Alliance For Girls
Los Angeles Kick Off

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 | The Beehive, 1000 E 60th St, Los Angeles, CA 90001

11 years ago, Alliance for Girls began with an organizing conference to learn about the needs of girls, gender-expansive youth, and the organizations that serve them in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Today, we are an alliance of more than 130 organizations serving 300,000 girls and gender-expansive youth and we are excited to announce that we will be expanding into Los Angeles County!

Together with our founding LA members, we are excited to host an AFG LA Kick-Off event, an organizing conference to convene organizations that serve girls and gender-expansive youth across LA County and youth leaders themselves. We will connect, build community, learn from one another, and develop a bold vision for girls and gender-expansive youth in the region that will set the direction for our collective work for the coming year.

We welcome all organizations that serve girls and gender-expansive youth across LA County, as well as youth themselves, to this powerful inaugural gathering.

LA Girls Lead

Calling all LA County youth!

We need YOU to help improve services and programs in your community!

At our Los Angeles Kick-Off Event, you will have the opportunity to co-develop a new bold vision for girls and gender-expansive youth, especially those of color, in LA County, alongside AFG and other organizations and champions supporting girls and gender-expansive youth. 

You will also have the chance to hear from our inspiring youth keynote speaker, Destiny Chapron. 

Destiny Chapron

Leadership facilitator at the Positive Results Center

  • Destiny Chapron, MS is a current Marriage and Family Therapist with a passion to support women, families, and children of color in rewriting their life’s narrative after experiencing trauma and major hardships. Born and raised in Inglewood, CA, Destiny plans to build a shelter for mothers and children rescued from prostitution and trafficking in her childhood community. Throughout her resilient journey towards greatness, Destiny has discovered the importance of building vulnerable spaces for people of color, navigating communities that are unsupportive of the mental health and wellbeing of BIPOC.

But that’s not all!

Each attendee will also receive a free copy of Dr. Monique (Morris) Couvson’s graphic novel, Charisma's Turn (the award-winning author of Pushout) about what can happen when Black girls are given the opportunity to find their true power. Register now to get your copy!

MORE Powerul SPEAKERS

NICHOL T. WHITEMAN

CEO, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation

  • With a relentless dedication to improving communities in neighborhoods that need help the most, Nichol Whiteman serves as Chief Executive Officer of the award-winning Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF). An equity-focused leader, Nichol guides LADF in tackling the most pressing problems facing Los Angeles with a mission to improve education, health care, homelessness and social justice for all Angelenos. Nichol bravely works to improve the complex struggles the City faces using every tool in her arsenal to ensure that ZIP codes never define opportunity. A child of Jamaican immigrants “in search of a dream" and a first-generation college graduate, Nichol is a visionary working to narrow gaps in opportunity and access—all while creating a source of pride and safety for those who often live in the shadows.

    During her tenure as CEO, LADF transformed and built a team of dedicated people, strong operations, committed partners, and flexible funding with sustainability. While leveraging the Dodger brand, Nichol supports and amplifies the voices of marginalized populations. Through community infrastructure, sports based youth development, leadership & capacity building, equity-focused grantmaking, strategic community engagement and knowledge sharing & convening, Nichol has built an alliance of community partners who fight for the resources that all youth deserve.

    Under Nichol’s leadership, LADF launched its cornerstone program Dodgers Dreamteam, the first-ever LADF Scholarship, College & Career Accelerator, Science of Baseball Initiative, LA Reads and more. LADF also completed its 58th Dodgers Dreamfield, created a multi-million dollar benefit gala, distributed 9 million meals, and raised over $81 million. Collectively, Whiteman has cultivated partnerships that have resulted in more than $50 million in community investment impacting over 9 million children, including $6 million in 2022 All-Star Game Legacy Projects.

    With a degree in Economics from Spelman College, Nichol’s diligence resulted in positions in investment management and publishing before beginning a philanthropic career as VP, Western Region of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. As a Black woman in Major League Baseball, Nichol understands the importance of access. She uses her resources to open doors and opportunities for youth from all backgrounds. In addition to her professional achievements, she mentors countless professionals at all stages of their careers. In 2021 she was a Fellow in the University of Southern California’s Center for the Political Future and she currently serves as a Senior Fellow at USC’s Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab. Included in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Thriving in Their 40’s” list, Nichol fights for the opportunities and support all communities deserve.

    The New York native has been recognized throughout the industry for her exceptional contributions having been awarded the 2022 Benjamin E. Mays Award from A Better Chance, Up2Us Sports Legacy Award, and was named a finalist for the CEO of the Year by the Los Angeles Times. In 2020 she earned the National Medical Fellowship Leadership in Philanthropy Award, the Visionary Award presented by Southern California Leadership Network, and the MOSTe Motivating Our Students Through Leadership Experience Lantern Award among many others. In 2018, she received the Sports Business Journal Game Changers Award and the Anti-Defamation League's Deborah Award. Her 2017 honors include Ebony Magazine's Woman Up Award and The Pink Tea Rose Foundation's Progressive Leadership Award.

    Nichol holds positions on the advisory and regional boards of Covington Capital Management, ESPN Return to Play Fund, Shoes That Fit, Davinci Schools Board Fund, YMCA Metro LA’s Sports and Impact Panel, the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport and Positive Coaching Alliance. Additionally, she serves as an Ambassador for the LA Opera and is a member of the Women’s Leadership Council. Attracting attention from acclaimed journalists, she has been featured in outlets including the New York Times, Forbes Magazine, and the LA Times.

    A product of Nichol’s unwavering dedication, the Los Angeles Dodgers is now the proud owner of an ESPY. Named the 2020 ESPN Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year, the highly-coveted award recognized LADF’s work as the team’s official charity. Celebrating the meaningful and specific work that Nichol leads, LADF is the recipient of the Aspen Institute 2020 Project Play Champion, 2020 Beyond Sport Award for Reducing Racial Inequalities, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2021 Sports Award, the 2022 Liberty Hill Visionary Award among others.

    With a firm belief that each person has the power to positively impact a life, Nichol's journey continues to be full of inspiration and hope as she fights for young people to realize their dreams. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband Timothy and two sons, Timothy Jr., and Nicholas.

CHANEL SMITH

Executive Director, County of Los Angeles’s Women and Girls Initiative

  • Chanel Smith has spent the last 15 years working to enhance the services available for marginal and vulnerable populations. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the County of Los Angeles’ Women & Girls Initiative. Prior to that Chanel worked with the City of Los Angeles’s Community Investment for Families Department where she managed the City’s comprehensive programming for survivors of Interpersonal Violence including the programs to address the intersection of domestic violence and homelessness. In her previous role as Policy Director for Domestic Violence and Vulnerable Populations at the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office she oversaw the City of Los Angeles’s Gender based violence initiatives which include the Domestic Abuse Response Team, Sexual Assault Response Teams, Family Justice Centers as well as other City based strategies for ensuring the safety of some of our most vulnerable residents. During the COVID-19 pandemic Chanel oversaw Project Safe Haven, the largest comprehensive response to DV during the pandemic in the world. Chanel was the 2020 Recipient of the County of Los Angeles's Excellence in Public Service Award, the 2020 State of California's Partnership to End Domestic Violence’s Partnership Award, and the 2021 Woman of Distinction award from California Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell for her work with the DV and Human Trafficking populations.

KEYONNA KEITH

Director of Programs, EmpowHer Institute

  • Keyonna Keith is committed to serving underserved and marginalized youth through mentoring and educational programs. As an undergraduate, Keyonna worked with the UCLA Urban Collaborative P.A.L.S. Program to provide high school students in Watts mentorship and guidance with college preparation. Prior to joining EmpowHer, Keyonna has worked in the nonprofit sector managing and developing engaging after-school programs that provide tutoring and enrichment activities to students in Inglewood and Compton Unified School Districts.

    Keyonna earned a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies and Political Science from Loyola Marymount University, and a Juris Doctor from UC Hastings College of the Law.

SANDRA HILL-GLOVER, Ed.D., MSW

Senior Strategist, Center for Nonprofit Management

  • Sandra brings her passion, talents, and skills to support organizations as they build their capacity to uplift communities that have been historically marginalized and underserved. Sandra centers her work on organizational growth and development with a focus on assessment, asset mapping, change management, board and staff development, and strategic planning. As a trained social worker, Sandra is proud to have developed innovative and sustainable programs and services supporting diverse communities including Black and Latinx transitional age youth; families and children who were unhoused; and new mothers and their babies regarding their health and wellness needs. In 2020, at the advent of a global pandemic, Sandra’s commitment to sharing her knowledge and wisdom in human-centered services prompted her to create ImpactHill, a consulting firm dedicated to helping nonprofit, governmental, higher education, and community-based entities enhance their service delivery capacity.

JOY MAINA

Project Associate, Center for Nonprofit Management

  • Joy has extensive experience working for nonprofit and healthcare organizations. She graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelor’s in Human Development. She has acquired skills such as leadership, tact, and adaptability while working with diverse populations in various settings. At CNM, she assists with scheduling, project management, and meeting logistics.

AFG is ecstatic to be giving out copies of a powerful and inspiring book, Charisma’s Turn, a new graphic novel by esteemed author Dr. Monique (Morris) Couvson (the award-winning author of Pushout) about what can happen when Black girls are given the opportunity to find their true power.

Alliance for Girls, in collaboration with the Center for Nonprofit Management (CNM), will unveil the preliminary data from our brand new heatmap of the current services and programs for girls and gender-expansive youth in LA County, specifically Service Planning Areas (SPAs) 6 and 7. In 2020, AFG published our "Girl You Can Do Anything" report, capturing the experiences and needs of girls* living in  the Crenshaw, East LA, Gardena, and Inglewood neighborhoods of Los Angeles County. Building upon this data, this new heat map serves a snapshot of what resources are already available for girls and gender-expansive youth and what is still needed to create environments where they can truly thrive.

AGENDA

Tuesday, May 23 from 12:00 - 4:00 pm
(Doors open at 11:30am)

11:30 - 12:00 | Check-In / Grab Lunch

12:00 - 12:45 | Lunch Welcome & Keynote

12:55 - 1:20 | Landscape of Services for Girls & Gender-Expansive Youth

1:25 - 2:55 | Building a Collective Vision for Girls & Gender-Expansive Youth    

3:00 - 3:30 | Closing Keynote & Next Steps

3:30 - 4:00 | Reception

LA ADVISORY GROUP

SPONSORS

ACCESSIBILITY

Alliance for Girls strives to create an inclusive and accessible environment for all of our attendees. A few measures we are incorporating to increase accessibility include the following:

  •  Access for those using mobility assistant equipment/devices such as walkers, motorized wheelchairs, and scooters

  • Allotted spaces for attendees using mobility-assisted equipment

  • All-gender restrooms

  • Physical and emotional accessibility resources

  • Fragrance-free for most spaces (any rooms with fragrances will be noted)

  • Lounge for nursing and pumping

During the registration process, registrants have an opportunity to request accommodations and express accessibility and disability needs. If you have a specific request in which you need a reasonable accommodation, please email nia@alliance4girls.org.

Childcare

Childcare can be made available if requested in advance. Childcare is limited and will be reserved on a first-request basis until we reach capacity. Parents and caregivers must supply proof of vaccination or proof of negative rapid antigen COVID-19 test taken within 24 hours of the start of the event for all children 2 years or older. Children ages 2 or older will be required to wear masks during the event. When registering, please indicate whether you will need childcare.

COVID PRECAUTIONS

The safety and wellbeing of all who participate in Alliance for Girls’ events, including attendees, presenters, staff, and others involved onsite, are a priority for Alliance for Girls. We are committed to creating a culture of care and ask everyone to do their part to promote the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved.

*Please follow CDC guidelines and DO NOT travel if you are not feeling well or if you may have been recently exposed to the COVID-19 virus.*

AFG is continuously monitoring CDC, state, and local guidelines as well as news and science around COVID-19 and its variants, and we recognize that these are changing. The procedures and requirements outlined below will remain in effect during the conference.

Vaccination

Testing

  • All in-person attendees, regardless of vaccination status, must provide proof of a negative Rapid antigen test within 24 hours prior to the event, presented to a member of the event planning team onsite. At-home tests are permitted.

  • AFG will provide antigen testing onsite for attendees who were unable to get a test before traveling.

Masks

  • Masks will be required in all indoor spaces. We will only accept KN95 or N95 masks or masks that provide even greater protection. Please make sure masks fit securely and cover your nose and mouth completely. Attendees should expect to keep masks on throughout the event venue space. AFG will provide KN95 masks for attendees who need them.

  • During lunch, tables and chairs will be set up in select places outside of the venue, and attendees will be strongly encouraged to eat outside. Please note, some attendees may choose to stay in the main plenary space to eat.

Other Precautions

  • Contactless registration will be available on site. All tables, seating, and registration stations will be situated to encourage physical distancing. Additionally, hand sanitizer stations and air purifiers will be available throughout the venue.

  • As news and guidelines around COVID-19 and its variants continue to develop, we may update guidelines to continue to promote the health and safety for all attending in person.

LOCATION

The Beehive

1000 E 60th St
Los Angeles, CA 90001

CONTACT

If you have any questions or want more information, email nia@alliance4girls.org.