Our Catalyst SGV Team
Meet the dedicated professionals driving positive change in our community. Empowering communities, enriching futures.
Our Staff
Jesse Chang
Executive Director
Jesse grew up on the East Coast and got an art degree in college, then moved to attend Fuller Seminary and after serving in a local church moved to the non-profit world. Jesse loves to create new things, whether it be designing a garden or putting together a new program to better serve our schools and families. His wonderful spouse and kids tolerate their vacation forays into the rich diversity of our natural heritage in California.
Rosi Pichardo
Project Rise Lead
Rosi works directly with youth and parents by facilitating an evidence-based curriculum to adolescents across Los Angeles and neighboring communities. She has obtained her Bachelor’s in Social Work from Cal State Los Angeles and is pursuing her Master’s Degree. Rosi was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and has a passion for social work and giving back to communities like her own.
Danielle Jaurigue
Project Rise Coordinator
Danielle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services and has 10 years of experience in case management, and advocacy with various nonprofit organizations. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Danielle is also a health & fitness trainer, a baker, a Disney lover, and enjoys attending concerts and sporting events. She takes pride in advocating for, and supporting our most vulnerable and underserved populations in our local communities.
Amy Kwan-Garcia
Community Connector Volunteer
Amy recently joined Catalyst SGV as a volunteer with the Adopt-A-School program at Ynez Elementary. She developed a curriculum for Ynez’s pilot after school cooking club. Amy retired early in 2025 and is busier than ever with her volunteer work at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Ynez Elementary and church, River of Life Monterey Park. In her free time, Amy enjoys hiking, reading and good food with friends.
Wenonie Ling
Administrator
Wenonie is an organizational creative who has served in support roles for various nonprofits and faith-based organizations. With a Bachelors in Theater from UC Irvine, and a Masters in Worship, Theology, and the Arts from Fuller Seminary, she utilizes her skills to streamline productivity and efficiency of organizational processes and procedures. A fan of Disney experiences, she has lived in Southern California, Hong Kong, and Hawaii, and enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures through their food, clothing, visual and performing arts.
Michael Piña
Garden Educator
Michael grew up in the East LA and San Gabriel Valley areas and received a B.S. in Biology from Loyola Marymount University. As he wraps up his time at the University of California, Riverside for graduate school in Plant Biology, he is focusing on plant education and outreach efforts. Michael also serves as part-time faculty at Cal Poly Pomona in the Plant Science Department. When not doing something plant-related, he likes to cook, do yoga, and play pinball.
Lucas Lin
Garden Educator Intern
Lucas’ passion in conservation began at his time in Alhambra High School’s Environmental Resource Awareness Society club. He graduated from Alhambra High School in 2025 and is currently a student majoring in physiology at Pasadena City College. Lucas hopes to become a physical therapist in the near future. He also enjoys travelling, watching baseball and video gaming in his free time.
Our History
Catalyst San Gabriel Valley started previously as Kingdom Causes Alhambra in 2005, a non-profit that was part of a network of city faith leaders who wanted to see local congregations loving their city in practical ways. Over time, that practical way of support was focused on serving under resourced youth and families and schools in the San Gabriel Valley. In 2018, Catalyst SGV became its own separate 501(c)3 non-profit organization and has continued and expanded the work of supporting our youth, families, and schools as well as its network of community partners, especially in the faith community.
Impact Reports
Our Board of Directors
We are composed of determined and compassionate individuals working effortlessly to improve the livelihoods of the people around us.
Debbie Chun
Board Chair
Debbie has served as Board Chair at Catalyst since 2009, and enjoys the opportunity to be a “catalyst” between the church and the community they serve. It’s been a pleasure to see how Catalyst has been at the forefront intersecting the faith community with school gardens, helping families in need and building healthy relationships. Debbie grew up in Southern California and attended USC, where she graduated with a Business Degree. She has worked as a Marketing Analyst for many years before pivoting to the nonprofit sector, where she worked at Alhambra True Light Presbyterian Church and more recently at Asian Pacific Community Fund.
Carolyn Yep
Board Treasurer
Carolyn currently serves as the CSGV Secretary, recording the minutes of our Board meetings. She also serves as the Bookkeeper for CSGV and provides financial guidance for the organization. Carolyn Yep joined the Board of Catalyst at its inception in 2017 after retiring as a Finance Manager from the aerospace industry with Raytheon Technologies. Carolyn holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Loyola Marymount University. During her free time, she enjoys cooking, baking and staying active by playing volleyball.
Winnie Sam Kwan
Board Secretary
Winnie is a member of Catalyst’s Board of Directors. Her main responsibilities include supporting the rest of the CSGV Board and Staff in various projects and goals. She
graduated from Cal State L.A with a degree in sociology. She is currently working for the City of Alhambra.
Bill Mao
Board Member
Bill Mao is the recently retired Chief Information Officer at the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). He started his career there as its Manager of Financial Planning and Budgeting (FP&B). He later became head of the agency’s information technology department. There, he restructured the department into a customer oriented, technology-embracing organization whose goal is to bring relevant value-added technology to OCTA’s diverse business units. His corporate career includes key management positions in finance and information technology with the Walt Disney Company, Digital Equipment Corporation and Xerox. Mr. Mao received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles and an MBA from Pepperdine University. He is tri-lingual, being fluent in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and English.
Julie Wong Tanaka
Board Member
Julie Tanaka has been the Senior Nutrition Technical Advisor for Samaritan’s Purse since 2011 where she helps field offices with nutrition surveys and trainings, program design, proposal review, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and emergency relief. As part of her job, Julie has conducted field visits to work with Nutrition Program Managers in Honduras, Bolivia, Colombia, Haiti, Niger, Liberia, S. Sudan, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Kenya, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Philippines, Nepal, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Previously, Julie worked for Samaritan’s Purse in Haiti, for World Vision International in their international headquarters office, and in China for a semiconductor manufacturing corporation and for a start-up business. Julie graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Development Studies and received a Master’s in Public Health with a Global Health emphasis, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Loma Linda University. She also received her BS in Nursing from Western Governor’s University.
Jose Sanchez
Board Member
Jose Sanchez represents a distinguished legacy of educational commitment and community engagement that is deeply rooted in the rich immigrant experience of his Mexican-American family. Mr. Sanchez has been an active educator and community member with over twenty years of dedicated service as a civics teacher. He has profoundly impacted over 5,000 students and their families in the San Gabriel Valley. Both Jose and his wife Natalie are local educators and have chosen to raise their three daughters—Mia, Dolly, and Bella—in the Monterey Park community. Mr. Sanchez embodies the transformative power of education, leveraging his multicultural background and comprehensive academic training to inspire and empower the next generation of engaged citizens.
Jonathan Zong
Board Member
Jonathan Zong joins the Board as a banker from the Commercial Lending world. He has been working at various financial institutions in the SoCal region such as Citizen’s Business Bank and currently, Mission Valley Bank, using his experiences and relationship-focus skills to help professional and local businesses with their banking needs. Jonathan grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, where he went to Arcadia High School and later graduated from University of California, Riverside with a degree in business and psychology. He was volunteering and teaching financial literacy workshops for Catalyst SGV prior to serving on the board. In his free time, you can catch him lifting weights at the gym or enjoying local events and food spots.