Central City Association of Los Angeles and
Downtown Center Business Improvement District
213.624.1213 x 215
cschatz @ccala.org
Carol E. Schatz is the first woman to serve as President and CEO of the
Central City Association (CCA) of Los Angeles. Carol also serves as
President and CEO of the Downtown Center Business Improvement District
(DCBID), a coalition of 450 property owners in the core of Downtown
Los Angeles.
Under Carol’s direction, CCA is the business advocacy leader
on City and County issues. Ms. Schatz was recently named by Los Angeles
magazine in their “100 most powerful people in Los Angeles”
article as one of the ten most powerful business leaders in Los Angeles.
Carol was recognized as “Woman of the Year 1999” by State
Assembly Member Gil Cedillo, for her outstanding service and dedication
to the State of California. Carol was honored with the “2000
Renaissance Award” by the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW),
Los Angeles, for her exceptional vision and tenacity in the efforts
to reinvigorate Downtown Los Angeles. More recently, Carol was honored
with the “Deborah Award” presented by the Anti-Defamation
League for her courage, wisdom and leadership in her civic contributions.
Carol’s vision is helping to create a 24-Hour Downtown Los Angeles.
Under Carol’s leadership, CCA has undertaken several significant
initiatives to transform Downtown. She initiated the Adaptive Reuse
Ordinance and has marshaled state funding and incentives to help developers
convert empty office buildings to housing. CCA has worked with the
City Council to resurrect the Civic Center Authority, which authorized
a master plan for the area.
At Carol’s direction, CCA created the “Downtown Development
Strategy” as a follow-up to the 1985 Downtown Strategic Plan.
This development plan for Downtown touches on all aspects of a revitalized
Downtown from the creation of mixed-use/mixed income projects to new
transportation amenities. The Association’s advocacy on a number
of pivotal projects has helped to make a difference with community
stakeholders and elected officials.
Finally, it was Carol’s vision that led to the creation of the
DCBID in 1997. With a budget well in excess of $5 million, the BID
has made Downtown safe and clean and brought incredible new residential
and commercial investment to Downtown
Los Angeles.
Her standard of excellence and responsiveness has resulted in the
DCBID being named the #1 BID in the City. The DCBID serves as a leader
of Los Angeles BIDs in their relationship with the City. With such
energy and determination that has helped to fuel Downtown’s
renaissance, former Mayor Richard Riordan appointed Carol and Mayor
Hahn reappointed her to the Los Angeles Convention and Exhibition
Center Authority. In addition to her valued participation at the City
level, Carol was recently appointed by the Governor to serve on the
State Fraud Assessment Commission on Workers Compensation.
Carol’s vision, hard work and perseverance have garnered much
attention and praise from her peers. Recently, the Los Angeles Business
Council awarded Carol the Grand Prize at its 34th Annual Los Angeles
Architectural Awards in recognition of her contributions to the revitalization
of Downtown Los Angeles.
Prior to joining CCA, Ms. Schatz was the Deputy Regional Director,
Western Region, of the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation
overseeing the liquidation of billions of dollars in assets of failed
saving institutions in 12 states.
Carol Schatz has her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of
California at Berkeley and her Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School.
She and her husband,
Fred Muir, reside in Los Angeles with their son, Jacob.
Central City Association of Los Angeles
213.416.7513
awilliams@ccala.org
Anne Samuelson Williams has worked as a lawyer and lobbyist primarily in California for over a decade, returning to CCA after three years practicing corporate mergers and acquisitions law in New York. From 2004 to 2006, Anne served as CCA's Director of Public Policy, specializing in housing, land use and real estate development policy issues. Her achievements include drafting a comprehensive citywide housing development policy, as well as working with state legislators to develop legislation addressing Downtown’s homeless community. Prior to that, she spent five years as a lawyer and lobbyist in Los Angeles and Sacramento, representing clients from a variety of industries before the California state legislature.
Anne holds JD and MBA degrees from the University of Southern California and a BA in Economics, Politics and Philosophy from Claremont McKenna College. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association Board of Directors. Anne was also a founding member of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council and served as Vice President of Outreach on the organization's first elected board.
Central City Association of Los Angeles
213.416.7531
lklausen@ccala.org
Lauren Klausen serves as CCA's Director of Business Development. Previously, Lauren held the position of Director of Political and Public Relations for Murchison Consulting, a private lobbying firm with clients such as the Champ Car World Series and the Long Beach Hospitality Alliance. Prior to her work at Murchison, Lauren held the position of Community Affairs Liaison for Pallotta Teamworks, a Los Angeles-based event production company specializing in the Avon Breast Cancer Walks and the AIDS rides. Lauren also served for over six years as the Senior Legislative Aide to Congressman Steve Horn (R-CA) in Washington, DC., specializing in health care issues. Currently, Lauren directs CCA's business development programs.
Lauren graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with honors with a B.S. in Journalism.
Central City Association of Los Angeles
213.416.7512
anguyen@ccala.org
Prior to joining CCA, Anh worked under Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge James Larson in San Francisco on both civil and criminal cases. Anh then went on to practice commercial litigation representing real estate developers on breach of contract issues and held the position of Associate Corporate Counsel for Infotec Business Systems, a Vancouver-based provider of video-streaming media.
She most recently served as Legislative Deputy to Councilman Bernard C. Parks focusing on land use policy and housing/economic development projects. Currently, Anh oversees CCA's Housing, Land Use, and Development Committee as well as the Urban Design Committee.
Anh received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a B.A. from UCLA.
Central City Association of Los Angeles
213.416.7535
ykeshishian@ccala.org
Yeghig joined CCA in February of 2012, having spent the last five years working in business, nonprofit and government circles. He began his formative career as a Policy Aide for Congressman Ed Royce, advising on international affairs and defense-related issues.
In September of 2008, Yeghig was appointed to the position of Western Region Director for the Armenian Assembly of America, a nationwide political advocacy firm. As Director, he managed the government and community relations outreach in the tri-state area of Arizona, Utah and California. Prior to joining CCA, Yeghig oversaw the business development and community outreach for the Los Angeles County Business Federation.
Yeghig holds a Bachelor of Science in Policy, Planning & Development from the University of Southern California and a Master of Arts in European Politics & Policy from New York University.
