Board Of Directors | Junta Directiva

Albert Reyes is a partner at Nossaman LLP. His practice involves representing a variety of public agencies such as counties, cities, school districts, water districts, and special districts in connection with public finance matters. Mr. Reyes joined the Puente Learning Center Board of Directors in 2016. Mr. Reyes graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Chicano Studies and from the University of Southern California Law School.

Fernando J. Guerra, professor of political science and Chicana/o studies, is the founding director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at LMU. Guerra has served on standing commissions, blue ribbon committees, and ad hoc task forces for the City of Los Angeles, the State of California, and regional bodies in Southern California. He is a source for the media at the local, national, and international level and has published in the area of state and local government and urban and ethnic politics. He earned his doctorate in Political Science from the University of Michigan and his BA from the University of Southern California.

Alfredo Izmajtovich, a respective leader, and advocate brings more than two decades of professional experience in affordable housing including but not limited to low-income housing tax credits, state and federal housing programs and various private programs. Alfredo has been a guest lecturer at UCLA, USC, and other institutions while also serving as a technical trainer for affordable housing. Alfredo’s commitment to developing affordable housing in Los Angeles will allow him to work successfully and collaboratively with PUENTE leadership.

Richelle Rae Huizar, a practicing attorney, has spent her life advocating for the lives of young people and the communities they live in. For over a decade, Richelle created and implemented children and family policy for the City of Los Angeles. Richelle is actively involved in the Boyle Heights community serving as the Development Director for Bishop Mora Salesian College Preparatory. In addition, Richelle serves on the Arts High Foundation Board of Directors, is a founding member of Los Compadres, and previously served as a board member of the St. Marianne School Foundation and the Los Angeles County Children’s Planning Council. Richelle’s passion for community service and understanding of the Boyle Heights neighborhood make her a remarkable addition to the PUENTE leadership team.

Raul Amezcua joined the Stifel-California Public Finance team with Stifel’s acquisition of De La Rosa & Co. in April 2014. Previously, Raul spent 11 years helping to manage and grow a small regional firm into a major competitor in the California Public Finance business and, prior to that, spent 12 years in California working for bulge-bracket, New York-based investment banks. During 25 years in California public finance, he has completed well over 100 senior-managed debt financings with an aggregate par value exceeding $20 billion.

Raul received an MBA from the Anderson School of Business at UCLA in 1991 and a Bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Southern California in 1987.

Raul has served on the Board of the PUENTE Learning Center since 2001, including serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors for eight years.

Greg Gonzalez grew up in Boyle Heights and attended Cantwell High School in Montebello. He was the founding Director of La Academia de España in 2006 and also led the program in 2007 and 2008, after having served as a Program Dean on The Cambridge Tradition in 2005. He earned his BA in History and his MA in Journalism at Columbia University, where he was a star football player, and then entered sports journalism. He was a sports writer for the LA Times for over seven years and freelanced for The New York Daily News and The National Sports Daily.

Greg transitioned into teaching in 1991 as an English and History teacher at Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High School in Montebello, California, where he was also the Athletic Director. He is currently at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles where he has served as an academic dean and History teacher for over 10 years. He has won the Garrett Harden Teaching Award at Harvard-Westlake and was Varsity Head Football Coach for three years. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.

Tyler Sutherland is a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, where she practices government benefits law on behalf of Los Angeles’ poor. She previously was an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow in LAFLA’s Veterans’ Justice Center, where she represented low income veterans in numerous legal matters including employment law claims, student loan discharges, and citation defense.

Tyler graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2012, where she was a recipient of the Dean’s Certificate for her commitment to public interest. Tyler was the Senior Articles Editor of the Georgetown Journal of Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives. She received her bachelors from Harvard College in 2009. Tyler is a former volunteer at the Puente Learning Center.