Board & Officers

Happy Trails for Kids is overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors and officers.   

The Officers and Directors:

Susan R. Abrams – President 

Susan has committed her career to working with and on behalf of children. For the past four years, she has represented abused and neglected children in dependency court proceedings. She is currently employed by the Children's Law Center, attorneys to over 80% of the roughly 30,000 children in foster care in Los Angeles County. Susan is a graduate of Harvard Law School, with an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley. While in law school, she taught moot court in public junior high schools, participated in the Big Brother/Big Sister program and helped run a clinical program that provided mentors to local impoverished families. Prior to law school, Susan worked as an Americorps Promise Fellow in California, organizing volunteer projects at nonprofits serving Los Angeles County youth. 

Nav Deol-Johnson – Vice President & Camp Director   

Nav has worked with non-profit organizations serving youth and families for more than ten years. She began her career as a summer camp counselor and most recently served as the executive director for a local nonprofit youth development organization. She currently works as a public and nonprofit administration consultant. She has established and managed programs supporting educational achievement, leadership development and violence and teen pregnancy prevention for underserved youth in Baltimore, Los Angeles and Orange County. Nav has also played a key role in the expansion of residential summer camp programs for at-risk youth. Nav has a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin and received her bachelor's degrees in English and Sociology from UCLA. 

Jonathan L. Abrams – Chairman  

Jon is currently Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of MPG Office Trust, Inc., the largest Class A commercial real estate company in downtown Los Angeles. From October 2001 to March 2006, Jon was a corporate attorney with the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP. He has handled several pro bono matters in conjunction with Public Counsel and Bet Tzedek, including representing children in adoption hearings, elderly tenants in eviction cases, and the victim of politically-motivated torture in an asylum hearing. Jon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from The University of California, Berkeley.  While at Berkeley, Jon was a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and coached a flag football team for at-risk inner city youth in Oakland. He also holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. While in law school, Jon was the President of the Harvard Law School Big Brother/Big Sister Program, providing mentors and group activities for underprivileged children in the New England area.   

Mark Hikin – Secretary  

Mark is currently a Legal Associate for MPG Office Trust, Inc., the largest Class A commercial real estate company in downtown Los Angeles.  Prior to his career in real estate, Mark worked for six years in the non-profit sector as the Director of Sport Clubs and Event Management at the University of California, Berkeley, where he supervised over 1,000 student-athletes and 28 different sport clubs.  Mark holds a Juris Doctor from Washington University in St. Louis, a Master of Business Administration from the Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Zachary J. Cohen – Treasurer

Zachary Cohen is an executive with Idell James Casting, a boutique casting agency founded in 1988 that provides high-quality background talent to leading advertising agencies, production companies and directors. Previously, Zack worked in Los Angeles, New York, and Palo Alto in different roles in hedge funds and investment banking. In 2002, Zack graduated with honors from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration. He is currently attending the Fully Employed MBA program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, with a focus on Entertainment and Media Management. Zack has been a member of the Screen Actors Guild since 1989.

Jeffrey Schwartz– Board Member 

Mr. Schwartz is responsible for leading the execution and negotiation of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures in the U.S. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Schwartz was a Principal in the Private Equity Group of Ares Management in Los Angeles, where he worked on numerous leveraged buyouts and distressed debt investments. Prior to joining Ares, Mr. Schwartz was an investment banker at Lehman Brothers in the financial sponsors group and prior to that in the mergers and acquisitions group at Wasserstein Perella & Co. Mr. Schwartz graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. 

Damon S. Stein – Board Member

Damon has served as General Counsel of Accelerize New Media, Inc. since January 2007. He worked as Director of Marketing/Player Affairs at Beach Sports Group, LLC from 1997 through 2001. After working as a sports agent, Damon served as a Contract Lawyer for Alschuler, Grossman, Stein & Kahan before joining TDRG in 2002. Damon was a founder and partner and served as General Counsel/President for TDRG until it was acquired by Accerize New Media. Damon received his BA from the University of California at Berkeley and a joint JD/MBA from Pepperdine University.

Aaron Weinstein – Board Member 

Aaron has spent the last 25 years working in the entertainment industry, the last ten years as a senior executive with two major entertainment and brand marketing companies, overseeing all aspects of production, marketing, web development, creative services, e-commerce, media buying, fulfillment, customer service and operations. Aaron began his career in the domestic television industry, having produced his first show for NBC at the age of 23, and working on several specials and series as a writer, producer and production executive at NBC, ABC, and various independent production companies. He was also a member of the Internet Advisory Committee for 20th Century Fox, the steering group for internet strategy at the studio. Aaron is a Cum Laude graduate of Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication.  Aaron has also been long commited to youth and childrens issues, working as a mentor in the Boston public school system and as a volunteer Big Brother for five years in Los Angeles.