We’re fortunate to have such an extraordinary, dedicated Board on our team. They offer expertise from fields as diverse as community building, activism, history and entertainment. Please take a moment to meet them…
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PRESIDENT
ALMA E. CATALÁN believes in the value of the arts in all communities. She holds a BA from California State University Long Beach's Film Production Program and a master’s in arts management from Claremont Graduate University and Sotheby's Institute of Art-Los Angeles. As the Programs Manager for CalArts, Community Art Partnership, Alma hopes to inspire and support the next generation of artists, musicians, curators, and art historians who one day will transform the world. |
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VICE PRESIDENT
SHERWIN “KEITH” RICE is the historian and archivist at the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center at California State University, Northridge. The Bradley Center houses photographic and oral histories documenting the historically underrepresented communities of Los Angeles. He holds a bachelor’s and a master's in history with secondary studies in Latin American History and Archival Management from CSUN. He has a PhD in History from Claremont Graduate University in American Studies with a concentration in 20th century African American resistance movements. |
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TREASURER
BETTY VENEGAS-HUEBNER was a founding member of the La Plaza Historical Society and is treasurer of the La Plaza church. She began cataloging and preserving the La Plaza Church archives as early as 2002 and worked tirelessly throughout the Save La Plaza Campaign that resulted in the preservation of the Museum of Social Justice as a public venue for the greater Los Angeles community. |
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SECRETARY
BISHOP MARY ANN SWENSON recently completed a 9-year term as vice moderator for the central committee of the World Council of Churches. Bishop Swenson has served as an ecumenical officer for the United Methodist Council of Bishops (2012-2016) and bishop of the California Pacific Conference. In her retirement years, they worshiped at Hollywood United Methodist Church, where Bishop Swenson serves as bishop in residence. She has led the church passionately toward becoming a more inclusive community filled with grace, compassion, and justice, growing in perfect love of God and neighbor. |
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LEONORA BARRÓN was responsible for organizing The Save La Plaza Campaign in 2010 when the pastor of La Plaza United Methodist Church was locked out of the church. That campaign led to the creation of the Museum of Social Justice in 2012 as a separate 501c3 corporation. She served as the Museum’s Executive Director until she retired in 2017. She continues her service to the Museum as a member on the Board of Directors. She believes passionately that communities have the power and the responsibility to affect change for a better world.
Leonora previously served as Executive Director of North Valley Caring Services in North Hills and El Centro de Acción Social in Pasadena. She holds a master’s degree in business administration with an option in Public Administration from the University of California, Riverside. She also volunteers as a docent for the Whittier Narrows Nature Center in South El Monte. |
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JOSÉ LUIS BENAVIDES is a professor in the Department of Journalism at California State University, Northridge. He is the Director of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center, an academic center at CSUN that collects and preserves the visual history of the region with an emphasis on ethnic minority communities and photographers. He created the first interdisciplinary minor in Spanish-language journalism in the United States.
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REV. JENNIFER GUTIERREZ is an elder in the California Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church, having served as the Executive Director of the Museum of Social Justice, as pastor at St. John’s UMC in Watts, as the Director of Justice and Compassion ministries for the conference, as Director of Urban Ministry for the conference, and as pastor of Pico Union Shalom Ministry, a Spanish-speaking mission church near downtown Los Angeles. Throughout her ministry Jennifer has helped begin a number of new initiatives, including the Cal-Pac Neighborhood Immigration Clinics and the Cal-Pac Shalom Cohort. She is currently serving as the Executive Director of CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice), which educates, organizes, and mobilizes the faith community to support low-wage workers and immigrants in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Jennifer lives in East Los Angeles with her generous husband, three talented children, and two beautiful dogs.
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GREG RAMIREZ received his bachelor’s in architecture from SCI-Arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture) in Downtown Los Angeles and his master’s in real estate development from Columbia University in the City of New York.
He has worked in construction on art installations and housing projects in Brooklyn, NY, while advocating for non-profit low-income housing in developments in Harlem, NY, and Los Angeles, CA. He could not resist a good story and thus found himself hanging out on independent film sets while acting as a writer and production designer on these projects. He is also a fourth-generation member of the La Plaza United Methodist Church. |
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JOSÉ “JOE” T. RODRIGUEZ is proud to be a charter member of the Museum of Social Justice (MSJ) board of directors. He is also a member of the historic La Plaza United Methodist Church, located a few feet from the historic cross marking the founding of the City of Los Angeles in 1781. Joe grew up in Pico Rivera, where his family worshiped at the Rivera Mexican Methodist Church.
After attending East Los Angeles College, he was drafted and served his country in the US Army branch of the military. Following his service as a soldier, Joe married the love of his life, Sylvia Calistro. They were married for almost 40 years. Sylvia passed in 2007. Joe has two daughters, Monica and Adrian. After mustering out of the military in 1968, he returned to work for Los Angeles County, where he spent almost four decades working with young people. He retired as a Director in 2003 Upon his retirement, Local Union 685 presented him with a life-long gold membership card. In June 2021, the United Methodist Conference awarded him the “Bishop’s Award.” |
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KATE UNGER holds a law degree and degrees in linguistic and cultural anthropology. She currently works as a policy advisor for a statewide solar energy association. Her career includes several legal positions, including with a nonprofit environmental law firm, editorial positions in educational publishing, and a development position with the New Orleans Museum of Art. In addition to serving on the Museum of Social Justice board, she is a volunteer advocate for climate action and environmental sustainability.
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