2024 GALA
We want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who helped make our recent event a tremendous success. From our amazing supporters and volunteers to our speakers and honorees, your dedication and generosity made it all possible. Check out some of the incredible moments we captured below!
EVENT HONOREES
Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath is the youngest-ever Chair of the Board of Supervisors and is
focused on bringing young and marginalized voices into the work of the County. She is the first
millennial, and currently the only renter to serve on the Board, bringing a much-needed
perspective to Los Angeles County leadership. Upon taking office in December 2022, she authored LA County’s homelessness emergency declaration, bringing added urgency and transparency to the region’s homelessness response. Supervisor Horvath also appointed herself to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Commission, where she now serves as Chair, to focus accountability and
transparency on the use of resources to address the emergency. A member of the Metro Board of Directors and Vice Chair of Clean Power Alliance, she is also a longtime champion for transportation, environmental sustainability and justice, and women’s and LGBTQ+ rights. She previously served as Councilmember and the longest consecutively serving Mayor of West Hollywood.
Janisse Quiñones
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Engineer
Recipient of the Inspirational Leader Award
Janisse Quiñones is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department
of Water and Power (LADWP), the nation’s largest publicly-owned water and power utility. She leads
the organization of more than 11,000 employees, delivering water and power to the four million
residents of Los Angeles. Ms. Quiñones has over 25 years of leadership experience as a senior executive in utility and engineering industries and joined LADWP from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), where
she first served as Senior Vice President of Gas Engineering and then as Senior Vice President of
Electric Operations. In the latter, she oversaw electrical system operations and the power generation
fleet, as well as the management of electrical assets that support the California Independent System
Operator. Prior to PG&E, Ms. Quiñones served as the Vice President of Gas Systems Engineering for National
Grid, where she managed the engineering and design of natural gas distribution, transmission and
infrastructure projects for National Grid’s U.S. territory, and oversaw various meter compliance,
design and construction projects.
Ms. Quiñones’ experience also includes serving in the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), both full-time and
in the reserves since 2004, including as a Commander and as Deputy, Planning and Incident
Management. She is an active USCG Reserve Officer and has held prior key leadership roles at
Cobra Energy, including Vice President of Operations, responsible for the restoration and
reconstruction projects of the transmission and distribution electrical systems in Puerto Rico following
Hurricane Maria. She also held several leadership roles at San Diego Gas & Electric, including
Director of Design, Planning, Construction and Vegetation Management.
With a special guest appearance by DIY Girls’ Founder Assemblywoman Luz Rivas. For her full biography, click here.
STUDENT SPEAKER
Lori Castaneda
Environmental Engineering, UC Riverside, Class of ’25
DIY Girls Alumnus
Lori was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She was introduced to DIY Girls at Telfair Elementary in the first Creative Electronics Program and continued at San Fernando High School in the Invent Girls Program. She is currently pursuing Environmental Engineering at UC Riverside in hopes to mend environmental injustices in her community.
MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES
Sandra O’Neill
News Anchor for Telemundo 52
Sandra O’Neill is the News Anchor for Telemundo 52’s award-winning weekday morning newscasts,
Noticiero Telemundo 52 a las 5 a.m. y 6 a.m.
O’Neill is a seasoned journalist with nearly two decades of storytelling experience covering issues and
significant events impacting the community.
Her storytelling has earned her notable recognitions from the Associated Press Television and Radio Association, an Edward R. Murrow award for production and eight Emmy awards for coverage of the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, investigative reporting on consumer affairs, the 2015 San Bernardino massacre, live coverage of an unscheduled news event titled “Furia Por Justicia” surrounding the marches for social justice in 2020, and the live news special event titled “Kobe Por Siempre” covering the passing of basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
