CUPA-HR Southern California Chapter

Welcome to the CUPA-HR Southern California Chapter!

We are here as an official extension of the national College and University Professional Association for Human Resources to represent public and private universities and colleges in Southern California. If you are interested in volunteering as a member of the chapter board or in another capacity, please contact us to see how you can be a part of the great work we are doing this year!

Contact Us

Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn for all Southern California CUPA-HR news and updates!

CUPA-HR Southern California Chapter Fall Event

“Human at the Core”

October 23, 2026 | 8:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. PT | University of California, Riverside

Registration Link

Keynote speaker: Cyprian Yankey

Bio: Cyprian Yankey is a Future of Work Strategist at ADP, where he helps organizations navigate workforce transformation, leadership challenges, and emerging workplace technologies. Drawing on experience partnering with executives across industries, Cyprian explores how organizations can harness innovation to create stronger employee experiences, increase engagement, and drive business outcomes. His work focuses on helping leaders prepare for the rapidly changing world of work while keeping people at the center of organizational success.

Presentation: The future of work is ultimately a human story. While artificial intelligence is reshaping how work gets done, people will continue to define why that work matters. In this keynote, Cyprian will explore how higher education leaders can embrace AI in ways that strengthen the employee experience, create capacity for more meaningful work, and preserve the qualities that make great institutions thrive: trust, culture, empathy, creativity, and connection. Attendees will gain practical frameworks and actionable strategies to help navigate AI adoption with confidence, balancing technological advancement with the human elements that drive institutional excellence.

Plenary speakers: Hannah Casey and Alysha Stein-Manes

Bios:

Hannah Casey, Associate - Hannah Casey is an Associate in the Los Angeles office of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, where she advises clients on education, labor, and employment law matters. Her practice also includes business transactions and facilities matters, where she represents clients in all phases of contracts, procurement, construction, and real property issues. As part of the firm’s Business and Facilities practice group, Hannah focuses on protecting client interests while helping clients navigate complex regulatory requirements.

Prior to joining LCW, Hannah gained valuable legal experience through various legal clerkships and internships. Most recently, she served as a Law Clerk and Post Bar Clerk, where she drafted motions, discovery documents, and legal memoranda; conducted comprehensive file reviews; and collaborated with clients and opposing counsel to advance litigation matters. Hannah initially developed her skills as a Summer Associate, drafting legal documents under strict deadlines; observing hearings and trials; and participating in post-proceeding debriefs with attorneys.

Hannah’s early legal experience includes serving as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Ruth Bermudez Montenegro of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, where she conducted legal research and authored memos analyzing relevant case law. Additionally, she worked as a legal assistant, drafting legal documents, coordinating with clients, and managing case files.

Alysha Stein-Manes, Co-Managing Partner, Los Angeles Office - Alysha Stein-Manes is Co-Managing Partner of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore’s Los Angeles office and primarily represents the firm’s educational institution clients in a broad range of employment, labor, governance, retirement, and student matters. Alysha regularly advises public educational clients on academic and classified employee evaluation and discipline; administrator contracts and evaluation; equal employment opportunity recruitment and hiring practices; discrimination, harassment, and retaliation investigations; general governance matters; California and federal Voting Rights Act compliance; government transparency under the Brown Act and California Public Records Act; and a variety of student matters. She is also experienced working with governing boards on conducting CEO evaluations and contract negotiations, as well as advising and training boards on ethics, Brown Act, and other governance issues.

Alysha also regularly represents community college districts in arbitrations and administrative proceedings regarding discipline of permanent employees and the release of probationary faculty members, and in matters before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and California Office of Administrative Hearings.

Alysha provides counsel to private institutions of higher education, in matters including the intersection of student disability accommodations and discipline; personnel policies and practices; employee evaluation and discipline; Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”); and discrimination and harassment complaints and investigations.

Alysha is also a leader in the retirement and health arenas. She regularly provides counsel to LCW’s clients about the Affordable Care Act and disability interactive process, and to LCW’s public agency clients in the areas of the post-retirement work restrictions, PEPRA compliance, and reporting employee compensation to CalSTRS and CalPERS.

Alysha has extensive experience as a litigator, representing public agencies and non-profit educational institutions at all levels of the litigation process in state and federal court.

Alysha serves on the Executive Committees for LCW’s Public Education Practice Group and Retirement, Benefits, and Disability Practice Group.

 

More speakers to come.

We are so grateful for our event sponsors:

Platinum Sponsors:

 

 

Getting Started

We encourage all higher ed HR professionals to join the national organization, but our chapter events and community are open to both members and nonmembers.

Receive News and Updates About Our Chapter

Participation in the CUPA-HR Southern California Chapter is open to all higher education HR professionals in our area!

To ensure you receive emails with chapter updates and notices of upcoming chapter events, make sure you have an account with CUPA-HR. There is no charge to create an account and the process is easy! Simply create a free account on the CUPA-HR website. Be sure to identify your institution as your primary organization.