Our Team
Our Leadership
Executive Director
Rosa Soto
Rosa Soto has served as Executive Director of the Los Angeles General Medical Center Foundation, Inc. and The Wellness Center at the Historic General Hospital in Los Angeles, California since 2015. In her role, Rosa is responsible for guiding the organizational policies, programs, partnerships and infrastructure to support the mission, vision, and direction of the Foundation, The Wellness Center and the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
For more than 20 years, Ms. Soto has focused her passion to empower underserved children and their families by improving health and wellness opportunities across the community. She has championed important public health issues including: teen pregnancy prevention, relationship violence, child safety, mentoring, and addressing the childhood obesity epidemic. Before joining the Foundation, Rosa served as Assistant Director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) where she was responsible for guiding and directing programs, operations and policy and led the efforts to create CCPHA’s evidence-based community engagement and advocacy model. In addition, she advocated for the passage of the strongest sugary beverage and snack food policies in the county of Los Angeles and the State as well as led the development of a national model for local health policies and initiatives.
Associate Director
Heather Hays
Heather Hays is Associate Director of the Los Angeles General Medical Center Foundation, Inc. and The Wellness Center at the Historic General Hospital. Heather is a non-profit professional with 20 years' experience leading teams, programs and projects designed to improve the quality of life for community residents in Los Angeles. Heather is proud of the collective work achieved by the Foundation and its partners to address issues of health equity and improve systems of care. At The Wellness Center, Heather is privileged to work with an incredible team of community-health advocates who work tirelessly to improve the health and well-being of our clients every day. Prior to joining the Foundation, Heather worked at FAME Corporations as the Director of Health Services, as Director of Chapter Education for the Young President's Organization, and at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in several roles including program manager of Executive Education.
Medical Director
Karla A. Gonzalez, MD, MPH
Dr. Karla Gonzalez is a graduate of the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, PRIME Program and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She trained in Family Medicine at the UCLA Family Medicine Residency Program in Santa Monica, California.
Gonzalez has been practicing at the Los Angeles General Medical Center in Los Angeles, California since 2018, initially in Primary Care and now in Urgent Care. She is also the Medical Director of the Wellness Center at the Historic General Hospital. Her interest in medicine was sparked by the health disparities she witnessed in her community of Boyle Heights. As a physician working in her very own community, she has a solid understanding of her patients’ barriers to health. Her medical delivery model relies heavily on the community partners and advocates at The Wellness Center. They provide important wrap-around and patient centered services aimed at addressing the complex health needs of her patients. Together, they address matters of health in the community setting, beyond the walls of a clinic, where patients live and thrive.
Gonzalez is board certified in Family Medicine.
Our Care Team
This amazing team will greet you as you enter The Wellness Center and are eager to provide the best service to clients.
Melina Castelan
Administrative Program Manager, Care Team Supervisor
Linday Alvarez-Tobias
LA General Medical Center Supervisor Social Worker
Cynthia Velazquez
Senior Care Coordinator, Team Lead
Magaly Garcia
Senior Care Coordinator, Team Lead
Erica Bañuelos
Care Team Lead,
Facilities
Soledad Abundis
LA General Medical Center Community Health Worker
Michelle Zamora
Care Coordincator
Jazmin Gutierrez
Project Coordinator
Uyi Ogbeiwi
LA General Medical Center Community Health Worker
Kenya Ruiz Toscano
Wellness Navigator
Jacqueline
Alvarado-Perez
Data & Evaluation Coordinator
Maria Carrillo
Community Health Worker
Yolanda Martinez
Community Health Worker
Alejandro Castro
Community Health Worker
Edith Aguilar
Community Health Worker
Alicia Escalante
Community Health Worker
Our Policy & Advocacy Team
Dr. Julia Ruedas
Senior Project Manager & Policy Analyst
Anahy Alcantara
Community Engagement Coordinator
Belinda Campos Bresnahan
Senior Project Manager & Policy Analyst
Christina Cardenas
Senior Program &
Policy Manager
Our Administative Team
Mina Youssef
Accounting Specialist
Elijah Flores
Senior Administrative Coordinator
Adriana Carrion
Fiscal Analyst
Anton Qafaiti
Senior Budget & Program Analyst
Aurora Dominguez
Communications
Michelle Brown
Senior Staff Accountant
Anahi Barajas-Orozco
Communication Specialist