Mandy Lee is a distinguished public affairs professional with over 10 years of government relations, public affairs, political campaigns and public service experience. She serves Platinum’s health care and technology clients on an array of issues. Prior to joining Platinum Advisors, Mandy served as the Vice President of Government Affairs at the California Retailers Association (CRA), representing the retail industry before the state Legislature and various regulatory bodies. Mandy started her career in the public service, having served in a number of capacities in both houses of the California Legislature.
In 2016, Mandy was nationally recognized as one of the top Asian American Pacific Islander political and public affairs professionals under 40. Mandy is presently the Board President of Equality California. She is also the Chair of the California LGBT Caucus Leadership Fund and member of the Sacramento Stonewall Democrats Political Action Committee Board. She holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University-Hayward in political science and pre-law studies.
Christy Bouma is the President of the lobbying firm, Capitol Connection which she joined in 2000, after an 11-year teaching career in mathematics and computer sciences at the secondary and community college levels. Ms. Bouma’s work on behalf of the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) is highlighted by the drafting of and securing passage of landmark legislation which provides new work and life-safety protections for California’s firefighters.
Ms. Bouma was appointed in 2012 by Governor Jerry Brown to the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC). Ms. Bouma was honored to receive the 2016 Carrie Nevins Community Service Award – Northern California Recipient – from the Division of Workers Compensation. Ms. Bouma holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science, is a one-time marathon finisher, was voted by her peers as “up and coming lobbyist” in 2006, and as one of “the top 100″ in California politics every year since 2010 and delights in spending time with family, which includes her amazing kids and grandkids.
Doug Brown currently serves as the Program Advisor of CCST’s Science & Technology Policy Fellowship which places scientists and engineers in the California Legislature. Prior to his service at CCST he served as Chief-of-Staff to the 2008 Governor’s Conference on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. He was formerly Principal Consultant with the California State Senate, where he worked from 1985 until 2008. Doug was President of the River City Democratic Club, the predecessor organization to the Sacramento Stonewall Democratic Club, from 1986-1988. He also was a founding co-chair of CAP/PAC, an LGBT political action committee that raised funds for local and state candidates, from 1989 to 1992.
Mr. Brown is an economic development specialist who was formerly the Assistant
Director for Business Relations at the Employment Development Department. He spent three years with the California Technology, Trade & Commerce Agency where he designed the state’s Small Business Development Center program. His federal experience includes positions with the US Senate, the Small Business Administration and the White House Conference on Small Business.
Mr. Brown, a former Peace Corps volunteer and a Vietnam veteran, has a BA in International Relations from the University of Kansas and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the George Washington University. Doug and his partner, Ron Evert, were married in November of 2014 and now live in the Palm Springs area.
Terry Schanz has worked for the California State Legislature for nearly fifteen years and is currently the only out LGBT Chief-of-Staff serving in the California State Assembly. Schanz currently serves California State Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, who represents the greater Sacramento area.
Schanz previously served as Chief of Staff to former State Senator and Assemblymember Isadore Hall, III, Interim Chief of Staff to former State Senator Gloria Romero and Legislative Consultant for former State Senator Kevin Murray. Schanz also serves as Chair of the Democratic Party of Sacramento County and is the first out LGBT person to serve as Chair in over 25 years. As Chair, Schanz has been able to grow the party’s base by fostering the development of 23 local Democratic clubs, with a focus on encouraging women and underrepresented communities to organize and elect Democrats to public office.
Jo Michael is Equality California’s legislative manager, based in Sacramento. He has helped advance more than 25 successful pieces of sponsored legislation for the organization.
Jo was named one of the Best LGBT Lawyers under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association for 2015 and is a former co-chair of SacLEGAL, Sacramento’s LGBT bar association. His commitment to working for social justice and LGBTQ civil rights date back to when he co-founded his high school’s first Gay-Straight Alliance. Jo graduated from the University of Southern California and the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and is licensed to practice law in California.
Dave Sebeck is Senior Advisor to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. He is a longtime communications professional who has worked for a variety of elected officials, candidates, and business leaders.
In the Legislature, he has served under six Assembly Speakers and two Senate President pro Tems. Among his favorite accomplishments is helping guide the careers of young staffers who are now advancing in policy and communications positions throughout the state. Having written hundreds of thousands of words in his career, Dave now faces the prospect that “our roads suck” and “woefully incomplete” may be the ones he is most remembered for. Dave lives in Sacramento with his husband, Kip Bridges, and their cats Jackson Pollock and Vincent van Gato.
Eric Joseph Astacaan currently works as a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines where he recently received the Southwest Airlines University’s Flight Attendant Training “Living the Southwest Way Award” in May 2016. Eric worked for over 20 years in legislative advocacy and politics before joining the airline industry. From 2002 to 2015, he served as a Special Assistant to Assembly Speakers Toni G. Atkins, John A. Pérez, Karen Bass, Fabian Nuñez, and Herb Wesson. He worked as the Speaker’s principal policy consultant on aging, long-term care, arts, entertainment, sports, tourism, internet media, banking and finance, and on issues related to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities and the Asian/Pacific Islander population. He also served as a consultant for the California Legislative LGBT Caucus. He was a founding member of the Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento, a member of the Asian/Pacific Islander Capitol Association (APICA), and coordinated the Capitol LGBT Staff and Friends Network.
Previously, Eric was the legislative director for CAPE, the California Alliance for Pride and Equality (now known as Equality California), the statewide non-profit LGBT civil rights advocacy organization. Prior to CAPE, he worked as a community health educator for the Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT) in Los Angeles, as a public policy associate at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, and as a legislative advocate for LIFE Lobby.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Eric immigrated to the United States with his immediate family in 1985. He joined the U.S. Air Force in May 1986 and received an honorable discharge in August 1989. He and his spouse, Michael Butler, have been together for nearly 18 years. They reside along with their three sons in Sacramento, California.
Kathleen Mossburg Ms. Mossburg is currently a partner in the Sacramento lobbying firm, MVM Strategy group. Prior to forming MVM Ms. Mossburg had her own firm for 16 years.
Over the years she has represented a wide range of clients broadly focused on public health and safety net issues. She has a comprehensive knowledge of legislative, administrative and budget processes. Current clients in these areas include the Project Open Hand, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Public Health Institute, Essential Access Health, California Association of Food Banks, Developmental Services Network, California Food Policy Advocates, Local Health Plans of California and 24Hr Home Care.
Mario Guerrero is an advocate both professionally and personally. He is the current Legislative Director for the California Faculty Association and is on the board of the Sacramento City Community Police Review Commission. He is a lecturer at Sacramento State where he teaches U.S. and CA Government.
Mario has experience in various policy areas including labor, health, education (K-12), higher education, environment, and civil rights in California. His previous professional experience includes working for Service Employees International Union Local 1000, Equality California, the Coalition for Clean Air, the California State Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, and BIENESTAR Human Services, Inc. He is a veteran of the United State Marine Corps and a graduate of Cornell University where is received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a focus on government, politics, and policy. He also received his Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish with a minor in Computer Information Systems from the University of La Verne.
Dana Mitchell currently serves as the Chief Consultant to the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media. Prior to joining the committee, Dana acted as Counsel to the California State Senate, Chief Counsel to the Senate Committee on Privacy, Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chief Consultant to the Select Committee on the Regulation of Talent Agents, and Legislative Director for California State Assemblymember Cindy Montañez (D-San Fernando).
During her 20+ year tenure with the legislature, Dana has developed policy expertise in consumer issues, employment and labor law, and constitutional law, with a particular emphasis in privacy law where she is a nationally traveled lecturer in data breach disclosure. She has staffed landmark consumer protection legislation on behalf of Assemblymember Montañez, and former Senators John Burton and Steve Peace.
Volunteer activities have included sitting as an appointed member of Sacramento’s Human Rights/Fair Housing Commission, (former Chair), and as a Community Board Member of the Sacramento Employment Training Agency. She currently sits on the Board of Sacramento Self Help Housing, an organization dedicated to ending homelessness.
A 1994 graduate of McGeorge School of the Law, Dana has had many past lives. In one she owned her own political consulting firm, in another she served as an attorney specializing in civil rights litigation, and in yet another she was a High School All American athlete in track and field. Dana continues to enjoy participating in many sports, now strictly recreational, attending concerts, plays, and as many sporting events as she can.
Wendy Rae Hill
[no bio provided]
Capitol LGBTQ Association 