Bruce Saltzer

Bruce has spent more than 25 years working as an advocate for persons with disabilities and other human service needs. For the past seven years, Bruce has served as the Executive Director of the Association of Community Human Service Agencies. Prior to the formation of ACHSA, Bruce was the first full-time Executive Director of the Association of Community Mental Health Agencies. Bruce also worked for many years as the Executive Director of Area Board 10 on Developmental Disabilities, a state agency responsible for monitoring the delivery of services to persons with developmental disabilities in Los Angeles County. Bruce began his career as an attorney with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, which included time spent as an advocate representing parents of children with special needs. Bruce received his law degree from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. degree from the Claremont Graduate School.

Jodi Kurata

Jodi comes to ACHSA from Mental Health Advocacy Services, where for the past four years she has been a Staff Attorney supervising an advocacy program to address grievances of minors in Los Angeles County's juvenile detention facilities. In that role she represented children with mental and developmental disabilities and participated in special education IEP meetings, mediations, and administrative hearings. Prior to Mental Health Advocacy Services, Jodi worked for a Senior Law Project at Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach in San Francisco, and for the Children's Rights Project at Public Counsel in Los Angeles, managing legal clinics for at-risk students at high schools and community centers. Jodi obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the Hastings College of Law at the University of California. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree, in Political Science, from the University of California, Berkeley.  

Thomas J. Hill

Thomas (TJ) comes to ACHSA from the Disability Rights Legal Center, where he served as Director of Options Counseling and Lawyer Referral Service, supervising and coordinating the agency's legal intake process. Prior to the Disability Rights Legal Center, TJ was a Congressional Legal Intern for Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa in Washington, D.C. Before law school, TJ worked as a rehabilitation specialist for adults with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and as a Commissioner on the City of Santa Monica Disabilities Commission. TJ received his Juris Doctor degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, in Psychology, from the University of Arizona.

Marlena Davis

Marlena graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.  While earning her Masters degree in Change Management, Marlena was an Intern at Kidsave International, where she served as an English instructor for orphans ages 7 to 16.  Prior to that, Malena worked as an Intern in the California Department of Social Services' Legal Division, drafting policy memos concerning child welfare issues.  Marlena currently serves as a member of the California Child Welfare Council.

 

Kathrine Casillas

Kathrine graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a secondary degree in Psychology.  She has worked as a Laboratory Research Assistant at Stanford University, collecting and recording survey data in a social development psychology laboratory.  Prior to that, she worked as a Juvenile Fund Assistant in Buenos Aires, Argentina, assisting the Juvenile Fund Director of a nonprofit organization supporting educational and empowerment programs for low-income youth in South America . 

Maria Rose