The Board

The Palms Neighborhood Council

2023-2025 Board

The 2023-2025 Palms NC Board was elected on June 5, 2023 to serve the Palms Community and represents residential, business and community stakeholders.  Meet your Palms representatives!

Kay Hartman

President
Email: kay.hartman@palmsnc.la

Kay Hartman and her husband Jack and have lived in Palms since 1983.   She was born in New York and moved to Orange County with her parents, sister, and brother when she was 7 years old.  She has a degree in Mathematics from California State University, Long Beach.  Degree in hand, she landed a job at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena as a software developer while pursuing post-graduate studies in Computer Science at UCLA.  Kay entered software management while working at Proprietary Software Systems in Santa Monica.

Kay is now retired and has 37 years experience in software project and program management.  She previously served Palms as Treasurer and Area A Representative.
Jack and Kay are world travelers and have visited over 40 countries.
Tanya Leal

Vice-President
Email: tanya.leal@palmsnc.la

Tanya Leal has been a resident of Palms since 2009 and previously served on the Palms NC board. She has two beautiful daughters, aged 23 and 8. She is dedicated, hardworking, honest, and full of integrity.

She takes great pride in helping others and understands the importance of ensuring that the voices of Palms residents are heard when it comes to changes affecting our neighborhood.

In her pastime, she enjoys traveling, hiking, exploring new places, and trying new cuisines.

Colin Jaehnke

Secretary
Email: colin.jaehnke@palmsnc.la

Colin Jaehnke is an accomplished professional serving as the newly appointed Palms Neighborhood Council Secretary. A recent graduate of California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, he holds a degree in Finance and Real Estate. Colin’s expertise extends beyond academia, as he currently works in commercial permitting, providing him with an in-depth understanding of the inner workings and operations of the city. With his strong educational background and practical experience, Colin is well-equipped to contribute to the Palms Neighborhood Council and effectively serve the community.

Colin and his partner Robert and their 2 cats (Armani and Salem), have lived in Palms for the last 5 years. With a passion for all things outdoors, food and traveling he hopes to become a part of great change in Palms.

Ana Garcia Lima

Treasurer
Email: ana.g.lima@palmsnc.la

Hello! My name is Ana Garcia-Lima and I am excited to have the opportunity to be part of the 2023 Neighborhood Council as Treasurer. A little about myself, I graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a bachelors in Finance and Real Estate. I currently work at a Fortune 500 company as a Financial Analyst. My work portfolio includes multiple projects with budgets ranging over 10+ million. In this role I work closely with multiple departments to stay within budget.

 I have lived in Palms for 13 years and raise my two younger siblings. You can catch us walking around the neighborhood with our cat (Baby Sky). I wish to give back to the community that has given my family and I many memories! Thank you!

 

Jacey Hutchinson

Community-Based Organization Representative
Email: jacey.hutchinson@palmsnc.la

Meet Jacey, a passionate advocate and active member of the Palms Neighborhood Council. With a background in public health, sustainability, and community engagement, she brings a wealth of experience to the council. Their dedication to fostering a vibrant and inclusive community is evident through their involvement in various initiatives, such as working with community gardens to promote sustainable food production and organizing nutrition and gardening programs for students to promote healthy living. With a strong focus on sustainability and environmental health, Jacey is committed to promoting positive change, forging connections between local businesses, community organizations, and residents. Join Jacey and the Palms Neighborhood Council in their mission to create a thriving community that embraces diversity, champions sustainability, and nurtures a sense of belonging for all residents.

 

Vacant

Residential Representative for Area A
Email: info@palmsnc.la

Please reach out if you have interest in filling this role!

Charles Miller

Residential Representative for Area B
Email: charles.miller@palmsnc.la

Residential Area B Representative Charles Miller returns to the Palms NC board after several terms during the last two decades during which he founded and chaired the Green Committee while also serving as chair of the Transportation and Safety Committee and as a member of the Land Use Committee.  The current chair of the Los Angeles Climate Reality Project, Miller has three decades of environmental advocacy.  In 2022 he represented the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance on the California Global Biodiversity Working Group policy committee as a member of the California delegation to the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15 in Montreal, Canada).

A certified California native plant and wildfire defense landscaper and LEED Green Associate, Miller serves on USGBC-LA’s Urban Landscaping Committee and USGBC’s national Advocacy Working Group.  His training includes a sustainability education from UCLA and Zero Waste training from the California Resource Recovery Association.  He created the advocacy organization, LA Native, which promotes biodiversity through native landscaping on behalf of over 30 stakeholder groups.  Currently, Miller is an Environment / Habitat / Natural Resources representative on the LA County Metro Sustainability Council, serves on the Board of Directors of Westwood Greenway and the aforementioned Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance, and also is active with the LA Community Forest Advisory Committee.  His background includes an MA in Cinema Production from USC and work as a globally represented and exhibited fine art photographer.

Steven Stanton

Residential Representative for Area C
Email: steven.staton@palmsnc.la

Hello, Palms! I’m the Residential Representative for Area C. Palms was the first neighborhood I called home when I moved to West LA over a decade ago. As a resident, along with my wife whose psychotherapy private practice is here, we walk, bike, work & rent in Palms. Communities are always evolving and it is my goal to see Palms continue being a vibrant place for all to call home. To pursue this aim, I support policies which promote improvements to low-impact transportation, planning, public health & housing affordability. Consequently, I’m an avid proponent of safe, sustainable mobility & growth, having volunteered my time to support these causes at both the neighborhood & City Council level. As your Area C Representative, I will continue to work with residents to establish our needs and present them to City Council in an actionable way, supported by data. Together, let’s champion people-focused policies that keep Palms moving forward as an equitable, affordable and eco-friendly community for all!

Vacant

Residential Representative for Area D
Email: info@palmsnc.la

Please reach out if you have interest in filling this role!

Katrina Kaiser

Residential Representative for Area E
Email: katrina.kaiser@palmsnc.la

Katrina has been the Area E Residential Representative since June 2022, and a member of the Transportation Committee since October 2021.
Katrina has been involved in volunteering and local activism across a wide variety of topics. In their previous neighborhood of Koreatown, Katrina served briefly on the Wilshire Center Koreatown NC on the Sustainability and Beautification committee and as a Data Liaison for DONE. They also volunteered with community members from the Lafayette Bridge Home on a local homeless count. After moving to Palms in 2021, Katrina has been focused on transportation and mobility issues with local nonprofits Streets For All and Bike Culver City.
Katrina’s professional background is in statistical analysis, and their current day job is in transportation policy research. They previously worked at USC in health policy research and for a litigation consulting company before that. They have Masters’ degrees from USC in Economics and Geographic Information Science (GIS).
You can find Katrina around Palms or downtown Culver City taking long walks or biking to and from all the coffee shops in the neighborhood– don’t be afraid to wave hello!
Natasía Gascón

Business Representative
Email: natasia.gascon@palmsnc.la

Since moving to Palms in 2008, I’ve made it my mission to advocate for our vibrant community. I’m a creative business professional with 15+ years experience in a range of industries from small nonprofits to multinational corporations.

I’ve represented the Palms Neighborhood as a delegate of Council District 5 for ArtsForLA’s ACTIVATE Leadership Program, the 2017 State of the Arts Summit, 2019 VEX Conference in Philadelphia, PA, the 2021 Community Leadership Bootcamp with the LA Conservancy, and presented at the 2022 Congress of Neighborhoods.

As a video journalist I specialize in hyper-local arts, culture and human-interest stories that connect stakeholders with issues that matter. As a member of the Palms NC’s board, I work to bring public art, local history and developer accountability to the neighborhood.

As your Business Representative I will speak for the needs of business owners, workers, residents and visitors in our thriving, diverse, creative community through 2023 and beyond.

Josh Nadel

Business Representative
Email: josh.nadel@palmsnc.la

I am one of the Palms Business Representatives.  I also serve as the President for the Budget Tribunes. Working hard for my community is something I take very seriously.

I have lived in Palms since I was 6 except when I attended UC Berkeley for undergrad. USC Marshall is where I received my MBA. I have my own tax business in Palms and am a federally and state licensed tax preparer.

When I’m not helping out the City, neighborhood or my business, I’m watching sports, playing with my dog Storm or finding something good to eat.

Vacant

Youth Representative
Email: info@palmsnc.la

Please reach out if you have interest in filling this role!