ADINE FORMAN
Executive Director
Adine Forman has over 23 years of managerial experience with Los Angeles based social service, workforce development and governmental organizations. She is currently the Executive Director of the Hospitality Training Academy (HTA), a non-profit institution and a labor-management partnership/Taft-Hartley fund that provides benefits to both employers and the UNITE HERE Local 11 labor union, serving Los Angeles, Orange County and the entire State of Arizona. The HTA trains and upgrades the skills of thousands of UNITE HERE Local 11 hospitality and food service workers, who are predominantly women and people of color, and hail from all corners of the planet. The HTA works not only to up-skill existing employees that are represented by the labor union, but also provides a variety of workforce development, registered apprenticeships, vocational ESL and training programs that are funded by foundations and various government agencies to train low income, marginalized individuals for jobs in the hospitality and food service industries.
Prior to the HTA, Adine spent six years as the Director of Government Affairs & Special Projects at a large non-profit and One Stop, negotiating government contracts and working to secure government funding for the organization. Adine also worked for two Los Angeles County Departments as a Program Manager, overseeing $40 million dollars in government grants, with a staff of 40. Adine currently serves on the Los Angeles City Workforce Development Board (WDB) and the City of Santa Monica’s Cradle to Career Initiative. Adine is a lawyer, and has a J.D. from Loyola Law School, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Arizona.
MADELEINE BRAND
Programs Director
Madeleine Brand has over 17 years experience working in fund development and grant writing, successfully raising capital for Los Angeles-based non-profits from foundations, corporate and government entities alike. Since 2013, she has served as the Program Supervisor for the Hospitality Training Academy (HTA), working with UNITE HERE Local 11 and its employer partners (including hotels, airport concession companies, and other event venues throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties), to provide training services to new and incumbent union members. Prior to joining the HTA, Madeleine spent six years working in the workforce development sector where she served for as Special Projects Coordinator for Community Career Development and as Grants Manager for Jewish Vocational Services (JVS), growing and sustaining program funding for both organization’s City and County of Los Angeles WorkSource Centers. Madeleine also worked for KCET, the nation’s largest independent public television station, as the Associate Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations and for the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), in Los Angeles, as a Development Associate prior to be promoted to the position of Grants Officer. While living in New York, Madeleine worked for a political consulting firm, raising funds and organizing special events for a number of U.S. Senators, including U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (CT) for whom she helped raise in excess of $2 million dollars over a four year period. Madeleine has a B.A. in Political Science from Vassar College. She moved from New York to California in 1995 and lives in Santa Monica with her husband and two children.
JORGE GALVEZ
Director of Finance
Jorge Galvez has over 22 years of experience in the operations and administration of Employment and Training programs governed under JTPA, WIA, and WIOA. Through his years of experience, Jorge has managed over $100 million in public funds. Prior to the HTA, Jorge spent 22 years working as the Financial Manager for Hub Cities Consortium; one of the largest WorkSource Centers funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Community and Senior Services (CSS), providing employment and training services to over 300 thousand residents in the southeast area, annually. In addition, Jorge was the Chief Financial Officer of the Hub Cities Career Center Corporation, a 501(c)(3) institution, maintaining systems of internal control to safeguard financial assets and managing a combined budget of over five million dollars. Jorge’s areas of expertise include budget management, cost allocation plans, grant management, and policy development and analysis. Jorge was also a committee member of the continuous quality improvement (CQI) and the California Awards Performance for Excellence (CAPE).
JOUMANA “JB’ BARAKAT
Assistant Program Director
Joumana “JB” Barakat is a workforce and business development strategist. Her career spans over two decades in developing community and business collaboratives and partnerships. Her background includes managing federal and state projects for business and workforce development under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA, WIOA). Her work with local businesses and government earned her the reputation of “the go to person” and that she considers is her badge of honor. Her work in assisting communities and individuals is reflected in the passion she has to serve individuals of all backgrounds. Her entrepreneurial spirit contributes to her strong relationships with Economic Development Agencies, Local Unions, Educational Institutions, Chambers, Workforce Development Boards, and Small Business Development Centers all over Southern California. JB plays a senior role in developing and contributing to building stronger Business Engagement Teams throughout the state. JB has been a lead organizer for multiple Economic, Career Expos, and Entrepreneurial Summits. She is a professional speaker and trainer on subjects that includes a large spectrum of topics.
She is the recipient of the State of CA Women in Business Award, the Business Life’s Woman Achiever Award, a Congressional Award for her work in preparing and training future entrepreneurs, in addition to multiple accolades from state and local governments. JB holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management. Her moto is:
“If you live to serve, no job is too big or too small. Success is not measured by who we are, it is
measured by whom we serve”. JB
SEAN GLYNN
Program Manager
Sean Glynn joins HTA with a background in labor relations and union organizing. He is currently the project manager at the HTA overseeing “Serving Our Community,” a 34-million-dollar program providing safely prepared food to vulnerable communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to his work with HTA, Sean feels honored to have spent 15 years with UNITE HERE, the union for Hotel and Food Service workers, in Las Vegas and Los Angeles as an organizer of customer boycotts, an organizer of workers, and a negotiator of contracts and grievance resolution. Never a dull moment, Sean’s work encompassed everything from leading labor strikes for healthcare benefits to building cost-calculating negotiation tools for regional and national collective bargaining agreements. Sean grew up in the Midwest, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Grinnell College prior to moving to the West Coast. When he is isn’t working, you are likely to find him still working, gardening, tinkering in his garage, or teaching fitness classes.
Other HTA Personnel
- Vicky Beza – Case Manager
- Jaime Cedano – Coordinator
- Sareth Elizarraras-Huerta – Case Manager
- Cassandra Espinoza – Case Manager
- Estela Gaytan – Case Manager
- Eva Gil – Accounting Analyst
- Sean Glynn – Program Manager
- Karen Mitchell – Case Manager
- Evelyn Ramirez – Apprenticeship Coordinator
- Alice Stanford – Case Manager
- Joshua Washington – Outreach/Marketing Specialist
