Team & Board of Directors
CHASE MASTERSON
FOUNDER
For five years prior to founding the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, actress Chase Masterson mentored at Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention program worldwide. “In-the- trenches,” Chase worked extensively with former members of the world’s most notorious gangs and most dangerous types of bullying, oppression and victimization.
“Troubled adults’ stories are often rooted in childhood bullying; as they grow, their propensity for retaliation and aggression also grows, leading to devastation. However, I have seen transformation in even the most oppressed victims and hardened offenders. We can transform the lives of both victims and bullies in childhood, before the crippling effects of cruelty take root.”
Chase serves on the Advisory Board of the United Nations Association for her work in the intersection of entertainment and systemic change. Previous nonprofit positions include Hollywood Bowl Director of Corporate Marketing and Director of Corporate Membership for the International House of Blues Foundation.
Chase has spoken about the Coalition’s work at the United Nations HQ, UNESCO HQ, TEDxVienna, Talks at Google, the International Bullying Prevention Association, the World Anti-Bullying Forum, YMCA USA forums, TAG Teach Switzerland, the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, on CBS News, and at the Inaugural Educational Leadership Series: School Climate and Public Policy Forum in Partnership with Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.
CARRIE GOLDMAN
CO-FOUNDER, TREASURER and DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM
Carrie Goldman is the author of Harper Collins’ Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear, winner of the National Parenting Publication Award and Mom’s Choice Award.
Goldman has garnered acclaim for her work on bullying and social conflict, appearing on NPR, MSNBC, CNN, NYTimes, ABC Radio, HuffPost Live, and others. She gives keynote addresses to companies, universities, and schools about bullying prevention, intervention, and reconciliation; digital citizenship; the academic effects of gender inequality; restorative justice and resolving social conflict.
In Bullied, Goldman brings together leading authorities with accounts of peer victimization to present proven strategies and tools for teaching children how to speak up and carry themselves with confidence; call each other out on cruelty; resolve conflict; and cope with teasing, taunting, physical abuse, and cyberbullying. Goldman received her B.S. from Northwestern and her M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management. She serves as Treasurer of Pop Culture Hero Coalition.
Board Members and Team
ALLAN CHAN
VP of YOUTH CULTURE & DESIGN
Since 2013 when Pop Culture Hero Coalition was first founded, Allan has created the Coalition’s branding and design with a lens of youth culture and inclusion.
Bringing visual relevance and relatability, Allan’s work on the Coalition’s website, lesson plan design, graphics, social media, and videos has been instrumental in propelling The Heroic Journey Curriculum to our Partnership with YMCA of the USA, as well as other Gen Z-centric organizations.
As the Creative Director and A&R Manager to one of the biggest independent music labels in the World, Allan has over 14 years of experience working with artists, music production, photography and creative strategy through design.
RAYMOND R LITSTER
VP of CREATIVE STRATEGY & COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Raymond coordinates the Coalition’s work at events, enlisting celebrities and experts to participate in panels and partner with us on our BeKind shirt campaign. He also coordinates the majority of our outreach design efforts in addition to the design and management of the BeKind merchandise, as well as does the Coalition’s social media. Raymond most recently wrote and produced the Coalition’s second interactive comic book, Lights, Camera, IDENTITY! Never Alone, available from Fall 2020.
DR. LAADA DEMUS
SCHOOL OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Dr. LaAdah Demus has been an elementary educator for over a decade. She has Bachelors and Masters degree in Elementary Education and a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. Over the course of her career, she has written curriculum, lead district professional developments, wrote and been awarded educational grants, recognized as a highly effective educator, created and led educational research, and has published a scholarly article titled “Virtual Coaching in Elementary Schools.”
Additionally, Dr. Demus is a children’s book author for Yellow Creations, LLC and has published “I Like It Loud: A Tale of Unilateral Hearing Loss.”
Dr. Demus has a wealth of cultural experience from teaching within Title I schools, private schools, and teaching overseas. As the Diversity Content Creator for Pop Culture Hero Coalition, she is dedicated to ensuring brown children are represented with fidelity.
WAYNE LYONS II
THE HEROIC JOURNEY CURRICULUM AMBASSADOR
On a full ride scholarship, Wayne earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Stanford and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan. In addition to his work with the Coalition, Wayne is the Co-CEO of Empire For The Youth, working to impact and influence students in a positive and productive way by shaping their mindsets, as well as teaching them to utilize resources and garner support.
ROCHELLE ALCID
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Rochelle Alcid previously worked as Operations Supervisor at Humble Bundle, having previously been Marketing Operations Specialist at Progressive Solutions and the President of the Japanese Cultural Exchange at Cal Poly. She is a graphic designer and worked in the printing industry for three years before moving into the video game industry. As an avid lover of video games and Asian pop culture, Rochelle spends her free time playing Final Fantasy XIV, watching the latest Japanese animation or live-action drama, or working on her next cosplay.
ALBERTO RODX
DIRECTOR OF MERCHANDISE
Alberto Rodx creates, oversees, and fulfills all of the Coalition’s merchandise through BeKindMerch.org, including shirts, hats, mugs, water bottles, bags, buttons, and masks. Additionally, he manages our celebrity Be Kind Campaigns, photos, and convention videos.
GLORIA PEREZ
OFFICE SUPPORT
Gloria provides organizational office support; her sense of thoroughness and attention to detail makes her a valued member of the Coalition team.
ANGELO ALCID
BOARD
Angelo Alcid is a California attorney whose practice primarily consists of advising video game developers and other tech startups in intellectual property and business law issues. He has a B.S. in engineering from the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and a J.D. from the Santa Clara University School of Law. Aside from his work with tech startups and nonprofit organizations, Angelo has also had experience working with the legal departments of companies such as Google, Yahoo!, and Bandai Namco Entertainment America. Angelo has spoken about legal issues affecting the video game industry at events such as PAX and TwitchCon. An avid fan of video games and general pop culture, Angelo occasionally writes about geeky legal issues at the Journal of Geek Law, and has been featured on the popular law blog Law and the Multiverse.
BETTINA HAUSMANN
BOARD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION, SAN DIEGO CHAPTER
Growing up in East Germany (former GDR), Bettina’s early adulthood was shaped by Cold War Era politics and living life behind the Iron Curtain. These personal experiences resulted in her strong sense of community and the understanding of the importance of collective memory, cultural conflict and peace. Bettina has and continues to be active in many community organizations that envision and champion an understanding of global citizenship and social justice.
As the Executive Director of the United Nations Association in San Diego, Ms Hausmann provides operational and strategic leadership to all of the organization’s activities while acting as a liaison to its board of the directors and external stakeholders.
Over the past sixteen years, Bettina has been a frequent delegate to United Nations’ high-level plenary meetings and panels worldwide, among others U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and Rio+20 Conference that gave birth to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She is a innovative, inspiring and energetic leader emphasizing inclusive community practices and effective youth engagement.
Ms Hausmann studied International Management in Germany and earned university degrees in Political Science & International Relations from the United States. Throughout her thirty-two year career, Bettina has held corporate positions in various industries within Europe and the United States of America including Management Consulting, Renewable Energies, Manufacturing, Biotech, Defense Industry and non-for profit sector. She is a representative to the UN Economic & Social Council, and a founding member and officer of Global San Diego, while serving as Vice President, Resource Development for UNA USA Southern California Division.
LORRAN "LORRAINE" GARRISON
BOARD
Lorran “Lorraine” Garrison (she/her) grew up on the island of Guam and is a school psychologist in California. She is the co-founder of Little Brainstorm, a media company that brings joy and builds brains. She is also the co-author of the Brainboy and Bob series and regularly speaks on the topics of neurodiversity, disability, and BIPOC needs at San Diego ComicCon International (SDCC), WinderCon, California Association of School Psychologists (CASP), Gender Spectrum Symposium, Therapeutic and Applied Geek and Gaming Summit (TAGGS), and others. Lorran is excited about her role as a Board member of Pop Culture Hero Coalition, a cause close to her heart.
DR. CHRIS COKER
BOARD
Currently CEO of the YMCA of Boulder Valley, Chris first worked with YMCA as a Junior Counselor in 1982. In later serving as an officer with Chicago PD, Chris received several departmental commendations and spent time working undercover narcotics, gang crime and street patrol. In 1990, Chris began a full-time career with the YMCA as the Director of YMCA Camp Hi-Rock at the Central Connecticut Coast YMCA.
In 1997, he became a Group Vice President with the YMCA of Greater St. Louis overseeing the YMCA of the Ozarks and other operations. In 2004, he moved to the YMCA of Greater Houston as a Group Executive and then as Vice President of Financial Development. During his 36-year Y career, Chris has contributed nationally with YMCA Aquatics programs and standards. He was also one of the founders of Camp Director University, now a national training for YMCA Camp Directors. Chris was asked to participate in the national panel on background checks and testify in Washington on this subject due to his extensive work in creating an affordable, thorough and timely system for the YMCA. His work and lobbying efforts helped to create the Child Protection Act that was voted into law in 2017.
In addition, his law enforcement career and contacts have given him a unique insight into the issues around background checks and how to keep children safe from predators. He worked on creating a national YMCA camping committee that began in 2016, as well as the new national YMCA ad campaign that was initiated in 2017, and most recently the nationwide membership task-force that came into existence in early 2018. Chris is also an adjunct professor at Metro State University in Denver and is working on his PhD with Springfield College/Capella University. He expects to complete this program in 2018. He has been married for 27 years to Susan Coker, also a Y career professional, and they have three children.
JEANIE BURDI
BOARD
Jeanie Burdi is a project manager who excels at scheduling, database, and project reporting. Starting in childhood, Jeanie spent much of her time reaching out to assist those in need — helping charities such as Walk for Mankind, March of Dimes, and Muscular Dystrophy Association, and as a Candy Striper. As an adult, Jeanie worked with the Boy Scouts as a Committee Member/Parent Volunteer.
In 2019, Jeanie came across the Coalition booth at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention, learned of their mission, and found her passion sparked once again. She is now an indispensable member of the team.
Jeanie brings the same expertise to the Coalition’s work that she used to save millions of dollars at AM Technical by reduction of unnecessary inventory, improved scheduling practices, and budgeting.
Jeanie serves as the Coalition’s Senior Office Support Manager.
GAYLE K YOUNG
ADVISOR
Gayle Karen Young is former Chief Culture and Talent Officer at the Wikimedia Foundation; she is currently a consultant and activist. She is also very much a geek that loves science fiction, which inspired a passion for technology and its leverage for societal change, and has worked with a number of technology organizations.
Ms. Young mentors for accelerator programs such as the Unreasonable Institute, Singularity University Labs, and other programs specializing in leadership team dynamics. She is keenly interested in the intersection of technology and human rights and supports futurist humanitarian causes.