OUR
LEADERSHIP.
Mary Taylor
PVJOBS Executive Director
Valerie Lynne Shaw
Board President
LeVerne Rogers
Board Secretary
David A. Roberts
Board Treasurer
As Executive Director of PVJOBS, Mary Taylor oversees the management and implementation of all of the organization’s workforce development programs. In addition to providing supervision to the PVJOBS staff, she collectively coordinates the efforts of the organization’s subcontractors and volunteers.
Before being appointed as its Executive Director, Taylor served in various capacities at PVJOBS since 2009. In her previous role as the organization’s Associate Director, Taylor expanded PVJOBS’ re-entry programming budget to $6 million by accessing federal and state funding for case management, pre-apprenticeship training, legal access, and mentoring and mental health services for more than 400 local residents returning to society after incarceration.
Taylor formerly served on the boards of the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce and the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Creative Writing from California State University, Northridge, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Valerie Lynne Shaw is a former commissioner for the Los Angeles City Board of Public Works, serving as its president for four years. She was later appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the California Community Colleges Board of Governors.
Shaw previously served as an Adjunct Professor for the Department of Political Science at USC. She also has held numerous leadership roles in the public sector, such as District Director to former Los Angeles City Councilmember Ruth Galanter, Program Manager for the Drew Economic Development Corporation, and Public Information Officer for the Century Freeway Project.
Shaw is a member of the 211 Los Angeles County Board of Directors. She also has served on the boards of the California Community Foundation’s Centinela Valley Medical and Community Funds, Wilfandel Club, and the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Political Institute. Shaw earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from USC.
LeVerne Rogers brings nearly 30 years of human resources management experience to the PVJOBS Board. As Human Resources Advisor to the FedEx Express Corporation, Rogers has acted as a liaison between FedEx Express and governmental agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. She also has monitored employee relations for FedEx Express, conducting investigations and making recommendations for corrective actions, when necessary.
In her human resources roles at FedEx, Rogers reduced the number of employee grievances and successfully increased employee retention at the company. She also facilitated managerial employee training and ensured management compliance to state and local labor laws, specifically as it relates to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as amended in 1964.
Rogers currently volunteers with the faith-based United Job Creation Coalition, a PVJOBS collaborator that works with at-risk youth and adults.
David Roberts has been actively engaged in revitalizing large portions of South Los Angeles since the 1992 Civil Unrest. He most recently served as the Associate Director for Local Government Relations for USC. Roberts represents the university among the city and county government, monitoring and analyzing policy proposals and projects as well as carrying out strategies that effectively support the university’s interests. Roberts also works to advance the university’s priorities by establishing and maintaining effective relationships with businesses, nonprofits and community-based organizations.
Prior to joining USC, Roberts served on the staff of former City Council members Mark Ridley-Thomas and Bernard C. Parks. As Deputy for Economic Development, he focused on policy, land use, finance and development, helping to oversee and entitle more than $2 billion worth of development highlighted by transportation projects, commercial office buildings, restaurants, parks, retail and housing projects.
Roberts currently works as a consultant to provide governmental and strategic relations services for clients. He also serves on the boards of the Figueroa Corridor Partnership Business Improvement District, Friends of EXPO Center, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Recycled Water Advisory Group, and the Los Angeles Trade Tech Citizens Advisory Committee.
Cari Hildebrandt
Board Member
Jonathan Jager
Board Member
Alfonso Morales
Board Member
Gilbert Rocca
Board Member
Jonathan Jager joined the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles’ Housing and Community Workgroup in 2017, specializing in community economic development. With a Juris Doctor from UCLA Law School, Jager provides governance assistance to nonprofit organizations; represents community land trusts and affordable housing developments; and monitors the implementation of City of Los Angeles Community Plans to ensure tenant protections are achieved.
Alfonso Morales is currently a Curriculum and Instruction Leader at the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SoCal ROC), where he is responsible for sector planning, program implementation, communicating with sector instructors, and coordinating budget planning. SoCal ROC is a leader in providing Career Technical Education programs for high school students as well as adults in the South Bay and surrounding Los Angeles communities.
Morales also has worked in electronic design engineering with responsibilities in manufacturing, project management and software development. He has held engineering positions with The Boeing Company, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Sierra Pacific Engineering, and Xerox Corporation. He earned his MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Cari Hildebrandt formerly served as the Acting Associate Dean of Community and Contract Education at West Los Angeles College, where she worked with local businesses, nonprofits and community organizations to identify training needs and forge cooperative partnerships to create solutions. In this position, she served as the point of contact for workforce investment boards and networks as well as supplemental job disability benefit counselors, and she oversaw the college’s contracts with the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Welfare-to-Work Program.
Prior this role, Hildebrandt was a founding staffer and ultimately the Director of Westside Extension, in which she created and coordinated a community education program for more than 1,500 offerings each year, serving approximately 4,500 community members, ages 2 to 82. She also served as a Council Leader for the Association of Community and Continuing Education, and she is a former member of a task force working with California Community College Chancellor’s Office on guidelines for community education. Additionally, Hildebrandt served on the board of the Classified Managers Association for the Los Angeles Community College District.
Hildebrandt holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Interpersonal Communications from UCLA, and she earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration, Adult and Higher Education from the University of South Dakota.
Gilbert Rocca is the Director of Architecture at Torti Gallas + Partners, an award-winning international planning and design firm, where he leads the architectural practice for the west coast region. Rocca has more than 25 years of experience in all phases of design through construction for mixed-use, multi-family housing and affordable housing as well as educational, institutional and civic projects.
While leading development projects, Rocca has worked closely with community groups and stakeholders by leading interactive workshops to ensure that the needs and expectations of the larger community are heard and addressed throughout all phases of the projects. Rocca has practiced throughout North America and internationally, more recently dedicating his career to excellence in architecture throughout the western United States.
Rocca’s reputation for completing complex projects while building strong relationships is evidenced by his impressive track record of repeat clients. Gilbert holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and he is a Registered Architect in the State of California.