California Interagency Council on Homelessness Staff
Gladys Lopez
Gladys Lopez serves as the Administrative Services Chief for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, bringing with her a wealth of experience garnered over 18 years in state service. Her expertise spans diverse areas such as Business Services, Human Resources, Procurement, and Contracts, honed through her tenure at the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, as well as the Department of Justice.
In her free time, Gladys enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
Richmond Amoah
Prior to joining the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, Richmond dedicated a few years to community programs at the City of Culver City. Subsequently, he served as an HMIS System Admin/Analyst for the City of Glendale for three years. In that role, he gained valuable experience in managing federal, state, and local grants, analyzing, and interpreting data related to homelessness, and had the opportunity to collaborate with various community–based organizations and agencies to develop strategies for addressing homelessness at the local level. He is passionate about using data–driven insights to inform policy decisions and drive positive change in our communities.
Richmond earned his bachelor's degree at UCLA, where he studied Environmental Studies with a concentration in Geospatial Information Systems & Technologies. Following his passion for data analysis and information sciences, he furthered his education by obtaining a Master of Science degree in Informatics with a specialization in Cybersecurity from San Jose State University.
Outside of work, he enjoys staying active and pursuing his hobbies, which include volunteering, bicycling, weightlifting, and boxing. He believes in maintaining a healthy work–life balance, and these activities allow him to recharge and stay focused.
Joshua Tomaszewski
Joshua.Tomaszewski@bcsh.ca.gov
Joshua Tomaszewski joined the Cal ICH team in January of 2024 to assist interagency efforts to coordinate statewide policy and build shared accountability across State departments. Serving as a Council Analyst, Joshua plays a crucial role in the organization and implementation of Council meetings, Advisory Committee meetings, and other associated working groups.
After attending college in Baltimore, Joshua immediately began a career as a case manager to provide immediate, hands–on assistance to populations in dire need. Joshua spent several months serving refugees in the city of Baltimore with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), eventually transferring to Southern California to work with the population of individuals living with HIV. As the housing and homelessness crisis proved to be debilitating to these vulnerable populations, Joshua set a goal to make systems–level change that would make an impact across the region.
Joshua soon managed the Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS (HOPWA) Program on behalf of the County of Riverside and was instrumental in the local implementation of Project Room Key. Prior to his role with Cal ICH, Joshua served as the planning lead and program manager for all Housing, Homeless Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) grants administered by the County of Riverside Continuum of Care (CoC). Joshua currently resides in the Mojave Desert region of Southern California, spending free time writing and performing music, hiking, rock climbing, and enjoying the company of his two cats.
Dhakshike Wickrema
Dhakshike.Wickrema@bcsh.ca.gov
Dhakshike Wickrema was appointed Deputy Secretary of Homelessness at the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency by Governor Gavin Newsom in March 2022. Dhakshike has over 15 years of experience working in the public, private and nonprofit sectors to improve systems related to homelessness, housing and mental health policies and programs. Most recently, she served as the Senior Deputy for Homelessness and Housing for Los Angeles City Council District 10. She also served as the Senior Deputy for Homelessness and Mental Health for Los Angeles County Supervisorial District 2, where she supported efforts in 2017 to pass Measure H, a 10–year local sales tax that funds housing and services to prevent and end homelessness in Los Angeles County. Prior to that, she worked at Shelter Partnership, a nonprofit focused on public policy and advocacy related to homelessness and affordable housing in Los Angeles County and California, and for the World Bank's Poverty Alleviation, Health Services and Social Development sectors in Sri Lanka. Dhakshike earned a Master of City Planning degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Courtney Tacker
Courtney Tacker is the Director of Local Initiatives for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH). Her main responsibilities include working directly with local homelessness systems of care to develop and implement strategies that will contribute to a shared vision of addressing homelessness throughout the state. Courtney leads the Local Initiatives team in providing statewide technical assistance, developing resources, and compiling and disseminating best practices to prevent and end homelessness in California.
Prior to joining the Cal ICH in September 2021, Courtney worked at the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) where she held the roles of Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Cooperative Programs Specialist, and most recently Staff Services Manager I of the Human Services Cooperative Programs Unit. In this role, Courtney provided administrative oversight and coordination of DOR cooperative programs. Courtney worked in collaboration with several partner agencies including Local Education Agencies, County Behavioral Health agencies, Community Colleges, Universities, and Community Rehabilitation Programs to support the provision of vocational services for individuals with disabilities.
Courtney has over nine years of experience fostering stakeholder engagement and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, providing statewide technical assistance, conducting program evaluations, and developing contracts with partner agencies.
Courtney holds a Master of Science degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento.
Meghan Marshall
Meghan Marshall was appointed Executive Officer of the California Interagency Council on Homelessness by Governor Gavin Newsom in March 2023. Meghan has over 17 years of experience working in the public sectors of public health, behavioral health, human services and housing and homelessness. Prior to her most recent role as the Director of Public Health for Placer County, Meghan served in many positions of leadership for Sacramento County, including as Division Manager for the COVID-19 Homelessness Response Team and as the Planning Manager for the county's Initiatives to Reduce Homelessness. Meghan has both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Social Work from California State University Sacramento and a Master's degree in Public Health from George Washington University.
Vien Tran
Vien Tran started at the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) as an Information Technology Specialist in February 2022. He works on the Cal ICH Information Technology team. Vien is responsible for IT supporting the Council's mission to end homelessness in California. Prior to joining Cal ICH, Vien worked at California State Controller's Office and California Department of Transportation as a programmer.
Vien holds a BS in Computer Science and a MS in Computer Science from San Francisco State University.
Karen N. Perry
Karen N. Perry is the Executive Assistant for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness where she provides administrative support, scheduling assistance, and calendar management for the Deputy Secretary for Homelessness and Executive Officer. She also provides meeting support by developing agendas and meeting minutes and facilitating technology and site logistics.
Karen comes to Cal ICH with numerous years of experience in customer–oriented and public–facing roles with the California Highway Patrol, PG&E, and the legal field.
Brina Sylve
Brina Sylve has been with the California Interagency Council on Homelessness since July 2021. She serves as the Local Initiatives Coordinator, where she works with communities across the state to provide insight on homelessness in California.
Prior to joining Cal ICH, Brina was a Paralegal with the Office of General Counsel at the California Housing Finance Agency where she specialized in coordinating funding for multifamily affordable housing across California. She has also served on Sacramento Steps Forward's Racial Equity Committee, where she conducted research into how race serves as a predictor of how people experience homelessness in Sacramento County. Through this work she was able to make connections with BIPOC communities experiencing homelessness and center their concerns and insights in the formation of a Racial Equity Action Plan. Having experienced housing instability and homelessness in her youth, Brina is passionate about making sure everyone has a place to call home in a just and equitable community.
Brina has a Bachelor of Arts from University of California Davis in Sociology and African and African American Studies.
Sydney Bennet
Sydney Bennet is the Director of Research for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) where she focuses on using data and research to prevent and end homelessness in California. Her past work focused on designing data collection and analysis strategies that enabled data–informed approaches to state housing policy.
Before joining Cal ICH in December 2022, Sydney was a Senior Housing Data Specialist with the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). While at HCD, she led efforts to develop and implement the state's first housing data strategy, including coordinating with internal and external stakeholders. Sydney also worked on the first round of Homekey, an innovative statewide effort to sustain and rapidly expand housing for persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness. As a liaison between project sponsors and the state, Sydney provided technical assistance to ensure projects met the expedited program timeline.
Sydney previously worked as a Senior Research Associate at Apartment List where she analyzed data to produce research reports on the housing market. Her research was featured in local and national publications including Bloomberg, NPR, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. Sydney holds a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science with a Minor in Feminist Studies from UC Santa Barbara.
Elsie Ng
Elsie Ng supports the Data Integration Unit at the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. Her main responsibility is to provide project management and business analysis support for designing, developing, and managing the Homelessness Data Integration System (HDIS) for the State of California, in collaboration with Continuum of Cares (CoCs) and State agencies.
With over 16 years of project management and analytical experience, Elsie has consistently demonstrated the ability to lead complex corporate projects with impacts to multiple systems and across lines of business. Her breadth of project methodology experience extends from waterfall, JAD, to scrum. She has extensive agile project methodology experience that allows for iterative software development and shorter feedback cycles. She has a greenbelt certification in Six Sigma.
Elsie joins us after 6 years with the California Dental Association (CDA) where she was part of the startup team that launched a new nation–wide ecommerce dental supply business unit, offering 27,000 association members online shopping. She was responsible for managing user acceptance testing and operational readiness. In addition, she had the dual role of managing daily operational trouble tickets for the Hybris SAP ecommerce platform.
Before CDA, she was with Vision Service Plan in project management for 10 years. She developed a new consumer database that tracked the lifecycle of a consumer. The new database allowed business areas to monitor trends, target marketing, and various reporting capabilities. She graduated from CSU Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Bea Gadduang
Bea Gadduang is the Legislative Specialist for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. Prior to joining Cal ICH, Bea worked on analyzing legislation as a Legislative Analyst for the Department of Housing and Community Development. In this role, she focused on housing policy, specifically relating to affordable housing, housing programs, and manufactured housing.
Prior to joining state civil service, Bea worked on affordable housing development and housing and homelessness services for a non-profit, American Family Housing. While at American Family Housing, she led the organization's public policy efforts including advocacy, community engagement, and government affairs. She has also worked for a member of Congress, through the Panetta Institute of Public Policy, and has extensive experience developing and advocating for higher education policy.
Bea earned her B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Dominguez Hills and holds a Master of Public Policy degree from University of California Irvine.
Harini Jambunathan
Harini.Jambunathan@bcsh.ca.gov
Harini Jambunathan joined the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) as a Business Intelligence Specialist in April 2021. Before joining Cal ICH, Harini was a Research Data Analyst in the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans).
Harini has spent over a decade in the field of computer and information technology with experience spanning hardware engineering, software engineering, and data science. She started her career as a Hardware Emulation Engineer at Intel where she worked on the Xeon® family of server processors. She then worked as a Senior Software Engineer in Broadcom's data center switching group. After nearly a decade in Silicon Valley, Harini decided to make the transition from private industry to public service and joined the State of California to tackle challenging problems at the intersection of data science and governance.
Harini holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Her interests outside work include singing, baking, meditating, and gardening.
Giselle Sanchez
Giselle Sanchez serves as Statewide Homelessness Policy Specialist for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) since September 2022. She supports relationships with state departments, local communities, and other stakeholders and promotes best practices and knowledge sharing on homelessness strategies, including the state's Housing First policies. Additionally, she provides support to the implementation of the Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness and the Cal ICH inter–agency work groups.
Giselle began at Cal ICH in June 2020 as a Graduate Student Assistant and assisted in policy, data, and research analysis for the Council. After, she continued at Cal ICH as Council Specialist. In this role she organized and executed the Quarterly Council Meetings. Prior to joining Cal ICH, Giselle was an officer manager assistant at a small landscaping business in the San Francisco Bay Area and a Supplemental Instructor at San José State University.
Giselle is dedicated to addressing racial disparities and promoting racial equity across California. Giselle holds a B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in Community Change and a minor in Justice Studies from San José State University and Master's in Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento.
Cody Zeger
Cody Zeger is the Director of Statewide Policy for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. Prior to joining Cal ICH, he received a Master of Public Policy degree from UC Berkeley where he focused on analyzing and improving public programs related to homelessness and housing. Additionally, he has years of experience conducting data analysis and overseeing program implementation in both public agencies and nonprofit organizations on these issues.
At Berkeley, Cody completed projects such as an evaluation of Alameda County's Project Roomkey program, a literature review of effective anti–displacement policies, and a proposal for an innovative affordable housing development in Santa Fe, NM. In his prior professional work, he helped implement the San Francisco Chronic Homelessness Initiative, where he oversaw the initiative's $100 million budget, managed a new housing subsidy program, and collected and analyzed program outcome data, among other responsibilities. He has also spent years volunteering with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation's Syringe Access & Disposal program.
Cody firmly believes that we can end homelessness as we know it today. With the right resources and a commitment to uplift the expertise of those who have experienced homelessness, he knows we can provide everyone with a safe, accessible, and affordable place to live.
Jeremy Nevis
Jeremy joined the California Interagency Council on Homelessness in December 2021 as a Research and Monitoring Analyst, assisting in the collection of data on homelessness from partners across the state.
Throughout his education and professional development, Jeremy's focus has centered frequently on people experiencing homelessness. As a social work master's student, Jeremy completed internships at two organizations focused on homelessness services, providing short–term case management and resources for families and individuals at Francis House Center, and delivering psychotherapy to individuals at Loaves and Fishes Sacramento's Genesis Mental Health program. Jeremy was also a long-term volunteer at Loaves and Fishes in his teen years, serving meals in the kitchen and assisting teachers at the Mustard Seed preschool. For his master's project, Jeremy conducted original research into the criminalization of homelessness in the Sacramento area, designing and conducting interviews with individuals experiencing homelessness, police officers, and homelessness service providers. All of these experiences have nurtured a deep commitment to serving those most vulnerable in the community and a firm belief in the possibility that homelessness can end in our lifetime. Jeremy feels immense gratitude for the opportunity to work with his fellow staff and the Council on such a profoundly important issue.
Jeremy holds a Master of Social Work degree from CSU Sacramento and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cognitive Science and Psychology from UC Berkeley. Outside of work, Jeremy is a frequent moviegoer, an avid gamer, and a recording musician.
Vevila Blossoming Bear
Vevila Blossoming Bear has been working with, for, and on behalf of California Tribes for twenty years, in numerous contexts that elevate the well–being of tribal communities.
Vevila served as the Native American Program Manager for the Office of Health Equity's Community Development & Engagement Unit, overseeing urban and rural tribal, community–based health projects that preserved culture and elevated the visibility of traditional methods of healing.
For the California Department of Social Services, she served as a consultant for the Special Projects Bureau, where she led the development and implementation of tribal legislation in partnership with California Tribes, participated in and led racial equity initiatives, coordinated cultural responsiveness trainings for staff and supported the development of the agency's first tribal consultation policy.
Vevila Blossoming Bear has provided consulting services to Native American and government organizations since 2008, providing services such as tribal outreach, grant development and management, and training government staff on the engagement of tribal communities–as well as the culturally appropriate implementation of statute.
Vevila is the former Chairperson for the Interstate Agency Workgroup to Eliminate Disparities; an interagency workgroup dedicated to culturally responsive state policies and procedures that reduce disparities for people of color across state systems. She has also served in other numerous leadership capacities in tribal projects including domestic violence prevention, crime and substance abuse prevention, and Indian child welfare.
Vevila has a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and a Graduate Degree in Social Work, both from California State University, Chico.
As an individual who experienced homelessness as a youth, Vevila became interested in the alleviation of homelessness at an early age. She is a longtime volunteer for organizations that serve the homeless, has a published needs assessment of the homelessness issue (2001), and has formerly developed and coordinated tribal housing programs.
Emery Reifsnyder
Emery Reifsnyder is a Research Data Specialist for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. Emery comes to Cal ICH from California Housing and Community Development, where he administered the REAP 2.0 Grant and provided technical assistance on Housing Elements in the AMBAG Region.
Emery received a Master of City Planning degree from UC Berkeley in 2022, where he focused on using data science and visualization to investigate housing policy, tax subsidies for the wealthy, displacement, and climate change mitigation strategies. While at Berkeley, Emery worked at the Urban Displacement Project, where he researched innovative data sources to fill gaps in the housing data landscape and co–authored the California Estimated Displacement Risk Model.
Emery previously worked as a Research Analyst at Strategic Economics, an urban economics and planning firm in Berkeley, where he led data analysis and mapping on projects like housing elements, specific plans, economic impact studies, feasibility studies, and transit–oriented development plans for municipalities in California and across the country. His Interests outside work include movies, music, basketball, running, and hiking.
Daniela Barreto
Daniela is currently serving as the Local Initiative Analyst providing program support for Cal ICH work in collecting information on strategies to inform policies, and to identify and coordinate resources and services to address homelessness in California. Before joining Cal ICH, Daniela held the role of a Project Coordinator at Brilliant Corners. She provided support for Brilliant Corners scattered–site supportive housing and rapid rehousing programs that housed thousands of formerly homeless people and those at risk of homelessness each year. She's honored to be part of collaborating work in advocating for transformative system change and to continue embracing the Housing First mindset.
Abegail Aquino
Abegail Aquino joined the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) as Information Technology Manager I in October 2022. Before joining Cal ICH, she was an Information Technology Supervisor II in the Employment Development Department (EDD). She supervised a team that handles the maintenance and support of the Accounting and Compliance Enterprise System (ACES).
Abegail has completed her Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science (Major in Information Technology) from Saint Louis University in Baguio City, Philippines in March 1998.
She was hired as a Business Intelligence Consultant at Nexus Technologies in the Philippines. She developed technical skills in the areas of ETL (Extract, Transform, Load), query design for optimal report, multi–dimensional data modeling through OLAP (Online Analytical Processing), and others.
With the above experience, she had the opportunity to work for Johnson & Johnson Group of Companies, headquartered in Singapore, in various IT BI (Business Intelligence) capacities. In both roles, she managed the development of Enterprise Sales BI that catered to the Asia Pacific Markets. The objective is to have a single portal to view overall regional sales, targets and quota, brand, customers and sales rep performance.
Migrating to California in 2014, she joined the Nutrition Services Division of the California Department of Education. She was the lead from the IT side for the Direct Certification Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The project aims to optimize the match between households receiving CalFresh CalWorks, and Medi–CAL and the children (0–18) attending schools to qualify for a free or reduced–price meal without needing to submit a paper application. She went on to manage the Child Nutrition Information & Payment Systems (CNIPS) which is a web-based system for local sponsor of the federal food programs to submit and track the status of their application, claims, changes and commodity requests. She has implemented a mobile application, CA Meals for Kids, that is downloadable from App Store and Google Play.
She discovered her green thumb during the pandemic and is currently growing her succulents and houseplants collection.
Monica Tarbuskovich
Monica.Tarbuskovich@bcsh.ca.gov
Monica Tarbuskovich has joined the Grants Division as a Technical Assistance Analyst for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. Prior to joining Cal ICH, Monica served the citizens of Sacramento County as a 911 dispatcher/first responder. She was a leading Communications Training Officer, training and mentoring new 911 dispatchers and assisting in creating more inclusive policies and procedures. During her time in 911 dispatching, she also served as a liaison between high-level functioning groups as a Tactical Dispatcher, often deploying to critical incidents. Monica fostered dependable and trustworthy relationships with her fellow 911 dispatchers, earning her the peer–voted “Dispatcher of the Year” award in 2019. Prior to joining civil service, Monica worked in property management, housing development, and housing services. She has over a decade of experience in managing multi–million dollar investment properties, project management, training and development, and marketing strategies.
Monica is passionate about supporting our unhoused community with the Housing First approach, knowing firsthand the stigma and disruption that experiencing homelessness has on an individual. Having experienced food insecurity, housing instability, and homelessness in her youth, Monica comes to Cal ICH with passion, drive, and determination to support preventing and ending homelessness in California. Monica has earned her A.S. in Psychology and looks forward to continuing her education.
Monica has been a volunteer Crisis Counselor for The Trevor Project for 3 years and previously volunteered with Crisis Text Line. In her free time, Monica enjoys hanging out and traveling with her husband, daughter, and Aussie–doodle Sabre. You can find her at a hot yoga class, listening to true crime podcasts, or tending to her many plants she has collected over the last year.
Roger Price
Roger Price is the Public Information Officer for Cal ICH. He serves as the media contact for the Council and its staff, manages social media channels, and assists in event planning in coordination with the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Communications and External Affairs teams.
Roger has spent his professional career researching, analyzing and sharing complex topics with a wide variety of audiences, first as a journalist and then in public service. Roger holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Nebraska and has worked as a reporter, photographer, page designer, copy editor, online editor and project manager at newspapers in Nebraska, Maine, Michigan, Alaska and California.
In 2021, Roger joined the staff for Cal ICH's predecessor, the Homeless Coordination and Financing Council, as a Local Initiatives Specialist where he collected and shared best practices with local governments and continuums of care.
In 2018, he joined the California Department of Public Health as a birth and marriage analyst where he served as the liaison with hospitals, local health departments and county officials to ensure the accurate and timely registration of vital records. During the COVID–19 pandemic, Roger was called to serve as the project manager for the Equity Team on the state's multi–agency Testing Task Force, working to make testing resources available to every Californian who needed them. He also assisted them in the rollout of testing for schools statewide to help students safely return to class.
Roger commutes by bicycle whenever possible, enjoys long rides along Sacramento's rivers and bike touring vacations. He has ridden over the Andes as he crossed Patagonia from the Pacific to the Atlantic, explored Sicily and southern Italy by bike, and pedaled around California from the giant North Coast redwoods to the depths of Death Valley.
Leah Vang
Leah Vang is a Budget Specialist at the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH). Prior to joining, she served in various roles within the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) from 2007 to 2022, including Budget Manager. In that role, Leah performed a wide variety of complex and technical processes with the development of the Governor's annual budget and worked closely with the Department of Finance.
Leah graduated from the California State University, Sacramento, with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science.
Claire Bannerman
Claire serves as a Council Coordination Manager for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. Prior to joining the Cal ICH team, Claire worked in direct services with people experiencing homelessness who had contact with the criminal justice system. She comes to the team from her role as Director of the North A Street Shelter in Sacramento with First Step Communities (FSC) and established the 2023 Mobile Temporary Shelter in Auburn, CA. Prior to FSC, she worked as a Transition Specialist with the Placer County Reentry Program (PREP), serving people in–custody and under community supervision. Claire's role included being an intensive case manager and facilitating evidence–based cognitive behavioral classes to help clients reduce their risk of re–offending and successfully transitioning back into the community. She joined PREP from her role as Case Manager for the Single Homeless Project in London, UK, at a housing unit for high–risk males being released from prison.
Claire's educational experience includes a BA in Criminal Justice from Temple University with Summa Cum Laude honors. When graduating from Temple, she was awarded the Criminal Justice Faculty Award given by the department for outstanding academic performance and community service. Claire also earned her MSC in Criminal Justice Policy from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 2015 and graduated with Merit. While studying at LSE, she started her own charity called the Provision Project in London, which provided unsheltered individuals with basic supplies for survival in London.
In her free time, Claire enjoys traveling, ceramics, and being outside cycling, rock climbing, hiking and camping.
Molly Miller
Molly Miller is a Research Data Specialist for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. She is a graduate of the Master of Public Policy program at UC Berkeley, where she supported research related to affordable housing and homelessness. As a student, she also assessed gaps in access to long–term care for the Department of Health Care Services and supported data transparency efforts for the Department of Finance's federal funds unit. Prior to graduate school, Molly was an AmeriCorps volunteer at a legal clinic in New York City that helped clients with consumer debt issues. She has also worked as an audience research analyst in the film/TV industry but is more likely to learn about TV shows and movies from podcasts than from watching TV shows or movies. In her free time, she likes hiking, reading, and running in the woods. She is committed to supporting efforts across the state that are ending and preventing homelessness and working to ensure that everyone has access to a safe and stable home.
Cody Holland
Cody joins CAL ICH as the Dashboard Specialist after working the past several years in education. He began as school IT Specialist, where he worked for 2 years managing device enrollment and providing technology services for K12 staff and students. Drawn to the energy he saw inside the classroom; he enrolled in the Sacramento County Office of Education Intern Program where he completed his Mathematics credential while working full time as a classroom teacher. He has spent 5 years teaching middle and high school math and computer science. Topics included Integrated Math, AP Calculus, Intro to Programming (with JavaScript), and Intro to Data Science (with R).
Homelessness and housing insecurity has had a major impact on Cody and his immediate family. While working to complete his Bachelor's in Mathematics at UC Davis, his parents and younger sibling experienced episodes of unsheltered homelessness and housing instability. Witnessing the challenges that they faced and working to provide them support as they navigated sheltered living and other assistance programs, has had a lasting impact on his view of homelessness. Cody feels strongly that homelessness can impact anyone experiencing the wrong combination of bad luck and financial hardships. He is excited to work to support more accessible and effective efforts to prevent and end homelessness across the state. Outside of work, you will find Cody in the garden or cooking in the kitchen.
Jing Yi Li
Jing Yi Li is a Business Intelligence Specialist and plays an integral role in leading and supporting the maintenance and operation of the HDIS and other upcoming initiatives. She is honored to be involved in making a positive impact on the lives of people experiencing homelessness in California. She believes that everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home, and she is passionate about using her skills to help Cal ICH achieve its goal. Jing graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 2022. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, baking, and doing Pilates.
Gabrielle Watson
Gabrielle Watson is an Analyst with the Local Initiatives Team of Cal ICH, serving as the lead on encampments and unsheltered homelessness. In her role she collects, documents and analyzes information related to a continuum of services and strategies for the development of resources and information sharing to support rehousing people experiencing homelessness from unsheltered settings.
Before joining the Cal ICH team, Gabrielle was Program Director of a tiny cabin community called “The Grove” with First Step Communities. While there, she worked to get young folks into permanent housing by promoting a warm and welcoming environment where trust and respect were the core values of all staff. Upon Gabrielle's departure, an average of 60% of all shelter occupants were getting into permanent housing.
Prior to joining the team with FSC, Gabrielle was the Outreach Manager for Sacramento Steps Forward. In this role she led the Outreach Team's daily operations and directly managed 11 unique contracts. Initially hired by Sacramento Steps Forward as an Outreach Worker in the River District, Watson was promoted to Outreach Manager after demonstrating her compassionate ability to work with and house some of the most chronically homeless individuals in Sacramento. She also spent time as CoC Coordinator at SSF where she facilitated and supported each of the CoC Committees, as well as the Advisory Board.
Watson is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Parul Baxi
Parul Baxi joined Cal ICH as a Research and Policy Analyst in September 2023. Parul holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Davis. Prior to joining Cal ICH, Parul was a lecturer at UC Davis and has also taught courses at UC Berkeley. Parul has researched public policy on poverty and inequality at the intersections of data, technology, and society in various settings and is passionate about researching and designing policy interventions that affect positive change for the most vulnerable communities. Her doctoral research, the first of its kind, investigated the implementation of one of the most significant anti–poverty policy interventions in the Global South that requires universal biometric registration and digital technologies to provide social security benefits to the underprivileged in Indian society. Her research examined the policy's impact on unhoused migratory populations' civil and social citizenship rights. Her policy recommendations are published in various academic journals and a forthcoming book, and she has presented her research at national and international conferences.
Parul is a certified RYT 200 yoga and meditation instructor and serves as a volunteer faculty with the UN-affiliated International Association of Human Values and the Art of Living Foundation.
Amy Springmeyer
Amy Springmeyer, MPPA, has a varied career in public service primarily focused on persons with disabilities, older adults, emergency management and crisis response, mental health and wellness, substance use prevention, and more recently –– basic needs. In her former role as a training and technical assistance contractor, she led the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office Health & Wellness initiative which provides no–cost services to increase the capacity of the community college system to plan, implement, and sustain effective mental health and basic needs services for all 116 campuses. Ms. Springmeyer was program manager for the Community Prevention Initiative, California's primary substance use prevention technical assistance and training center. She has also supported the design, launch, and implementation of two federal initiatives supporting youth, young adults, and their families experiencing serious mental illness. This entailed working with state and local agencies to identify and implement policies and practices to successfully facilitate the transition from youth to adult services. She holds a Master's degree in Public Policy and Administration from California State University Sacramento and an undergraduate Business Management degree.
Jana Crump
Jana Crump joined the staff of California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) in October 2023 specializing in procurement. She came to the Council with 26 years of experience in State service, all of which was with California Highway Patrol (CHP).
Prior to joining Cal ICH, Jana monitored and controlled purchasing activities to ensure compliance with policies, rules, and regulations pursuant to Department of General Services State Contracting Manuals as well as developed such policies and procedures relevant to those activities. As a mentor and coach to dozens of staff members, she was instrumental in ensuring the purchasing staff were well educated in the procurement processes. She was also the oversight for both the P–Card Administrator and the Small Business/Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Advocate which included extensive training practices to initiate the Small Business First policy for CHP.
In her free time, Jana enjoys day trips with her granddaughter, traveling with her husband to visit family in Idaho, playing softball, and hanging out with her fur babies.
Tina Del Carpio
Tina Del Carpio (they/them) joined the Cal ICH team as a research data analyst in December 2023. They hold a Ph.D. in Biology from UCLA. Their doctoral research primarily concerned the genetics of wolves and dogs. However, their favorite research project focused on evaluating a program to increase diversity in graduate education. This project came from Tina's passion for equity, diversity, and inclusion. After graduate school, they were eager to continue using their data skills to support marginalized communities. Outside of work, Tina enjoys board gaming and reading/watching Sci–Fi and fantasy media. They live in Los Angeles with their partner Tess and two cats.
Lisa Avron
Lisa Avron is a SSM I Specialist for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) Local Initiatives Policy wing. Her main responsibilities include liaising for the Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB), which was developed to inlay the expertise of those who understand the experience of homelessness best into Cal ICH projects and broader homelessness response systems. Primarily, she facilitates communication between the board's members and interested external stakeholders; however, she is also working to connect similar advisory boards across the state to maximize the input of folks with lived experience in decision–making processes. Alongside the Local Initiatives team, she is helping to develop strategies for connecting local Continuums of Care across California and amplify service delivery best practices across the state. She also leads the publication of the Cal ICH monthly Newsletter.
Prior to joining the Cal ICH in January 2024, Lisa worked at the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) within the Housing and Homelessness Division. At CDSS, she researched statue and helped oversee the implementation of the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program across 57 counties and several tribal governments. During her tenure, she helped develop guidance and provided one–on–one technical assistance to ensure the optimization of programs designed to reach the most vulnerable Californians. Additionally, she worked across special projects to help make state–funded homelessness programs more accessible to California tribes.
Lisa earned a PhD in the social sciences from Cornell University, a MA in Anthropology from the New School for Social Research, and a BA in Anthropology from New College of Florida.
Shahera Hyatt
For over 10 years, Shahera directed the California Homeless Youth Project, which operates under the California State Library Foundation at the California Research Bureau. In this role, she authored several publications, acted as a subject matter expert on youth homelessness at legislative hearings, and provided statewide technical assistance on counting youth experiencing homelessness to counties across California. While most of her work has been at the state–level, most recently Shahera did national movement work on LGBTQIA youth homelessness with young people of color who have been directly impacted by the housing crisis.