Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE)
Mr. Doi is Founder, President & CEO of PACE, one of the largest Asian-led community development corporations (CDCs) in the United States. Annually, PACE serves more than 40,000 low-income ethnic minority residents from across LA County through Employment, Business Development, Affordable Housing, Energy & Environmental Services, and Early Childhood Education. Mr. Doi oversees an operating budget in excess of $28 million and 300+ staff.
Mr. Doi’s outstanding abilities in the field of community development are evidenced not only by his accomplishments at PACE, but by his extensive involvement and leadership in numerous local, state and national community development organizations. Locally, he is a Board Member of the Los Angeles Housing Partnership and the California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA). On the national level, Kerry was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans. Additionally, Kerry is a founding member and the former chair of the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD). Mr. Doi also recently served on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors Consumer Advisory Council. Most recently, Mr. Doi was appointed by Supervisor Hilda Solis to serve on the LA County Small Business Commission. Notable appointments in the Energy and Environmental field include serving as a Member on the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council for the Environmental Protection Agency and as a Member on the Environmental Justice Advisory Board for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
He received his B.S. from California State University, Long Beach. In 2008, Mr. Doi completed the prestigious Achieving Excellence in Community Development Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Doi was honored by Los Angeles public television station KCET in 2009 as a “Local Hero” and has received awards and recognition for his outstanding community service from the Los Angeles City Council, former LA Mayor Richard Riordan, Senator Richard Polanco and Assemblyman Gilbert Cedillo.
Rachelle was appointed to the position of Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2016. She first started at PACE in 1998 as the Nutrition Coordinator for PACE Education and was then promoted to the Education Director position in 2000. After 16 ½ years at PACE, she spent her year hiatus from the organization as the Executive Director at 2-1-1 California (an affiliate organization of the United Ways of California) and an Adjunct Faculty member at Pasadena City College.
Ms. Arizmendi is extensively involved in numerous local, state and national organizations and initiatives. Locally, she serves as Board President of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, Board Chair for the Foothill Employment Training Consortium’s Policy Board, Second Vice-President of the League of California Cities Women’s Caucus, and Board Member of Child 360. Rachelle was also appointed by former California Governor Brown to serve on the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. Nationally, she serves as the Secretary of the Board of the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development and a Board Member At Large for the National Community Development Financial Institution Coalition.
Rachelle was born in Carmel, California and is a graduate of San Diego State University where she earned two Bachelor’s degrees prior to receiving her Master’s Degree from Eastern Illinois University. Rachelle continues to hold her Registered Dietitian designation. Additionally, she currently serves as the Mayor for the City of Sierra Madre. She is the first person of color in Sierra Madre to hold a City Council seat.
In recognition for her service to API and other ethnic minority communities, Ms. Arizmendi has received numerous awards including: Top 100 Filipinas in the World by the Filipina Women’s Network (2018), Southern California Leadership Network’s Top 30 in 30 Years Alumni (2017), CA Assembly Member Holden’s Woman of Distinction (2017), and Los Angeles County Supervisor Antonovich’s Women of the Year (2016).
A refugee from Vietnam, Albert has devoted his career to addressing the needs of low-income refugees, immigrants and senior homeowners. As Director of PACE Housing he oversees the Transitional Subsidized Employment and Handy Worker Programs. Albert has 4 decades of experience helping more than 150,000 refugees, immigrants, seniors and disabled homeowners find employment and housing solutions. He has extensive expertise with federal, state, county and city programming and funding and an in-depth knowledge of employment training and housing services. Before joining PACE, Albert worked for the U.S. government, including 3 years at the American Embassy during the Vietnam War.
A native of Los Angeles, Andrea has worked in the nonprofit sector for 2 decades. After devoting her early career to bringing science enrichment programs to under-served LA County youth, she pursued a brief stint in archaeology. In 2006, Andrea joined PACE Education where she worked as the Health Coordinator and, later, the Early Head Start Director. During this time, Ms. Giese was instrumental in obtaining grants, developing relationships with local organizations, and advocating for additional resources to support the Education Department’s activities and under-served communities. In 2016, Andrea transitioned to her current role as Director of Development and Communications, overseeing all of PACE’s fundraising and communication strategies. In 2017, she was selected as a fellow for the National Coalition of Asian Pacific American Community Development and in 2018, she completed a fellowship with the Southern California Leadership Network (SCLN). Ms. Giese has served as a Commissioner for the City of Alhambra’s Housing and Community Development Commission since 2019. She holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BA in Anthropology from Brown University.