AZEEN KHANMALEK
Executive DirectorOver the past 4 years, Azeen has served as the Director of Affordable Housing Production across two Mayoral administrations, helping to lead the City of Los Angeles’ efforts to accelerate and expand the pipeline of affordable housing. As part of this work, he has worked to lead the implementation of the Mayor’s Executive Directive 1, which has expedited the approval and permitting of affordable housing projects by over 6 months. He has worked with an array of City Departments to drive forward new initiatives to streamline the permitting and approval process. In addition, Azeen has also led housing production policy development and advocacy for new housing production programs. This has included advocacy and implementation of large-scale programs like Project Homekey, revisions to the City’s Density Bonus implementation program, and implementation of the Housing Crisis Act. An urban planner by training, Azeen previously worked at the City’s Planning Department, where he worked to establish affordable housing incentive programs as part of the City’s zoning code update, and at the LA City Council, where he helped lead the approval of the City’s first ordinance regulating home-sharing. A native Angeleno, Azeen grew up in Palms and currently resides in Cypress Park with his wife and daughter. When not working, he enjoys reading, biking, playing tennis, and the outdoors.

JAIME DEL RIO
Organizing DirectorJaime is a LA native born and raised in the San Fernando Valley with a bachelor’s degree from CSUN as an Urban Planner. He joins Abundant Housing LA with over six years of Community Organizing experience organizing in marginalized communities at LA County. Previously before joining Abundant Housing LA, Jaime worked at TreePeople, where he led outreach efforts on a Need Assessment WaterTalks survey and organized on Water Equity issues. He also worked at Neighborhood Housing Services of LA County, advocating and organizing on affordable housing/homeownership and environmental justice issues. Outside Abundant Housing LA, Jaime enjoys biking at the LA River and discovering new hiking trails to hike during his free time.

SCOTT EPSTEIN
Director of Policy and ResearchScott brings over 15 years of experience in research and public policy to Abundant Housing Los Angeles. He has previously worked as a researcher at the RAND Corporation and UCLA CRESST, as well as a public health worker at UCLA’s Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center. As the Chair of the Mid City West Neighborhood Council for 7 years, Scott fought for abundant and equitable housing in his own community. More recently Scott was proud to earn the endorsement of Abundant Housing LA and a dozen other progressive organizations in his candidacy for LA City Council.
 
Scott is also active in the Democratic Party, including currently as a board member of the Miracle Mile Democratic Club. He earned a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Duke University. Scott lives in Carthay Square with his wife and daughter and enjoys hiking, biking, exploring LA’s neighborhoods and restaurants, and taking in film and theater.

JOSHUA GONZALES
Education DirectorJosh has lived in several parts of LA county, including Northridge, Palmdale, and Downtown. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Psychology and a master’s degree in Social Work. Josh has experience engaging with community members from South LA in therapeutic settings and in program development. He performed an evaluation of a Los Angeles Dodger Foundation parent group and is consulting with franchised restaurants to design innovative solutions for employee retention issues. Recently, Josh began collaborating with Abundant Housing LA to establish a USC Chapter. In all of his work, Josh sets an intention to incorporate decolonization and the advancement of racial justice and equity. In his free time, Josh relies on music, meditation, and reading tarot cards to relax and recharge.

CYNTHIA CLEMONS
Digital + Field OrganizerCynthia has a background in providing homeless services in both New York City and Los Angeles. She currently lives in Los Angeles. Cynthia has worked as a Case Manager and Residential Manager for The People Concern in Santa Monica. Working from a shelter and directly with its clients, she learned more about the causes of homelessness and the barriers those affected face to becoming housed. Desiring to make more of an impact on the policies and resources available in the community, she became involved with Abundant Housing LA and later joined the organization as a Field Organizer.
 
Cynthia’s experience also includes serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Crimea, Ukraine, comedy writing, and teaching English. In her free time, she enjoys beautifully designed LA cafes and restaurants, exploring California, and film and television.

OMAR PRUDENCIO GONZALEZ
Director of Engagement & Leadership DevelopmentOmar Prudencio Gonzalez is a South Central LA native and a proud son of immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Sociology from Long Beach State. He held numerous student leadership positions, including serving as student body President during the COVID-19 pandemic. He joins AHLA with experience in the local and national government, political campaigns, and university student affairs.
 
During his free time, he enjoys working out, spending time at the beach, hanging out with friends, and loves to dance.

JACOB PIERCE
Field OrganizerA former journalist, Jacob spent more than a decade living in Santa Cruz, California, where he prioritized coverage of homelessness and affordable housing. He later worked for the county of Santa Cruz. In southern California, Jacob helped run Monrovia Housing and Tenants Advocates, a local chapter of Abundant Housing LA. He grew up in one of LA County’s more exclusionary communities. He is passionate about reversing patterns of segregation, exclusion and inequity in the region.

Alexandro Zambrano-Tamayo
Operations ManagerAlexandro Zambrano-Tamayo was born and raised in the South Bay (Carson) and is a proud son of Immigrant parents from Mexico. After attending the University of California Santa Barbara, he moved back to LA to pursue his passion for giving back to the community that helped mold him into the person he is today.
 
Alex has spent the last six years at CASA of Los Angeles working towards providing advocacy to foster youth and families in the dependency system. During his time at CASA, he aided in establishing new policies and programs to better serve the needs and wants of the volunteers and the families they worked with. He has seen first-hand the effects of housing, lack of resources, and lack of support within our communities.
 
During his free time, Alex enjoys photography, running, and actively going to Disneyland with his wife.

Courtney Alicia Miles
Field OrganizerCourtney Miles is a Gardena native who expressed a passion for social justice and public service early on in life. With ongoing support from family, friends, and church members, she found the confidence to come out of her shell and find a voice within her calling. Courtney's primary motivation for approaching social justice issues starts with the kind of world that she would like to leave behind. In her spare time, Courtney enjoys dancing, yoga, cooking, collecting records, and going to Trader Joe's with her son, Stevie.