Tom Steel grew up on a walnut orchard in Yuba City, California before attending UC Santa Barbara. Tom was an Executive Capital Fellow in 2019-2020 placed at CalRecycle where he worked on international recycling and environmental justice policy. He was a Legislative Aide in Senator Beall’s office after the fellowship and worked to expand mental health services in California. Tom is now a Legislative Aide in the office of Assemblymember Miguel Santiago where he works in the labor, banking, and environmental issue areas.
Tyler Aguilar is currently the Legislative Director for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of California, Office of the President. Tyler serves as one of UC’s primary representatives to state elected officials and state agencies in Sacramento, and represents the University’s positions on legislative and policy matters. Prior to his role with UC, Tyler served as a California Senate Fellow & Legislative Aide in State Senator Richard Pan’s office, where he primarily worked on K-12 and higher education policy. Tyler was born and raised in unincorporated Sacramento County. He now lives in the heart of downtown Sacramento.
Lillian Tu is currently a Legislative Aide for Assemblymember Phil Ting, who represents California’s 19th district. She primarily works on environmental, recycling, and health issues. Prior to joining Asm. Ting’s office, Lillian served as a Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellow in the office of Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin. Lillian earned a B.A. in Communication Studies and Environmental Studies at the University of San Francisco. She is from San Jose, California and she currently lives in Sacramento.
Karen Avila is a first-generation Latina and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Public Policy minor from UC Berkeley. She was a Judicial Fellow for the 2019-2020 year and was hired on to work at her placement site shortly after completing the fellowship. She works for the Collaborative Courts Unit in Sacramento Superior Court, where she helps manage treatment court hearings, reports, and tracks court-related legislation. During her free time, she enjoys exploring new places, movies, and mentorship.
Danté Golden is from Suisun City California, which is a part of the North Bay Area. He graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Community and Regional Development. During his college career he held various jobs and internships relating to ensuring equitable and safe public health policy. He was a 2019-2020 Senate Fellow in Senator Scott D. Wiener’s office and recently became a Legislative Aide in the office of Senator John Laird.
Ben Nash is a Policy Associate at Partnership for Children & Youth (PCY), an education advocacy nonprofit focused on high-quality learning opportunities for underserved youth in California. Prior to joining PCY, Ben was an Assembly Fellow and then Legislative Aide in the office of Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula, where he primarily worked on education and public safety policy. Ben earned his B.S. from the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley. He is from the East Bay Area and currently lives in Sacramento.
As the Student Outreach Coordinator, Yaqeline Castro is responsible for stakeholder outreach and strengthening relationships with students and educational institutions statewide. In addition, she supports general stakeholder outreach with the communications team and oversees the student I Will Ride program. Yaqeline first joined the Authority in 2019 as an Executive Fellow with the Capital Fellows program. Prior to her time with the Authority, Yaqeline has worked as a policy intern at the US Department of Education strengthening Hispanic student pathways and opportunities in addition to serving three years with the Orientation department at UC Merced. Yaqeline studied anthropology at UC Merced and has a graduate certificate in public policy from
Sacramento State.
Edwin Chikukwa is the Cash for College analyst for the Ca Student Aid Commission. Prior to joining the commission, he worked at the University of California Santa Barbara Financial Department where he led a statewide campaign that resulted in California increasing its summer financial aid. After leaving UCSB, he joined the California Senate as a fellow for state Senator Tom Umberg. Currently, he is excited to serve the students of California through his new position at the commission.
After graduating from UCSB Chadwyck Moore worked as an executive fellow at the Secretary of State. As a fellow he was able to operate a state voter outreach campaign, study election policy, witness how Californian history is archived, learn about how state elections are operated, etc. His fellowship provided him an opportunity to see different career options out of college and the chance to try new things. Since his fellowship, he has worked at the California Department of Social Services on process improvement projects.
Dana Alpert is a legislative and press aide for California State Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel and former Executive Fellow. She graduated in 2019 from UC Berkeley and thereafter began the Executive Fellowship program, where she was placed at the California Natural Resources Agency under the mentorship of the Deputy Secretary of External Affairs. At the conclusion of the fellowship, she began her current position in the Assembly, where she analyzes legislation, staffs 14 different policy committees, and manages communications projects. Dana is passionate about criminal justice reform, civic engagement, and higher education accessibility thanks to her undergraduate experiences of volunteering at San Quentin State Penitentiary, overseeing student GOTV efforts for the 2018 elections, and fighting against tuition hikes with the Berkeley ASUC EAVP office.
Aneri Suthar is a Judicial Fellow at the San Bernardino Superior Court, where she works in the judicial and administrative services division. Originally from New York, she graduated from UCLA in June 2020 with a double major in Human Biology and Society and International Development Studies, and a minor in Entrepreneurship. Next year, she will be continuing her education with a Masters in Public Health in Health Policy and Management that she hopes to combine with a JD in a dual degree program for an eventual career in healthcare law.
