Marian Bell - President

Marian’s passion for neighborhoods, place, and equity has driven her decades-long affiliation with LANI. Originally an intern, she then joined the LANI staff as a Program Manager, Senior Program Manager, Development Director, and ultimately serving as Deputy Director. In 2016, she transitioned to the volunteer position of President of the Board of Directors, leading organizational development and board engagement. Her focus is to institutionalize an impact-based strategic planning process that dovetails with the organization’s fundraising, budgeting, and programming.

Marian has also worked to develop small-scale moderate-income housing in Los Angeles. At her child’s school in Hollywood, Marian has forged partnerships with neighboring homeless service providers and city staff to educate students about homelessness, design volunteer actions, and mediate conflicts over use of public space. She has a Master of Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Yale University.

Courtney Torres - Vice President

Courtney is the principal at CT Consulting, Inc., a certified woman-owned small business providing government, community, and media relations, founded in 2013. Prior to launching her consulting practice, Courtney was Vice President at Shallman Communications, overseeing large client accounts, including the $4 billion capital improvement project at Los Angeles International Airport. Courtney has also played a key role in highly competitive political campaigns at the local, state and federal levels, and served as Chief of Staff to Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, where she was responsible for staff and project management, implementation of policy initiatives, and community outreach and media relations. She also contributed to the passage of several local ballot measures.

Prior to working with the Councilwoman, Courtney worked in public relations and public affairs, was actively involved in the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, and was a member of Vice President Al Gore’s advance team, coordinating numerous vice presidential visits to Los Angeles and Sacramento. Courtney graduated summa cum laude from Pepperdine University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She completed her graduate work at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management.

Todd McIntyre - Treasurer

Todd is a native Angeleno with a passion for innovative solutions to complex urban challenges in infrastructure, land use, mobility, and public policy. He is an executive leader with over 20 years of experience in diverse public and private sector enterprises, starting his career with the City of LA Mayor’s Office. Todd is currently Vice President and Office Executive for Michael Baker International, overseeing their offices in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Todd’s prior work has been for Atkins, Metrolink, the District Department of Transportation (Washington DC), the Federal Railroad Administration, and the San Mateo County Transit District.

Todd graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Morehouse College, and he holds a Masters in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California.

Areen Ibranossian - Secretary

After working in L.A. City Hall for nearly two decades, in addition to leading a national public affairs operation in Southern California, Areen founded Chief Strategies, a boutique public affairs and advocacy firm with deep roots in the L.A. metro area. With numerous victories on the campaign trail, Areen pairs his experience in L.A. government with top-tier communications and strategy guidance.

Prior to founding Chief Strategies, Areen served as Chief of Staff to Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian, overseeing all aspects of the office’s policy portfolio with a focus budget and job creation. In this capacity, Areen was integral to creating the city’s Job and Economic Development Incentive (JEDI) Zones to spur business development. He also served as Campaign Manager for Councilmember Krekorian’s successful City Council bid in 2009.

Areen’s experience in L.A. City Hall extends back to 2003 when he worked for then-City Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa. He went on to serve in Villaraigosa’s mayoral administration as Special Assistant to the Mayor and as a Budget Analyst in the mayor’s budget and finance shop. He has an extensive background in campaigns and communications, having worked on numerous races at the local and national levels.

Joyce Perkins

Joyce is co-founder, retired Executive Director and current board member of LANI, founded in partnership with the Los Angeles Mayor’s office in 1994. Joyce has a long history of community activism, and it is through this activism that LANI was born. Joyce has worked in the public, private and non-profit sectors, including as a social worker for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services serving abused and neglected children. She later worked in the private sector as a real estate agent, and she owned and operated a data processing company. Other non-profit experience included working during the start-up phase of Crystal Stairs, a children’s services organization, and as an office management consultant with a United Way project serving private elementary and preschools.

Experienced in land use, transportation, public policy and organizational development, Joyce has served on several city and county commissions and committees and has participated in conferences throughout the United States and abroad discussing LANI’s model for community-driven revitalization. Joyce has received several awards and commendations, and in 2009 the Los Angeles City Council dedicated the “Joyce Perkins Parkway” in Leimert Park to honor her years of service to the community. Joyce holds a liberal arts degree in Social Welfare from San Francisco State University, with an emphasis in Community Organization.

Emily Gabel-Luddy

Emily Gabel-Luddy has over 40 years of experience working with diverse communities through urban design, landscape architecture, and public/political service. In 2022-23, she served as President of the Hollywood Burbank Airport Authority during the selection of the new Terminal design, and she currently chairs the Governmental, Legal, and Environmental Committee of the Authority.  As an instructor in the UCLA Extension Program in Landscape Architecture, Emily focuses her students on design to return nature to the city — critical for climate adaptation and the resilience of public places.

Emily served on the Burbank City Council for ten years, including two terms as Mayor. She began her career working for local government designing small parks, then joined the City of Los Angeles Planning Department using landscape architecture as the approach to planning challenges. In 2006, she established the award-winning Urban Design Studio. Emily is a 1991 Loeb Fellow in Advanced Environmental Studies at Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects. She continues to advocate for land conservancy and ecosystem restoration. Emily holds a B.A. from Occidental College and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts.

Peter Jackson

Peter is Vice President & Senior Business Consultant for JPMorgan Chase, with over 15 years of seasoned experience in the banking industry and is an expert in business development, community banking, business credit underwriting, and process innovation. In his current role, Peter serves as a mentor and coach to minority entrepreneurs to help them advance and take their businesses to the next level. He takes pride in executing multi-cultural strategies and collaborating to increase efficiencies. He is a passionate professional who believes success is created and sustained when vision and culture are co-mingled with opportunity and inclusion.

Peter received his Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from California State University, Northridge and his Executive Masters of Business Administration from California State University, Monterey Bay. In addition to his work with LANI, Peter serves as a Board Member for Yes2Jobs Inc. to help under-served youth acquire internships in tech, health and finance. He also enjoys running, learning about tech and crypto currencies, listening to podcasts, and networking.

Monique Earl

Monique is a Director within the State and Local government segment at Guidehouse (formerly Grant Thorton Public Sector), and her career spans twenty years across the legislative, executive, and administrative branches of local government. During her various roles with the City of Los Angeles and most recently, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Monique led diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in recruitment, hiring, supplier diversity, contracting, economic development, and community engagement. Demonstrating a strong financial and leadership background, Monique served as Deputy Mayor of Budget and Financial Policy, Chief Deputy Controller, and Executive Officer at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

Monique earned a Master of Public Administration Degree from American University in Washington, D.C. and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from California State University, Northridge. She also serves on the Boards of The Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles and Coro Southern California.

Veronica Hahni - Executive Director

Veronica joined LANI in 2001 as a Program Manager and was named Executive Director in 2009. Veronica's career has centered on increasing equity and access for under-represented and under-resourced communities, and her breadth of experience includes economic development, transportation, capital improvements, and strategic planning. Veronica has overseen community-driven construction projects, worked with elected officials to identify opportunity sites, and secured federal, state, and local funds for planning and construction projects that meet the needs and desires of neighborhood stakeholders. Veronica serves on the board of FASTLinkDTLA and has spoken at numerous conferences across the U.S.

Prior to joining LANI, Veronica was Manager of Legal Services at the AIDS Service Center in Pasadena, CA. She holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Business from California State University, Los Angeles.