November 2024’s City Impact Lab featured a discussion with Dr. Henry Burton (UCLA), Rowan Vansleve (Hope the Mission), and Maria Salinas (LA Area Chamber) at the offices of Elevate Public Affairs in Santa Monica. Our CEO, John Bwarie, wove together a conversation with three very different leaders to connect a morning that provided inspiration and tactics for attendees. Our panelists talked about mitigating natural and manmade risks as opportunities for positive impact, addressing the deep-rooted causes of inequity, and how to engage with policies and systematic issues that need to be addressed. Below are some of the key highlights from the conversation…
Dr. Henry Burton, Associate Professor and Presidential Endowed Chair in Structural Engineering, UCLA
Henry didn’t take a traditional path to become an engineer, but he’s become one of the most respected experts in the field of structural engineering today. After graduating from high school in Trinidad, he didn’t have the opportunity to go to college and instead began working in construction. That job was the foundation for his structural engineering career researching and teaching students how to make buildings safer and more resilient. He lives by the adage “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
Earthquakes are something we can’t control, but we can control how we react. Henry’s work is more specialized, regarding communities that are disproportionately impacted by earthquakes, but it’s no less important.
“Major earthquakes don’t happen very often, so with the issue of seismic risk, for a lot of people it’s intangible and it’s hard to convince people that this is something that’s worth taking seriously. Part of what I’m trying to do is change the narrative. What we can control is these mitigated actions. We know what types of buildings are vulnerable, how to retrofit them, and how to improve them,” he explained. It can make the difference between some communities having to leave the area because there’s no suitable housing after a big earthquake.
As an immigrant, Henry often finds himself being the only one in the room who looks like him or has an accent. His advice is, “I really just focus on the work and the impact that I’m trying to have. All the other stuff is just noise. And I think people recognize that, once they see that you’re focused on achieving a goal, they tend to listen.”
He gets a lot of motivation from working with his students, who themselves are eager to make an impact through their field. He says that when students are asking about his research, the question they always end with is, “So how is that making an impact?” and this keeps him motivated. He always tells them, “Start at home and end abroad. Look at the problems in your immediate environment and if you’re effective at solving them, you’ll be tapped to solve bigger problems.”
Rowan Vansleve, President, Hope the Mission
Rowan came to America as a bright-eyed Australian wanting to backpack, see the world, and fall in love. His path at Hope the Mission started 22 years ago, after taking a bus from a college party at UCLA to Skid Row to tutor a young girl in math. On that bus ride, he realized the extent of the wealth disparity in L.A. as he looked out the window all the way from the West Side to DTLA, looking at the people living in tents. He now dedicates his career to helping people who are experiencing homelessness and raising awareness for the issues at the root of homelessness. Hope the Mission is the largest rescue mission in the country.
After that bus ride, Rowan decided that this is his fight.
“You start looking out the window and realizing that this isn’t by chance. In L.A., we know that this is the result of 60 years of biased and bigoted policies. There is something inherently broken,” he shared. “I’m a white guy from Australia, I don’t even understand racial bias. I don’t know what it’s like to be a woman living on the streets. But screw it, this is going to be my journey.”
“If I’m honest, we’re losing, in LA County there are 75,0000 people on the streets for no other reason than a messed up policy. In the greatest city on Earth, we allow that,” he said. But he stays motivated every day by connecting with the people he works with, learning about their stories, and realizing that every bed he builds is one more person with a bed to sleep in at night.
Maria Salinas, President and CEO, L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce
Maria is the first Latina CEO of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce, which she described as “the first time [she] looked at a job and thought ‘Oh, you need me.’” Maria is a reflection of what makes L.A. the diverse, hardworking, amazing city it is. She comes from a business background; she’s a certified CPA and started her own finance and accounting consultancy after working for notable companies like EY and the Walt Disney Company.
When thinking about changing messed up policies for the better from a business perspective, Maria believes that organizations like the Chamber play a pivotal role in leaning in to provide support. “Having the business community step up, step in and engage with policies and systematic issues that need to be addressed is so important. We operate at a level where we can convene with city leaders and county leaders and state leaders,” she said. As the President and CEO, Maria is intentional about stepping in and getting involved with important issues.
Her work sometimes brings her our of her comfort zone and she’s often the only woman or the only Latina in the room. Speaking on how she overcomes this, she said,
“This is the story of my life. I always think of the phrase ‘own your power.’ The influence that I have has never been more prevalent than in this world, at the Chamber. I’ve always questioned myself in corporate America, but we don’t have time for that. If I were to tell my younger self, I’d say, ‘cut that out. You have the skills and expertise to be where you are.’ I try to own it every step of the way, I don’t have any other choice.”
In our current political atmosphere, our panelists encourage you to stay positive and optimistic, and keep fighting the good fight.
