The Equal Justice Society board of directors elected Fernando Gaytan as Chair and Pamela Perkins-Dwyer as Secretary at its meeting on March 18, 2024. Gaytan succeeds Michael Harris, who served as Chair since September 2019.
During his nearly five-year tenure as Chair, Michael led the board through a period highlighted by EJS’s 20th anniversary in 2020, helping the organization through the pandemic, and most importantly, conducting the search to replace founding President Eva Paterson and appointing Lisa Holder to that position in 2022. Michael will remain on the board.
“Michael was a fantastic board chair, an invaluable partner with us on litigation, and a trusted adviser across the board,” said EJS President Lisa Holder. “We are a better organization because of Michael’s leadership and we’re so grateful to him for his contributions.”
Michael – who will remain a board member – retired in 2023 as Senior Director, Legal Advocacy & Juvenile Justice, at the National Center for Youth Law. He worked on reducing incarceration and racial disparities in statewide juvenile corrections systems and led NCYL’s campaigns to challenge the “school-to-prison pipeline” in Texas and California.
New Board Chair Fernando Gaytan is a senior attorney at Earthjustice focusing on Right to Zero advocacy out of the organization’s Los Angeles office. Fernando has over 18 years of litigation and policy experience working on issues ranging from affordable housing preservation, defending the civil rights of people experiencing homelessness, and protecting worker rights. Fernando joined the EJS board in late 2022.
“I am deeply honored to be elected as the Board Chair of the Equal Justice Society. Joining this organization, which stands at the forefront of promoting racial justice, is a privilege that fills me with both humility and resolve,” said Fernando. “I want to express my profound gratitude and admiration to outgoing chair Michael Harris. Under his visionary leadership, EJS has made great strides towards advancing its mission. I am committed to building on the solid foundation he left for us to continue the work of creating systemic change.”
New Board Secretary Pamela Perkins-Dwyer is the Major Gifts Officer at Los Angeles Master Chorale. Pamela has more than 20 years of experience as a fundraising and development executive primarily centered around music and the arts. She is also a new board member of the AFP U.S. Foundation for Philanthropy, which advances philanthropic investment and impact in the nonprofit sector. Pamela joined the EJS board in early 2023.
In addition to Fernando, Pamela, and Michael, EJS board members include: John Bonifaz, Kelly Dermody, Alfred Fraijo, Jr., Lisa Holder, Raymond C. Marshall, Donald K. Tamaki, and Sheila Warren.