Choose Children 2026 Kick-Off Press Conference

Avo Makdessian is the Executive Director for the First 5 Association of California, where he leads the strategy and direction of the Association, which represents the 58 county First 5 commissions, as well as its complementary Foundation, and the First 5 Center for Children’s Policy. In his prior role, Avo was Vice President of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, where he led a team focused on connecting philanthropists to community investment opportunities, funding actionable research, impact investing, and multi-sector collective impact initiatives. Avo is the founding director of the foundation’s Center for Early Learning – a comprehensive center of grantmaking, research, and state/local advocacy for young children and families. He also led the foundation’s regional grantmaking for COVID-19 response, providing millions of dollars to support families with affordable housing, food, and financial assistance. Prior to joining the foundation, Avo was Policy Director of First 5 Santa Clara County, where he implemented First 5’s research agenda, public policy advocacy, and community outreach efforts. Earlier in his career, Avo served as the Director of Education and Neighborhood Services for the San Jose Mayor’s Office, focusing on early childhood development, neighborhood revitalization, gang prevention, K-12 education, and public health. Avo serves on the Ad Council’s Advisory Committee on Public Issues and volunteers for several local causes in the Bay Area. Avo attended San Jose State University, where he majored in political science.

Since joining FM3 in 2015, Lucia has provided research on attitudes toward policy issues for a number of campaigns, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private

organizations. In the 2024 election, Lucia provided research for three successful California statewide ballot measure campaigns; propositions in San Francisco that provided funding for community health and safety, reformed business taxes, and lowered the age of retirement for firefighters; as well as a dozen local revenue measures across the state supporting communities, libraries, parks, and school districts. Lucia’s research contributed to the candidacies of Assemblymember Lashae Sharp-Collins, Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.

A primary focus of Lucia’s research has been on policies supporting children and families. She has conducted research on public attitudes toward investing in early childhood education and youth programs in communities throughout California and the West Coast; public opinion on food policy and nutrition issues such as sugar-sweetened beverages, food insecurity, and access to benefits, and school meals; and support for anti-tobacco policies. She has also conducted research assessing messaging encouraging participation in the U.S. Census; support for restorative justice policies and school safety; and messaging on highly relevant social policy issues, ranging from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to paid family leave, homelessness, and more. Lucia’s prior experience includes providing policy research for the San Francisco Human Services Agency and the San Francisco Planning Department, as well as working as a systems and management consultant for federal agencies at Accenture. Lucia received a Master’s of Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science in Decision Science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Mayra E. Alvarez, MHA is President of The Children’s Partnership, a nonprofit advocacy organization working to advance child health equity by ensuring all children have the resources and opportunities they need to grow up healthy and lead productive lives. In 2023, she was nominated by California Governor Gavin Newsom to serve on the Covered California Board of Directors, and in 2019, to serve on the Early Childhood Policy Council. In 2021, she was named by President Biden to the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. Since 2017, Ms. Alvarez has served on the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC), nominated by Attorney General Rob Bonta in 2021 and previously by then-Attorney General Xavier Becerra in 2017.

Prior to The Children’s Partnership, Ms. Alvarez completed a several-year set of assignments at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the administration of President Barack Obama. She served as the Director of the State Exchange Group for the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and led a team responsible for supporting states in the establishment of Health Insurance Marketplaces. Previously, Ms. Alvarez served as the Associate Director for the HHS Office of Minority Health, where she led the coordination of OMH’s work related to the Affordable Care Act, community health workers, and language access. Prior to this role, Ms. Alvarez served as Director of Public Health Policy in the Office of Health Reform at HHS where she had primary oversight responsibility for coordinated and timely implementation of the public health, prevention, and health care workforce policy provisions in the Affordable Care Act.

Before joining the Obama Administration, Ms. Alvarez served as a Legislative Assistant for Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and for then-Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (D-CA). Ms. Alvarez began her professional career as a David A. Winston Health Policy Fellow in the office of then-Senator Barack Obama (D-IL).

She completed her graduate education at the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her undergraduate education at the University of California at Berkeley. She is originally from outside San Diego, CA, and is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants.