Interviews with the Board: Ellen

This month, we had the chance to speak with Ellen Seldon, who is the Secretary of L.A. GOAL’s Board of Directors. She’s been a Board Member since 2019, and her expertise as a Service Coordinator at Westside Regional Center and as a parent of a Member make her an amazing contributor to the Board.

Q: How did you get involved with the Board?
A: Well, I need to go back for that, because it was through [my son] Matthew. Back when Matthew was in middle school, he attended an after school program with Mychal’s Learning Place, which shared the site with L.A. GOAL at the time. That’s how the staff [of L.A. GOAL] got to know Matthew and his art abilities. Petite would always say “When Matthew graduates from high school, we would love for him to become an Artist at L.A. GOAL”, and that’s how I met Petite and got involved.

When Matthew became a Member, I used to volunteer a lot with the Artists when they were painting or weaving. Then, Matthew went through his 6 month apprenticeship and became a Paid Artist at L.A. GOAL, and my relationship with [the organization] continued to grow.

Back then, I was working as a Service Coordinator with the Westside Regional Center, and when I retired, I joined the Board. I was really excited about it, because I was able to give my input not only as a Board Member, but as a parent of a Member at L.A. GOAL.

Q: You mentioned your experiences as a parent of a Member, as well as working at Westside Regional Center. What perspective has that given you as a Board Member?
A: Just to give a little background about Regional Centers, there’s 21 Regional Centers in California, and California is unique – there is no other state that has the Regional Center system. And in L.A. County, there are 7 of the 21 Regional Centers. Westside Regional is the smallest. They cover from Inglewood and Hawthorne to as far north as Malibu. It’s interesting because you would have families in financial hardship, up to very wealthy, affluent families, and everywhere in between.

What I learned is that there was a [disparity] between what families were receiving [from the Regional Center] based on [their resources]. The poorer families were not receiving as many services as the wealthier families. On L.A. GOAL's Board, I think that helps me see what our Members were receiving in terms of services, and if they were getting everything they needed, particularly during COVID when our Board Members were going to homes and making sure our Members were still getting everything they needed.

As a Board Member, for me it’s important [to consider] the Members, the program, and what they’re receiving at L.A. GOAL, and [advocate for] things that I feel would be more helpful, like focusing more on employment, vocational training, self-advocacy, and things like that to empower the Members so they can advocate for themselves.

Q: What is the direction you hope to see L.A. GOAL go in the future?
A: I would like to see more community outreach, and I would like to see the Members more involved outside the walls of L.A. GOAL. And also, have the community learn more about L.A. GOAL.

Q: Do you have any favorite memories of L.A. GOAL?
A: [My favorite memories are of] the L.A. GOAL events, and watching how much fun the Members are having. Like at the 50th Anniversary and the 55th, [watching the] dancing, because the Members love to dance, and it’s just watching them be so uninhibited and having so much joy and so much fun. For me, that’s the best part. And of course, all of the art shows are always very special, having the Members come in and they’re all dressed up, talking to people about their art. I love that.