Allison Hales

Born and raised in London, Allison obtained a BA Honors in Marketing and Communications at London Guildhall University and is now a Realtor in Los Angeles.

Her love affair for music led her to New York City specializing in managing top recording artists. After 10+ years in the music business, Allison transitioned her career into working with HNW individuals and the management of their estates. Her deep interest in architecture and interior design, coupled with a genuine desire to be of value to her community, real estate was a natural progression, vibes, and real estate markets.

Allison lived in Manhattan Beach opposite Bruce’s Beach Park for 3+ years. She founded Culture Club South Bay in 2020 amidst the pandemic to celebrate diversity and culture in the South Bay, starting with live events on Zoom that honored different cultures through arts and performance. 

In 2021 alongside Justice for Bruce’s Beach, and Color of Change, she produced a Juneteenth gathering at the historic park, creating a safe space to celebrate Black liberation in a predominantly white neighborhood sponsored by Sup. Hahn and Color of Change. 

She was also chosen first seat on the Bruce’s Beach MB City Task Force and sat on the board for Pop the Bubble.

Billy Corvalan

A long time Manhattan Beach resident, Billy fell in love with surfing at a young age while growing up on Long Island, NY. His passion and love for the ocean motivated him to travel the world searching for perfect waves. His adventures took him around the globe building strong water skills and wave knowledge while also learning about the cultures that shaped the local surf scene. In the process, Billy discovered that surfing can break language and cultural barriers. To Billy, surfing is more than a sport, it is an opportunity to experience and connect with people, places, and the things that unite them all.

Jessa Williams

Jessa is the founder of Intrsxtn Surf, a local organization established to celebrate and create a safe space for girls and women of color in the surf community.

As a mom, she fell in love with surfing while learning alongside her son. She regularly surfs in Manhattan Beach and holds Intrsxtn surf meet ups there with other women of color surfers, focusing on newcomers or beginners who want to try surfing with other women like themselves. An advocate for equity in the outdoors, she promotes the idea that any effort towards diversity and inclusion needs to be intersectional.

Paul Rudy

Paul grew up on the east coast playing soccer and enjoying water sports such as wakeboarding, with his first exposure to surfing at the New Jersey and Maryland beaches. He moved to California after graduate school to pursue a career in high tech, and expanded his love of outdoor sports to marathons, triathlons, and surfing. Paul first discovered the joys of surf instruction 15 years ago as he and his wife Stephanie spent their weekends at the beach teaching their 3 young sons how to surf, while meeting other folks in the surf community. Since then, Paul is grateful to have had the opportunity to help many other beginning surfers experience the joy of riding waves, overcome doubts and conquer fears, and create special connections with nature and one another. In addition to volunteering as a surf instructor, Paul is a frequent speaker at local schools and universities to inspire students to consider careers in high tech.

Alexis Cormier

Alexis Cormier is one of the Head Trainers at Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club, one of the top volleyball clubs in the nation. She co-leads coaches and athlete training, and she runs camps and clinics for youths ages 8 to 18. She has been coaching for the last 20+ years and has made massive impacts on athletes of all ages. Alexis earned a full athletic scholarship to play volleyball at California  State University, Northridge where she graduated and earned a  degree in Communication Studies.

She currently works at KCW consulting group as Director or Youth Programs focusing on mentoring the next generation of young athletes!

Tony Giarla

Tony Giarla is the founder of AVPFirst. With Culture Club and through AVPFirst, Tony provides the resources to play volleyball down at the beach.

AVPFirst is a signature 501(c)(3) nonprofit, programming the entity of the AVP with a mission to improve the health and well being of underserved youth through the sport of beach volleyball. Regardless of a child’s economic status or the neighborhood in which they reside, AVPFirst’s goal is to ensure volleybALL truly is for ALL. We accomplish this by providing kids, their families and communities with the highest-quality clinics, court construction projects, coaching education workshops, community leagues, and more, all at absolutely no cost to them.

Dr. Linh Vuong

Dr. Linh Vuong is a board certified and fellowship trained Sports Medicine and Family Medicine physician. She was born in Vietnam. Her family escaped the communists after the Vietnam war and was sponsored to live in Madison, Wisconsin where they were only 1 of 2 Asian families in the entire city. She grew up poor, on Welfare, living in government housing projects. As refugees and minorities she and her siblings experienced discrimination and marginalization at an early age. This motivated her to achieve higher education to change her circumstances.

Dr. Vuong went to undergrad at UCLA, medical school at UC San Diego and did her residency and sports medicine fellowship at Harbor UCLA.

She volunteers as the team physician for the past ten years for her alma mater, North High School varsity football team in Torrance. She also volunteers on her children’s school PTA board and classroom. Prior to covid, Dr. Vuong, her husband and sisters created a cultural diversity awareness program for elementary school kids called “We Are The World” that won recognition from the Torrance Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson

Alison Rose Jefferson is a publicly engaged independent historian, heritage conservation consultant and a third generation Californian. Presently her research and professional interest revolve around the intersection of historical memory, American history, the history of the African American experience in Southern California during the twentieth century great migration and Jim Crow era, intersection with heritage conservation, spatial justice and cultural tourism. She is also interested in her work’s intersections with the experiences of people of African descent in other global settings.

Along with other work activities utilizing her knowledge and skills expertise, she has written a book, Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era (University of Nebraska Press, 2020). This study examines how African Americans pioneered leisure in American’s “frontier of leisure” through their attempts to create communities and business projects, in conjunction with the growing African American population of Southern California during the nation’s Jim Crow era. The places Jefferson’s examines illustrate a range of recreation and relaxation production purposes and societal encounters at beach and inland locations.

Eliza Lane

Born and raised in the South Bay, Eliza has served the community as an educator and writer for 20 years. As a life-long learner, she has earned a BA in English Literature from California State University, Long Beach, as well as Masters Degree in English with a focus in postsecondary education. Eliza’s commitment to the community is rooted in supporting youth inside the classroom and beyond. As a freelance writer, she has pivoted her skills to the grant writing sector and continues to carve out new opportunities with CCSB and the underserved communities the program serves.

Stacey Corvalan

In her corporate life, Stacey held multiple positions in PR and events writing press materials, creating and running corporate events, and running the public relations efforts of regional and national corporate clients including Seiko and Transworld Media.

But that is only half of her career story…After many years of practicing yoga and meditation herself, Stacey was invited to take part in a kids yoga training where she felt like she found her calling working with children. Since then, Stacey has been teaching two-to-six year olds at preschools, elementary schools, and child development centers in Manhattan Beach and all over LA’s South Bay.

As a lifelong lover of learning, Stacey continues to soak in additional opportunities to work with students, but feels that her best lessons are through the children she works with. “Kids yoga has given me permission to let go and enjoy each moment. Having fun rules over having perfect technique and moving your body and exploring how that connects to your mind and breath is everything.”

Stacey hopes that her students will remember her as that crazy lady who taught them that the fiercest lions are quiet and volcanos can cool you down. She lives in Manhattan Beach with her loving husband and her two awesome kids. She continues to learn from them every day.

Sabrina Claros

Sabrina is an outdoor adventure and lifestyle photographer based in LA. She focuses on capturing diversity in outdoor spaces and recreation, emphasising that the outdoors is for everyone.

Sabrina grew up camping and hiking with family in Southern California and Oregon, developing an appreciation for the outdoors at an early age. As she grew older, that transitioned into climbing, backpacking, kayaking, and more.

She initially pursued a career in social work, and ultimately decided that it was not the right career path. Transitioning to photography allowed for more creativity and storytelling while continuing to work with and support underrepresented communities. By documenting the diverse and intersectional identities of people who recreate and enjoy outdoor activities, Sabrina hopes to continue reducing barriers to outdoor access.

Sabrina is also a local leader for Lagartijas, a climbing group for the global majority.

Chiany Dri

Chiany is a mixed race Black Latina, born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She is a mother of three, a community organizer, justice worker and the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at LA Family Housing.

Chiany lived in Ventura County for 10 years, leading movement work for Black and brown communities in both Ventura County and Santa Barbara County.

In 2021 Chiany was awarded recognition by the California State Senate for her work in reparations for Black communities in Los Angeles.

Chiany is also a co-founder of Juneteenth Santa Barbara, a Santa Barbara based organization dedicated to Black liberation and joy.

In 2020, Chiany self-published her first book, The Little Guide to Anti Racism.