Phil Fontilea
Founder & Chair

Philippe Fontilea has worked in mental health care for more than a decade—inspired by personal experience to make a difference in the lives of those affected by mental health concerns. Today he sits on the board of directors of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Urban Los Angeles, the Alcott Center for Mental Illness, and he is a member of multiple committees with the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health. Recognizing the resources needed to support these organizations as they advocated for mental health awareness and care, Mr. Fontilea began a nonprofit rock climbing business, On Belay: Rock Climbing Instruction and Fitness, LLC. Climbing nearly every weekend and teaching others this awesome sport, he dedicated all proceeds from On Belay to help these mental health organizations. LETS Educational Foundation was born when Mr. Fontilea noticed a lack of participation and education about mental illness among younger generations, and he has since dedicated On Belay to support LETS, an educational model for youth focused on prevention and early education. After establishing the pilot LETS Club at Ulysses S. Grant High School in Greater Los Angeles, LETS Educational Foundation has grown under Mr. Fontilea’s direction to include younger and older age groups, establish a research branch, and receive international recognition.

Not connected to LETS, Mr. Fontilea also directs Key Drug Pharmacy, where he has been recognized as a key figure in reforming the pharmacy model to focus on the client and provide community education on mental illness. Before his work in mental health, Mr. Fontilea held strategic positions with corporations from the healthcare, technology, and financial sectors. His history of strong leadership, high-level project management, affinity for technology, and process development enabled Mr. Fontilea to consistently increase profits for top consulting and investment firms. Mr. Fontilea also provided leadership to a multinational staff of over 300 to increase efficiency, productivity, and morale; while providing language services to Japanese clientele.

Edward Pak
Vice President

Edward Pak is a Partner at Line Gold, Inc., an import and wholesale jewelry company.  He has over 13 years of experience in the importation, distribution, and sale of 14-karat fine gold jewelry.  His duties include managing all financial transactions, contract negotiations, account management and day-to-day operations of the company.  He is also the principle owner of GMF Management Co., Inc., a commercial real estate management firm, where he oversees all administrative and operational responsibilities of a multi-unit residential apartment complex in Koreatown, CA and a retail shopping center in Fresno, CA.  Mr. Pak received his B.A. degree in Asian Studies from Vassar College.

Katie Riggs is a Research Associate for the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (HNRC) at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).  Before her work at the HNRC, Ms. Riggs served for 2 years as a Community Health Volunteer for the U.S. Peace Corps in Tala, Kenya. Her major focus was promoting awareness and combating the stigma of HIV/AIDS.  Ms. Riggs graduated with a B.S. degree in Biology and a minor in Psychology from UCSD.

Both her personal and professional experience has given her insight into how pervasive and harmful the stigma surrounding mental illness remains in our society.  Ms. Riggs plans to attend medical school and is committed to improving the understanding of mental illness.  Through professional avenues as well as through her continued involvement with LETS, Ms. Riggs plans to further advocate for people with stigmatized illnesses.

Amy spent 18 years working for Nordstrom, Inc. as an administrative assistant and financial analyst to the General Manager of Nordstrom Southern California, the HR Director of Nordstrom San Diego, and the Divisional Manager of the West Coast Nordstrom Restaurants.  She was the United Way of San Diego liaison to Nordstrom from 1994 to 1998.  Since 2000 she has been a licensed realtor, selling residential, investment and commercial properties in San Diego and Idaho.  Amy has been a member of leadership for Girl Scouts of America, and she is currently a member of the National Association of Realtors, Idaho Association of Realtors, Business Networking International and various Chamber of Commerce affiliations within Idaho.

Pratheepan (Deep) Gulasekaram is Assistant Professor of Law at Santa Clara University School of Law, where he teaches Constitutional Law, Immigration Law, and Citizenship Theory.  He researches constitutional issues in the immigration context, and writes in the areas of immigration federalism and citizenship.  He previously served as Acting Assistant Professor at New York University School of Law and Visiting Assistant Professor at Loyola University Law School in New Orleans.  Before entering academia, he worked as a litigator at O'Melveny & Myers LLP, and Susman Godfrey LLP, both in Los Angeles, California, and clerked for the Honorable Jacques L. Weiner, Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.  In addition, Prof. Gulasekaram is the co-founder of World Children's Initiative, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health and educational infrastructure for children in developing areas around the world.  He received his B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from Brown University and his J.D. degree, with distinction, from Stanford University.

Camille Townsend is an attorney in the Los Angeles office of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore.  Her litigation practice focuses on public sector employment.  Ms. Townsend's experience includes all aspects of trial work, from inception through appeal and also includes employee termination and discipline, employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

Ms. Townsend is currently active in the John M. Langston Bar Association of Los Angeles and volunteers with the Middle Ground mentoring program in Inglewood, CA.  She also is on the 2009-2010 Board of Directors for the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and is active with the Tau Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a service-based organization. 

Ms. Townsend was the recipient of the Bruce F. Beilfuss Memorial Award at the University of Wisconsin Law School for outstanding service to her community.   While in law school, she served on the National Black Law Students' Association, National Executive Board as Community Service Director.  As National Community Service Director, Ms. Townsend was responsible for implementing and overseeing the national community service initiative.  On the local level, she served as the University of Wisconsin Law School's Black Law Students Association Vice President.  During this time she founded and spearheaded the Living, Learning, and Inspiring to Foster Excellence (L.L.I.F.E) workshop series dedicated to preparing students for "real life," including financial planning and investment, stress management, and understanding real estate.  Ms. Townsend also volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club in Madison, Wisconsin.

Ms. Townsend graduated from Boston College with a B.A. degree in Psychology and obtained her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Camelia Coupal is the owner of Coupa Café in Beverly Hills, California a family-owned and -operated restaurant with locations throughout California and Caracas, Venezuela.  Ms. Coupal leads all aspects of the business, operations, administration, human resources, public relations, advertising, and financial statements.  Ms. Coupal was born and raised in Venezuela and has been living in California since 2001.  Besides being an entrepreneur in the food and beverage industry, Ms. Coupal is very involved with orphanages throughout Africa where she spends time volunteering.  She received her B.A. degree in Political Science and History from Stanford University.

Rachel Shim is a sophomore attending the University of California, Los Angeles as a pre-med student.  She was one of the founding members of the very first LETS Club at Ulysses S. Grant High School in 2009, and she has carried her LETS Club leadership into the university setting.  As a member of the LETS Youth Planning Committee, she has helped organize multiple events for LETS, such as the First Annual High School Youth Summit and the San Francisco Marathon Charity Race.

Genevieve Yu, M.D. is an adult and child psychiatrist.  Currently at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Children's Center, her work with kids includes treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, autism, bipolar disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, and eating disorders with medications and psychotherapy.  She is passionate about reaching out to the community and has worked at schools in Boston and San Francisco, as well as the Edgewood Center for Children and Families residential and day treatment programs, and the Chinatown Child Development Center in San Francisco.  She has also strived to increase cultural sensitivity and awareness by creating the Asian Psychotherapy Resident Clinic at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the Second Generation Association in Orange County, and the Asian Health Caucus at UCSF.  Before her work as a psychiatrist, Ms. Yu worked in community advocacy with programs teaching children to read, providing basic medical care to the indigent and homeless at health fairs, organizing medical volunteer trips to rebuild hospices, and teaching medical education to students in elementary school through college.  She has a background in clinical research in the areas of dementia, aphasia, linguistics, and infant cognition.  She has received awards for academic excellence, outstanding research, and teaching in health education.  

Ms. Yu completed her B.S. degree in Linguistics, and Brain and Cognitive Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  After MIT she worked in rural South Africa with the nonprofit organization Operation Crossroads Africa to increase health and safety awareness of infectious diseases.  She then attended the UCSF School of Medicine to earn her medical degree, then trained at UCLA in adult psychiatry and UCSF in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Phuong Bui works as a pharmacy technician at Key Drug Pharmacy.  Ms. Bui works with various mental health clinics and clients in and around Los Angeles County.   At the pharmacy she works closely with those living with mental illness, which enables her to observe the affects of stigma on these patients and has strengthened her dedication to erasing the stigma.

Ms. Bui graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a B.S. degree in Physiological Science.  While at UCLA, Phuong was involved in Alpha Phi Omega, a national community service organization.  She also volunteers as a guidance counselor at St. Anne's Church.

Ms. Bui aspires to be a pharmacist and plans to attend pharmacy school.  As a pharmacist, she will continue her work in the mental health community and further her involvement as an advocate for mental health through LETS.

Robert Holloway is a child psychiatrist who has practiced in Los Angeles since 2000.  He has worked in private practice, university practice, and for nonprofits.  Before formally joining LETS, Dr. Holloway spent a year in China working on writing projects, studying the culture, and living as a foreigner.  Dr. Holloway is particularly interested in the power that language plays in stigma and "slur potential."  He is active in many facets of LETS, including his help in building the LETS Guidebook with our research team, and training for LETS's first half marathon in San Francisco. 

Dr. Holloway attended undergraduate and medical school at the University of Missouri, where he was a member with honors in Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society.  He completed a postgraduate internship at Oregon Health Sciences University; postdoctorate residency at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); and postdoctorate child and adolescent fellowship at Harbor-UCLA.  Dr. Holloway served as a delegate to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and as president of the Southern California Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists.  Currently he is a member of the Government Affairs Committee of California Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists.  He is an LGBTQ advocate, and with his desire to help kids erase stigma, Dr. Holloway is a perfect fit for LETS.

Ara Anspikian is a child psychiatrist and fellow physician of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  His many honors, awards, professional experiences, and leadership experiences include: Clinical experience as a physician at UCLA and Loma Linda University; Supervisor of Valley Teen Ranch Group Home, and intervention services for troubled children; Member of the Council on Advocacy and Government Relations, American Psychiatric Association; Instructing psychiatry courses and developing curriculums; Evidence-Based Newsletter co-editor; Developing/leading a social intervention group for Aspergers and autistic adolescents; High school basketball coach; Recipient of the George Harding, IV, M.D. Service Award "for commitment to people requiring psychiatric care, unusual sensitivity concerning the needs of patients and their families, and exceptional service and talent in clinical work"; and Prite Top Score in Class and Residency Program for multiple academic years.

Dr. Anspikian has been eager to talk about LETS with everyone he meets.  He's been an invaluable voice in sharing LETS with medical and research professionals.  For his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at UCLA, he focused on prevention and intervention programs, and the effects of stigma on youth.  Dr. Anspikian has seen the value of the LETS model from the start, and he has consistently taken action to help the LETS kids.