The Friends of the Levitt Pavilion - MacArthur Park
Board of Directors
Ms. Barbarena is President and Founder of ARAS (Accessible Resources for Achievable Solutions), a professional services company that provides strategic planning, community relations, and organizational and business development expertise to position companies for intentional growth. Ms. Barbarena has over twenty-five years of extensive leadership experience in industries ranging from Banking, Finance, Food Industry, Engineering and Entertainment. A fully bilingual and bi-national professional, Ms. Barbarena works with public entities and private enterprises of all sizes, and specializes in empowering smaller, minority companies to grow their businesses and be successful by broadening their market reach into mainstream America.
Ms. Polverini is President and CEO of SoCal Development Services, Inc., a Southern California based company specializing in architecturally distinct historic structures and residences. She is a Co-Founder of The Friends of the Levitt Pavilion – Pasadena and headed the refurbishing of the band shell in Old Memorial Park, now the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts in Pasadena. Ms. Polverini also refurbished the Renaissance Academy in Eagle Rock, CA. As President of the Board of Directors and Co-founder of The Friends of the Levitt Pavilion – MacArthur Park, Ms. Polverini led the renovation of the historic band shell in MacArthur Park, now the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts at MacArthur Park, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles.
As Vice President of the Mortimer Levitt Foundation, Ms. Hirsch is responsible for implementing its venture philanthropy program of Levitt Pavilions for the Performing Arts. Levitt Pavilions in operation include Pasadena, CA, and Westport, CT. In addition to the new Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park, Levitt Pavilions are in development in Memphis, TN and Arlington, TX. Ms. Hirsch serves on the boards of Center Dance Association at the Los Angeles Music Center, Dance Camera West, and Hollywood Arts. She has a long and distinguished history of service to non-profit arts enterprises in California.
Mr. Srivastava is the Sole Managing Member of Advanced Business Solutions LLC (ABS)/ABS Development Company, an innovative boutique development firm founded for the purpose of acquiring and developing properties. Since Mr. Srivastava formed ABS in 2001, the firm has earned the reputation as a premiere development firm in Los Angeles. Currently ABS, with the direction of Mr. Srivastava, is developing approximately 462 mixed-use, mixed-income units with a 2006 market value of over $250 million. The ABS team is committed to the revitalization and growth of communities.
Ms. Pietila is currently a producer for The Simpsons television show, for which she has received three EMMY® Awards. In Los Angeles, Ms. Pietila was first a franchised theatrical agent, and then a successful casting director for two EMMY® celebrated series, The Tracey Ullman Show and The Ben Stiller Show. Prior to her career in Hollywood, Ms. Pietila was a licensed concert promoter in the Midwest, running her own company.
A longtime resident of Los Angeles, Mr. Eshaghian is a principal with Somerset Group LLC, a real estate investment and development firm based in New York. He is currently directing the development of a mixed-use high-rise condominium project in the Westlake/MacArthur Park district of Los Angeles on Wilshire Boulevard and Coronado Street. Mr. Eshaghian has over 15 years experience in architectural design and construction project management. He holds a B.A. in Industrial Design from the University of California at Los Angeles and earned his Masters in Architecture from Yale University.
In 2005, Mr. González joined the administration of Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa where he currently serves as Associate Director for the Office of Neighborhood and Community Services under Deputy Mayor Larry Frank. He is responsible for directing a city-wide community relations and field staff for the Mayor, designing and implementing community campaigns around the Mayor’s initiatives, promoting civic participation and volunteerism, establishing community partnerships, and building a bridge between the people and their City Hall. Born and raised in the downtown area of Los Angeles, Mr. González graduated from Cal State University at Northridge with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chicano Studies and Social Studies. Throughout his career, Mr. González has worked with numerous organizations focused on community leadership development and civic engagement including Public Allies as Founder and Executive Director, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Collective SPACE.
Sebastian Rein is a native of New York City and has been a resident of Los Angeles for over a decade. Mr. Rein is a co-founder and President of Sebren Development, Inc., a real estate syndication and development firm specializing in the acquisition and restoration/renovation of historic and/or distressed apartment buildings in Los Angeles. Founded in 2002, Sebren seeks and develops real estate opportunities within the scope of community revitalization and has created a niche in the Los Angeles real estate market through unique renovations of distressed assets in emerging neighborhoods and architectural restoration of neglected historical properties. Mr. Rein is actively engaged in the renaissance of MacArthur Park, understanding it to be a critical cultural and recreational resource for the Westlake/Macarthur Park community. Mr. Rein has a BA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Mr. Samuels is a partner in the Los Angeles office of the international law firm Sidley Austin LLP, where he specializes in corporate reorganizations and business bankruptcies. Lawyers in the Los Angeles office of Sidley Austin LLP represented The Friends of the Levitt Pavilion – MacArthur Park, on a pro bono basis, in connection with the formation of The Friends as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and all aspects of the negotiations with the City of Los Angeles regarding the MacArthur Park band shell rehabilitation project including real estate, corporate and tax work. Mr. Samuels graduated from Stanford Law School in 1984, was a judicial clerk for the Hon. James R. Browning (then the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit) from 1984-85, and has been with Sidley Austin LLP since 1985. He is a member of the Commercial Law & Bankruptcy Subcommittee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and has written and lectured on a variety of topics related to business bankruptcies. Mr. Samuels is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Hollywood Knolls Community Club. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Desiree, and their three-year-old son, Will.
Mr. Sofio is Founder and President of Built, Inc., a design/build firm in Los Angeles. Built, Inc. was established in 1997, specializing in hillside residential design and construction projects throughout Southern California. Built, Inc. has grown into a full service design/build firm with hundreds of residential, commercial and hospitality projects completed to date. Mr. Sofio holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Technology from the New York Institute of Technology. Prior to establishing his own company, he worked for Prisco Architects designing custom homes and commercial buildings as well as the Professional Services Division for Har-Bro, a restoration contracting firm. Mr. Sofio created the interior for Royale, a 10,000 square foot restaurant in the Wilshire Royale Hotel located in the Westlake District of Los Angeles. Mr. Sofio is also the owner of rampART Gallery, a community art gallery near MacArthur Park, featuring the viewpoints of local Los Angeles photographers and their perspectives of the City of Los Angeles’ culture.
Mr. Vaqueráno is a naturalized U.S. citizen from El Salvador and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund (SALEF), an organization he founded in 1995. As Executive Director of SALEF, Mr. Vaqueráno works to promote the political participation and representation of Central Americans and Latinos in the political process through citizenship and voter registration efforts. He also works to promote educational opportunities and scholarships for higher education for Central American and Latino students in the United States. Mr. Vaqueráno’s extensive experience with the Central American and Latino communities has made him a much-sought expert in Central American and Latino issues in California.
Ex Officio Members
Mr. Gardea was born and raised in the MacArthur Park and Echo Park areas of Los Angeles. Upon graduating from the University of California at Los Angeles, Mr. Gardea joined the staff of CARECEN (Central American Resource Center) to assist with the organization of street vendors in Los Angeles. Soon after, he joined the staff of City of Los Angeles First District Councilmember Mike Hernandez and served as Field Deputy for eight years. In 2001, Mr. Gardea joined the office of City of Los Angeles First District Councilmember Ed Reyes as Chief of Staff. Today, he continues to dedicate himself to public service while serving the constituents of the City of Los Angeles First Council District.
Mr. Glus was a founding member of The Friends of the Levitt Pavilion – MacArthur Park Board of Directors and served as Co-Chair during the formative stages of the organization. In the summer of 2007, Mr. Glus accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer at the Houston Arts Alliance. As CEO, he oversees the City of Houston’s extensive public art collection and manages a budget of $10 million primarily dedicated for grants and services. While in Los Angeles, Mr. Glus was the Executive Director of the Arts and Culture for the City of Pasadena, responsible for supporting and promoting the cultural sector of Pasadena. Under Mr. Glus’ direction, the City of Pasadena developed Cultural Nexus, the City’s ten-year cultural plan. Mr. Glus completed his graduated studies in Art History at the University of Illinois and conducted his undergraduate work in Urban Economics and Public Policy at Indiana University and the University of Kent, Canterbury England.
Ms. Rolland is currently assigned as the Superintendent of Region Operations for the Metropolitan Region of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. She has over 30 years of full time experience in the Recreation and Parks field and the majority of her professional work experience has been with the City of Los Angeles. As Superintendent, she manages the operations of Recreation, Park Maintenance and Facility Repair. Ms. Rolland holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of California at Los Angeles and has earned master units from the California State University at Northridge in Recreation Administration. Ms. Rolland has served as President of the local professional organization of the California Parks and Recreation Society and has also served on the State Board. She has years of involvement in State and National conferences and workshops in the field of public recreation and parks. Ms. Rolland is a long time member of the Women's in Leisure Sorority--Chi Kappa Rho.
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