Leadership & Team

Malini Saba
Founder and Board President

 

Malini Saba

Malini is a successful businesswoman with a passion for philanthropy.  Malini has been a philanthropist for her entire life.  She began her work with her family foundation and has made it her mission to grow companies with the condition of always giving back to women and communities in need. Malini’s contributions include Building schools for girls, supporting veterans, providing food and water in 3rd world countries, providing economic growth opportunities in rural communities among other emergency relief efforts.

 

Elvia Barboa
Executive Director and Board Member

 

Elvia Barboa

Elvia is CEO of Anannke Entertainment Group, a member of the Recording Academy and Artist Manager for Andy Vargas, independent artist and lead vocalist for the legendary Carlos Santana band.

Elvia has been involved in philanthropy for over 20 years serving as CEO for PADRES Contra El Cáncer (parents against cancer) where Actress and Philanthropist Eva Longoria and Musician Beto Cuevas served as Nationals Spokespeople along with a cadre of Celebrity Ambassadors.

Elvia also serves on the Board for the Andy Vargas Foundation and is a program committee member for the George Lopez Foundation.  In addition, Elvia has worked with a variety of charities over the years that include Girls Today & Women Tomorrow Mentorship Program, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, Ronald McDonald House of Los Angeles among other charities.

Mr. Akhil Gupta
Honorary Board Member

Unicef

Mr. Akhil Gupta has been at Harvard University since 2015 as a Senior fellow/Guest

He was the Chairman of Blackstone India till Dec 2014. He joined The Blackstone Group as Senior Managing Director in 2005 and started its operations in India.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Gupta served as CEO – Corporate Development, for Reliance Industries Limited. Mr. Gupta’s efforts at Reliance were focused on developing Reliance’s E&P, Refining, and Telecom businesses from scratch. Mr. Gupta was the founding CEO of all these three businesses.

Jan Jones Blackhurst
Honorary Board Member

Unicef

Jan Jones Blackhurst is a long-time political and business leader who has left an indelible imprint on the lives of millions of people. In 1991, Jan broke the glass ceiling as Las Vegas’ first female mayor. Under Jan’s leadership the city experienced tremendous growth, making her one of the Las Vegas’ most popular mayors to date. She then joined Caesars Entertainment, where she grew the industry’s first Responsible Gaming practices to include an ambassador model for the gaming industry and the first industry code of commitment. Jan is also known and respected for her efforts to create a diverse and inclusive workplace, advancing environmental stewardship, advocating for important social issues and giving millions of dollars to individuals, families, and communities in need.

Dr. Jenny Jaque
Board Advisory Member

Unicef
Jenny Jaque, MD Is an accomplished OB/GYN physician, She graduated from Loma Linda University School Of Medicine and completed residency at USC and served as Division Chief of General OBGYN at Keck Hospital of USC for over 10 years. She currently practices in Riverside, CA and has an extensive published research background in women’s health. Jenny has served on a variety of Boards and has an affinity for nonprofit work in particular children’s issues and women’s empowerment and health.

Erika Jacquez
Board Advisory Member

Unicef
Erica Jacquez, PhD is an accomplished government relations expert with more than 20 years of experience.  She is currently the Executive Director of Government and External Affairs a Telecommunications company. Previously she served as a Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles’ Civil Service Department and CEO of E3 Legislative Strategies. She also served as  Executive in Charge of Government Affairs at the Directors Guild of America, Associate Vice President of Government Affairs for AltaMed Health Services. At the federal level, she was appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama in 2010 to serve as the Intergovernmental/Congressional Affairs and Public Engagement Liaison between the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Congress and the public nationwide and served as a Legislative Analyst in the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget’s Legislative Affairs, where she was the Lead Coordinator for President Obama’s Statements of Administration Policy. She has worked with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in a variety of City initiatives and has served as a volunteer and Board member for a variety of nonprofit organizations.

Elizabeth Zamudio
Board Advisory Member

Unicef

Elizabeth Zamudio currently serves as Vice President for the Fulfillment Fund. She is a senior education professional with more than 19 years of experience. She joined Fulfillment Fund in 2007, first as a college counselor and later as leader of the College Access Program. Elizabeth now oversees all programmatic activity at Fulfillment Fund including the delivery of Fulfillment Fund’s college access curriculum, college counseling, college success efforts including scholarships, and alumni programming.

Prior to joining Fulfillment Fund, Elizabeth worked at Loyola Marymount University’s Controller’s Office supporting first-generation college-going students in navigating financial aid and scholarships. A first-generation college graduate herself, Elizabeth holds bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree from Loyola Marymount University.

Program Team

Dora Soldatenko
Program Associate, USA

Gagandeep Kaur
Program Associate, India

Valeria Ceballos
Program Coordinator, USA