City Impact Lab September 2024

CITY IMPACT LAB IS THE MOST EXCITING WAY TO START YOUR DAY TO GET THE TOOLS TO MAKE AN IMPACT ACROSS LOS ANGELES!

Hear from inspiring speakers, participate in engaging team-based activities, and network with other leaders as future collaborators and partners.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Jim (Dimitri) Kales

I’ve worked as a DJ, journalist, PR guy and community organizer. But 20 years ago, I got my first gig leading a small nonprofit, and I knew what I would do the rest of my life.

My calling is to lead teams of passionate do-gooders to make great things happen for the people we serve. Since December 2022, I’ve been honored to lead Braille Institute of America, the nation’s most incredible resource for helping those who are blind or visually impaired. We’ve crafted a bold, new strategic plan, and we’re gearing up for a big goal: to serve 200,000 children and adults with vision loss in the United States by 2030.

I’m a servant leader who loves rolling up his sleeves with his teammates, while we break down siloes and build amazing (fun-loving) teams. (And I’m REALLY nerdy about non-profit strategy, because it’s the difference in changing lives at scale.)

Zahirah Mann

Zahirah Mann is President and CEO of SLATE-Z, a collective impact effort addressing economic revitalization and environmental sustainability in South Los Angeles. SLATE-Z collaborates with 100 local partners and is part of a national Promise Zone Network working to transform 22 high poverty communities. Prior to SLATE-Z, Zahirah was a Senior Program Officer at The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, where she helped launch and lead Foster Together Network, a countywide collective impact initiative. Zahirah has worked at the Annenberg Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Before entering philanthropy, Zahirah represented a broad array of nonprofit and governmental entities as a community economic development and environmental attorney.

James E. Herr

James “Jim” E. Herr brings 20 years of experience in philanthropic and nonprofit work focused on helping organizations and foundations build capacity for deeper community engagement. In 2022, Jim was named the director of the Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at the Japanese American National Museum. Prior to this he served as a program officer at Annenberg Foundation in addition to his own consulting work with a variety of foundations and nonprofit organizations. He previous led grantmaking efforts at California Community Foundation, The Boeing Company, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Jim has served on the City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission and is a past Board Chair of the Southern California Leadership Network. He also served on the boards of Liberty Hill Foundation, Visual Communications, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, and East West Players. He is also a past member of the LAUSD Bond Oversight Commission.

Jim is a graduate of Leadership Southern California and participated in the Goodwill Cooperative Services Los Angeles Korean Leadership Exchange program. He was selected as an American Leaders of Change Fellow through National Urban Fellows. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University and a Master of Liberal Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Political Science from Temple University.

Join your fellow L.A. leaders online for an eye-opening, interactive, and inspiring morning!

City Impact Lab attendees come from all backgrounds, including government, the arts, neighborhoods, nonprofits, and business. Come connect with your future collaborators, mentors, and partners.

Each City Impact Lab begins with a lively panel of civic, business, and/or community leaders who share their personal experiences and strategies to make an impact in Los Angeles. We then have an engagement “experiment” that allows all attendees a chance to connect on the challenges they are facing in their own work.