BOARD OF TRUSTEES
DAVID VELA
President
A Los Angeles native, David Vela continues to enjoy a robust career in public
service. David served as Senior Legislative Assistant to former Assemblymember
Jackie Goldberg, handling Labor, Transportation and Economic Development.
David also served as Senior Advisor to the Employment Development
Department under the Gray Davis administration.
After his time in Sacramento, David spent ten years as a Senior Deputy to Los
Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, in charge of one of the largest
unincorporated community pockets, with more than 130,000 residents. David was
responsible for the delivery of municipal services, capital projects and economic
development. He also served as the political liaison to several cities in Supervisor
Molina’s district. He was later asked to take on the role of Chief of Staff to the
CA Assembly Labor Committee Chair. Simultaneously, Mr. Vela served eight years
as a Board of Education Member for the Montebello Unified School District where he
increased graduation rates, student University acceptance as well as spearheaded
the district's first PLA.
After his governmental jobs, David created his own consulting firm, VELADA
Consulting, which focuses on public outreach, social capital projects, such as lowincome housing and provides solutions for responsible businesses, technology
oriented firms and governmental agencies. He also worked for a major Public Affairs
firm in Los Angeles where he served as Sr. Vice President in charge of assembling
teams for major construction and community outreach projects. David is also the
founder of Honor PAC, a political action committee that focuses on equality in all
levels of government. David Vela received his Bachelors of Science from the
University of California Los Angeles and he holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy
from Pepperdine University in Malibu. He resides in Montebello.
January 2023
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