Who We Are

Launched in the mid-1960’s, DOVIA-LA is a professional membership organization for individuals who provide leadership to volunteers. Members represent a diverse range of nonprofit organizations who meet bi-monthly to discuss current issues and share information relating to public, private, and philanthropic organizations serving the Greater Los Angeles area.

Connect with Us

Email doviala@gmail.com

Executive Board

Meet the leadership of DOVIA-LA, and connect. DOVIA-LA board members are always interested in assisting Los Angeles area volunteer engagement professionals and are also happy to discuss their roles within the organization as well as opportunities for members to gain leadership skills in a committee.

President: Shade Mokuolu, MPA, Director of Development at New Horizons

Shade Mokuolu, MPA is a nonprofit administrator and the former Director of Development at New Horizons a Los Angeles based charitable organization. She has been instrumental to raising resources including transformational gifts, and workforce development by leading dedicated volunteers and working strategically with highly skilled board members and staff.

She holds a Masters in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge, a professional certification in Fundraising from UCLA, and she earned her degree in Sociology from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, West Africa.

Shade leverages her skills in networking to provide solutions and advance the mission and vision of her organization(s) and, she is well respected in the community.  She has served on the board of DOVIA-LA for the last four years and she’s excited to lead the association to the next level with the support of her colleagues!

Tara R. Miller, MS RD CDN is a Registered Dietitian specializing in the creation, implementation and management of successful wellness programs.  In her current role, she provides health consultative services, event planning/execution and volunteer management for over 17,000 retirees. An accomplished public speaker, she is a seasoned keynote presenter, has multiple guest appearances on NY1’s “Healthy Living” and CBS Newspath, appears in on-line and print articles including WebMD, and was a featured dietitian in “Lose Weight New York,” a New York Daily News call-in program.

A Graduate from California State University, Long Beach with a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics, she spent two years in Morocco as a Peace Corps volunteer, specializing in community health disease management and nutrition.

Meghan is the Programs and Training Coordinator at Executive Service Corps of Southern California, an organization that provides affordable coaching and consulting services for nonprofits through executive-level volunteers.  She is responsible for coordinating ESC’s client training institutes, customized cohort leadership programs and volunteer consultant trainings.

She is an alumna of UCLA, graduating with a B.A. double major in American Literature and History with a minor in LGBT Studies. She is a proud Angeleno.  Behind the scenes, Meghan enjoys spending time with her cat, reading memoirs, and exploring LA’s food scene.

Brianna is the Director of Programs and Development at A Sense of Home. A Sense of Home creates a sense of home for youth who have aged out of foster care. At A Sense of Home her position intersects what she loves,  environmentalism and building community through volunteerism. Brianna has managed a mobile food pantry in Portland, OR, managed volunteers and interns at a farm in Nevada City and previously managed volunteers at a homeless shelter and services agency at Ascencia in Glendale.  She has also volunteered herself as a trail docent with Habitat Authority and volunteered with School on Wheels as a tutor. When she isn’t managing volunteers or volunteering she enjoys being outdoors, gardening, and reading books that have been turned into movies. She’s excited to be the VP of Membership for her 2nd year and can’t wait to meet you all!!

Vice President of Publicity: Kate A. Ekman, CVA, Purpose and Engagement Coordinator at Beach Cities Health District

Passionate about leading volunteers in projects for positive social and environmental impacts, Kate is proudly engaging the Beach Cities Health District community in volunteerism, organizing volunteers for the National Wildlife Federation’s conservation efforts, and helping Los Angeles non-profit organizations expand their capacities via DOVIA-LA. Kate began nurturing her career while seeking an Environmental Studies degree at Northeastern Illinois University, where she successfully organized the planting of seventy native species trees on campus. Those trees are now more than ten years old and much taller than any of the volunteers who nestled the saplings into the land. In her free time, Kate continues to volunteer wherever her heart feels called to help including planting trees in the Los Angeles area and as a Legislative Liaison for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. A native of the Midwest, she moved to Los Angeles with her cat, Boomer, to be warmer and near the mountains where she loves to hike.

Mackenzie is currently the Volunteer Manager and Executive Administrator at Free Wheelchair Mission, a humanitarian, faith-based, nonprofit organization that provides the transforming gift of mobility to people with a disability living in developing nations. During her first year, she was responsible for revitalizing and strengthening the volunteer program, in an effort to strategically build a program with an emphasis on engaged and active volunteers. She works closely across all departments in order to improve operational efficiency, while recruiting and building skills-based volunteers for the team’s unique needs.

A native Ohioan, Mackenzie grew up volunteering with and serving a variety of nonprofits, in which she developed a deep passion for helping others and connecting them with resources and creative passions of their own. Mackenzie received her BA in Organizational Communications and Public Relations from Marietta College. She has spent her career in the nonprofit field working with youth, education, homelessness, and volunteers in different capacities. In her spare time, you can find Mackenzie taking on a new DIY craft project or having game and trivia nights with her friends.

Treasurer: Stephanie Lopez, Community Resources Coordinator at Hillsides

Stephanie has been a Community Resource Coordinator for Hillsides, a foster care and mental health charity, for six years.  She is responsible for coordinating volunteer activities for over 500 volunteers yearly, creating inviting experiences for both the volunteers and the children who live at Hillsides’ residential treatment program. In her position, Stephanie also finds new organizations to partner with Hillsides by hosting drives, leading events, and sponsoring activities and outings. Her efforts have helped the Community Resource department raise more than $350,000 worth of in-kind each year for Hillsides.

Whether raising funds for Hillsides through in-kind gifts, helping lead volunteer projects, or finding new volunteers and donors for Hillsides, Stephanie enjoys meeting people and connecting them to Hillsides’ mission of helping children and families heal, grow, and thrive.

Stephanie graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in human services. On the weekends you can find her catching up on latest Gordon Ramsay shows or hanging out with friends and family.