As part of NPCA’s strategic effort to expand our core of young advocates and volunteer base, NPCA’s LA field staff created the LA Young Leaders Council (YLC) to engage young people from urban areas, underserved neighborhoods, immigrant communities and communities of color.
The Council aims to connect people to the outdoors that have historically been underrepresented in the outdoor recreation and conservation spaces. Members of the YLC are trained to be advocates, spokespersons and ambassadors for NPCA’s work in the LA area. They hone their advocacy skills through trainings through our Civic Voice Workshop, and then use their knowledge and voices to speak up for national parks by engaging with local, state and national lawmakers, as well as their own communities. They engage underrepresented groups through interactive outreach to build a stronger outdoor and conservation community in Southern California. The LA YLC brings people into their local parks and plants the seeds for others to become advocates for parks both near and far.
LA Young Leaders Council 2024-2025
Kelli Hailey
LA Young Leaders Council
Currently an Environmental Science major, Kelli aims to work in education, ecology, and conservation.
Kira Hum
LA Young Leaders Council
Kira was introduced to the outdoors at an early age through Scouting, but her relationship with nature wasn’t fully apprehended until she was 22 years old on her first backpacking trip.
Sarah Kenney-Corrigan
LA Young Leaders Council
Sarah Kenney-Corrigan is a Managing Producer at Wondery Media, an Amazon Company where she oversees production on their sports and narrative podcast series.
Tara Kwan
LA Young Leaders Council
Tara Kwan (she/her) is the proud daughter of Chinese immigrants and a Monterey Park resident. She visited her first National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, with family while in middle school.
Ritchie Meza
LA Young Leaders Council
Ritchie (he/him) is an LCSW with passions for veganism, cycling, tending to native plants, and enduring the ongoing disappointment of the men’s Mexico national soccer team.
Francisco Munoz
LA Young Leaders Council
Francisco Munoz has roots in Latin America through their parents, who are from Mexico and Central America. Raised in California’s Central Valley, they witnessed the intense labor involved in agriculture.
Maya Morales
LA Young Leaders Council
Maya Morales is an artist, naturalist and educator who seeks to make connections between the natural world and the communities she resides in.
Ashley Abigail G. Resurreccion
LA Young Leaders Council
Ashley Abigail G. Resurreccion is a Filipino/-American masters-level creative healer who works in education, mental health, and art.
Andres Rodriguez
LA Young Leaders Council
Andres Rodriguez grew up in Boyle Heights, a community with limited access to natural spaces. Despite the challenges of growing up in this environment, Andres’ parents introduced him to nature at a very early age by enrolling him in the Boy Scouts of America, where he learned various outdoor skills.
Francesca Ruiz
LA Young Leaders Council
Franchesca Ruiz (she/her) is a third-year member of the Youth Leadership Council (YLC), where she has enjoyed honing her advocacy skills by assisting NPCA in engaging underrepresented communities and strengthening the outdoor and conservation efforts in Southern California.
Elise Sanchez
LA Young Leaders Council
Elise Sanchez works as the Grants Writer and Coordinator at Homeboy Industries, a non-profit in Los Angeles that provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated individuals, helping them redirect their lives and become contributing members of the community.
Dominique Xicotencatl
LA Young Leaders Council
Dominique Xicotencatl is a disabled first-generation Mexican-American, born and raised in Pico-Union. As a disability justice and accessibility advocate, Dominique works toward creating more inclusive outdoor experiences by encouraging the involvement of disabled voices in all aspects of planning, managing, and improving outdoor spaces.
