Staff

David Levitus | Executive Director

David founded LA Forward Institute with a group of his fellow Angelenos to build the progressive power we need to create a just, vibrant Los Angeles.

David got his start in politics and policy during his time as an undergraduate at New York University, where he majored in History and Economics. After working to protect tenants in NYC and to shift U.S. foreign policy in DC, he moved to Los Angeles to earn a Ph.D. in History at the University of Southern California, where he focused on patterns of metropolitan development and political power over the last century. During grad school, his volunteer work in social justice organizing and policy advocacy led him to pursue a career making change from the ground up.

David's published long-form essays on progressive politics and urban policy in the LA Review of Books and Streetsblog Los Angeles. He’s a Board Member with LA Voice Action, a leader on the Movement Voter Project’s LA organizing team, and a member of the Social Venture Partners Los Angeles 2019-2021 Systems Accelerator cohort, as well as a former fellow with Coro Lead LA, Ashoka Emerging Social Innovators, and Starting Bloc.

Godfrey Plata | Deputy Director

Godfrey is a queer Filipino immigrant and renter whose north star is racial justice, and whose tools of choice are political education and building people power. He's a former public middle school teacher, lives in LA's Koreatown, and works in the non-profit sector to ensure that regular, everyday people know how to leverage policy, advocacy, organizing, and electoral politics as methods for community change. Godfrey envisions, designs, and leads training and leadership development programs intended to agitate members of the public to activate their rights in our democracy. He builds relationships with both seasoned co-conspirators and aspiring advocates, and has experience vision-setting and strategic-planning; organizing and leading campaigns; negotiating contracts and managing projects; building partnerships with community organizations; and recruiting, hiring, deepening, and training diverse teams of leaders. His organizing and advocacy work has contributed to wins such as:

• Houston Independent School District’s divestment of $11.9 million from a facility built by the Corrections Corps of America (one-time maker of private prisons) (2015-2016)

• Commitments from LA Unified School District to work more closely with LA Department of Transportation re: safer routes to school (2020);

• Driving the LA County Democratic Party to call for the LA County Sheriff’s resignation (2021);

• Serious moves by LA Unified to address anti-Asian racism for its adult staff and faculty.

  Allison Henry | Housing Justice organizer

Allison works with community members in the San Gabriel Valley and Eastern LA County on tenant rights and housing education to realize more equitable, stable, and healthy housing for all. Prior to joining LA Forward Institute, Allison was a regional organizer for the United Way's Everyone In campaign to end homelessness. She is a co-founder of the San Gabriel Valley Tenants’ Alliance. Previous professional experience includes 15 years in educational publishing sales/consulting and 5 years as an ESL instructor. Allison holds a BA in English and history from UC Riverside, an MA in English from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and a TEFL certificate from Oxford Seminars.

LA Forward Structure and Status

Our family of organizations is devoted to fighting for a Los Angeles that is fair, flourishing for everyone.

LA Forward Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the educational arm of LA Forward. It makes local government accessible and advances accountability through civic education, leadership development, and strategic research. Donations to LA Forward Institute are TAX DEDUCTIBLE within IRS guidelines. EIN 87-2742396

LA Forward is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting progressive policy, holding elected officials accountable for advancing justice, and building coalitions across Los Angeles. This legal status allows us to advocate for legislation and influence the decisions of our elected leaders. It also means that contributions to LA Forward are NOT tax deductible. EIN 87-2728708.