Executive Director

Seymour I. Amster is a criminal law specialist and has been practicing law for over 30 years. He sees the educational system as the primary means to cause the youth in our community to become responsible members of society. He believes that our community will only benefit by the private institutions enhancing the public programs and the best way of improving our educational system is to provide programs that are needed. As President of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association (“SFVBA”) he caused the SFVBA to become more involved with the schools in the community then they had been. When he saw more needed to be done then what the SFVBA was capable of doing he caused the formation of PESA to address this issue. Many of the programs that the SFVBA were involved with at the schools were spun off to PESA, because PESA was in a better position to properly monitor them. Furthermore through PESA, Seymour Amster has been able to get more bar organizations involved with the schools in their community.

Director of Youth Services

Araksya Nordikyan is a first-generation immigrant who is motivated by her family’s sacrifice, her love for learning and her desire to become an asset to her community. She graduated from the University of Southern California in 2020, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Law and her Master of Public Administration. Araksya’s ambition and commitment to civil liberties led her to join the Teen Court Program as a ninth-grader and since then she has served this organization in different capacities. In her current position, she leads the education department of PESA, overseeing the development and implementation of preventative educational programs for students across Los Angeles County. She also founded and currently serves as the President of the Teen Court Alumni Association and is the liaison for both the Los Angeles District Attorney’s JOIN Program and Los Angeles Superior Court Teen Court Program.

Director of Behavioral Health

Dr. Johnson began his Social Work career with a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. After 8 years of work in the Corrections Department of St. Louis County he moved to Los Angeles, CA. to pursue a career of coaching basketball and academic counseling in higher education. He completed a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Azusa Pacific University. Prior to working with PESA he coached basketball at St. Louis University, Long Beach City College, Los Angeles Valley College and was an Academic Counselor at Moorpark College and Social Work faculty professor at University of Southern California specializing in Military Social Work. 

Director of Administration

While taking time away from school and figuring out what path she’d like to go down, Aimee Ladd started working with PESA in July of 2021. It had been over a year into the Covid-19 pandemic so working from home for many had become the norm and that is where she picked up. Sat at her desk and in front of her computer, Aimee started off as administrative assistant to Cindy Henriquez. She began learning the ropes of administrative duties. Previously only having worked as staff at her local Boys and Girls Club, Aimee had no idea what PESA was, did, or who anyone involved was. Though over time she started to see the impact and services that PESA provides to various people and communities. Now, as the Director of Administration Aimee continues to take on the role and responsibilities of administration such as scheduling meetings and Teen Court sessions, handling payroll, onboarding interns/clients, and much more.

Director of Government Relations

Ella Cavlan has worked in the social work field for about 3 years. She obtained her Bachelor of Social Work from CSULB in 2021 and her Master of Social Welfare from UCLA in 2023. She has worked with PESA since the beginning, but also interned at Keystone Treatment Center as a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Eating Disorder Group Counselor and with the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. At the Mayor's Office, Ella assisted in the management of the Early Childhood Education Student Advancement Program (ECE-SAP) and co-developed the Early Childhood Education Co-Generation Connection Pilot Program (ECE-CCPro). Moreover, she has qualitative research experience through the writing of her IRB approved Master’s Thesis. Ella started as a Bachelors of Social Work intern at PESA in 2020, supplying her with years of direct practice work with the clients of the Behavioral Health Department. Over the years, her passion for Macro Social Work grew, thus bringing her to the role of Director of Government Relations where she supervises Macro MSW interns, runs various macro committees centering grants and local government, and works to influence policy.

Assistant Director of Behavior Health

Rudy Martinez received his Master of Social Work from Azusa Pacific University. He joined the PESA team following his one-year internship. PESA has provided Rudy the opportunity to grow individually and professionally. Rudy empowers others and uses a strength-based perspective. He brings reliability, goes above and beyond, has great communication, and is easy to get along with! Also as the Law Enforcement Liaison, he builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships with law enforcement. Rudy feels maintaining relationships within the law enforcement community is vital to improving our communities collectively and collaboratively. As Assistant Director of Internships Rudy provides training to interns to gain social work knowledge and have a rich understanding of social work on micro, mezzo, and macro levels. His work with interns facilitates this understanding. He assists in the professional growth process of interns and always encourages social work perspective and social work values.

Assistant Director of Youth Services

Jesus Gonzalez joined PESA in 2018, after graduating from Bellflower High School, where he was actively involved in the Los Angeles County’s Teen Court Program. He then received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach in 2022. During his time at CSULB, he promoted student leadership and public service by serving as the President of the Associated Students Incorporated, where his focus was to ensure that student voices were represented.

Now, in his capacity as the Assistant Director of Youth Services, Jesus conducts educational presentations, does case management for diverted youth, collaborates with law school students, and proctors Teen Court sessions. He is also actively involved with PESA’s Funding Committee initiatives and writing for the PESA Post. In addition, Jesus coordinates PESA’s highly successful tutoring program, trains new tutors, and serves as a liaison between students and their parents and guardians.

Assistant Director of Youth Development and Social Justice

Jennifer graduated with her Bachelors in Criminology and Justice Studies with a Minor in Psychology from California State University Northridge in May of 2022. It was in college where Jennifer found her purpose and motivation to focus her career on helping at-risk youth. She got the opportunity in college to work with CSUN’s Mentoring to Overcome Struggles and Inspire Courage (MOSAIC) program where she was able to be part of the mission to mentor at-risk youth in the San Fernando Valley. Being part of this program motivated Jennifer to come back to the Antelope Valley and work with at-risk youth. She started working for Parents, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action (PESA) in February of 2022 as a tutor and she is now the Assistant Director of Youth Development and Social Justice and is helping run the tutoring/mentorship program at the Wilsona School District.

Assistant Director of Internships

Amanda Flores received her Bachelor’s in Political Science with a minor in Juvenile Justice from the University of Southern California in May of 2022. Prior to joining PESA, Amanda was actively involved in her high school’s Riverside County Teen Court program. Her experiences with the youth led her to develop a passion for children’s advocacy, especially those involved in the child welfare and delinquency system.

During her freshman year of college, she crossed paths with PESA under USC’s pre-law project. Coincidentally, as an intern, she was back in the realm of Teen Court as well assisting with other youth service related programs at PESA.

Now, as the Assistant Director of Internships, Amanda co-manages PESA’s College Internship Program. In her capacity, she develops workshops and assigns field site assignments for undergraduate students who are interested in the legal and/or social work field. In addition, Amanda is actively involved with PESA’s Teen Court Diversion Panels, often leading the sessions accompanied by diverted youth and social workers.

Field Instructor

Ashari P. Wallace is an African American/Black woman and an Associate Clinical Social Worker. Ashari believes that representation matters in mental health services, especially as stigmas around mental health are being addressed and as Black people/people of the global majority/color are beginning to seek therapy more often in today’s society. She currently works as an Academic Advisor for the Social Work MSW program at Simmons University (her alma mater). She has been excited and honored to come back on the other side and help those in the MSW program matriculate through the program. She works as Field Instructor with PESA providing Group Supervision for Master Social Work Interns and at times will provide individual supervision for Bachelor Social Work Student Interns. Ashari finds that providing supervision is rewarding and allows her to share from her experience and what she wishes she knew as an intern as well she learns from the interns because learning has no amount of experience/expertise.

Practicum Educator Instructor

Amancay Ledezma is an LCSW and works as a supervisor for Masters of Social Work interns for PESA. Amancay completed her Bachelors in Child and Adolescent Development from California State University Northridge and received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Southern California. Amancay successfully completed her Masters level internship with PESA. After continuing her professional development and becoming a licensed clinician, Amancay is excited to be back supporting those who were once in her position as an intern, providing knowledge and insight through an empathic lens.

Social Media Specialist

Monserrath Ramirez recently graduated from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) in 2022, with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a minor in Fashion Merchandising. During college, she was involved with the non-profit organization Hermanos Unidos and went on to become their Social Media Director and Social Networking Coordinator. She loved creating a safe and fun space for the community, online and in-person. She continued her work at DIG En Español, the first Spanish-written magazine in Long Beach, as their Social Media Manager. There, she received the California College Media Association (CCMA) award from the state for her graphic designs and the projects she led.

Monserrath joins the PESA community to bring her skill set and talents to take this organization's digital marketing and newsletters to the next level. Humanitarian and community work has always been a passion of hers, and she is excited to be part of PESA's mission.

Community Representative

As a first-generation Mexican-American woman, Minelli Chitica has always felt a strong connection to her heritage and community. Growing up in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Los Angeles, Minelli witnessed firsthand the injustices and struggles that her community faced on a daily basis. It was this desire to make a difference that led her to pursue a degree in Criminology and Justice Studies from the University of Northridge (CSUN). During her time at CSUN, Minelli became involved with the groundbreaking work being done by PESA. This organization's focus on restorative justice and rehabilitation for youth, rather than punishment, immediately resonated with Minelli. She was inspired by PESA's commitment to helping the community and knew that this was a cause she wanted to be a part of.

She works closely with the students' parents to keep them informed of their child's progress at PESA. Minelli also serves as a proctor for some of the teen court cases that PESA holds at various schools in Los Angeles. The invaluable experiences gained through working at PESA have strengthened Minelli's determination to pursue her dream of attending law school.

Community Representative

Stephanie’s passion for Public Policy, Justice Reform and Education lead her to join the PESA team in 2021. She is a first generation hispanic woman and alumna of the University of California, Irvine. She has a Bachelors in Criminology, Law & Society and a minor in Psychology & Social behavior with a focus on Child Development and Developmental Psychopathology. Post graduation, she set a goal to continuously give back to the community; now as a Community Representative at PESA she is able to work in her hometown to spread knowledge, raise awareness and promote advocacy. She works closely with Teen Court, Civic Engagement, Tutoring, Government Entity, and has expressed she loves engaging with the youth throughout it all. In the near future, she hopes to continue her education with Legal Studies and/or Public Policy & Data Analysis.

Community Representative

Elizabeth Sosa was first introduced to PESA in 2019 when she was serving as a student juror for the Los Angeles Superior Court Teen Court Program at her high school. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Justice Studies and a minor in Sociology from California State University Northridge in May of 2023. During her time at CSUN, she was reintroduced to the impactful work of PESA through an internship. As a PESA intern, her involvement with mentoring youth as an academic tutor inspired her to want to be a part of PESA's mission on a deeper level. Today, Elizabeth leads programs at five different high schools, collaborates with law school students, proctors Teen Court sessions, and is involved with various committees within PESA.