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. 

As the Executive Director of SoCal CAN, Alison works with 120+ organizations to expand college access and completion for low-income students in the region. The network plays an important role in the field by bringing together direct service organizations to exchange effective practices, address existing service gaps, and weigh in on policies and practices that support students’ ability to reach their goal of college graduation. Alison has worked on social change issues in both the United States and Central America for more than 25 years in the women’s, environmental, and immigrant rights fields. Prior to joining SoCal CAN, she served as Program Officer for the Los Angeles Immigrant Funders’ Collaborative, Program Director for Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), Campaign Coordinator for Friends of the Earth International, and Women’s Micro-enterprise Developer for the Costa Rican Ecologist Association.  Alison graduated from University of California, San Diego (UCSD) with a B.A. in International Development and received her M.A. in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA ). She is serving on the board of the National College Attainment Network and has been a fellow with the Dr. Beatriz María Solís Policy Institute, the California Education Policy Fellowship and Southern California Leadership Network. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Max Espinoza is a seasoned executive leader and social impact strategist with over 25 years of experience advancing equity across education, government, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector. A first-generation college graduate from a working-class immigrant family born and raised in the Tijuana–San Diego borderlands, Max has dedicated his career to dismantling barriers to opportunity and expanding pathways to success for historically disenfranchised and underinvested communities. Max currently serves as a senior program officer at the Gates Foundation, where he focuses on advancing educational equity and economic mobility in the United States. He leads the foundation’s policy and advocacy efforts in California and has shepherded large-scale philanthropic initiatives, including efforts that have resulted in the creation of a P-20W state data system and the elimination of ineffective college remediation policies and practices. Over the course of his career — spanning 14 years in California’s state legislature and executive branch, national nonprofit leadership at Scholarship America, and over a decade in philanthropy — Max has had the opportunity to work alongside and support the coalitions and advocacy ecosystems working to change policies and practices to expand opportunity. He holds a Master’s in Education from Harvard University and a B.A. from UCLA.

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.

Karla Mercado serves as Vice President of Philanthropy California, the statewide alliance of Northern California Grantmakers (NCG), Southern California Grantmakers (SCG), and Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties (Catalyst). In this role, Karla leads efforts to align the strategic priorities and collective impact of the three regional philanthropy-serving organizations, ensuring that funders across California can collaborate effectively on shared goals in public policy, programming, and systems change. With a focus on advancing equity, collaboration, and responsive philanthropy, Karla works to strengthen the statewide infrastructure that supports funders’ engagement in critical issues affecting California’s communities. She oversees Philanthropy California’s statewide initiatives. By connecting funders with policymakers, community leaders, and peers, Karla helps position philanthropy as a trusted partner in shaping a more just and inclusive California. In addition to her statewide responsibilities, Karla leads Southern California Grantmakers’ public policy work, where she directs advocacy, learning, and funder mobilization around key regional priorities. Her leadership bridges the local and statewide levels, helping to translate policy opportunities into tangible philanthropic action and fostering deeper collaboration across geographies and issue areas.

Quyen serves as the Legal Director for the Bolder Advocacy program at the Alliance for Justice, where she empowers nonprofit organizations to amplify their advocacy impact through expert legal guidance. Her professional journey spans public interest lawyering to private practice. As a founding host of the “Rules of the Game” podcast, Quyen demystifies complex legal rules, helping nonprofits navigate regulatory challenges and become more effective advocates for social change. Outside of work, Quyen is always looking for her next Habitat for Humanity build. When she is not hammering or mixing mortar, she bikes and practices yoga to maintain her sanity and compensate for her love of ice cream.