Scholars and Fellows

Mariya Vizireanu

Mariya Vizireanu is a research fellow for the Center for the Study of Los Angeles. With training in anthropology and public health, her independent work has focused on how mental models of health phenomena differ across cultures. As an interdisciplinary mixed-methods researcher, she has authored peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on topics ranging from how social networks influence health behaviors to the evolutionary psychology of food perceptions. Vizireanu earned her Global Health Ph.D. from Arizona State University and her M.S. in Health Promotion from Indiana University.

Curriculum Vitae

Berto Solis

Berto Solis was born in Puebla, Mexico and grew up in California's Central Valley. He is a current Master of Social Science student at UCLA and concurrently serves as the program representative at the Undergraduate Research Center – Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (URC-HASS). In this capacity, Berto is responsible for program outreach, website and data management, and administrative/event support. He received his BA in Spanish and Latin American and Iberian Studies from UC Santa Barbara in 2007 and has been working in higher education since. In his free time he enjoys breaking, fixing, modifying, and building hi-fi audio equipment and musical instruments.

 

 

David R Ayón

Office: University Hall 3317
Phone: 310.338.6060
E: david.ayon@lmu.edu

David R. Ayón is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles as well as a senior strategist and advisor at Latino Decisions. Previously he was senior advisor to the Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Ayón is also a political analyst, writer and lecturer specializing in Latino Politics, U.S.-Mexico relations, and politics in the United States and Mexico. Educated at Princeton, Stanford and El Colegio de Mexico, Ayón has taught courses on politics, U.S.-Latin American relations and Latino Studies, and is an adjunct faculty member in political science at LMU. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a director of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation.

 

Steven Bradford

Steven Bradford is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles. Bradford made history as the first African American member of the Gardena City Council, a position he held for 12 years. During his time on the council, he presided over job and business growth and a balanced budget for the city. In 2009 he took those governing skills to Sacramento when he was elected to represent the 51st Assembly District. He was re-elected in 2010, and in 2012 he was elected once again to represent the redrawn 62nd District. Former Assembly Member Bradford earned a degree in political science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

 

Maia Krause

Maia Krause is a research fellow at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles. She assists with various phases of research including survey development, implementation, and dissemination. Prior to joining the Center she completed her PhD in English at UC Irvine. At UCI, she worked at the UC Humanities Research Institute, where she provided administrative and research support to initiatives in the humanities and social sciences. Krause earned her BA in English from Stanford University.

 

Mara A. Cohen

Mara A. Cohen, Ph.D. is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles and a
retired faculty member of LMU’s Department of Sociology in the Urban Studies Program. Prior
to joining LMU’s faculty, Cohen was associate director of the Center for the Study of Los
Angeles and taught courses in political science and American cultures. Her academic research
has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals and anthologies including Urban Affairs
Review, Political Research Quarterly, Sociological Forum, Sociological Perspectives and Race
and Justice. She has presented her research at scores of academic conferences and has been a
featured speaker for industry groups, governmental bodies and civic organizations. Her op-eds
on politics and public policy have appeared in the Los Angeles Daily News, La Opinion, the Los
Angeles Business Journal, New American Media and elsewhere, and her essays have been
published in dozens of literary journals and anthologies. Her extensive community service
focuses on empowering marginalized populations as a board member of Kids in Need of
Defense/KIND, Los Angeles; Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County; One
LA-IAF; Hollywood Arts; Peace Over Violence; Dorot Tzedek at Temple Israel of Hollywood;
and the ACLU’s Freedom Cities Campaign. Cohen graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta
Kappa from Colorado College and earned her doctorate in political science from UCLA. She
held post-doctoral fellowships at USC and with the Sustainable Communities Leadership
Program. She has also worked as a consultant for the City of Los Angeles Human Relations
Commission and for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Frank Romo

Frank hails from Los Angeles, California, and has a long history of being a community advocate, planner, and activist in the areas of urban design, public health, and social justice. He earned his Bachelor's in Urban Planning at LMU and his Master's in Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. His overall mission is to use his expertise as a scholar and urbanist to improve the design, safety and livability of cities. Frank is the founder of RomoGIS Enterprises: an urban analytics and tech company focused on promoting the public good through innovative technical solutions and community-driven research. As an entrepreneur, Frank seeks to provide communities with the training and technical solutions needed to empower residents and inspire people to make an impact in their local communities. 

Matt A. Barreto

Matt A. Barreto is a research scholar at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles and the co-founder and managing partner of the polling and research firm Latino Decisions. Barreto is also a professor of political science and Chicana/o studies at UCLA. The recipient of numerous recognitions for his research, including being named one of the top 15 leading Latino pundits by Huffington Post, he has been invited to brief the U.S. Senate, the White House, Congressional Committees, and has been a keynote speaker at many of the major Hispanic association conferences including NALEO, LULAC, CHCI, NCLR and others. He received his PhD in political science from the University of California, Irvine.

 

Stephen A. Nuño

Stephen A. Nuño is a research scholar at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles. He is also an associate professor studying political behavior, race and ethnic politics, Latino politics, mobilization, and partisanship at Northern Arizona University. Nuño is a contributor for NBC News-Latino, where he focuses on national stories that have an impact on the Latino community. He has written over 100 pieces for NBC, along with articles for Reuters, TPM, MSNBC, and The Monkey Cage Blog for Washington Post. He has a BA from UCLA and a PhD from UC Irvine, both in political science.

 

Nathan D. Woods

Nathan D. Woods is a research scholar at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles and a partner of the Washington D.C. office of Edgeworth Economics, a consulting firm specializing in economic and statistical analysis. Woods serves as a consulting and expert witness and supervises economic and statistical research projects requiring the construction and analysis of large statistical and analytical databases. His published research concerns the application of statistics to answering questions surrounding political representation, public opinion, and participation. He has a PhD in political science from the Claremont Graduate University’s School of Politics and Economics.