As Chief Transformation Officer, Antoinette Andrews Bush provides executive-level leadership for First 5 LA’s strategic planning, organizational culture and diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, organizational learning, human resources and talent development. Antoinette oversees the Office of Equity, Strategy, and Learning and the Human Resources and Talent Management teams. Together, these teams are charged with facilitating transformational organizational change, aligning strategy, internal operations, and organizational culture to effectively implement First 5 LA’s strategic plan. Prior to this role, Antoinette served as Director of the Communities Department. As the Communities Director, Antoinette was responsible for advancing First 5 LA’s systems change agenda through the design and implementation of multi-year, place-based strategies to strengthen local leadership, community networks, and the built environment in 14 geographic areas across L.A. County.
The work that Antoinette does at First 5 LA is aligned with her personal values of excellence, integrity and fairness. She recalls growing up in Compton, being an unwed mother, and using public assistance to care for herself and her son. She remembers being subjected to dysfunctional organizational systems as she navigated public resources and laments that things have only gotten worse for families. These experiences as a young woman are etched into Antoinette’s mind, and they fuel her passion for organizational transformation as a key facilitator for achieving results for children, families, and communities.
“Children deserve to grow up healthy and whole in mind, body and spirit not just to reach their potential but to live life to its fullest. That’s why the work First 5 LA does is so important to me. I am driven by a commitment to communities throughout Los Angeles County to use my education, experiences and talents – to the best of my ability – to make a difference for children, families and communities.”
For 24 years, Antoinette has worked as a respected and influential leader in the philanthropic, nonprofit and evaluation fields, and has earned a reputation for her strong integrity, pursuit of excellence, and collaborative approach. Antoinette has worked with organizations such as the Rockville Centre Union Free School District in New York, Kids Life & Money, a nonprofit organization in Arkansas, and Los Angeles/Orange County organizations including College Bound, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science, The Imoyase Group, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Additionally, she’s taught courses in Sociology at Stony Brook University in New York, Mount St. Mary’s College, and the University of Phoenix. Antoinette currently serves on the Governance Committee for the Association of Presbyterian Members, which is a corporate member of Hoag Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach.
Antoinette received an undergraduate degree in African American Studies from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in sociology from Stony Brook University in New York. In her personal time, Antoinette actively volunteers to support local arts and social justice projects within her faith community in Orange County, where she resides with her husband, mom, and three children.
