Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Luis Rodriguez | Chairman of the Board
Luis Rodriguez has been involved with the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles from the time he first attended the Avalon Ball in 2019. Since then he has hosted a number of ZOOM presentations, including See in You in C-U-B-A: Cocktails in Prohibition-Era Havana and Martinis with Nick and Nora, as well as organized the weekend event, Bootlegging in Bakersfield. He has a passion for the social history of the Art Deco period, including fashion, manners, decorative arts, and - of course – cocktails. He often contributes period accurate cocktail recipes for events and is the proprietor of GiggleH20, a vintage cocktail experience.
A native of Cuba, he grew up in Los Angeles and lived in London (UK) for many years. He has a background in history, theology, and psychotherapy. Luis currently lives in Bakersfield, California, where he is the Priest-in-Charge at the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
In 2023 Luis joined the board and assumed chairmanship of the Membership Committee.
Lisa Schoening | Secretary
Lisa began her career in the jewelry business, teaching for the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and working in the estate jewelry field where she developed her interest in all things Art Nouveau and Art Deco. More recently, she taught jewelry and design history for the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles. She has spoken frequently for ADSLA on both topics, and while at GIA, developed several talks on the jewelry of the deco era for the GIA Alumni Association and the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA).
Lisa served on the WJA Los Angeles chapter board for 12 years, the last 6 as president and president emerita. At FIDM, she also served as Director of Institutional Research and accreditation lead, and in that capacity worked closely with the FIDM Governing Board. She worked as Dean of Academic Development at FIDM, Director of Compliance and Accreditation at Los Angeles Film School and is currently working for the SKEMA Business School as Director of Accreditation for their US campus.
Prior to 2020, Lisa was an events volunteer for the West Adams Heritage Association and served as an occasional docent for several other preservation organizations.
Currently, she is working with the Monterey Park Library as a literacy and English as a Second Language volunteer. Lisa holds a master’s degree in adult education and is an active member of the local Cat Distribution System. Lisa joined the board of ADSLA in 2026.
Gabe Sobel, Treasurer
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Gabe has built his career around managing some of the city’s most iconic historic venues, including the Shrine Auditorium, the Hollywood Palladium, and now The Oviatt Penthouse. While he has always loved historic architecture, his passion for Art Deco truly took off through his stewardship of The Oviatt and his ongoing collaboration with ADSLA on events—an experience that immersed him deeply in the world of Deco design and its devoted community.
As a small business owner operating an Art Deco landmark, Gabe connects daily with fellow enthusiasts and understands firsthand why this era resonates so profoundly with people. He brings experience in budget management, event marketing, operations, logistics, and project management, and is eager to contribute these skills to support ADSLA’s mission and the preservation of Los Angeles’ Art Deco heritage. Gabe joined the board in 2026.
Board Directors
Kathryn Ahmanson
Katie Ahmanson is an Architectural Historian with 3.5 years of experience in the field of architectural history and heritage conservation at the environmental planning firm, Dudek. Ms. Ahmanson primarily works with environmental compliance documentation in support of projects that fall under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)/National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Sections 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). She graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 2019 with her Bachelor of Arts in Art History and wrote her senior thesis on the significance of Chicana murals in Los Angeles.
In 2022, she earned her Master’s of Heritage Conservation at the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture in 2022 and wrote her senior thesis on forgotten women's history in Los Angeles. During graduate school, Ms. Ahmanson interned at Hollywood Heritage and continues to volunteer for local preservation associations, including the Hancock Park HPOZ Board and the Heritage Committee Board at the Beach Club. She has experience with Historic-Cultural Monument nominations, citywide historic contexts, and historical significance evaluations in consideration of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR), and local designation criteria. In her free time, she participates in a non-fiction book club and spends time with her Border Collie, Sam.
Jeffrey Paul Ames
Chef & Perfumer Jeffrey Paul Ames is an educator, cultural interpreter, and multidisciplinary artist whose work restores lost elegance through the living languages of food, fragrance, and aesthetic history. His practice bridges medieval Europe through the Renaissance and into the Belle Époque, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, positioning beauty not as nostalgia, but as a civilizing force that continues to shape modern life.
Ames began his career in the classical arts as a makeup designer for the Boston Opera, where discipline, historical reference, and theatrical craftsmanship formed the foundation of his work. He later expanded his practice in New York and Hollywood, becoming one of the most sought-after hair and makeup artists of his generation. His work has spanned international film festivals and major award seasons, including Cannes and Venice, and has appeared across leading fashion and cultural publications on both sides of the Atlantic. This decades-long engagement with glamour at its highest level gives him an embodied understanding of proportion, ornament, surface, and presentation—how elegance is constructed, worn, and perceived.
Parallel to his professional career, Ames has established himself as a respected educator and institutional contributor. He has served as an educator and board member with the Institute for Art and Olfaction and has been a guest speaker for the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles, the Getty, and the Huntington Library, where he has also served as a docent. His immersive lectures and salons explore perfume, gastronomy, design, and ritual across European cultural history, translating complex historical aesthetics into accessible, resonant public programming.
Angelica Hernandez
Angelica Hernandez served as a Policy Consultant for the City of Los Angeles - Bureau of Street Lighting, where she led the Digital Inclusion divisions’ community relations, grants and project management. She specializes in legislative affairs, public policy and government relations. She is a former Policy Deputy for the California State Senate where she specialized in K-12 and Higher Education, Water, Healthcare, Immigration, Latino & Native American Affairs.
Ms. Hernandez obtained her Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) and Bachelor’s degrees in History & Political Science: Pre-Law from Cal State LA. She attended law school at UC Irvine and completed postgrad at UCLA. She is a past FUSE Executive Fellow, MTO Law Fellow with Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, a Galbraith Fellow with the Pat Brown Institute and Capitol Senate Fellow. She is also an alumnus of HOPE’s Regional Leadership Institute. She is currently a board member of the Cal State LA Alumni Association and previously served on its scholarship committee.
In her spare time, she is a major arts patron, loves to travel, read, and spend time with her family. Furthermore, she volunteers with various organizations including the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles, the Chinese American Museum (CAM), the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA), and The Chapter House. She is a member of ADSLA and the LA Conservancy. In short, she loves culture, history and giving back to her community at large.
Gabriela Hernandez
Gabriela is a make-up Historian and President of Bésame Cosmetics, a brand that has brought luxury and romance back into the cosmetics industry. Her inspiration is fueled by memories of her glamorous grandmother from Buenos Aires. Gabriela emigrated from Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the age of 12, landing in Bronx, New York and later, Los Angeles, where she eventually attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, earning a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art and Photography with honors.
Gabriela’s professional career has included photography, art direction for magazines, senior design for footwear and food product companies, advertising art direction, and senior design for internal communications firms. She has served as a Beauty Contributor to Bust Magazine, bustle.com, CNN, NPR and many other news sites. In 1997, Gabriela launched her own design firm, ALMA Group/ A Latin Methodology of Art, a bilingual graphic design firm.
Launched in September, 2004, Bésame Cosmetics is a culmination of Gabriela’s passion for design and the desire to bring a classic sensibility into a product of her own. As a makeup historian, Gabriela realized that some of the most effective formulations and designs were lost in time. Bésame has worked with major studios including CBS, Disney, and Marvel to create memorable limited-edition collections that have become highly collectible keepsakes. Over the years, Bésame has released products honoring iconic women of the past including Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald.
Gabriela’s efforts extend beyond that of a cosmetic brand entrepreneur. She is an avid speaker about the history of make-up and the changing face of women through the centuries. She conducts classes and lectures on vintage make-up styles and wrote “Classic Beauty: The History of Make-up” published in 2011 by Schiffer Publishing, now in its second edition. In June 2005 Gabriela was awarded the Latinas in Business Award by The National Latina Business Women Association for product manufacturing, as well as many product awards including the City Award for Innovative product and Best of category in Beauty.com. Gabriela joined the board in 2025.
Kaleena Klimeck
A development, design, and construction professional through and through, Kaleena was raised in Park La Brea, between LACMA and Third Street Farmer’s Market, so her connection to the built environment and community-focused landmark projects was cultivated early on. Her industry knowledge is based on experiences as an architect, a general contractor’s site controller, and a developer’s owner’s representative and project manager; she currently works as an owner’s representative for cultural organizations and non-profits in their capital improvement projects. Kaleena has helped realize impressive cultural, educational, high-end residential, luxury hospitality, and commercial developments in challenging jurisdictions like Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and San Diego. Kaleena holds a Bachelor of Architecture from California Polytechnic State University— San Luis Obispo with minors in Landscape Architecture and Construction Management.
Outside of her professional practice, Kaleena is engaged with Los Angeles’ architectural legacy and the civic role of design. She is particularly drawn to Art Deco as a powerful intersection of craftsmanship, optimism, and social history— an expression of Los Angeles at a moment of transformation. She also has teaching experience and values education as a critical tool for expanding public understanding of architecture and design history. She is especially interested in supporting programs that translate architectural knowledge for broad audiences. Kaleena values organizations that champion preservation, public education, and access to design history, and she is happy to contribute her time, organizational skills, and collaborative mindset to support programming, advocacy, and community engagement that elevates Los Angeles’ Deco-era architecture. Kaleena joined the board in 2025.
Jaci Rohr
Jaci Rohr is an Archivist and Key Costumer. Her life-long interest in costuming began at age 5 when she discovered the joys of dressing up her dog. She has a Bachelor of Arts - Art Degree from San Jose State University. She continued to study design and costume construction specialties, including jewelry-making, millinery, corset-making, period sewing techniques and other “lost arts”.
While working in the entertainment industry for over 25 years in the costume department on various film and television projects, she invented rigs for “costume gags” used on reality TV shows and developed dog products for “The Dog Whisperer” Cesar Millan. At the same time, she was running her private manufacturing business producing costumes and props for a nationwide chain of photography studios. A Jaci-of-all-trades, Rohr invented exclusive tools for use in the manufacturing process.
She happily transitioned to the Paramount Pictures Archives in 2009 to work with costumes, props and jewelry. Her current job involves cataloging and caring for contemporary and vintage jewels, costumes and props and preparing museum exhibitions. Her esoteric skills and passion for research are integral to identifying, assessing and restoring the costume jewelry used in over 100 years of Paramount’s films.
Jaci joined the board in 2023. Jaci chairs the Fashion Committee for ADSLA.