LA Philharmonic Association Names David Ford, Alfred Fraijo, Antonia Hernandez And Rich Raffetto To Board Of Directors

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association has added four additional members to its Board of Directors over the past year - David Ford, Alfred Fraijo, Antonia Hernandez and Rich Raffetto.

Chaired by Thomas L. Beckmen, the LA Phil Board's investment of time, energy and resources enables everything the organization achieves on stage and in the community.

Chad Smith, the David C. Bohnett Chief Executive Officer Chair of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, said, "Our new board members bring with them a diverse range of perspectives, a wealth of knowledge and an incredible depth of experience that will enrich and strengthen the Los Angeles Philharmonic. They've joined us at a challenging but exciting time, as we prepare to welcome audiences back to our venues this summer, and they, along with the rest of our extraordinary board, will be instrumental in guiding us through this moment. Each of our new board members shares in our commitment to the Los Angeles community and has a deep understanding of our work and our ambitions. We are honored to have them join us in defining the future of the organization."

David Ford, elected July 15, 2020, is Senior Government Relations Manager with Southern California Edison (SCE), an Edison International company and one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric utilities. In his current position in Local Public Affairs, David oversees operational departments and their customers before local, regional, state and federal governments in the San Gabriel Valley. David is also Co-Founder of SCE's Black History Month celebration "Connecting the Evolution of Electricity to Black History." David earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio University. He also attended the John E. Anderson School of Management at UCLA. David is a cancer survivor and in October 2019 shared his experiences at the Los Angeles Policy Forum hosted by the American Cancer Society. He is former Chair of the Board of The Ford Theater Foundation. David is also Chairman of the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce/Education Foundation and Vice Chair of the Southwest Community College Foundation board. He has participated on the boards of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, American Cancer Society, and American Red Cross. Additionally, he has served on the Friends Foundation Board of the California African American Museum and the Cal State Fullerton Advisory Board. David received a national award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2002 for his work in the area of energy efficiency and, in 2005, was awarded the Environmental Protection Service Award from FAME Renaissance. David received a Corporate Award from the NAACP in 2007.

Alfred Fraijo, elected March 12, 2021, is a partner in the Real Estate, Land Use and Natural Resources Practice Group in the Los Angeles and San Francisco law offices of Sheppard Mullin. He is also a leader of the firm's Latin America Practice Group, a global initiative that provides specialized legal representation to Hispanic/Latinx-owned companies and companies focused on the U.S. Latinx market. Additionally, Alfred is a founder and chair of the Los Angeles Urban Renewal Network and serves on the executive committee of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. He serves as board president of the Friends of the Hollywood Freeway Central Park, a proposed park/green space over the 101 Hollywood freeway. Alfred is a founding board member of the Honor PAC and For People of Color, a nonprofit organization dedicated to growing diversity in the legal profession. He serves on the council of governors of Self-Help Graphics (Boyle Heights) and has served as chair of the East Los Angeles Community Corporation. Alfred established City Labs Boyle Heights, a community center that incubates and encourages nonprofits and small businesses in East Los Angeles; tenants include the first youth LGBTQ services center in Boyle Heights. At Loyola Law School, he established the Alfred Fraijo Public Interest Stipend Fund, which provides critical funding to law school students who dedicate their summer to public interest legal work. In addition, Alfred mentors several students at Loyola Law School. He was raised in Boyle Heights and attended Harvard University. He received a law degree from Loyola Law School and participated in an accelerated engineering program at MIT.

Antonia Hernandez, elected March 27, 2020, is nationally regarded for her expertise in immigration, philanthropy and civil rights and has spent more than four decades advocating for social justice and improving the lives of under-represented communities in Los Angeles County and beyond. Since 2004, she has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the California Community Foundation. Previously, Antonia was president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a national nonprofit litigation and advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of the nation's Latinos through the legal system, community education and research and policy initiatives. Antonia is a member of the boards of directors of the Automobile Club of Southern California, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Forest Lawn Memorial-Park Association, Grameen America and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Law Institute. Antonia earned her B.A. in History at UCLA and J.D. at the UCLA School of Law.

Richard "Rich" A. Raffetto, elected March 12, 2021, is president of City National Bank, where he is responsible for specialty banking and commercial banking, as well as entertainment, treasury services, real estate and branch banking activities. Rich is a member of City National's board of directors, as well as the company's Strategy and Planning Committee and Executive Committee. Before joining City National in August 2020, Rich held various leadership roles during his 13 years with U.S. Bank's Corporate & Commercial Banking group. He most recently served as executive vice president and head of the Industrials & Services, Financial Institutions and Public Sector specialized banking units on a nationwide basis, including teams in Los Angeles and San Francisco. In this capacity, he spearheaded the delivery of broad product capabilities, including credit, capital markets, derivatives, cash management, commercial payments, asset management, trade finance, brokerage, and custody/trust services. He has led and managed large credit portfolios associated with a variety of client types, including corporations, financial institutions, governmental entities and nonprofits. Prior to U.S. Bank, Rich served in a variety of commercial and corporate banking leadership roles at BNY Mellon, where he worked for 14 years. Rich graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School with a degree in economics and finance. He also earned a master's degree in business administration from New York University's Stern School of Business.