A Sense of Home, a Hawthorne-based nonprofit which aims to prevent homelessness by creating homes for those aging out of foster care, has made several leadership announcements.
Ken Grouf was named the organization’s chief executive. Meanwhile HGTV star Drew Scott, known for his work on the “Property Brothers” and a number of other shows, has joined the nonprofit’s board.
Georgie Smith, ASOH’s founder, is transitioning to president of the organization.Â
“I am honored to join A Sense of Home at this critical moment,” Grouf said in a statement. “The organization’s work in creating homes, fostering community, and providing essential resources for youth aging out of foster care and others is a powerful force for change. I look forward to collaborating with the team to take this work to even greater heights and continue to serve those in need in Los Angeles and other cities.”
The nonprofit has been working to grow its support for those impacted by the wildfires that took place earlier this year. ASOH is providing home sets with more than 330 items to those who lost everything in the fires and is creating 20 homes per week.
The group currently has a waitlist of 1,000 households.
• • •
The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music has a new dean. Michael Beckerman has been named to the role and will start by Oct. 1.
He is currently a professor at NYU. Beckerman was previously a distinguished professor at Lancaster University, a member of the music faculty at UC Santa Barbara and Washington University in St. Louis.
Beckerman specializes in Czech and Eastern European music.
“As the new dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, I bring a lifelong passion and strong commitment to the study and performance of music,” Beckerman said in a statement. “I am eager to contribute to this school’s extraordinary stature and support the success of the next generation of musicians, music industry leaders, scholars and educators. It is also my desire to deepen the engagement with the local Bruin community while furthering the school’s global reach to raise its international profile.”
