West San Gabriel Valley Nonprofit Summit

Meet the speakers

Justin Lee

Justin is a Corporate Philanthropy Advisor at Southern California Edison (SCE). He oversees the company’s scholarship programs as well as grants in the environmental and public safety portfolios. Additionally, Justin manages the executive nonprofit board placements for the company.

Justin has over fifteen years of experience in the social impact sector, serving most recently as Director of Community Engagement for the Los Angeles Conservation Corps. He has worked in social impact consulting, responsible sourcing for major global supply chains, and case management for low-income families. Justin is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, having served nearly three years in the Dominican Republic where he worked as a Community Economic Development volunteer with a local artisan association.

Justin graduated with degrees in Business Administration and Sociology from the

University of Redlands and earned a Master’s Degree in International Management from University of California, San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. He has a certificate in Advanced Leadership from California State University, Northridge.

Julie Q. Tomanpos

Julie Tomanpos is an Associate Vice President, Philanthropy and Community Impact in Wells Fargo Public Affairs. In this role, she coordinates philanthropic efforts across Greater LA and Orange County. Wells Fargo's philanthropic giving priorities include addressing the urgent need for affordable housing, accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy, improving financial health, and strengthening small businesses in diverse communities. As a member of the Wells Fargo team, Julie operates as a conduit between the company and the communities it serves, focusing on stakeholder engagement and corporate social responsibility strategies and programs.

With her strong Vietnamese language fluency and cultural connections, Julie is energized to connect with the needs of different generations of diverse segments in the community. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, she worked as a Field Organizer and Constituent Services Representative for U.S. House of Representative, CA-47. Most recently, she served as Government Affairs Director for the South Bay Association of Realtors where she designed and executed outreach strategies in support of the housing industry.

Julie received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from University of California, Davis. In her personal time, Julie is an amateur aerialist and martial artist, enjoys traveling, and spending time with her husband, son, mother, and Yorkipoo.

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.

James Alva is the Founder and CEO of Adelante Partners Inc., a nonprofit and philanthropic consulting firm rooted in its values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. He previously served on the executive team at Citigroup and led the corporate philanthropy team across the Southwestern United States. Before working for Citigroup, he served as the Executive Director of two economic development nonprofits.

He has served on the Boards of Directors for 14 nonprofits, including the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. He currently serves on the boards of three So Cal Grantmakers, Weingart East LA YMCA, and Project Equity.

James is a first-generation college graduate with a degree from Stanford University, where he served as a two-time President of his class. He also has a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certificate from Cornell University.

James and his husband – a high school math teacher – have been actively involved in the community. They have been foster parents and now live in the Los Angeles area with their twin toddler boys, whom they have since adopted.

Tamela “Tami” Omoto-Frias

Mrs. Omoto-Frias is a graduate of California State University Northridge and serves as the Senior Budget Deputy to Supervisor Hilda L. Solis of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Since 2018, Tami‘s responsibility include oversight of the County budget, operations, audit, labor issues, and other policy areas. Prior to serving Supervisor Solis, Tami worked for 13 years in the County’s Chief Executive Office, primarily in budget and legislation, as well as risk management and special projects. She began County service in 2000 in the Department of Human Resources in the Employee Benefits Division.

Edith Gonzalez

Edith is a first-generation college student and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Davis, and her Master’s in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge. She currently serves as the Deputy Director of District Operations for Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis where she oversees the field operations for the First Supervisorial District (SD1). The First District is comprised of approximately 2 million residents. Her responsibilities include ensuring that County essential services and Departments help to support and uplift our most vulnerable community members and work closely with City municipalities and leadership to lead community outreach efforts in their respective cities and surrounding communities.