Appointed members serving from 2024-2025
JUAN PABLO CERVANTES
Juan Pablo Cervantes is the Registrar of Voters and County Clerk for Humboldt County.
DEAN LOGAN
Dean Logan is the Registrar of Voters and County Clerk for Los Angeles County.
ARMANDO SALUD-AMBRIZ
Salud is a dynamic and accomplished leader in election administration and civic engagement. As Deputy of Elections in Yolo County, Armando has a proven track record of successfully managing all aspects of elections management. He is a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator, a California Registered Election Official, and a Credentialed California County Senior Executive. Salud's commitment to excellence extends beyond his work in Yolo County. He is a member of the Election Center's Program Committee since 2018 and is a steering committee member for the National Voter Registration Day organization. Salud is a returning member to the State LAAC and has been a member since its inception.
JANET BERNABE
PAUL BURKE
Paul Burke chairs the Committee on Political Action for the NAACP of Ventura County. He has been a bilingual poll worker in Ventura County, a poll worker in West Virginia, and an election supervisor in Bosnia. He manages Lang1234.info which fosters free online language learning in over 300 languages. He also manages VoteWell.net, which explains election procedures in plain language.
JACQUELINE COTO
Jacqueline Coto serves as the State Director of Civic Engagement Policy for NALEO Educational Fund, where she advocates for the Latino community and works on election policy reform to strengthen civic engagement across the state of California. Most recently, Jacqueline was responsible for developing, managing, and leading the California Redistricting initiative and L.A. County Redistricting. Her work includes California Census 2020 efforts and the implementation of the Voter’s Choice Act election system in Los Angeles County. Jacqueline serves as the co-chair on the Los Angeles County RR/CC Community Voter Outreach Committee and has several years of experience working in top field positions with both a State Assemblymember and LAUSD School Board Member. She also has worked as a consultant on various policy programs, including a parent leadership initiative, and best practices to increase the workforce pipeline of employees successfully pursuing postsecondary education. She grew up in South L.A. and put herself through school while working full-time, becoming a first-generation college student. After 12 years in the Human Resources field, she began her career in macro social work, desiring to make a difference in matters of social justice and systems change. Jacqueline received her two master’s degrees from the University of Southern California in Social Work and Public Administration with a concentration on public policy. Her professional interests in public service opportunities aim to create better living conditions for marginalized communities, particularly committed to the advancement of underserved populations.
PEDRO HERNANDEZ, Co-Chair
Pedro Hernandez is Legal and Policy Director for California Common Cause. Born and raised in Watsonville, California, he attended Cabrillo College, earned his bachelor’s degree in political science, with a minor in American Studies, from the University of California, Davis, and J.D. from the UC College of the Law, San Francisco. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Fair Campaign Practices Commission for the City of Berkeley, and on the Board of Directors of Dolores Street Community Services.
VAL JACOBO, Co-Chair
Tulou le paia ma le mamalu o le aofia. Ou te fa’atalofa atu ma le agaga fa’afetai mo le avanoa. Greetings! Val Jacobo is an Oceanian (Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander) and a descendent of Le Afioga I le Alosina, To’omalatai Faaagi mai le Malae o Matagofie i Matautu tai, Samoa. She honors Tovaangar, the traditional homelands of the Tongva people also known as the greater Los Angeles region where she currently lives with her husband and three children; where she works as a Principal at Blue Shield of California (BSC) and where she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She is grateful to the Tongva and Acjachemen for accepting her as a guest on their lands and acknowledge their sovereign rights as original stewards. Val learned how to speak and write fluently in the Samoan language from her mother, her aiga (family) and nu’u (village). She learned how to transcreate Samoan indigenous references and has assisted in the preservation of the Samoan language through global collaboration. Her lifelong work centers ancestral accountability. Val is the newly appointed co-chair of the LAAC and looks forward to advancing language access for all Californians.
DEANNA KITAMURA
KARDUZ NGUYEN
Karduz is a first-generation immigrant and the founder and executive director of Vietnamese Language Access (VietLA), which aims to promote Vietnamese arts and culture and provide language services for people with limited English proficiency. Karduz has worked with various nonprofit organizations and public institutions as a college advisor, ESL teacher, interpreter/translator, scholarship reader, and cross-cultural mentor. He is passionate about providing greater access to higher education and language services for historically underrepresented communities. Karduz is a graduate of UC Berkeley and holds a certificate in teaching English as a foreign language.
BARBARA HURTADO
GISELLE GAZCA
ALEXANDER NEOFITIDIS
Alexander Manuel Neofitidis's expertise in American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, particularly through Video Relay Services (VRS), stands to significantly enhance the Language Accessibility Advisory Committee's mission. With a rich background in providing critical interpreting services that facilitate real-time, both in-person and remote communication for the Deaf and ASL communities, his work bridges essential gaps in accessibility and understanding. Educated in ASL/English Interpreting at San Diego Mesa College, Alexander has dedicated over a decade to perfecting his craft in various professional settings, including healthcare, underpinned by a steadfast commitment to ethical practices and cultural sensitivity. His specialized experience in VRS interpreting not only exemplifies his technical proficiency but also his deep commitment to ensuring that the Deaf and ASL-using populations receive equitable access to information and services, aligning closely with the committee's objectives to promote inclusivity in electoral processes. He is also an Associate Member of the Non-Profit Organizations Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and San Diego County Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (SDCRID).
SVETLANA OSOKINA
VOLECK TAING
CALVIN VAN
As a visionary leader and the CEO of Nguoi Viet California Nonprofit an organization committed to the preservation and promotion of Vietnamese culture and language. With a passion for community empowerment, Calvin Van has been instrumental in developing programs that engage and inspire the next generation of Vietnamese leaders. Under his guidance, the nonprofit has flourished, becoming a beacon of cultural heritage and a pillar of support for the Vietnamese community both locally and abroad.
Leveraging Calvin’s experience as the CEO of a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Vietnamese culture, he is committed to helping communities overcome language barriers. His approach involves creating accessible educational resources, fostering inclusive environments where every voice is heard, and bridging communication gaps through innovative language programs. By empowering individuals with the tools to communicate effectively, we can unite communities and preserve the rich tapestry of our shared cultural heritage.
ABRIL VILLANUEVA
As a native Spanish speaker and a disabled Army veteran with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Certificate in Multicultural Leadership, Abril Villanueva is a dedicated advocate for voter education and language accessibility. Hailing from Compton, California, Abril has been a legal observer at significant political events, including the 2020 Nevada Primary Caucus and the 2024 Los Angeles Primary Elections. She is a respected League of Women Voters Speaker, a Regional Task Force Member of Rising Communities, and has shared her insights as a speaker at a TEDxComptonBlvd event where she discussed the Dia de los Muertos celebration. In addition, Abril serves as a block club captain in Compton, focusing on civic engagement and voter participation in her community.
MONICA VILLICANA
Currently Monica Villicana is working at Santa Clara County’s Language Access Unit, which operates under the Division of Equity and Social Justice within the County Executive's Office as a Spanish Translator/Interpreter, supporting with language needs of County departments and agencies, as well as dedicated in promoting equitable access to services and resources for our community. Looking back, in 2015, she started working for the Mexican Consulate in San Jose, CA. In 2018, she gained experience working at the Registrar of Voters as an Election Specialist, translating documents, propositions, candidate statements, and other materials. Monica worked as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW) with the Emergency Office Center in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a Spanish interpreter. By the end of 2021, she was transferred to the Language Access Unit to support as a Spanish Translator/Interpreter. Monica has a B.A. in International Relations from the Western Higher Studies and Technological Institute (ITESO, its acronym in Spanish), a University in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. In 2023, she officially graduated from Evergreen College obtaining my Spanish Translator/Interpreter certificate. Monica is very excited and honored to be part of this committee and am looking forward in contributing in supporting the state and our community with language accessibility.
