Executive Director William “Blinky” Rodriguez, former middle-weight kickboxing champion, received the Medaille d’Excellence, presented in Switzerland in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Blinky was recognized for his peace building initiatives, including the Valley Unity Peace Treaty which was brokered by CIS and signed by over 75 gangs with more than 1,000 members. The treaty successfully reduced gang related deaths from 52 to 2 in the following year. The work of Blinky and CIS has been recognized by national and international leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, Dr. Jane Goodall, and Al Gore, along with numerous other public and private organizations and elected officials.
President Robert Arias graduated from the University of Southern California in 1974 and received his Masters Degrees in Social Work and Public Administration in 1976. He was the Executive Director at USC’s Learning Center from 1976-79 and the Director of Athletics at Loyola Marymount University from 1979-85. He has been serving youth with CIS since the 1980’s, holding multiple positions including the Southwest Regional Director and President of CIS Los Angeles. CIS-LA merged with CIS-San Fernando Valley in 2001. Robert’s passions include youth crime prevention, intervention, mentoring, youth entrepreneur programs, youth fitness initiatives, and both adult and youth job development.