Ria Sengupta Bhatt is Founder and Principal Consultant at Mandala Strategies, where she brings over 20 years of expertise at the intersections of the nonprofit sector, philanthropy, and public policy. Throughout her consulting career, Ria has partnered with a diverse array of clients, including foundations, universities, nonprofits, and research organizations. Her work spans launching new programs, developing strategy, assessing impact, and conducting applied research. In addition to her consulting work, Ria has held various leadership roles within philanthropy and policy advocacy. Ria served as founding Director of Public Policy at College Futures Foundation for 4+ years, and was deputy director at California Competes, a policy research and advocacy organization focused on improving higher education and workforce outcomes. Ria holds a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University and a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Mike Dennis is a campaign strategist and senior program leader with over 15 years of experience in grassroots organizing, issue advocacy, political strategy, and public affairs. He has served as both a director and senior manager on numerous electoral, public policy, advocacy, and ballot initiatives, with extensive experience leading teams, managing stakeholders, and coordinating complex campaigns.

Currently, Mike oversees Liberty Hill Foundation’s Housing Justice portfolio, where he leads strategic planning, fundraising, grantmaking, and program implementation. His work centers on advancing community-driven housing solutions through effective use of public funding streams, cross-sector partnerships, and movement-building strategies. He brings deep expertise in government relations, regulatory navigation, and large-scale initiative development aligned with community priorities.

Ray Green serves as the Executive Director of Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT), a Sacramento-based organization dedicated to increasing the number of young men of color who go to and through college. Ray’s commitment to Sacramento’s youth runs deep. For more than twelve years, he has advanced the policies and programs that improve educational, health, and workforce outcomes for historically marginalized communities. He brings to IYT a rare combination of on-the-ground programmatic leadership and regional systems-change expertise. 

Prior to joining IYT, Ray spent six years as a Program Officer at The Center at Sierra Health Foundation overseeing My Brother’s Keeper, where he led regional collective-impact efforts aimed at driving population-level change and improving life outcomes for boys and young men of color across the Sacramento region. In that role, and throughout his career, he has been a steadfast advocate—amplifying the voices, needs, and aspirations of boys and young men of color across the nation. Ray’s leadership has been recognized on national stages, including as a featured speaker at the Obama Foundation’s Democracy Forum.Above all, Ray is a husband and a proud father of three. He approaches every community he steps into with the conviction that we touch the heart of God by touching the heart of people.

As Program Director, College Success, Monica Martinez leads strategies and partnerships for achieving the Haas Jr Fund’s goal of leveling the playing field in higher education and reducing the financial barriers to a college degree in California. A first-generation college student with a Ph.D. from New York University, Monica joined the Fund in 2023 with extensive experience building and managing initiatives and programs focused on equity and innovation in education at all levels. Most recently, she served as director of strategic initiatives with the Learning Policy Institute, where she played a crucial role in a groundbreaking national effort to broaden the use of alternative assessments to expand access in college admissions in California and nationwide. She has been appointed by two California governors to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing; she also was named to the White House Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics by President Barack Obama.

Maya Paley has two decades of experience serving as an advocate and leader on gender and racial equity and economic justice. As co-owner and managing consultant at Cities & People Advisors, Maya offers philanthropic foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies a range of services, including equitable evaluation, strategic planning, executive coaching, network-building, and team-building. Maya served on the Steering Committee of the CA Work and Family Coalition and on the Executive Committee of the LA Coalition for Reproductive Justice for several years. She has launched and run international campaigns for refugee rights. She has also served as a member of many other coalitions, including the CA Coalition for Reproductive Freedom and the Raise the Wage Coalition in Los Angeles. Maya has served as the Center for Nonprofit Management’s trainer for their certificate program on Building Effective and Equitable Coalitions as well as their trainings on building organizational networks and bridging advocacy with direct service, 

Maya’s recent clients include Liberty Hill Foundation, CA Work & Family Coalition, BreastfeedLA, the Women’s Funding Network, and the Refugee Advocacy Lab. Maya has been honored with an Outstanding Woman Leader award by the City of Santa Monica and a Women in Leadership award by the City of West Hollywood. Maya earned her Bachelor’s in Political Science from UC Berkeley and her Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University. Outside of work, Maya loves to rest, eat chocolate, drink chai lattes, and spend time with family and friends.

Laurel Tamariz is the Special Projects Coordinator at SEIU California, the largest labor union in California. She has a hand in just about everything—from policy development, managing diverse coalitions, electoral work, finance, and legislative campaigns. Specializing in explaining revenue and tax policy to lay audiences, she has worked extensively on ballot measures as the Speakers Bureau Director for the Yes on Prop 30/55, Yes on Prop 15 Schools & Communities First, and No on the California Business Roundtable tax initiative. She also coordinates the California Dream Alliance, a coalition of 73 organizations collectively focused on advancing progressive legislation. She holds a B.A. in Public Policy from Mills College and an MBA from the University of California Davis. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband of 15 years, rowing competitively, skiing, and playing tennis.