It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Sarah Dusseault, Executive Director of LA4LA, is a policy-maker and advocate whose innovative approach to addressing local issues has helped shape the Los Angeles region over the last two decades.

Sarah served on the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Commission, the joint city-county agency that coordinates housing and services for homeless individuals and families in Los Angeles County. As Commission Chair from 2019 to 2020, Sarah helped lead COVID-relief efforts such as the implementation of Project Roomkey, providing emergency housing to more than 8,000 individuals in Los Angeles County. She is committed to policy-making that addresses issues unique to women experiencing homelessness and to bold investment in crisis response to homelessness. Her passionate advocacy and pragmatic approach to this issue is guided by her personal experiences with her brother, who suffers from schizophrenia and has previously experienced decades of being unsheltered.

Sarah is chair of the Housing Justice Action Team for The Angeleno Project, a collaboration of philanthropic, non-profit, business, labor and other organizations addressing the region’s most pressing issues. Working with researchers from UCLA and USC, the group issued No Going Back, a roadmap for addressing economic, pandemic, and racial justice issues currently facing our community. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Los Angeles Business Council and a Board Member of the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Sarah has served as chief policy advisor to numerous elected officials and candidates, including Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn for whom she served as Deputy Mayor for Housing and Homelessness. Sarah also served as Senior Policy Advisor to Mayor Eric Garcetti during his 2013 mayoral campaign, and during his tenure as President of the City Council. She was most recently Chief of Staff to L.A. City Councilmember David Ryu, the city’s first-ever Korean American councilmember.

Sarah holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale College and a J.D. from UCLA.

Jesse Leon leads Alliance Way, a consultancy that develops programs and impact strategies for foundations, governments, and nonprofits focused on affordable housing, education, substance abuse, mental health, and human trafficking.

His extensive background includes managing over $1 billion in public and private sector investments for affordable housing projects, notably the financing of the first LGBT senior housing development in Florida. Jesse also spearheaded the development of over 5,000 units, totaling more than $2 billion in mixed-income housing and master development projects.

Multilingual and fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, he has over 30 years of experience addressing substance abuse challenges and issues affecting BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. As the award-winning author of "I’m Not Broken" and "No Estoy Roto," and a sought-after TEDx and motivational speaker, Jesse's personal journey from overcoming human trafficking and homelessness to achieving significant professional milestones fuels his commitment to social justice and transformative impact.

Educated at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the University of California at Berkeley, Jesse completed a postgraduate fellowship in Urban Redevelopment at the University of Pennsylvania.

Jennifer (McElyea) Keith is a Managing Partner with Ethos Real Estate and is responsible for investment strategy and execution.

Jennifer’s career includes investment banking, private equity, distressed debt and public-private partnership experience. She also brings to Ethos a deep expertise in California public policy, land use, affordable housing and building political, community and financial stakeholder consensus.

Prior to forming Ethos, Jennifer spent 10 years as Senior Managing Partner of Watt Investment Partners, the commercial real estate acquisition arm of the Watt Companies. Previously, Jennifer was a Vice President at OneWest Bank where she managed a portfolio of distressed commercial real estate debt in partnership with the FDIC, and a Vice President at Apollo Real Estate Advisors where she was responsible for West Coast acquisitions. Jennifer began her career at Deutsche Bank Securities in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group.

Jennifer holds a number of leadership positions including Vice Chair of the ULI Public Private Partnership Council, Co-Chair of the LA Business Council Housing and Transportation Committee and member of the board of Coro Southern California. Jennifer was also recently re-appointed by the California State Insurance Commissioner to serve as Vice Chair of the California Organized Investment Network (COIN) Advisory Board as an expert practitioner in the affordable housing space.

Jennifer holds a Master of Real Estate Development from the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and German Literature from the University of Virginia.