building resilience, and strengthening partnerships Kate Marr, Executive Director, Community Legal Aid SoCal; Elisa Nicholas, MD, MSPH, Chief Executive Officer, TCC Family Health; Debra Ward, Chief Executive Officer, YWCA of San Gabriel Valley; Ellen Eidem, Director, Office of Women’s Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
- Supporting Survivors through Policy Nicolle Perras, Interim Executive Director, Domestic Violence Council, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; Amada Lechner, Health Researcher, Mathmatica; Anisa Ali, Program Manager, Futures Without Violence
- Supporting Safe and Healthy Adolescent Relationships through Partnerships Jennifer Haddad Bell, MTP, Program Consultant, Jenesse Center, Inc. and Futures Without Violence; Angela Parker, Ed.D., Director of Training and Programs, Jenesse Center, Inc.
- Closing Remarks Deborah Allen, ScD, Deputy Director, Health Promotion Bureau, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; Barbara Kappos, Executive Director, East Los Angeles Women’s Center
Community Engagement Highlights

Chanel Smith, WGI Executive Director (left), Supervisor Sheila Kuehl (right) at Farewell Luncheon after decades of service to Los Angeles County.
“I am inspired every day by the opportunity I have to have encounters, be they brief or lengthy, with young women and women like that, who are doing all that they can to create a better life for themselves,” she said. “It reminds me that it’s my job to do all that I can to create opportunities in LA County to improve the lives of women and girls.” – Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Second Supervisorial District