LA-Más Director of Social Impact Helen Leung and Architect Rick Cortez, both members of the Frogtown community, will discuss their vision for the future of the neighborhood.

Rick Cortez is founder and principal at RAC Design Build located in Elysian Valley. RACDB is a full range Architectural design studio and custom fabrication shop that specializes in both custom residential and commercial architectural design, as well as construction, construction management, and extensive custom carpentry and metal fabrication abilities. Rick was born in Los Angeles and received his B-Arch from the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Helen Leung is a proud Frogtown native committed to ensuring a better neighborhood for her neighbors. As Director of Social Impact at LA-Más , Helen is working to redefine the intersection of community development and social equity, with a focus in gentrifying neighborhoods. Helen specializes in creating and managing place-based efforts, building cross-sector partnerships, and ensuring that successful pilot efforts result in systemic change. A native Angelino and urban planner, Helen has extensive community-based experience working for former Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti. Recently, Helen managed transit-oriented development and asset build portfolios at Living Cities, a national funders collaborative. Helen holds a Masters in Public Policy and Urban Planning from the Kennedy School of Government.

Image Courtesy of RAC Design Build