Candidate for
Council Member; City of Los Angeles; District 8

Biography of Forescee Hogan-Rowles Forescee Hogan-Rowles currently serves as President & CEO of R.I.S.E. Financial Pathways--formerly Community Financial Resource Center (CFRC)--a California nonprofit corporation. Appointed in February 1995, Ms. Hogan-Rowles is responsible for managing one of Los Angeles' largest financial service providers specifically targeted to business owners and residents of low-income communities in Los Angeles County. R.I.S.E. offers a variety of services and products including Small Business Loans, First-time Homeownership programs, Individual Development Accounts (IDA's), Financial Education and Technical Assistance Workshops, and BIZTECH--Business Innovation Technology Center.

Ms. Hogan-Rowles is the former Founder and Executive Director of Westview Economic Development Strategies. A Los Angeles based training, organizational development and consulting organization. The organization secured clients including Aspen Institute-Self Employment Learning Project Research Team, Los Angeles Women's Foundation, California American Woman's Economic Development Corporation, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism-Hawaii, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and The WEST Company.

From 1990 to 1993, Ms. Hogan-Rowles served as Executive Director of Coalition for Women's Economic Development (CWED). She successfully managed the growth and achievements of the first Microenterprise organization in Southern California. Among her accomplishments while at CWED, Ms. Hogan-Rowles wrote the proposal that led to the organization becoming a first round grantee in the U.S. Small Business Administration-Microloan Demonstration Program and was invited to The White House to receive the award. Additionally, Ms. Hogan-Rowles forged one of the first partnerships in the nation between a microenterprise organization and a Department of Housing and Urban Development-City Housing Authority.

Prior to joining CWED, Ms Hogan-Rowles taught on the faculty of Brooks College and Woodbury University, both located in Southern California. For nearly six years, she owned and operated Forescee-M. & Co. D/B/A FLIPS, manufacturers of better junior sportswear for women. Under her leadership, Flips clothing was distributed and sold in 26 states and four countries. Her designs appeared in WWD-Women's Wear Daily and CAN-California Apparel News trade publications.

Ms. Hogan-Rowles earned her Masters Degree in Business Administration at Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, and completed her Bachelor of Business Administration Degree at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. She also studied at the University of Paris, La Sorbonne, and earned an Associate in Arts Degree-Fashion Design at Brooks College.

She has earned several certifications including Economic Development Finance Professional, Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), a Certificate in Real Estate Finance from the Minority Real Estate Development Program at University of Southern California (USC), and from Harvard University-Kennedy School, Executive Certificate in Community Economic Development.

Ms. Hogan-Rowles has received numerous awards including the 2010 Outstanding Business Leadership Award-Black Business Association, 2008 Pepperdine University-Graziadio Graduate School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award, 2008 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles Leader Award and Entrepreneurship Award, and the 2005 Silver Achievement Award from the YWCA of Greater Los Angeles. In January 2004, she was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Economic Justice Award by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

In 2002 Ms. Hogan-Rowles was awarded the Dr. Frederick K.C. Price Spiritual Excellence Award from Recycling Black Dollars, the 2002 Community Visionary Award from Vermont Village Community Development Corporation, and was named a Living History Maker by Turning Point Magazine in February 2002. She is also the 1993 Gloria Steinem Award Winner for her work in Economic Justice on behalf of women, and formerly served as a national board member of Women Incorporated.

Ms. Hogan-Rowles is a founding and former member of the Board of Directors of Association For Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), the national microenterprise trade association, and Co-Chaired its Resource Development and Finance Committee. Hogan-Rowles is a Co-Founder of California Association For Microenterprise Opportunity (CAMEO) a 21-year old statewide advocacy organization for micro business development, funding and expansion in California.

She recently served as a Commissioner for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power where she Chaired the Economic Development and Inyo County Committees and led the effort to restore and re-open the burned Community Room at the Department of Water and Power at Crenshaw and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd--making it again available to local nonprofit groups for meetings and gatherings, Commissioner-California Economic Development Commission, Comerica Bank-California-Community Advisory Board where she served for 10 years and was part of the leadership team that led the effort to open the Comerica Bank Branch on Crenshaw Boulevard. She also served on Opera Noir Board of Directors.

Ms Hogan-Rowles served as a Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco-Advisory Board Member where she helped to shape policy for its Economic Development Initiatives, is a Member-Board of Directors, Crenshaw Christian Center, serves as Chair-Board of Directors of Tessie Cleveland Community Services, Inc. a mental health services organization, and serves on the Board of Directors of both Vermont Village Community Development Corporation, and R.I.S.E. Financial Pathways.

Politically, Forescee was the first African American to serve statewide in a political advocacy organization, and has served at all levels of grassroots politics including: Clubs, Assembly District Committees, County Committee, Executive Boards and worked on campaigns from initiatives, ballot measures and candidates to advocating for policies at the City, State and Federal levels.

Ms. Hogan- Rowles resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Steve and has three children and two grandchildren.