Our Team

Our team is composed of licensed professionals, community leaders, devoted promoters and strategic partners — united by a powerful mission: to transform systemic conditions so that children, families, and neighborhoods can thrive. Through our systems change approach, our team actively works with over 1,000 residents to create equitable systemic conditions where children, families, and neighborhoods can thrive. Our team, led by Brenda Aguilera and Carlos Arceo, builds and cultivates transformational partnerships with community residents, local organizations, and civic entities—including city and county departments, elected officials, and businesses—to effectively co-design, implement, and evaluate strategies for lasting impact.

Brenda aguilera, Director

Ms. Aguilera is the Director of the Community Transformation Collective (CTC), an initiative of Para Los Niños, where she oversees the development and implementation of First 5 LA’s Region 1 Best Start initiative. In this role, she manages and collaborates with a network of partners to promote systems change through resident and agency engagement.

Regionally, she guides the vision and framework for elevating local leaders to a broader level. Locally, she focuses on building the capacity of organizations to facilitate communication and collaboration among a diverse group of stakeholders, including residents, parents, government agencies, businesses, and faith-based organizations.

Prior to launching the CTC, Brenda served as co-manager of the Native Green Gardening Cooperative with IDEPSCA and provided communications and strategy support to organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the UCLA Labor Center. She holds a B.A. from UCLA in World Arts and Cultures, with a focus on Cultural Studies, and also studied contemporary Mexican and Latin American philosophy and sociology at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).

Additional members

Alejandra Castillo, Partnership Coordinator
Alejandra Delfin, Promoter
Amelia E. Mejia, Promoter
Blanca Valdez, Equity in Practice Manager
Denise Serrette, Promoter
Dina Sanchez, Community Resource Mobilization Coordinator
Edith Cabezas, Promoter
Liliana Hernandez Molina. Administrative Assistant
Luz E. Macias, Promoter
Marisol Barba, Logistics Manager + Community Liaison

Carlos arceo, Associate Director

Mr. Arceo is the Associate Director of Community Transformation Collective (CTC), an initiative of Para Los Niños, a role he has held since 2019. As the division’s lead trainer and co-designer of the curriculum, he leverages over 20 years of experience centering communities in efforts to address systemic harm.

Carlos provides crucial oversight and capacity strengthening for PLN’s Community Transformation efforts, including First 5 LA’s Best Start Region 1 and the CHLA/Cedars Sinai Community Promoter initiative.

His core focus is developing and deploying a Popular Education informed curriculum dedicated to understanding systems, power dynamics, and equity-centered leadership. He coordinates and builds the capacity of staff and partners across four key communities - East L.A., Metro L.A., South El Monte/El Monte, aligning their efforts to advocate for and achieve regional transformation.

Prior to joining PLN, Carlos served as Director for a national leadership and workforce development program for the non-profit sector. He majored in English at the University of California, Berkeley.