Dr. Alan-Michael Graves, President
In addition to his work as President of the California Fatherhood Council Board of Directors, Dr. Alan-Michael Graves serves as the Senior Director of Learning & Capacity Building with Good+Foundation where he focuses on research, program development, training, and advocacy. He is currently leading a national initiative on policy change that trains social workers on Fatherhood Engagement via the Good+ Training Academy.
Dr. Graves has worked in the human services field, with experience as a facilitator and administrator at both public and private agencies, for the past 18 years. He has brought these diverse perspectives to his work helping agencies develop, implement, and evaluate inter-agency systems of care, family partnerships, and community programming. As a parent himself, he utilizes both his personal and professional experience to strategically and positively impact the lives of children, families, and communities.
Juan Solis, Vice-President
Board Vice-President Juan Solis currently serves as the Father Engagement Coordinator in San Bernardino County where he also chairs the Inland Empire Father Involvement Coalition. He is a former system-involved father and has used his experience in the child welfare system to assist other fathers and provide insight and consultation to systems and programs to enhance their father engagement efforts. For over a decade Juan has worked as a fatherhood advocate by highlighting the importance of fathers in the family unit and in the community. He worked as a Parent Partner prior to taking his current role as Father Engagement Coordinator. He previously served on the Mandating Reporting to Community Supporting Task Force subcommittee, and is a trainer/coach/ facilitator for San Diego State University Public Child Welfare Training Academy – Child Welfare Development Services.
Through his spiritual walk and recovery Juan has shared his testimony of change in various platforms with the hopes of spreading the message that strengthening fathers strengthens our communities and that change is possible. Juan was selected as one of the 2019 Top 25 Nominees for the Man of the Year Award. Juan holds his faith dear to his heart. He is a husband and father of 4 amazing children and guardian of 2 awesome nephews and coaches Club Soccer in his spare time, assisting in enriching children’s life through the world of sports.
Angela Grijalva, Secretary
Board Secretary Angela Grijalva works as a Legal Document Assistant (LDA) offering professional legal document preparation for Self-Help litigants for Prepared Legal Corp. She is a registered LDA within the County of Sacramento and a member of The Legal Connection Network and Conectando Latinos. She also serves as the Chief Operations Officer of The Legal Connection Network and Conectando Latinos.
To further promote access to justice, Angela volunteers at non-profit legal aid organizations such as: Sacramento Justice League, My Sister’s House, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLAF), California Association Legal Document Assistants (CALDA) and more. With the support of many seasoned LDAs she founded the CALDA Capital City Chapter serving as President for over 5 years while concurrently serving as a CALDA Board member for the 2017-2019 term. She believes as a member of this community we owe a duty of care to each other along with the responsibility to create pathways for the future generations to follow.
Deutron Kebebew, Treasurer
Deutron Kebebew is a father, husband and a mentor to fathers, father-figures, and young people in our community. He is the Founder and Executive Director of MENtors Driving Change for Boys, Men and Dads, a local social justice 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Previously, Deutron managed and directed Supporting Father Involvement (SFI) evidence-based clinical research project for over a decade in Santa Cruz County in partnership with UC Berkeley and Yale University. He received his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from UC Santa Cruz.
With over fifteen years of leadership and implementation experience and working with the Supporting Father Involvement curriculum and group work. Deutron has engaged and served over 4000 fathers and father-figures. He is the recipient of prestigious UC Santa Cruz Tony Hill Community Service Award, NEXTies Award- Next Generation of Community Leaders, United Way of Santa Cruz County – Community Hero Award and Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award.
Chris Howard, Ad-Hoc Member
Chris currently serves as an ad-hoc member of the Board of Directors of The California Fatherhood Council as well as Chapter lead for the California Affiliate of the National Parents Organization. In addition, Chris founded the New York Chapter of NPO in 2012. Father and grandfather, Chris is employed full time as a mental health professional working with a diverse population experiencing wide ranging concerns.
Chris earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision with Antioch University, Seattle, WA. Chris’ ongoing dissertation work addresses the use of specific psychological theories in high conflict custody disputes as well as developing programs aimed at increasing key family court stakeholders’ knowledge and awareness of these theories. Chris is a registered AMFT and APCC in the state of California and NYCPS in the state of New York. Chris is also an active member of Chi Sigma Iota, the International Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society.
Nicolas Mazzeo, Ad-Hoc Member
In addition to his position with the California Fatherhood Council Board of Directors, Nicolas Mazzeo works as Director of Operations for United Way Orange County. He also serves on the Steering Committee of First 5 Orange Orange County where he provides guidance for the Orange County Fatherhood Coalition.
Nicolas earned his MBA from California State University, Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics. He has previously worked with the Children’s Bureau’s Dads Matter program and with Father Involvement and Maternal Child Health Outreach with Americorps VISTA.
Mark Sutton, Ad-Hoc Member
Mark Sutton, MBA, serves as an Ad-Hoc Member of the Board of Directors for the California Fatherhood Council. He is currently a Senior Liaison for Partners and Key Constituents in the Office of Communication and Public Affairs at the California Department of Child Support Services. His work includes supporting the development of the CalDadNetwork.
His nonprofit work has included consulting for Family Reunion, focused on family law reform and shared parenting, and The Boys Initiative which supports the well-being of boys and young men. A longtime advocate for economic justice, Mark has worked in the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) sector, focusing on social outcome data and public policy to support low-income communities with the Northern California Community Loan Fund. Mark earned a BA in Mathematics and Music, cum laude, from Williams College and an MBA in Sustainable Business from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco. He lives in San Francisco with his family.
Ruben Urzua, Non-Voting Board Member
California Department of Health Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention Liaison
Born and raised in Salinas, California, Ruben has dedicated the past 17 years to serving communities across the state through prevention, intervention, and healing-centered work with youth, men, and families.
In his current role as Regional Grant Manager for Southern California at the California Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP), Ruben leads statewide efforts to advance fatherhood engagement as a key strategy for family well-being. He is responsible for developing OCAP’s Father Engagement Grant—an initiative designed to empower fathers and promote positive outcomes for children and families throughout California.
Driven by his passion for equity, healing, and systems change, Ruben continues to be a champion for initiatives that uplift fathers, strengthen family bonds, and foster safer, more connected communities across California.