Community Advisory Board

Community Advisory Board

PBS SoCal’s community engagement efforts with its viewers and supporters would not be possible without the help of the Community Advisory Board (CAB). This active group of volunteer leaders is the station's eyes and ears of the community and plays an integral part of the planning and implementation of many of the stations’ outreach programs.

Their function, as mandated by Congress in 1979, is to advise the governing body of PBS SoCal with respect to whether the programming and other policies are meeting the educational and cultural needs of the various communities served by the station.

The Community Advisory Board members represent diverse constituencies that are engaged with a wide array of issues such as aging/senior citizens, cultural diversity, disabilities, culture and the arts, LGBTQ rights, economy, family, health/medical services, media services, substance abuse, science/technology, youth, and education/schools.

The CAB meets on a quarterly basis with an annual onboarding retreat for new members in August.

Community Advisory Board Mission

Be a Bridge to Our Local Communities

Brand ambassadors who 1) promote PBS SoCal in the community 2) become a critical channel to access and involve community experts, leaders and members through a well-developed community contact database 3) share open positions and encourage diversity of hiring of PBS SoCal staff and leadership.

Contribute to Content Strategy  

Serve as a strategic resource for PBS SoCal to ensure programming is both relevant and representative of the community by 1) providing thematic community level insights that support the programming strategy and 2) provide support to our production development process through stakeholder introductions and community connections.

Be Extenders of Content Impact  

Co-creators of community connections, partnerships, and local experiences connected to PBS SoCal programming and local content that result in measurable impact.

Four Strategic Pillars

The CAB has developed a multi-year strategic plan that involves four key strategic pillars: 

• Pillar 1: Extend the scope and impact of the Local Heroes program and new similar programs
• Pillar 2: Broaden and expand community input and insight into PBS SoCal programming
• Pillar 3: Extend and strengthen impact of programming beyond the program premiere
• Pillar 4: Optimize CAB impact through strengthened connection to PBS SoCal strategy and leadership

Community Advisory Board Members

Chair: Laarni Rosca Dacanay

Vice Chair: Dr. Wenli Jen

Soraya Ahyaudin

Sarah Bernard

Becky Cheng

Nancy De Los Santos

Rafaela Diaz

Daniel Fernandez

Sharon Glancz

Jorge Herrera

Charmaine Jefferson

Alexander C. Kim

Michael A. Mata

Melanie Mathis

Denise L. McIver, MAAM,MLS

Hope Pham

David Radcliff

Darick J. Simpson

Loren Simpson

Nadia Stanley