BOARD OF TRUSTEES
DAVID VELA,
Member of the Board
A Los Angeles native, David Vela continues to enjoy a robust career in public service. David served as Senior Legislative Assistant to former Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg, handling Labor, Transportation and Economic Development. David also served as Senior Advisor to the Employment Development Department under the Gray Davis administration.
After his time in Sacramento, David spent ten years as a Senior Deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, in charge of one of the largest unincorporated community pockets, with more than 130,000 residents. David was responsible for the delivery of municipal services, capital projects and economic development.
He also served as the political liaison to several cities in Supervisor Molina’s district. He was later asked to take on the role of Chief of Staff to the CA Assembly Labor Committee Chair. Simultaneously, Mr. Vela served eight years as a Board of Education Member for the Montebello Unified School District where he increased graduation rates, student University acceptance as well as spearheaded the district's first PLA.
After his governmental jobs, David created his own consulting firm, VELADA Consulting, which focuses on public outreach, social capital projects, such as lowincome housing and provides solutions for responsible businesses, technology oriented firms and governmental agencies. He also worked for a major Public Affairs firm in Los Angeles where he served as Sr. Vice President in charge of assembling teams for major construction and community outreach projects. David is also the founder of Honor PAC, a political action committee that focuses on equality in all levels of government. David Vela received his Bachelors of Science from the University of California Los Angeles and he holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Pepperdine University in Malibu. He resides in Montebello.
January 2023