Damián Mazzotta
Vice Chair Community Partner Born in Argentina to a working-class immigrant family, Damián Mazzotta was the first to attend a university. Through scholarships, hard work, family effort, and support, he studied in the most prestigious Latin American Institutions. He received an international MBA degree completing the course program at the Economics University of Vienna, Austria. In addition, Damián has postgraduate degrees in Negotiation and Change Management, Executive Training on Leading Organizational Renewal at Stanford Graduate School of Business, California, and High-Performance Virtual Projects & Teams in Cornell University, New York. His professional career expands two decades of contributions to major travel and media organizations in Latin America focused on services and product development, operations oversight, and growth. He ran corporate sales and events for Aerolineas Argentinas, one of the largest Latin American Airlines, with 7,000+ employees, and was the Head of a Publishing Business Unit at La Nación, a 140-year-old established national Argentine Media Company. La Nación is a founding member of the prestigious GDA: Grupo de Diarios America (News Group of America). Damián led the coordination of the GDA Executive Committee for New Publishing Business Units. Damián moved to the United States nine years ago, seeking to expand his professional knowledge and impact beginning in New York City as Vice President of Business Development leading National Marketing and Distribution at Impremedia´s Hispanic News Media Brands. In Los Angeles, he headed Impremedia’s West Coast Business Unit (including San Francisco and Houston offices) and focused on transforming La Opinion, a 90-year-old Hispanic news outlet. In that effort, he created numerous initiatives emphasizing community dialogues (he is most proud of La Opinion’s Community Advisory Board, seating influential Community Organizations at a local and national level). In addition, he initiated a new advertising business unit focused on client-centric solutions, creating new initiatives for clients such as Lexus, Netflix, Amtrak, and Nestle. And generated strong growth in revenues. In 2015, he joined LA's Best Governing Board as a commitment to his involvement with the community. The organization currently serves 25,000 kids at 200 elementary school sites through after-school programs in underserved neighborhoods, with 2000 employees. In 2015, Damián was recognized by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), in appreciation of International Migrants Day for his contribution and leadership, standing out as a voice for immigrants and building a better future for all. From 2017 to 2019, he served at the UCLA Center for World Health Advisory Board to impact global medical education and helped to connect students from Latin America with educational programs in the United States. In 2016 and 2017 he was also featured among the Top 500 Most Influential People in Los Angeles in LA Business Journal's annual editions. In 2017, after volunteering in Skid Row serving meals and connecting with people suffering the housing and mental health crisis in Los Angeles for a year during long evenings, Damián co-founded End Homelessness California and The Shower of Hope Program. A mobile hygiene initiative that, in 2019, became the most extensive operation of its kind in the US, serving tens of thousands of people. During the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis, the Program also became the largest hygiene response in Los Angeles, bringing relief to the homeless population, including housing opportunities, mental health, and vaccination services in partnership with the County and City of Los Angeles. The Organization currently serves over 30 locations every week and is supported by over 100 public and private organizations such as Annenberg, Starbucks, Smidt, and California Community Foundation, USC Worldmed, UCLA Hunger Project, Occidental College, LA Rams, Kohler, and World Vision among others. Last year, the Organization created the first-ever partnership with Los Angeles District Community College. The new Program ¨Hope Housing for Students¨ is a solution to housing insecurity and domestic violence among the most vulnerable population at the Community Colleges. And as of today, the Program has two locations where students are being housed and connected to essential services while improving their grades, employment opportunities, mental health, and quality of life. Damián has a passion for supporting education and helping to build solutions for better communities with opportunities for all. |