Community Outreach
The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California is committed to serving its community. This service is comprised of both official activities and collateral duty assignments performed by members of the office during non-working hours.
For example, the U.S. Attorney's Office sponsors and administers the Greater Sacramento Area Hate Crimes Task Force, which for many years has engaged a diverse group of community leaders to unite and mobilize our district’s fight against hate crimes. The Task Force meets approximately four times a year. In concert with the work of our Hate Crimes Task Force, the United States Attorney’s Office is engaged in efforts to reach out to, and more fully engage, members of our Muslim, Sikh, Tribal, and the many Asian American communities whose members often find themselves targets of hate crimes. Only by engaging members of our varied communities can we come to truly know and appreciate the issues that confront those communities, and be effective in responding to their needs. We are, after all, one community, comprised of a diverse population of Americans who share our concern for secure borders, fiscal stability, economic prosperity, and the safety and well-being of our citizenry.
We urge you to work with us as we embark upon this enhanced effort and avail yourselves of this invitation to join our outreach efforts.
Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Sylvia Quast directs our outreach efforts from our Sacramento office. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of our Fresno office, Mark Cullers, will spearhead our outreach efforts from our Fresno office. Among some of the efforts each will direct is our initiative to implement an operational plan that addresses the public safety concerns of our 43 Native American tribes within the Eastern District of California. Quast, Cullers and other members of the U.S. Attorney's Office staff also are available to participate in a wide variety of Public Safety initiatives to include: Project Safe Childhood (and our outreach presentations to youth, parents and schools on the topic of internet safety and cyber-bullying); outreach on the dangers of prescription drug abuse; and our Hate Crimes Task Force. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is also committed to the education of our youth and staff members are available to participate in Mock Trial Programs, such as the California High School Mock Trial competition.
Should you have a question about, or wish to participate in, any one of our outreach efforts please call us.
In Sacramento: 916-554-2700
Sylvia Quast, Exec. Asst. U.S. Attorney -- Tribal Coordinator and Outreach Coordinator
Kyle Reardon, Asst. U.S. Attorney -- Project Safe Childhood Coordinator
Daniel McConkie, Asst. U.S. Attorney -- Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Coordinator
Jill Thomas, Asst. U.S. Attorney – Violence Against Women Awareness Project Coordinator
Steve Lapham, Asst. U.S. Attorney – Hate Crimes Task Force
Richard Bender, Asst. U.S. Attorney – Anti-Violence Program Coordinator
Helene Tenette – Victim/Specialists/Hate Crimes Task Force
Sean Vassar - Community Outreach Specialist, Hate Crimes Task Force Coordinator
In Fresno: 559-497-4000
Mark Cullers, Sup. Asst. U.S. Attorney, Office Chief – Tribal Initiative and Outreach Coordinator
Stanley Boone, Chief White Collar Crimes Unit - Economic Crimes Outreach
Elana Landau, Asst. U.S. Attorney – Hate Crimes Task Force
Brian Enos, Asst. U.S. Attorney – Project Safe Childhood (Internet Safety Outreach)
Elana Landau, Asst. U.S. Attorney – Violence Against Women Awareness Coordinator
Henry Carbajal, Asst. U.S. Attorney - Hispanic Outreach
Yasin Mohammed, Asst. U.S. Attorney - Muslim Outreach
Jeremy Jehangiri, Asst. U.S. Attorney – Tribal and Muslim outreach
Nancy Leendertsen, Victim Witness Specialist - Victim/Hate Crimes Task Force/Project Safe Childhood
In addition to our plans for enhanced community outreach, the United States Attorney's Office has a Special Emphasis Programs Committee, the mission of which is to identify problems, define issues, and recommend policies and solutions to management; to raise the status and fully integrate members within the congressionally designated Special Emphasis groups (African-American/Black Affairs, Federal Women's, Asian/Pacific American, Hispanic Employment, Selective Placement for Veterans and Persons with Disabilities and Native American) into career advancement positions throughout the United States Attorney's Office, as well as to assure the effective application of the USAO's non-discrimination and equal employment opportunity policy to all employees and applicants for employment who are within the congressionally designated Special Emphasis groups. Members of our Special Emphasis Programs Committee are involved in:
- coordinating the USAO's participation in outreach efforts providing information regarding the EEO process
- advising and making recommendations to management
- assisting in assessing the employment status of minorities, women and persons with disabilities so that employment problems might be identified and corrected
- developing and coordinating annual programs for special observances in recognition of designated Special Emphasis groups
For further information about the Special Emphasis Program, or for information on developing a special observance program, contact Special Emphasis Program Committee Chair Yoshinori Himel at Yoshinori.Himel@usdoj.gov.
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