Staff

Scott came to Point Foundation with over 20 years of not-for-profit accounting experience. Beginning his accounting career at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, Scott gained hands-on skills performing and/or supervising every position within the finance department as the Center’s budget grew from $5 million to over $25 million. Besides managing the day-to-day financial activities of the center, the finance department managed the financial reporting and compliance for 50+ government grants, the annual audit and audits by our funding sources. Most recently Scott was the Director of Finance at Liberty Hill Foundation, where as a member of the management team he worked closely with the Executive Team and the Treasurer of the Board developing financial budgets and reports that tied the numbers to the organization’s mission. Graduating from Eastern Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration, emphasis on professional accounting, Scott went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary. Scott moved to Los Angeles in 1985 where he resides with his partner, Robert, and their dog.
Back to Team

Elizabeth Bedortha came to Point Foundation from the Bay Area where she was engaged in nonprofit, youth leadership development work with the YMCA for two years. Prior to her work with the Y, Elizabeth received her Master of Education focused on Community Engagement from Merrimack College. While obtaining her Masters, Elizabeth authored her thesis on how humans’ unexamined, innate fear of the unknown can lead to bias, particularly toward the Transgender community. Prior to obtaining her masters, Elizabeth participated in two years of AmeriCorps, first in Milwaukee, WI working in classrooms and later in San Jose, CA supporting programming at a local YMCA. She is a graduate of Providence College with a degree in Public and Community Service with a focus on education. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth enjoys camping, reading, sewing, and will always have a pen and notebook close by.
Back to Team

Charity Buckner (she/her) comes to Point Foundation from Washington University in St. Louis where she worked as an academic services coordinator for TRIO Student Support Services. In this role, she provided career advising and managed diversely targeted career development programming and opportunities for the first-generation, low-income, and students with disabilities population. Prior to joining TRIO, she accrued extensive experience in program coordinating and development, as well as, nonprofit consulting through her work as a program coordinator with Starkloff Disability Institute and as an innovative consultant with Innovative Change Consulting Group LLC. With a Bachelors in Human Services and a Master of Social Work focusing on social impact leadership and management, her career has centered accessibility and inclusivity for underrepresented college students through initiatives such as developing disability-inclusive career development programs, peer mentoring, and providing evidence-based services to enhance nonprofit organizational capacities for greater student impact. She currently resides in the Los Angeles area with her fur baby (Abby) and in her free time you can find her binging tv shows, doing 1,000 piece puzzles, or singing her heart out at a concert.

Back to Team

Bill Devers (he/him) joined Point Foundation in 2022 and brings over a decade of experience in the fields of fundraising, project management, donor engagement, event production, and stewardship to his role as Senior Director of Development. Most recently, Bill served as the Director of Development, Events and Engagement at Safe Horizon, the nation’s largest victim services agency, where he generated support for the agency through special events and campaigns. Outcomes included the conception and execution of the organization’s signature gala, peer-to-peer endeavors, and corporate and individual fundraising activities. Though he received his BA in English and Communication from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, Bill is incredibly interested in anthropology and paleontology and spends much of his free time reading up on the newest scientific discoveries.
Back to Team

Natasha Dwyer joined Point Foundation in 2023 after serving as Senior Program Administrator at Esperanza NYC, a nonprofit that provides alternatives to incarceration for young people. She has also served as a researcher at Solitary Watch and as a policy organizer in New York City. Based in Brooklyn, she enjoys running and spoiling her dog.
Back to Team

Susan Linn Ferris joins the Point Foundation after having been an advocate for the arts and cultural economy in Los Angeles for over 20 years. She most recently served as Senior Director of Internal Affairs for Outfest where, for over 17 years, she oversaw the financial, human resource, and internal operations management for this pre-eminent non-profit arts organization. Prior to Outfest Susan came from a career in the literary community, having managed the acclaimed bookstore A Different Light in Los Angeles. Eager to engage and encourage the next generation, Susan has volunteered her time mentoring young adults and undergraduate students. She has used her myriad knowledge and administrative skills to teach young people the professionalism and know-how they’ll need to succeed in the business world with programs like the Los Angeles County Arts Commission Arts Internship and LifeWorks Youth Mentoring at the LA Center. Susan currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Chatsworth Hills Academy – an International Baccalaureate World School. Susan is a graduate of U.C. Davis with a degree in Sociology and minors in English and Minority Studies. In her free time, she enjoys musical theatre, hand-crafted whiskey tastings, and hiking & camping with her family. Susan lives in the San Fernando Valley with her fiancé Lara, their daughter Cydney, four rescue cats, and a precocious Shiba Inu.
Back to Team

Simone Grice started at Point Foundation in 2023 after three and a half years as a Program and Development Associate at the My Stuff Bags Foundation serving children who have experienced abuse, neglect, abandonment, and/or homelessness. At My Stuff Bags, Simone cultivated and implemented new fundraising strategies, managed major grant portfolios, and maintained excellent relationships with donors and volunteers. Additionally, Simone serves as the digital content creator for mental health clinics and practitioners that provide services to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ patients. Originally from the Bay Area, Simone studied Organizational Communication at California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo, and now resides in Los Angeles, CA. In her free time, Simone enjoys spending time in nature, listening to music, reading thriller novels, and being in the company of her loved ones.
Back to Team

Hope Harris is a proud AmeriCorps alum who has worked in the LGBTQ+ communications space at GLSEN and Montefiore Health System for the past 8 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Chapman University. In her spare time, she loves to knit, read, and spend time with friends. She and her wife are the proud parents of a one-eyed chihuahua named Bug.
Back to Team

Tina has an impressive background in program leadership, having served most recently as the Deputy Director of Workforce Program at California Volunteers Fund where she was responsible for leading and overseeing the development of a workforce development program serving more than 500 fellows. Prior to that role, Tina served as Vice President of Site Support for College Track where she managed multiple sites across the country, driving student engagement and college matriculation, and achieving remarkable growth in student metrics. Her strategic vision and operational expertise have consistently delivered strong results, underscored by her ability to innovate and implement effective programs in a variety of settings. 
 
Tina grew up and currently resides in Los Angeles. She received her Ed.M. from UCLA and her Bachelor of Arts from Pomona College. Her commitment to excellence, integrity, and collaboration aligns perfectly with our organizational values.
Back to Team

Prior to joining the Point Foundation Jane Rennert (she/her) served as the Director of Development for the Gender & Family Project for the Ackerman Institute for the Family (GFP). There, Jane oversaw all aspects of fundraising and development while also working closely with the program team to develop initiatives to meet the needs of TGNCNB young people and their families. Jane came to this work through her experience as a parent to a transgender child and through her connection the GFP, particularly Jean Malpas GFP’s visionary founder. Prior to assuming her role at GFP Jane served on the advisory council and helped launch the successful annual gala A Night of A Thousand Genders. Jane has also launched several small businesses in Brooklyn, worked as a special events planner and consultant, been a full-time parent, and served as an editor at the James Beard Foundation. All of these experiences give Jane a broad worldview and a wide range of skills and insight that inform her work to help empower LGBTQ+ young people to be their best and most authentic selves. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her amazing family.
Back to Team

Jamie joins Point Foundation as the Database Manager with over a decade of donor database management in various non-profit organizations along the west coast. While living in Portland, Oregon she worked for the Oregon Food Bank and Legacy Health Foundation honing her development and donor stewardship skills. In her spare time, she co-founded the Not Enough! Queer Music and Arts Festival, a community-based event showcasing new and collaborative projects annually. After five years of success, the Not Enough! Festival went on to be adopted in other cities, including New Orleans in the US, Winnipeg and Edmonton in Canada. Jamie is a California native but this will be her first time living in Los Angeles. She looks forward to exploring all the city offers and getting to know L.A.’s rich queer community.
Back to Team

Prior to joining the staff at Point Foundation, Eddie served as Chief Advancement Officer at Safe Horizon, the nation’s largest victim services agency, overseeing all revenue generation as well as specific marketing and advocacy efforts. He previously held the position of Vice President for Development at the Parkinson’s Foundation, and the National Hemophilia Foundation. Eddie has held progressive leadership roles in development at Barnard College, the NYC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, and Physicians for Reproductive Health. Eddie received a BA in Fine Arts from Hofstra University.
Back to Team

Nicole Rizzuto (she/her) comes to the Point Foundation after serving in non-profit and higher education roles throughout New Jersey. Most recently, Nicole served as Program Manager at the Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education. She has also worked as a museum curator, community college professor, and Assistant Director of Residence Life. Born and raised in New Jersey, Nicole currently lives in Mercer County. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Saint Elizabeth University and is recently completed her dissertation on Dead Lesbian Syndrome at Drew University. Nicole spends her free time writing about gender and sexuality, playing with her rescue pets, and watching hockey.
Back to Team

Alejandro has recently graduated from the University of California, Merced with a Bachelor’s in Political Science. During his time as an undergraduate, his studies focused on congressional politics and social activism. While spending a semester studying in Washington D.C. as part of the UCDC program, he interned with the non-profit Justice Policy Institute. There, he worked on developing research-based policy proposals aimed at the promotion of justice reform within the Maryland-D.C. area. In his final year at UC Merced, Alejandro wrote a thesis that examined the factors behind the passage of legislation regarding LGBTQ+ equality within state legislatures. Through this project, he was able to see firsthand the cultural and procedural roadblocks that threaten the safety and livelihoods of LGBTQ+ people across the country. He hopes to contribute to the removal of those roadblocks by working with the Point Foundation to ensure LGBTQ+ and ally students are provided the support needed to succeed. In his free time, Alejandro enjoys walking his three dogs, studying American history, and collecting comic books.
Back to Team

As the Program Director, Scholar Success & Enrichment, Cierra Russell (she/her) operationalizes student development theory with an intersectional lens to support scholars navigate higher education, while discovering their passion, strengths, and leadership styles. Prior to Point Foundation, Cierra worked in varied student affairs sectors, including DEI programming, leadership, residence life, and curricular development and assessment at Mills College at Northeastern, Columbus College of Art and Design, Ohio State University, Capital University, and UC Santa Barbara. In each of her roles, Cierra has emphasized community care through mentorship and championed affinity spaces for marginalized student populations. Currently, Cierra lives in Oakland, CA and when she’s not working you can find her exploring the Bay Area food and art scene or watching (analyzing) a new show at home with her partner and 2 cats!
Back to Team

Nazara Scanlon Ali is Point Foundation’s Coordinator for Programs, bringing a variety of experience from nonprofits throughout California — Project Open Hand, where she worked with people from all walks of life have access to healthy and nutritious food; Heal the Bay, where she managed the day to day workings of the financial data within the organization; and, most recently, the CSU Northridge Foundation, where she maintained informational integrity in the internal database. While she has deep understanding of the inner workings of database systems, her passion lies in helping people so pivoting towards programs will be exciting. When not working, Nazara loves reading, crossing each national park off her bucket list with her wife, and cooking. 

Back to Team

Charlie Smith (he/they) arrives to Point Foundation by way of Chicago, where he developed a background in comedy, production and LGBTQ+ activism. It was in Chicago where they co-founded and co-produced Dreamboat, the first and only LGBTQ+ show at one of Chicago’s most renowned comedy theaters. Through his work with this show, along with performing at all of the Chicago comedic mainstays, he honed his passion in advocating for gay rights and creating safe spaces and communities for impacted individuals. Originally from Houston, Texas they graduated from Baylor University with degrees in Finance and Economics along with a minor in Biology. In his free time, he loves to travel, attend concerts, comedy shows and sporting events as well as spend time in nature with his partner, family and friends.
Back to Team

Grant Stream-Gonzalez began his career in higher education by serving as a United States Teaching Assistant at a pedagogical college in Vienna, Austria. Upon returning to the U.S., he moved to Washington, D.C. where he worked on federally sponsored experiential learning and international education programs at Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and the Institute of International Education (IIE). At IIE, Grant contributed to outreach, recruitment, and selection efforts for the Fulbright Program and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. Grant holds a Bachelor’s in Rhetoric with a minor in LGBT Studies from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master’s of Education Policy and Analysis with a concentration in Higher Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Grant currently lives in Chicago’s Andersonville. He loves spending time in coffee shops, traveling by train, and distance running.
Back to Team

Melissa de Szendeffy comes to the Point Foundation after serving in the Americorp VISTA Program both in Portland Oregon and Los Angeles, most recently serving as a National Development Coordinator VISTA with a non-profit called Reading Partners, a group dedicated to literacy intervention and literacy justice. Melissa managed their Story Bank archive of testimonies from other Americorp service members, teachers, and students on top of other document retrieval projects to boost accessibility for Reading Partner employees. Melissa has dedicated a part of their early career to education advocacy, serving as a student advocate at Central Washington University during their undergrad they would coach and educate incoming students on university financial literacy and college counseling. This work continued into their first VISTA contract with the East Metro STEAM Partnership in Portland Oregon, where the mission was to make STEAM education accessible to the most diverse neighborhood in the city. Melissa aided in this mission by establishing the blueprint for a student conference that would create scholarship opportunities and helped plan paid training programs for educators on the disparity in STEAM education. Born and raised in Southwest Washington, Melissa currently lives in Los Angeles. They’ve earned a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Museum Studies Anthropology from Central Washington University and is currently pursuing their Masters in Public History from the University of North Alabama. Melissa spends her free time exploring LA’s food culture with their partner, studying and writing, and traveling to new places.
Back to Team

Jorge Valencia began his tenure as the Point Foundation’s Executive Director and CEO in January 2007. He brings to Point a wealth of experience in managing and growing nonprofit organizations, a proven ability to design and manage the infrastructure of expanding organizations, and extensive experience with, and sensitivity to, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth issues. Jorge served as President and Executive Director of The Trevor Project from 2001 — 2006. The Trevor Project is a nationwide nonprofit organization established to promote acceptance of gay and questioning teenagers and to aid in suicide prevention by operating the nation’s first round-the-clock toll-free suicide prevention helpline aimed at LGBT youth. Under Jorge’s guidance, The Trevor Project increased its operational budget by 800% and its foundation-based grant funds by 900%. He created and managed its major donor program and expanded its volunteer pool to more than 500. Jorge’s leadership contributed to Trevor’s growth as a nationally recognized youth service organization, and he continues to serve on the Trevor Project’s Leadership Council. Jorge gained his operational, administrative, and management experience at a range of nonprofit, corporate, and governmental enterprises. Before working at The Trevor Project, Jorge directed the Corporate Communications division at Pueblo Corporation, a marketing firm located in Los Angeles. Some of his clients included Ford Motor Company, DirecTV, Food 4 Less, and Sprint PCS. From 1996 – 1999, Jorge was Director of Communications at Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY), an organization that conducts leadership seminars for promising youth. At HOBY, Jorge directed all public relations activities, as well as the production and implementation of organizational public relations for the non-profit organization comprised of four regions, 5,000 volunteers, and over 14,000 annual participants. From 1993–1996, Jorge served as the Director of External Affairs for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), a political appointment in the Clinton Administration. While at the SBA, Jorge represented the Administration and SBA interests at numerous speaking engagements, conferences, and media interviews conducted in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Jorge also worked in the Office of Public Liaison for the Presidential Inaugural Committee from 1992–1993 for the incoming Clinton Administration. Prior to that, Jorge served as Director of Public Relations and Marketing at Power Productions International, where he was responsible for creating and negotiating contracts with LA Gear, Reebok International, and City of Hope. Jorge earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University in 1989. As an openly gay man who grew up in a Mormon Latino family in Texas, Jorge brings with him a keen personal awareness of many of the issues of rejection and marginalization faced by many LGBTQ+ youth, including Point Scholars. As a past board member of Affirmation, Jorge has helped other LGBTQ+ Mormons and their families live productive lives consistent with their faith and heritage. Jorge’s diversity of life experience includes extensive travel abroad and within the United States. Jorge is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese and is a talented and accomplished public speaker. He has served as a member of the Clear Channel Local Advisory Board, as well as The Palette Fund Advisory Board. Jorge has a passion for helping LGBTQ+ youth and an ability to communicate that interest and passion effectively to both the LGBTQ+ community and the general public.
Back to Team

Before joining the team at Point Foundation, Darrin Wilstead served as Director of Development at Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY), an organization that was established in 1958 to provide leadership development programs to highly motivated high school sophomores in the United States and around the world. In addition to managing HOBY’s headquarters in Los Angeles, Darrin was responsible for overseeing two annual fundraising dinners; one in New York and one in Los Angeles, managing new donor acquisitions, upgrades and renewals, and writing grant proposals to secure increased funding from foundations, corporations and the private sector. Prior to leading the development department at HOBY, Darrin served as Director of International Programs. In this capacity, Darrin was responsible for HOBY’s World Leadership Congress (WLC), an eight-day intensive leadership forum in Washington, D.C. that brings together 100 adult volunteers and 400 student leaders from 20 countries to celebrate diversity, debate ideologies and form friendships based on mutual respect and understanding. Additionally, Darrin provided year-round oversight and administrative support to HOBY’s partners in Canada, England, Hong Kong, Israel, Lebanon, The Philippines, Sierra Leone and Mexico; and with the help of his constituents, he established new programs in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Iraq, Korea and Taiwan. Darrin also worked as an Instructor at America West Airlines at LAX for nine years, where his responsibilities included training an average of 130 employees per month. Darrin was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles after serving a two year mission for the LDS Church in Seoul, Korea and he currently resides in Hollywood.
Back to Team

Kevin Kim Wright has the privilege of serving as Chief of Staff at Point Foundation where he plays a pivotal role in shaping the organization's strategy and helping lead its diverse teams. Before assuming this position, he held influential roles as the Chief Growth Officer and Chief Program Officer at Urban Arts, where he spearheaded the implementation of a comprehensive, multi-year strategic plan, propelling the organization to new heights on a national scale through groundbreaking partnerships with industry giants such as Microsoft, AT&T, Unity, and NBCUniversal. Prior to Urban Arts, Kevin worked in leadership roles at the historic Riverside Church in New York City and Georgetown University. He holds degrees from Indiana Wesleyan University and Duke University. Kevin currently resides in Los Angeles.
Back to Team