BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Wajenda chambeshi

Director of International Relations, Policy & Protocol

Wajenda Chambeshi is an accomplished public servant with expertise in infrastructure planning, DEI, and community engagement. He spearheaded multifaceted initiatives in the public and nonprofit sectors, leveraging extensive skills in program management, diplomacy, policy analysis, transportation planning, and external affairs. He serves in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, overseeing the Los Angeles Consular Corp, Sister City relations, and all matters relating to people-to-people diplomacy.

Wajenda's diverse career spans roles as a Transportation Planner for the Los  Angeles Department of Transportation, Program Manager for Mayor Eric Garcetti's Great Streets Program, and Policy Analyst at T.R.U.S.T South LA where he focused on community engagement and equitable infrastructure planning including the LADWP Community Partnership Program, Rolland Curtis Gardens mixed-use TOD affordable housing development, and the Rail-to-River Project, which he led organizing efforts to help secure $10M in funding. Prior to these roles, he served as an L.A. Sustainable LA Grand Challenge Powell Policy Fellow where he focused on green economy job creation and contributed to the launch of the Blue LA Car Share, an innovative program to increase clean transportation access in historically marginalized, environmentally-burdened communities. 

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies and a Master's degree in Public Policy and African Studies from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.