2013 MPP Alumni Fellowship Recipient Vernessa Shih, MPP '14
Vernessa Shih is the Senior Director of Story Bank at the Center for American Progress. In this role, Vernessa leads an innovative team seeking to humanize policy and politics through storytelling.
Prior to joining CAP, Vernessa was the digital correspondence manager for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. She led the team responsible for all inbound digital messages to Secretary Clinton’s campaign. In this role, she empowered those messengers to become storytellers in paid ads, digital assets, policy proposals and features in Secretary Clinton’s campaign speeches. She joined the Clinton team in 2014, interning for the Clinton Foundation, for Chelsea Clinton’s personal office, and then as the executive assistant to the chief of staff for Secretary Clinton’s personal office.
Vernessa was born and raised in Southern California to proud Taiwanese immigrant parents. She attended UCSB for her undergraduate double majors and the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs for her masters in public policy. She resides in Washington D.C.
Please visit Vernessa’s LinkedIn to learn more about their professional experience.
Tae Kang (UCLA MPP Class of 2016) serves as the Program Manager of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools and was the first full-time employee of the philanthropic initiative. He manages the annual Prize for Teaching Excellence, which awards more than $1 Millionto outstanding skilled trades teachers and programs across the country. Additionally, he collaborates with grant partners and anchors operations and research projects for the organization.
Bio
Delara Aharpour (UCLA MPP Class of 2017) is a research analyst within Mathematica’s division of Children, Youth, and Families. Delara’s research is primarily concentrated in family support, with some labor, implementation science, and evidence-based technical assistance. Prior to joining Mathematica, Delara worked with Maryland’s Department of Health to strengthen state-wide implementation of local school wellness policies. Delara graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from UCSD, where she focused on affective science. When she’s not commuting into D.C., Delara can be found exploring Baltimore City’s vibrant culinary scene.
JC De Vera is an Associate Director at Hirsch Philanthropy Partners, where he collaborates with philanthropists to develop impactful solutions to issues ranging from basic needs to democracy. JC previously served as Nurturing Equity Movements Fellow at theSan Francisco Foundation, where he led the Rapid Response Fund for Movement Building, granting over $1M to grassroots organizations in the Bay Area advancing racial and economic equity. He has advanced policy change through community engagement and communications as a David Bohnett Policy Fellow for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and as Communications Manager at The Greenlining Institute, a leading California nonprofit in racial and economic justice policy.
Bio
Estefania Zavala is currently the Project Lead for Digital Engagement in the City of Long Beach’s Technology and Innovation Department where she works on projects that improve the City’s digital service delivery to residents. She graduated with a Master of Public Policy degree from UCLA Luskin in 2018. In graduate school, she was the Outreach Co-Chair for Policy Professionals for Diversity and Equity,Diversity, Disparities, and Differences (D3) Project Manager, and interned for the City of Santa Monica.She’s focused on building a collaborative, innovative form of local governance that engages and empowers its communities. She is passionate about: data storytelling, equitable policymaking, and Long Beach coffee shops.
