Meet Our Board + Staff
Daniel Bral is a first-generation Jewish Iranian American human rights attorney and writer. He received his bachelor’s degree from UCLA and his J.D. from Loyola Law School, where, as Executive Editor of Loyola’s International and Comparative Law Review, he published an article analyzing Israel’s “Nation-State Law.” Daniel is currently an attorney at the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. He previously served as the campaign manager for Rob Wilcox, worked for Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, and for Mayor Garcetti as a member of his homelessness policy team where he drafted the Right to Counsel motion and helped open a “Bridge Home” shelter that now houses over forty women and children. He has been deeply engaged in Jewish and nuanced Israel advocacy as an advisory board member of Progressive Zionists of California and a 2021 Charles Bronfman IPF Atid Convener. Daniel served as a California Democratic Party Delegate for AD 50, appointed by Assemblymember Bloom.
Victoria Solkovits is an MPP student in Conflict Resolution and Mediation at Tel Aviv University and an alumna from UCLA in public health and political science. She is also an elected delegate for the California Democratic Party in the San Fernando Valley. Her work and passion for progressive zionism stems from her organizing and background educating young students and activists in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli society, and government advocacy. She hopes to continue this work and increase the discourse on peacebuilding in our communities.
Matthew Finkelstein is a community organizer for the Jewish community in Vallejo California and the Democratic party and an outspoken advocate where progressivism and Zionism intersect. He and his twin brother were youth cantors, singing in harmony at the shul where their father was a rabbi and Matthew now performs cantorial duties at his local synagogue. He has a background in sales and theater. “Timid” and “quiet” are not words that describe his activism in the party, and Progressive Zionism has a more outspoken and fearless approach because of his influence.
Rachel Bracker is a writer, designer, and media strategist with a background in journalism, information design, and online community building. Rachel earned a BA in Linguistics with a minor in News, Media, and Society at the University of Southern California, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, served as an editor for the Daily Trojan, and interned for USC Media Relations. She currently serves as the Communications Director for the Westside Young Democrats and for the California Young Democrats Jewish Caucus. Rachel’s hobbies include vegetarian cooking, travel, and photography.
April Powers is the Managing Director of First Impression Rx, a full service consulting firm that helps companies manage differences through training and diversity and inclusion strategy. The first Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, she is a highly-rated trainer for Fortune 50, government and non-profit organizations. She consulted for and trained at Amgen for many years, including project managing their cultural dexterity roll-out and delivering certified training in the areas of Generational Diversity, Communication, Emotional Intelligence and Cultural Competence.
After graduating from UC Berkeley, April began her recruiting career with Ryan, Miller & Associates; launched Manifest Search; then became the Manager of Diversity and Recruiting for Nestlé USA as well as an Inclusion Trainer & Consultant at Amgen. She has lived in the US, South America and Europe. She is bilingual and, thus brings a global perspective with local understanding to her clients’ goals in the inclusion space.
Kiyomi is a mom, a Marine Corps veteran, an activist, and a social justice advocate. She has a degree in political science and a juris doctorate with an emphasis in public service. Kiyomi’s social justice work is centered on eradicating racism and antisemitism. To that end, she develops, produces, and facilitates panels, workshops, and discussions on the topics of race, racism, and antisemitism. She utilizes non-violent communication approaches to coach people through tough conversations and promote productive dialogues. In 2021, Kiyomi co-founded a company, Jewbian Princess, to deliver corporate-level diversity and inclusion education to Jewish organizations. That same year, she joined the Project Shema team as a coach and facilitator to help educate people on antisemitism and its root causes. Kiyomi is also active in the California Democratic Party and currently serves on the Executive Board and Platform Committee. She lives with her partner and two kids in the suburbs of Los Angeles where she can be found watercolor painting, embroidering, and sewing pieces of flare to inspire a more just world.
Susan has an extensive background in nonprofit management and political organizing. She currently serves as an elected assembly district 14 delegate and was an elected Democratic national convention delegate in 2016 and 2020. In her work in the party, Susan was alarmed to discover that the oft-disproportionate focus on Israel in progressive spaces sometimes crossed the line into antisemitic rhetoric. She learned that others shared her concerns and in 2017 they joined forces to launch the work of Progressive Zionists of California, where they remain proud progressive Democrats and Zionists. Susan is an alternate member of the Solano County Democratic Central Committee, treasurer of the Solano County Jewish Democratic Club, and an officer of the board of Congregation B’nai Israel in Vallejo. She enjoys performing in musical theater productions and is a classically trained singer.
Email her at susan@caprogressivezionists.org.
Lauren Post is a researcher, writer, and activist. In her current position, she focuses on building healthy online communities, fact checking, and bridging the gaps between Jewish communities and their local and state-level governments.
She was a 2018 Los Angeles AJC Access Board member, a 2019 Israel Policy Forum ATID Delegate to Israel & Palestine, a 2020 Institute for Digital and Civic Culture Fellow, a 2022 JIMENA Bay Area Sephardic Fellow, and an activist for Jewish issues in California and beyond. She also currently serves as Israel Policy Forum’s National Non-Chapter City Chair.
Born and raised in Western/Central New York, in the gorgeous Finger Lakes, she got her bachelor’s degree at Saint John Fisher College. After a life-changing study abroad trip, she then got her master’s degree at The Ohio State University in Slavic Studies, focusing on Polish sex education.
Lauren has bylines in The Forward, The Tower, Medium, and the Jewish Journal. When she is offline, you can find her looking for the perfect taco, the perfect walk for her dog, Pici, or new running trails.