Commissioners
Mary Veral
Commissioner Mary Veral was appointed to the Commission by Honorable Supervisor Hilda L. Solis on November 2, 2021.
For over 15 years Mary Veral has been a dedicated advocate for people impacted by the criminal legal system. Currently she runs a private practice focused on defense-based advocacy as a licensed clinical social worker and mitigation specialist. For over 11 years, she was an Investigator and Social Worker with the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Los Angeles. She conducted comprehensive fact and mitigation investigations for federal criminal matters, including capital, felony, misdemeanor, and post-conviction cases. These investigations took place throughout California, the United States, and internationally. Mary was also a member of the Federal Defender’s Office with the Conviction and Sentence Alternative Program, a federal diversionary program in the Central District of California. From 2006-2010, Mary Veral was the Jails Project Coordinator at the ACLU of Southern California. In this position she monitored conditions of confinement and advocated for the rights of individuals incarcerated in the Los Angeles County Jail System. She earned her B.A. from the University of Iowa and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Washington.
Pamela Thompson - Bell
Commissioner Pamela Thompson - Bell was appointed to the Commission by Honorable Supervisor Hilda L. Solis on March 17, 2026.
Pamela Thompson’s life is a powerful testament to resilience, transformation, and purpose. After serving 24 years in prison, she emerged with a deep commitment to personal growth and to creating pathways of opportunity for others impacted by the criminal legal system.
Drawing from her lived experience, Pamela brings a profound understanding of the challenges individuals face during reentry. Her journey fuels her passion for supporting system-impacted individuals as they rebuild their lives, navigate barriers, and move toward stability, healing, and long-term success.
As Associate Director, Pamela provides strategic leadership and oversight of reentry-focused programming; ensuring services are trauma-informed, responsive, and rooted in dignity and equity. She leads and supports teams responsible for guiding participants through critical stages of reintegration, while strengthening systems that address housing stability, employment pathways, access to essential resources, and long-term self-sufficiency.
Pamela’s leadership is grounded in authenticity and lived experience, allowing her to bridge policy, practice, and compassion. Her work continues to inspire hope and demonstrates what is possible when resilience, accountability, and purpose-driven leadership come together to create lasting community impact.
Puja Bhatia
Commissioner Puja Bhatia was appointed to the Commission by Honorable Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell on May 21, 2024.
Puja has worked in the criminal justice system in several capacities for over a decade. She currently serves as the Senior National Attorney at For The People where she spearheads outreach and engagement with district attorneys’ offices nationwide implementing Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing (PIR), which gives prosecutors the ability to recommend resentencing in instances where sentencing practices have changed or incarcerated individuals have undergone significant rehabilitation and can be safely released into the community. Puja worked to forge a greater understanding of incarcerated people and their condition by helping to coordinate the organization's first prosecutorial convening at San Quentin prison. Puja strategizes on communications and messaging to various audiences, builds stakeholder partnerships across the country, and speaks about PIR to prosecutorial audiences in various forums. Previously, Puja was an Assistant United States Attorney at the US Attorney's Office in the District of Columbia for over five years, prosecuting homicide cases originating in the District of Columbia and January 6 Capitol Riot cases. Upon graduating law school, she was an associate at a mid-sized law firm where she handled several white-collar criminal defense matters and represented clients on a range of prosecutions handled by the federal government.
Wynter Daggs
Commissioner Wynter Daggs was appointed to the Commission by Honorable Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell on March 6, 2024.
Wynter Daggs is a Black feminist organizer and Manager of the Executive Office & Special Projects at Essie Justice Group, the nation’s leading advocacy organization of women with incarcerated loved ones.
In alignment with her passion for and study of Black feminism, Wynter served on the project team for the BREATHE Act, the largest piece of proposed federal legislation delivered to Congress to reimagine public safety and community care, and also served as an integral core team member in the development of Essie's strategic plan. Wynter is a BOLD (Black Organizers for Leadership and Dignity) graduate.
Haley Broder
Commissioner Haley Broder was appointed to the Sybil Brand Commission by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath on January 9, 2024.
Haley is a dedicated human rights advocate and multi-lingual social worker, focused on trauma-informed care and support to vulnerable populations. She has served as Country Director for emergency response following natural and human-made disasters around the world, led global preparedness efforts, and supported system-involved youth and families in Los Angeles. Her person-centered approach and relationship-building are key to jail inspections.
Haley is a Coro Public Affairs Fellowship graduate, and she earned a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Social Work (MSW), and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
VACANT
Joahanna Terrones
Commissioner Puja Bhatia was appointed to the Commission by Honorable Supervisor Janice Hahn on January 10, 2023.
My name is Joahanna “Jo” Terrones. I am excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections. I am a licensed clinical social worker. I am currently working at the Anti-Recidivism (ARC) as the transitional aged youth mental health therapist providing life skills and individual therapy sessions to formerly incarcerated youth in our housing program. I have worked in the community mental health field for approximately 15 years providing case management and supportive services to individuals and families in the Los Angeles and Long Beach areas. I decided to pursue a career in social work in 2015 and graduated with my master's degree in Social Work from Cal State University, Los Angeles with a concentration in Forensic Social Work. I am familiar with the criminal justice and mental health system, laws and policies that have been created to meet basic human rights and needs as well as the ongoing work that is desperately needed to address many issues and barriers system impacted individuals and those living with mental health issues continue to face daily, both in and out of prison/jail settings. I have a vested interest in working toward making changes in institutional settings and collaborating with community leaders, advocates and organizations that raise awareness around issues system impacted individuals encounter as I too have loved ones and close friends that benefited from changes in laws and policies for current and formerly incarcerated individuals. Although there have been positive changes that benefited those I know, I am aware of the lack of care and services they did not receive or had to fight for in order to keep themselves as safe, sane, and healthy as possible. I previously worked at a nonprofit mental health organization providing individual therapy to children, teens and adults using trauma informed and cognitive behavioral treatment models to help guide individuals on their journey. I grew up in the Harbor area of Los Angeles and enjoy going to the beach, spending time with my family and bunny, and love all that is vintage!
"Throughout my lifetime growing up in the Harbor area of Los Angeles, I have witnessed and experienced how the criminal justice and mental health system have impacted so many people I knew in my community. I decided to go into social work to help uplift and support those around me in any way I could. With this opportunity to be a part of the Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections, I am excited and hopeful to be able to collaborate on and address any issues incarcerated individuals are currently facing by utilizing my clinical skills and social work ethics. I am privileged and humbled to take on the role of becoming the eyes and voice for system impacted individuals and I am grateful to be a part of the change we as a commission, and community members, would like to see and strive for".
Raymond Regalado
Commissioner Raymond Regalado was appointed to the Commission by Honorable Supervisor Janice Hahn on April 5, 2022.
Ray Regalado brings an extensive human relations background to the commission. Mr. Regalado, who recently retired from the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations after more than 21 years, managed the Dispute Resolution Programs Act (DRPA) activities of nine contract agencies delivering mediation services in LA County. These agencies provided community-based conflict resolution at the local community level. Additionally, specific agencies also offered civil court/day of hearing mediation opportunities to allow opposing parties to attempt resolving their dispute before presenting their case in front of a judge. Another service provided by the DRPA program was the opportunity for first time criminal offenders to participate in restorative justice mediation where the individual had an opportunity to discuss their low-level criminal violations with the victim to come to a negotiated remedy. This process allowed the offender the opportunity to avoid jail and/or probation. Mr. Regalado provided programmatic guidance to support successful outcomes by the County’s DRPA contract organizations. In addition, he also managed the Policing and Human Relations project and supervised responses to requests for assistance from constituents.
Prior to his more recent assignments, he worked in hate crime victim support and hate crime awareness training and assisted in the compilation of data for the annual Los Angeles County hate crime report. Furthermore, Mr. Regalado is a trained mediator in conflict resolution. Ray has experience working with at-risk youth, community organizing, and leadership development. He coordinated the activities of the Gang Reduction and Community Engagement (GRACE) project to address youth gang violence in the Harbor Gateway community of Los Angeles. Ray also has worked as a Field Deputy for First District Supervisor Gloria Molina. Ray has an M.A. in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution.
Katherine Hennigan Ohanesian
Commissioner Katherine Hennigan Ohanesian was appointed to the Commission by Honorable Supervisor Janice Hahn on May 21, 2024.
Commissioner Katherine Hennigan Ohanesian (Kate) is the owner and co-founder of Collaborate, a government affairs and strategic communications firm. Armed with an extensive background in public service in Los Angeles, Kate is one of L.A.’s most trusted leaders when it comes to advocacy, policy analysis, public speaking, economic development, land use and strategic community outreach.
Before launching Collaborate, Kate served the City of Los Angeles for over a decade on the staffs of various elected officials, including senior roles for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and then-Council President (now Ambassador) Eric Garcetti. A native Angeleno, Kate is passionate about giving back to the county in which she was born and raised. She is the current Chair of the L.A. County Library Foundation and sits on the boards of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles (StudyLA) at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), 211 LA County and is the former President of Women Against Gun Violence. Kate's dedication to violence prevention as well as her deep caring for Los Angeles' most vulnerable populations are key to her assisting in the jail inspection process.
Kate earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Loyola Marymount University (LMU), and later received a Master’s Degree in International Public Policy and Management from the University of Southern California (USC).