Friends In Deed Welcomes Four New Board Members

Friends In Deed is pleased to announce the appointment of the four newest members to its Board of Directors: Suzanne Lee, Don Meaders, Rev. Amy Aitken, and Chancela Al-Mansour. These individuals bring a remarkable range of expertise, spanning legal advocacy, nonprofit leadership, community engagement, and lived experience with homelessness that will help guide the organization’s mission and strategic vision in the years ahead.

Board President Bret Schaefer shared, “Each of these new board members adds a vital perspective to Friends In Deed. Their combined experience, leadership, and passion for ensuring compassion, dignity, and connection in our community will play an integral role in shaping our work moving forward.”

Friends In Deed, founded in Pasadena in 1894, is a social services agency focused on reducing and preventing homelessness and alleviating the effects of poverty for the community’s most vulnerable residents. Its core programs include the Food Pantry, The Women’s Room, Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance, Bad Weather Shelter, and Street Outreach and Housing. For more than 130 years, the organization has remained committed to serving neighbors in need with kindness and respect.

“We are thrilled to officially welcome Suzanne, Don, Pastor Amy, and Chancela to the board,” said Chief Executive Officer Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater. “They each bring unique gifts: professional expertise, personal experience, and a deep commitment to justice and service that will strengthen our ability to serve the community.”

The nonprofit provided the following biographies for each new board member.

Suzanne Lee
Community Member / Former Friends In Deed Client

Suzanne Lee is a USC graduate, former paralegal, and former board member of the Santa Barbara Legal Aid Foundation. Known for her strong communication skills, empathy, and ability to forge meaningful relationships, Suzanne brings an important voice of lived experience to the Friends In Deed board.

After a series of life-threatening medical events and a personal loss depleted her resources, Suzanne experienced homelessness and became a client of Friends In Deed. She was recently housed at the Hope Center and works at the Friends In Deed Bad Weather Shelter. Throughout her journey, from living in her car at Trinity Lutheran Church’s Safe Parking program to securing permanent housing, Suzanne has become a vocal advocate for unhoused residents.

She has shared her story with the Pasadena City Council, the Pasadena Planning Commission, and the Pasadena Planning and Community Development Department, becoming a trusted representative of Safe Parking participants. Her deep relationships with staff, volunteers, and program participants make her an invaluable contributor to the board and the community.

Don Meaders
Partner, Nossaman LLP

Attorney Don Meaders’ involvement with Friends In Deed stretches back years through generous support of Jazz on the Green and longstanding ties to First United Methodist Church Pasadena. When Board President Emeritus Pamela Marx sought someone to continue representing FUMC’s local philanthropic interests on the board, Don was a clear and trusted choice.

A Harvard-educated attorney, Don specializes in institutional retirement and health plans and brings expertise in nonprofit governance. He approaches board service with a thoughtful, philosophical mindset, asking probing questions about systemic issues, community needs, and Friends In Deed’s strategic role. Don is passionate about the responsibility we all share to support our neighbors and is eager to help the organization explore new ways community members can make small but meaningful contributions.

Chancela Al-Mansour
Executive Director, Housing Rights Center

Chancela Al-Mansour is the Executive Director of the Housing Rights Center, the nation’s largest and oldest private fair housing advocacy organization, serving more than 20,000 households in Los Angeles and Ventura counties each year. A recognized expert in fair housing, tenant protections, and homelessness prevention, she brings decades of legal and nonprofit leadership experience to the Friends In Deed board.

Chancela has served on LAHSA’s Ad Hoc Committees on Blacks Experiencing Homelessness and Women Experiencing Homelessness, the Los Angeles City Commission for Children and Family Services, and the boards of the National Fair Housing Alliance and the California Reinvestment Coalition. Before joining the Housing Rights Center, she spent 16 years at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, where she supervised homeless prevention programs and litigated hundreds of cases involving landlord-tenant issues, subsidized housing, discrimination, and mortgage fraud.

Chancela holds degrees from Vassar College and the University of California at Davis School of Law. Friends In Deed is honored to welcome a leader with such a deep commitment to housing justice.

Rev. Dr. Amy Aitken
Pastor, First United Methodist Church of Pasadena

Rev. Dr. Amy Aitken arrived in Pasadena nearly four years ago to lead First United Methodist Church (FUMC), long a cornerstone partner of Friends In Deed. Since her arrival, she has strengthened and expanded this historic partnership, supporting programs, mobilizing volunteers, and collaborating closely with staff.

During the pandemic, Pastor Amy ensured FUMC served as the home base for Friends In Deed’s Bad Weather Supplies distribution program. Under her leadership, the church has hosted art pop-ups from The Women’s Room, assembled Valentine’s gift bags through Children’s Ministries, and served as a steady referral source for volunteers.

With nearly 30 years of nonprofit experience and a heart for service, Pastor Amy brings a vision of deeper, more connected faith-based partnerships. She hopes to strengthen ties with other congregations so that, together, the community can better serve neighbors in need.

Pastor Amy holds a Master’s in Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.

About Friends In Deed

Friends In Deed, a human and social services agency which celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2024, provides supportive services with compassion and dignity to neighbors experiencing homelessness and vulnerability. This nonprofit operates five core programs, including a Food Pantry, The Women’s Room (a daytime shelter for homeless and at-risk women), Street Outreach and Housing, Bad Weather Shelter, and Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance. Friends In Deed is committed to providing services for all clients experiencing times when they need assistance most, through the nonprofit’s core values: caring, community-based, human-centered, inclusive, interfaith, and resourceful.

To learn more, please visit www.friendsindeedpas.org