Meet the Team

Douglas (Doug) first joined the staff in 2008, as the coordinator for the Civic Engagement internship course. He became an assistant director with the Center in 2012. He has been involved in community engagement work for over 20 years.

At the Center, Doug works directly with faculty and community partners to develop community-engaged courses for undergraduates. He has developed and directs UCLA’s Collaboratory initiative, the Astin Community Engaged Scholars and the Changemaker Scholars programs. He also facilitates the Center’s Engaged Pedagogy Workshop series and course development for the Chancellor’s Award for Engaged Scholars initiative, and is currently developing a place-based initiative related to youth empowerment in west L.A. He serves as the Campus Champion for the center’s Jumpstart program. Doug teaches courses for the Community Engagement & Social Change minor, and is an adjunct instructor for Labor Studies.

Prior to working for the Center, Doug was a research analyst with the UCLA Center for Community Partnerships and the Higher Education Research Institute. Before coming to UCLA, he was a program director for the Consensus Organizing Institute in San Diego, and taught community-engaged courses at UC San Diego and the University of San Diego. Dr. Barrera has published scholarly articles on student development through service learning and the development of community-campus partnerships. He is co-author of the Council of Europe publication, Advancing Democratic Practice: A Self-Assessment Guide for Higher Education, and the Higher Education Research Institute’s publication, First in My Family: A Profile of First-Generation College Students at Four-Year Institutions Since 1971. He serves on the editorial board for Collaborations: A Journal of Community-Based Research and Practice, and was previously a member of the program board of directors for a social service agency in Pacoima, CA. Doug received his Ph.D. and M.A. in Education from the University of California Los Angeles, and an M.A. and B.A. in History from San Diego State University.

Mary Keipp has been the Program Director of the Community Youth Programs (previously the UCLA Community Based Learning Program) since 1989. During these past 33 years under Mary’s direction, the program has grown from a single $100,000 youth workforce program to over 10 extramurally funded youth programs, with contracts totally $3.5 million. The Community Youth Programs work directly with underserved adolescents and young adults, providing a variety of youth workforce development activities that strengthen the educational attainment and career readiness for approximately 700 youth annually. The program operates two youth centers: one in West LA and one in the Pico Union area. The other major area of Community Youth Programs endeavors is providing traditional afterschool programming to young people at six LAUSD high schools and one elementary school. Mary’s current tenure at UCLA is her “second time around” with the University, having first been employed from 1963 to 1968, as a Program Assistant initially fort he Institute of Government and Public Affairs and then the UCLA Overseas Programs Office. In the 21 years between her two UCLA engagements, Mary worked for Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Northridge in workforce and school related programs. Those years also found Mary volunteering in a host of school committees and community organizations, primarily focused on youth development and civil rights initiatives. These included the LAUSD Citizens Advisory Committee on Student Integration, the Martin Luther King Legacy Association, LACER, Communities in Schools Advisory Committee and YPICS Charter School Board of Trustees.

Clearly Mary’s passion for youth has guided her work and community activities for many years, but she has found time for her other loves. These include her nine adult grandchildren and of course, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Christina-Marie (or CM, for short) has worked at UCLA for almost eight years and recently joined the Center in June 2023. She brings with her experience in community education, higher education, communications, and business operations. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in women’s, gender, & sexuality studies from Cal State University, Long Beach. In 2017, she earned her MBA, with a concentration in project management, from Mount Saint Mary’s University.  

At the Center, Christina-Marie is responsible for the coordination and management of undergraduate academic programs and initiatives, including the 195CE internship program and the Community Engagement and Social Change minor. She also oversees strategic communication and outreach. 

Christina-Marie’s career at UCLA has afforded her the opportunity to work directly with academic policy, programs and services for UCLA students, as well as support faculty and staff. Previously, she served as the Manager for the Undergraduate Educations Initiatives unit, where she was responsible for operations across all programs. During her time as Communications Manager for the Department of Mathematics, Christina-Marie led the planning, coordination, and implementation of marketing programs to actively engage their 13,000 alumni and donor base. 

Her community engagement experience falls mainly under community education, where she served as a national community organizer for a non-profit organization that focused on prevention education for youth dating violence. In this role, she helped to develop an online curriculum and trained over 500 youth and adults across the country to implement the program in their respective school districts. Locally, Christina-Marie taught a residency program at Animo Watts Charter High School and conducted several guest speaking engagements at various middle and high schools all throughout LA county. During this time, she worked with various populations and organizations serving Native American youth, LGBTQ youth, youth experiencing homelessness, and underrepresented youth in low-income areas. 

Bio coming soon.

Magally Aburto is the School Site Coordinator for the UCLA After School Programs at the historic Thomas Jefferson Senior High School. She manages the daily operations of the program in an effort to provide a socio-emotionally safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for the students before and after school. The students learn how to be social global leaders while following the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Magally has been involved with community engagement since 2014. Raised in a small town in South Dakota, she was heavily involved in advocating for the Spanish-speaking community. Magally’s passion is in youth engagement and leadership. She is an active volunteer with Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) where she serves on recruiting and programming boards to empower youth leaders in the Los Angeles communities. Magally holds an associate’s degree in Public Policy and Political Science and is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Public Administration for Nonprofit Management. 

Stephanie Khan serves as the Site Director for UCLA After School Programs at Nava College Preparatory Academy. She manages day-to-day operations providing high school students with academic, enrichment and recreational opportunities to prepare them for college. She focuses on bolstering youth advocacy and leadership by preparing students to organize and facilitate clubs that they are passionate for.Stephanie has worked in education for 12 years with experience working with students from Kindergarten through 12th grade and their families. She has worked with community partners to provide quality-based curriculum and help bridge the digital divide in the Los Angeles community.

Destiny Torres is the Site Coordinator for UCLA After School Programs at Sotomayor Arts and Science Magnet School. Before UCLA, Destiny worked four years in the after-school setting and two years in the social services field with foster youth. As a proud alumna of UCLA, Destiny earned her B.A. in Sociology with a minor in education. Destiny is passionate about working with K-12 and empowering her students in the expanded learning field.

Daniel joined UCLA Community Youth Programs in 2021 as a part time support staff member. During this time, Daniel supported a team of case managers with tracking participants program progress through document collection and via data entry on online systems such as CalJobs, the HIRELA Platform, and the LA County Y@W Portal site. In Spring 2023 he started his new role as a Youth Program Coordinator for the Center’s Youth Workforce Programs. Prior to his time at UCLA, Daniel was involved in education. He was a mathematics tutor for the Educational Opportunity Program’s Learning Support Center at San Diego State. In addition, he served as a STAR Program Leader for the Paramount School District where he organized sports activities and helped tutor students in grades 6^th – 8^th. Daniel also has prior experience working for other non-profit organizations, including Human-IT. There he helped to bridge the digital divide by repairing and repurposing old electronic devices, promoting the Affordable Connectivity Program, and participating in community engagement events. Daniel enjoys working with youth and the community because he has a sense of responsibility to give back to people who may not have the resources or opportunities to pursue their dreams.

Like most of his colleagues, Daniel is a first-generation college grad. He graduated from San Diego State in 2020 with a degree in Applied Mathematics. In his free time, he enjoys watching sports and is an avid fan of the UFC and NBA.

Carolyn began her tenure at UCLA in 1989. She began as receptionist for the Community-Based Learning Program and Field Studies. Throughout her 33 years, she has held different positions from receptionist to Case Manager to her current role as Information Management Specialist.She keeps staff updated on where we are in enrollments by providing bi-weekly tracking reports and reminders of what is needed for our files.She assists Case Managers with follow-up activities after our youth have exited the program for 12 months.Carolyn has been able to absorb the programmatic changes over the years and has been able to transition from the JobTraining Partnership Act (JTPA) to theWorkforce Investment Act(WIA), to our current Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act Program (WIOA). She has acquired a wealth of knowledge and expertise on CalJOBS, which is the State of California’s system for participant tracking, and federal and state reporting.She regularly attends trainings to keep abreast of the updates and changes made to the system. Carolyn is passionate about helping youth find their voice, direction, and resources to become successful self-sufficient adults. Carolyn enjoys cooking, crocheting, and listening to all genres of music.

Angela Hwang has been working in a non-profit setting since she was in high school to give back to the programs that help raised her. She graduated with a double major in Sociology and Psychology from Chico State University. She has experience working with youth from underrepresented communities in both San Francisco and Los Angeles.  Her experience includes creating and managing high school programs in the San Francisco community to ensure the youth of high school graduation and assist them with planning for after graduation. She also mentored many young people in their first job experience by providing advice and employment related workshops.  Her recent experience was in the Crenshaw community providing financial education and helping clients to become financially stable.

In her free time, she loves to watch The Office and guess who best represents her. She also enjoys making a good cup of coffee and finding a new Korean restaurant to try!

Kevin Matthews has worked for UCLA since 2016. He began as a case manager for the Community Based Learning Program working with at risk youth enrolled in the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Summer Youth Employment (SYEP) Programs, and LA Rise Program. These programs offer work readiness training, paid internships, support services, and education and career guidance to underserved youth within the Los Angeles communities. Youth in these workforce programs range in age from 14-30 years old.Kevin manages a caseload of up to 60 youth annually.

Kevin has experience working with youth with disabilities, teen parents, foster, homeless, justice involved, LGBTQ youth, and military veterans. In 2020, he became a lead case manager for Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Student to Student Program. In this program students were recruited from various LAUSD high schools and given a paid internship that allowed them to tutor younger family members at home during the beginning of the pandemic. The program was so successful the first year, our agency was refunded for the project for a second year.

Kevin’s passion for working with youth began with coaching young people. He has been coaching high school basketball since 2014. He enjoys motivating young people and teaching them about responsibilities and how it relates working well with others now and in the future. He also enjoys helping young people develop and improve upon their skills. As a coach he can connect with students in the athletic arena just as he would at work with students in the education and career guidance arena.

Kevin is one of the first in his family to attend college. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Los Angeles where he studied Sociology under the School of Social Work. In his free time, Kevin enjoys attending sporting events, concerts, taking walks on the beach, and riding dirt bikes in the mountains with family.

Carlos Pena has worked for UCLA and its Community Based Learning Program since 2012. In his role as Youth Program Coordinator, Carlos helps manage the unit’s WIOA, SYEP, and LA Rise programs. Through these programs, Carlos is able to assist underserved and at-risk youth groups within Los Angeles with educational counseling, workforce preparation, mentoring, and other supportive services. Carlos maintains strong working relationship with local high schools, the various UCLA Afterschool programs, and community organizations such as The Rightway Foundation. He specializes in working with high school seniors, foster youth, and other students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Finally, Carlos works very closely with Human Resources to ensure that all of the program’s hirings are processed efficiently. Carlos personally hires approximately150 student workers every fiscal year.

Carlos is a first-generation college student and proud Bruin, having graduated fromUCLA in 2014 with a degree in Political Science, and minors in both Education and Afro-American Studies. He recently earned his Master’s degree in Higher Education Student Affairs from Grand Canyon University. Outside of work, Carlos enjoys hiking and attending live sporting events.

Laura in her role as a youth program coordinator, primarily works with youth that live in high poverty areas and includes young people who live in households that are considered low income. Additional groups of youth that are served through other programs address the needs of youth that face housing insecurities, are system involved and foster and former foster as well. She has worked with numerous programs in partnership with the City of Los Angeles to provide employment opportunities along with college and career guidance.Special resources for outreach include system involved, immigrant youth, justice involved and other subcategories in these areas. The service areas for working with youth and outreach spread across the Central, East, and West side of Los Angeles. She has been doing this work for over 22 years since she started as a student at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). She is a fan of all UCLA sports, especially Softball.