Meet the Team
STEPHANIE INOUYE
PRESIDENT
Stephanie Inouye is a Santa Monica-based surfer, community organizer, and founder of the Santa Monica Helping Hub, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to supporting neighborhoods impacted by crisis most recently, the devastating wildfires that swept through Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Altadena in early 2025. Inouye spearheaded the creation of a relief center at 1207 14th Street, transforming it into a vital drop-off and distribution hub for essential supplies, aiding both displaced residents and first responders. Her leadership galvanized volunteers from across Santa Monica, Venice, and Malibu, turning a small local effort into a powerful force for community resilience.
Co-founder of the Santa Monica Surf Association, Inouye mobilized local surfers and residents to support neighbors in need. Her dedication to service is matched by personal bravery, in October 2024, she helped rescue an elderly neighbor from a burning apartment building, an act recognized by the Santa Monica City Council and the Red Cross.
Outside of her community work, Stephanie has spent over 25 years in the film industry, collaborating with award-winning directors and producers to bring commercial campaigns to life. Whether on the beach, behind the camera, or organizing relief efforts, she embodies the spirit of creativity, courage, and collective action.
Advisory Board
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Susan Baraz is the Founding Member / Chair Person for Focus on AIDS. (FOA), the largest, global fine art photography benefit.
She is the Co-Chair for the Lucie Awards since its inception in 2003 and is the Head of Judges for the International Photography Awards.
Among her many contributions to photography, she has been a panelist, portfolio reviewer, moderator and curator of fine art photography for the Museum of Tolerance Washington DC, Los Angeles Holocaust Museum and various fine art galleries.
As a reputable decision maker, she is the pre-screener and Judge of Photo Lucida/ Critical Mass's prestigious competition.
She also lends her expertise as a fine art and commercial photography consultant through her firm, PhotoTherapists.com and continues to be the National and International marketing consultant for AtEdge.
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Merel Colla is a Dutch native and a UCLA safety scientist. Born in Amsterdam, I spent the first two decades of my life in The Netherlands. Here I attained a bachelor degree in Biomedical Science and a Master in Cognitive and Molecular Neuroscience. Most my time off was spent volunteering at the local animal shelter, where I loved walking the dogs and cleaning their cages. As part of my Masters I did an internship at UCLA, and immediately fell in love with SoCal. The beaches and the mountains was where I wanted to be. After graduating I was offered a job at UCLA, which I accepted without hesitation. I spent 7.5 years working as a scientist in human genetics and psychiatry, where I studied the molecular basis of psychiatric disorders. When the COVID pandemic hit, I was asked to set up and run the COVID wastewater monitoring program at UCLA. Running the program for 2.5 years helped me feel purpose during times where life seemed to be at a standstill.
In 2023 I was offered a job at the UCLA department of Environment, Health and Safety as a biosafety officer. Reading about all the research at UCLA while ensuring that this is done safely for both humans and the environment seemed like a great fit for me, and I enjoy very much. When the Palisades fire broke out, I was walking my dog on the beach. I knew this was going to be big, and the effects would be large. I knew I wanted to do something to help, which is why I was so glad to find the Santa Monica Helping Hub. This is what part of a community means to me, through crisis and beyond.
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Founder and Director of an effective nonprofit, www.growinghopegardens.org dedicated to launching organic gardens and educational programming with residents of homeless shelters and affordable housing properties. Onboarding, partner email and telephone communications, grant writing, contractors, project proposal, budget creation and financing strategizing.
My journey from stuntwoman and circus acrobat to Master Gardener has led me to found and lead Growing Hope Gardens.I am passionate about issues that positively affect our earth’s health and have chosen to dedicate the rest of my life to doing so. I spent the first half of my professional journey developing a career as a professional athlete, circus acrobat, stuntwoman, and amateur competitive surfer. Since becoming a mother, I have re-dedicated my time, efforts, and passion towards advocacy and reducing our use of fossil fuels by increasing earth stewardship opportunities.
I became a Master Gardener, which inspired me to create the Children’s Organic Garden--a free weekly youth and family garden program at our local community center. Simultaneously, I launched a Youth EcoTeam for our local surf club, the Malibu Boardriders Club, and was tasked with informing and engaging a group of youth to participate in making each event plastic-free and environmentally friendly. This work inspired the creation of Growing Hope Gardens, a nonprofit dedicated to launching and maintaining organic edible gardens for residents of homeless shelters and affordable housing.
I find great joy in advocating for our earth’s well-being and wish to do all I can to help reduce our society's use of fossil fuels and help reverse the effects of its overuse.
I am certain that we must continue to teach and harness community around sustainability.
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Jeffrey has lived in Santa Monica since 1977 and has been a real estate agent since 1983.
Prior to joining PAR Commercial, he worked with Great Western Bank (REO department). He represented the Resolution Trust Corp (RTC) disposing of bank properties when they failed, and represented the City of Los Angeles, and consummated a sale for their Planning and Building and Safety Department in West Los Angeles. Jeff has a successful history working with office, industrial, and retail listings in both leasing and sales.
He is extremely community minded and has served on Santa Monica Travel and Tourism board as Chair, served on the Board of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Board of the Santa Monica Pier Corporation.
He is currently the President of the Santa Monica Sister City Association, and Vice President of the Southern California Sister Cities Association, and Board of the YMCA. He is also the founder of the Ocean Park Association and the Organizer of the Santa Monica July 4th Parade.
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Jenny Rogers is responsible for development and oversight over the City of Santa Monica new Recreation & Arts Department including its Administration, Community Recreation & Cultural Affairs Divisions. For Jenny, public service is a calling, and she believes that the work we do creates community. She has extensive leadership experience in the fields of Arts, Recreation & Community Services with over 28 years as a director, arts administrator, recreation and cultural arts manager and artist.
Her previous professional appointments have included Director of Community Services for the City of Beverly Hills, Director of Arts & Recreation for the City of Mill Valley, Director of the Harvey Milk Center for the Arts and Cultural Arts Supervisor for the City & County of San Francisco's Cultural Arts Division (SFRPD).
Ms. Rogers graduated from Brown University Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Art & Semiotics and holds an MFA in Fine Art specializing in Digital & New Media from Pennsylvania State University where she was the first University Fellow for the School of Visual Arts. Jenny is also an accomplished visual artist, director and designer in the theater and has received, and been nominated for, numerous grants and awards.
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Stephanie began rescuing and caring for sick and injured animals as a young girl. Starting with bugs, reptiles, rodents, birds, squirrels, cats, dogs and so on.
She is a gentle soul with a huge heart. Her compassion, kindness, appreciation and love for all creatures is a gift. She feels animals are on a higher level and have much to teach humans. Her heart work is to help animals heal and partner with them to help humans heal. She believes that time with the animals, the earth and nature will help connect people back to their hearts. She dreams of a more compassionate, kind and loving world where all beings matter because truly everything has a purpose in this circle of life.
Stephanie had dreamed of having a ranch/rescue/sanctuary of her own for many years. That dream finally became a reality in early 2021. The rescue became official at the end of 2022 and Earth Angels Animal Rescue and Sanctuary was born. Stephanie’s calling to help animals is a lifelong passion. Her goal is to help save, rehab, rehome any animals that find their way to EAARS and educate humans.
The most important collective message from the animals is love. Love is truly the key to everything.
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Paul Assimacopoulos is a New York-based, Grammy-nominated writer, editor, story consultant, creative coach, book-development specialist, and ghostwriter with roots in LA and a special fondness for Santa Monica. His diverse writing clients and collaborators have included MasterChef, Humanitarian, Author, and Filmmaker Vikas Khanna; Exoneree, Memoirist, and Public Speaker Fernando Bermudez; 2018 Grammy-winning Ethnomusicologist and Music Producer Manuel Garcia Orozco (“Best CD Packaging”); 2025 Latin Grammy Award-winning pianist Isabel Dobarro (“Best Classical Album”), nonfiction nature writer Peter Gregg; and numerous emerging authors, artists, and graduate students. Manuscripts he has collaborated on have been published by Bloomsbury, Penguin Random House, Penguin Ebury, Pegasus Books, Simon & Schuster, and Columbia University Press.
Paul divides his time between the East and West Coasts. Before building his literary career in Manhattan, he was a grassroots force in the LA music and event scene. He helmed the El Rey Theatre (working alongside SMHH director Stephanie Inouye) in the late 1990s and early Aughts and later, in the 2010s, served as a revitalizing cultural presence in DTLA as development consultant, creative program director, and in-house concert and event producer at The Broadway Theatre Group’s Los Angeles, Downtown Palace, and Tower Theatres.
While helping reignite music, cinema, and culture in the Historic Core, Paul also served as a key creative committee member of the former Downtown Center BID (DCBID), currently the DTLA Alliance. Known for curating some of Los Angeles’ most diverse and ambitious event calendars, Paul consistently championed nonprofit and prosocial events benefiting at-risk groups, community renewal, and humanitarian causes, often working pro bono.
A devoted low-carbon adventure traveler, Paul draws inspiration from both wild natural landscapes and vibrant urban centers. He has explored five continents, always seeking connection across cultures. A highlight of his travels was traversing South America across the Andes through Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, then navigating back north through Colombia and across the Darién region into Panama riding small boats and hiking rugged trails. Along the way, he scaled an Ecuadorian volcano, an experience that left a lasting mark.
In his writing, community life, and global travels, Paul embraces sustainability, environmental stewardship, and local living. A committed pedestrian, straphanger, bicyclist, runner, trekker, ocean swimmer, and public-transportation enthusiast, he has not owned a car in more than thirty years—not even in Los Angeles—and rarely travels with luggage. He considers it a privilege to bring his diverse background, curiosity, and multidisciplinary creative skill set to advising SMHH in pursuit of its mission.
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Christine Parra has dedicated over 25 years of service to the Culver City Fire Department, where she began her career in the Fire Prevention unit as a Permit Technician before advancing to the role of Fire Prevention Specialist (Fire Inspector), with a focus on Hazardous Materials and Fire Life Safety. In 2009, she was appointed as the city’s first Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.
Christine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies with an Environmental Emphasis from California State University, Northridge. She is a California State Certified Emergency Management Specialist and a former California State Certified Fire Inspector.
A committed leader in the field, Christine actively participates in several professional organizations, including the California Emergency Services Association, the International Emergency Management Association, and the California Women in Homeland Security, where she serves as a Board Member. She is also the Disaster Management Area Coordinator (DMAC) for Area A, which encompasses the cities of Beverly Hills, Culver City, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood. She has contributed to the steering committees for the City of Culver City's Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan updates and co-chaired “Ready Culver City,” a pilot Community Disaster Resilience Coalition program through the County of Los Angeles.
In 2020, while managing multiple Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activations, Christine was elected to the Santa Monica City Council. During her tenure, she served on the City’s Finance Sub-Audit Committee, the Ad-Hoc Committee on City Hall Murals, and the Ad-Hoc Committee on Homelessness. She was also a Board Member of the Independent Cities Association, concluding her term in December 2024.
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Alan Mont was born in 1954 in Los Angeles, California. He pursued his undergraduate studies in microbiology at San Diego State University before earning his Doctor of Optometry from the Southern California College of Optometry in 1979. Following his graduation, Alan joined his father’s optometry practice in Santa Monica, where he dedicated over 30 years to serving the community.
Alan’s father, Joseph Mont, played a pivotal role in the development of the Third Street Promenade and was a founding member of its original board of directors.
A lifelong resident of the area, Alan married his childhood sweetheart, and together they raised three children, all of whom maintain strong ties to Santa Monica. Deeply committed to youth development, Alan has spent the past 35 years coaching a wide range of youth sports. After guiding his two sons through basketball, baseball, and roller hockey, he continued his coaching journey at the high school level. He led boys’ basketball teams at Milken Community High School for 16 years and Oakwood High School for 2 years. Later, he transitioned to coaching girls’ high school basketball at Palisades, St. Monica, and University High School. He often says, “Nothing has brought me more joy than teaching young people about life through sports.”
Professionally, Alan has been active in the field of optometry beyond his practice. He served on several local optometry boards and later as a director on the Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. board, helping to oversee and guide the future of the downtown district.
Now, in a time of change and challenge, Alan remains passionate about continuing to give back to the community he loves and proudly calls home.