Board Members

Delia Douglas

President

Delia Douglas is the Owner of Vibrancy Agency, a boutique public relations firm catering to an eclectic roster of fashion, beauty, multicultural, curve, non-profit and artist clients. Passionate about diversity, Delia is co-founder Multiculti Corner, a culturally diverse community of multiracial people and families for social, educational, and celebratory news and events. An advocate for positive body-image messaging within the media, Delia is the US Ambassador for Slink Magazine, UK’s premiere print plus-size fashion and lifestyle magazine. A California native, Delia, her husband, and their 4 year old daughter reside in Venice, CA most commonly referred to as “Venice Beach: Where Art Meets Crime.” Catch up with Delia and her family on Instagram @heartandsol and her business @vibrancyagency

Contact Delia at  delia.douglas@multiracialamericans.org

Sonia Smith Kang

Vice-President

Sonia Smith Kang is an advocate in the multicultural space. A proud military brat born in Puerto Rico to an African American dad and Mexican American mom. Stationed on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu, Sonia brings her rich multicultural heritage into everything she does. She is the Designer/Founder of Mixed Up Clothing, an ethnic-inspired children’s fashion brand that celebrates global diversity and inclusion. Co-founder of Culturas, MultiCulti Corner and Mixed Heritage Day, Sonia enjoys providing a diverse and inclusive space while bulding community. Sonia calls Los Angeles home with her Korean American partner and their 4 multicultural, multiracial and multilingual children. Sonia holds a BS in Nursing from the University of San Francisco. You can follow Sonia on social media @mixedupclothing

Contact Sonia at sonia.kang@multiracialamericans.org.

Thomas Lopez

Treasurer

Thomas has been a member of MASC for over twenty-five years and is a past president of the organization.  He has made numerous television, print, and on-line media appearances and speaking engagements as a keynote and panelist.  As a long-time board member he has also organized conferences, a mini-film festival, and diversity training workshops.  Apart from MASC, Thomas is a mechanical engineering manager in the medical device industry.  He is the creator of the Latinx of Mixed Ancestry Program and his bio is being adapted for a New York City literacy curriculum. He was born and raised in Southern California with parents from Mexican American and German-Polish roots.

Contact Thomas at thomas.lopez@multiracialamericans.org

Nancy G. Brown

Board Member, Co-Founder

Nancy is a first generation American, born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, and is of German-Jewish heritage. Nancy is a clinical nurse specialist in mental health, having received her B.S. in nursing from Boston University in 1975, and her M.S. in Psychiatric Nursing/Community Consultation from UCLA in 1980. Nancy currently works as a therapist at the Kaiser Department of Psychiatry in West Los Angeles. From her interracial marriage, Nancy has two adult multiracial daughters of African American and European-American descent.  She co-founded and became president of MASC in 1987 and remained president for 7 years. MASC was also one of the founding organizations of the Association of MultiEthnic Americans (AMEA) in 1988.  She held the position of Western Regional Vice-President since 1994. She was elected President of AMEA in May, 2001, and under her leadership AMEA held their first National Conference on the Multiracial Child in October, 2002. Nancy has been a co-author in two books; The Multiracial Experience by Maria P.P. Root (1996) and New Faces in a Changing America Edited by Loretta Winters and Herman DeBose (2003).

Contact Nancy at  nancy.brown@multiracialamericans.org

Jeannette Soumbasakis Jose

Board Member

Jeannette Soumbasakis Jose is Filipina American. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Political Science and earned a J.D. from UCLA School of Law. She practiced law in Los Angeles and Orange County at a large international law firm.  Jeannette married her Greek American college sweetheart and they have two amazing, artistic Greek-Filipino kids. She has worked with MASC for the past 5 years, focusing primarily on coordinating Teen Talks, the Youth Artist Showcase, and a variety of events in Orange County for the multiracial community.  She is also a board member of The Orange County Book Fair, an active parent at Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), and she co-moderates a diversity, equity and inclusion book club where members of the community engage in thoughtful discussions. Having an appreciation for travel, cultures and languages, Jeannette lived in Singapore with her family and she studied abroad in Mexico, Spain and after college, won a Rotary Ambassadorial Fellowship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she did Post-Baccalaureate work in International Relations at the Universidad de Belgrano. Inspired to build bridges among people of all backgrounds and advocate for social justice, Jeannette is honored to work towards these goals with MASC.

Contact Jeanette at jeannette.sj@multiracialamericans.org

Lesli Mitchell

Board Member

Lesli Mitchell is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, children’s book author/illustrator and natural hair enthusiast! Lesli, mixed race African-American and Swiss-German/Irish,  grew up in Los Angeles and currenlty lives with her family in Orange County,CA . Lesli enjoys co-leading the OC  teen intern program, creating programming,  sharing her experiences  and  overall buildling community.   Lesli recieved her B.A. from UC Berkeley and her MSW from Cal State Long Beach and currently works as a mental health therapist. 

Contact Lesli at  lesli.mitchell@multiracialamericans.org

Ronnie Nells

Board Member

Ronnie Nells is a Musician, Journalist, Night Life Enthusiast, and BIPOC Advocate based on the Westside of Los Angeles. A published journalist (Los Angeles Times, Culturas) who credits much of his work to his studies at San Diego State University. Passionate about music, Ronnie’s singing songwriting and performing can be found on Apple Music, Spotify and SoundCloud, and Ronnie and his band mates have played numerous notable venues such as House of Blues, Harvelle’s, The Mint, Basement Tavern at The Victorian, Jam in the Van, Trip Santa Monica, Malibu Cafe, Summer Solstice Festival, Sawdust Festival.  Look forward to things ahead as Ronnie Nells has many projects coming to fruition this year.

Contact Ronnie at  ronnie.nells@multiracialamericans.org

Sophie Kanno

Board Member

Sophie Kanno (she/her), who often goes by Asian Soph or the Multiracial Wonder Woman, is the daughter of an immigrant and is a mixed race Japanese, German, Scottish and Welsh activist, community creator, organizer, and speaker. Kanno is an expert in antiracism, allyship, mixed-race heritage and identity, and topics regarding API and BIPOC communities. She also operates her own full service Digital Marketing Agency for small business owners, along with a mixed-race community space called Mixedpresent. In this community, she creates and uplifts content around being multiracial. She is an accomplished speaker and panelist and has appeared on several podcasts, including Some Kind of Brown, Militantly Mixed, Mixed By Gen Z, You Had Me At Ylw, and more. She has also led workshops and trainings for The Midwest Mixed Conference, Blended Future Project, MASC, and Loving Day. Kanno is also a member of the Critical Mixed Race Studies (CMRS) Mixed Asian Caucus. She also has extensive experience serving on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion councils and committees for the major corporations she has worked for, along with being an Employee Resource Group member as well. Sophie-Claire specializes in recognizing the people who are not present in the room and vocalizes strategies and practices to further equity and inclusivity.

Connect with her to share the stories and the struggles of the mixed diaspora, and to aid in the fight against systemic injustice.

Contact Sophie at sophie.kanno@multiracialamericans.org

Larissa Chiari-Keith

OC Leadership Committee Member

arissa Chiari-Keith is a first generation multiracial advocate of Persian and Italian heritage. She discovered MASC when looking for a community for her multicultural family. She has served as Parent Liaison, Board Member, and as Vice President of MASC with a focus on expanding the organization’s reach to Orange County. She developed multiple family events, parenting workshops, and playdates including the popular MASC Multicultural Santa event. Larissa is active in her community and also serves as the President for Women in Homeland Security, Southern California. Larissa is proud to be a Girl Scout Troop Leader and active volunteer for Girl Scouts of Orange County. Ms. Chiari-Keith has written about her multicultural family experience for Orange Coast Magazine. During school breaks she hosts a children’s music program with her daughters called Two Kids, a Turntable, and a Microphone on KSPC, 88.7 FM, Claremont, CA.

Contact Larissa at  larissa@multiracialamericans.org.

Michelle Walker

OC Leadership Committee Member

Michelle Walker lives and works in South Orange County, and is the mom of a multiracial child (a toddler).

Athena Mari Asklipiadis

Advisory Board Member

Athena Mari Asklipiadis, Japanese, Greek, Armenian, Italian, and Egyptian, was born and raised in South Los Angeles, California. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting from Pepperdine University and is an alumni member of Kappa Alpha Theta’s Zeta Phi Chapter. While working in LA market radio, Athena began her work in the multiethnic community working with such sites as Eurasian Nation, Addicted to Race and We Are Hapa. After recognizing a lack of multiethnic and minority marrow donors, she started Mixed Marrow in 2009 as an outreach through A3M (Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches) and Be The Match, the US national registry.

Athena currently operates Mixed Marrow and has recently started working on documentary film, Mixed Match with filmmaker Jeff Chiba Stearns (One Big Hapa Family, Yellow Sticky Notes). Mixed Marrow became an official project of MASC in April, 2013.

Kiyoshi Houston

Advisory Board Member

Kiyoshi Kamehanaokalā Houston is a second-generation multiracial activist who grew up between Santa Monica, CA and Waikiki, HI. Raised in the midst of the multiracial conferences and discussions of the late-80’s and 1990’s, he has traveled the globe from the age of 18 months, exploring what it means to be of mixed descent, how to embrace one’s own multiple cultures within mono-racial or mono-cultural societies, and what it means to be a contributing member of our global society. Kiyoshi has a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Biological Sciences from the University of Southern California, a M.A. in Bioethics from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and is currently pursuing his MD from St. George’s University School of Medicine. He has been a student of singing, Shotokan Karate, and traditional Hawaiian dance from a young age. His personal mission is to explore how we can pursue both improved individual and society-wide futures through empowerment, education, and knowledgeable self-care. He believes this is possible through a balance of micro- and macro- perspectives and via embracing both the sciences and the arts. He does this through his community work, work in medicine, and personal relationships with others.

Farzana Nayani, MA

Advisory Board Member

As a multicultural educator and intercultural trainer, Farzana Nayani has conducted research, trainings, and curriculum design around the topics of identity, race, diversity, and inclusive education for over 15 years. Farzana has facilitated discussions and conducted workshops about multiracial, multiethnic, and multi-religious issues facing families and children at schools, cultural centers, and conferences. Farzana was part of the curriculum design team for the Smithsonian Filipino American Curriculum centennial project (http://www.filam.si.edu/curriculum/) and is the author of MASC’s publication, Being All of Me: A Handbook for Teachers and Parents of Multiracial, Multiethnic, and Transracially Adopted Children. She has been featured on DiversityInc on working with multiracial and multiethnic colleagues, and in LA Parent and on NPR about raising multiethnic children. Her published research “family communication patterns of multiethnic youth” focuses on how communication within the family can shape the identity of youth in multiethnic households. She is the mother of 2 young sons who are of Filipino – Pakistani – Malaysian and German background. She has been on the MASC Board of Directors since 2007 and is currently an Advisory Board Member for MASC.

Jennifer Noble, PhD

Advisory Board Member

Jennifer Noble received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from California School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles with an emphasis in Multi-Cultural Community Psychology.  Jennifer is a tenured Associate Professor of Psychology in the Social Sciences Division at Pasadena City College.  She has a specialty in psychotherapy with children, adolescents and their families.  She especially enjoys addressing parents and helping them gain a deeper awareness of their child and the impact of their parenting.  Jennifer was an instructor for MASC’s grant funded high school course on the mixed race experience, the first high school class of its kind.  She seeks to raise awareness about how mental health looks different in culturally diverse populations.  It is of utmost importance that these differences be properly acknowledged and addressed. Jennifer strongly believes that sociopolitical and sociocultural factors impact one’s ability to achieve mental health, and that the larger societal structures and institutions which created marginalized and oppressed groups must be dismantled. She is a former President and Vice President and has been a MASC member since 1999.  Jennifer is a native Californian of Sri Lankan Tamil and African American descent.

Rudy Guevarra, PhD

Advisory Board Member

Rudy Guevarra received his Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research and teaching interests include comparative and relational Ethnic Studies, specifically histories of Asian Pacific Americans and Chicana/o-Latina/os, race and ethnicity, immigration and transnational migration, labor history, and multiracial/multiethnic identity. As a self-identifying Mexipino (mixed Mexican and Filipino descent), Rudy has written extensively on the subject, which was also the basis of his dissertation and upcoming book manuscript. He is co-editor and contributing author of Crossing Lines: Race and Mixed Race Across the Geohistorical Divide (Alta Mira Press 2005). His work has also appeared in Mavin Magazine and Urban Mozaik Magazine Online. Rudy is currently an Assistant Professor in the Asian Pacific American Studies Program (APAS) at Arizona State University. He is also an Affiliated Faculty member in the Department of Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at ASU. In addition to his scholarly work, he is also owner of Multiracial Apparel, a clothing line dedicated to celebrated the mixed race experience (www.multiracialapparel.com).

Faye I. Mandell, LCSW, BCD

Advisory Board Member

Faye I. Mandell earned a B.A. in Psychology from UCLA and a Masters in Social Work from USC. She is the founder and president of Mandell Consultants, a psychological consulting group that provides psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching to adults, adolescents, children, families, couples, and parents. Faye, who is an African-American Catholic, married Dave, who was Caucasian and Jewish. They joined MASC after having Arielle, their daughter. Faye served on the MASC Board of Directors, and became its president from 1997-1999. As president, she and the Board of Directors led the tenth anniversary Kaleidoscope Conference and first Teen Summit. Sadly, Dave died during Faye’s presidency. He contributed much to the organization. Faye continues to support the principles, philosophy and activities of MASC while serving in the capacity of Advisory Board Member.

Volunteers

MASC also has a cadre of volunteers who help us with community events, tabling, outreach activities, event planning – and more! We thank all the volunteers who have helped MASC serve the multiracial community.  If you are interested in volunteering with MASC, please contact us at: info@multiracialamericans.org with what you are interested in and how you can help.