Lorenza C. Sánchez

Chief Deputy Director

Lorenza C. Sánchez serves as Chief Deputy of the LA County Aging & Disabilities Department. As the operations executive for the department, Ms. Sánchez directs staff, programs, commission support, and services to older and dependent adults throughout LA County.

A gerontological expert with more than two decades of County service, Ms. Sánchez has dedicated her career to creating equity-based programs that maximize the dignity and independence of older and dependent adults. Under her leadership, many programs have received statewide and national recognition for innovation and efficiency.

Mike Tsao

Administrative Deputy II

Mike Tsao embarked on his County career journey in 2000, where he navigated through diverse roles spanning risk management, injury prevention, and workplace wellness promotion, in addition to collaborating with the return-to-work unit on worker compensation cases.

Expanding his expertise into purchasing and contracts, he led procurement, warehouse, and contracting units across multiple County departments, ensuring timely service delivery and high-quality outcomes. His tenure in the Fire Department as Acting Deputy Chief of Business Operations furthered his leadership in finance, information technology, and materials management.

Mr. Tsao values engaging with individuals from various backgrounds, adeptly understanding their needs, and offering tailored solutions. His adaptability to technological advancements underscores his commitment to enhancing efficiency and process optimization.

Holding a B.S. in Health Science from Cal State Los Angeles and a Purchasing Manager certification, Mr. Tsao remains abreast of developments in public purchasing and finance, actively pursuing continuous learning and professional advancement.

Anna Avdalyan

Assistant Director, Community & Senior Centers Branch

Anna Avdalyan has been employed with Los Angeles County for over 20 years.

For the past 17 years, Ms. Avdalyan has had oversight of the department’s Area Agency on Aging and the Los Angeles County Commission for Older Adults.  Since January 2021, she has also had oversight of the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities.

Her current responsibilities consist of managing 14 Community and Senior Centers across LA County. These Centers offer a wide range of services and social activities for local communities, including opportunities for daily learning, skills enhancement, community engagement, socialization, and healthy living for residents of all ages.

Ms. Avdalyan possesses a B.S. in Health Science and M.B.A. in Business Administration and Health Care Management. Ms. Avdalyan’s achievements, commitment, and passion for the elderly population are continually recognized by the State, County, and other partners.

Her prior County career includes working for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services where she worked in programs such as Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN), Long Term Family Self-Sufficiency (LTFSS), In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), and the Medi-Cal Program among others.

Before joining the County, Ms. Avdalyan worked in the private healthcare industry for the Blue Shield of California.

Mariella Freire-Reyes

Assistant Director, Area Agency on Aging Branch

Prior to joining our department, Mariella Freire-Reyes dedicated 27 years of service to the City of Los Angeles. In the last 16 years of her impressive municipal career, she held pivotal positions at the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging—the second largest Area Agency on Aging (AAA). In those roles, she exercised direct oversight of Older Americans Act programs, conducted needs assessments, and proactively formulated initiatives to bridge service gaps for older adults.

Ms. Freire-Reyes’ last position within the City of Los Angeles was that of Assistant General Manager (AGM). In her capacity as AGM, she shouldered the responsibility for the holistic administrative, budgetary, and programmatic facets of the department. Operating in the second most populous and culturally diverse city in the nation, she orchestrated the delivery of comprehensive, culturally sensitive, and socially accessible services. Simultaneously, Ms. Freire-Reyes led the charge in achieving performance outcomes that notably enhanced nutrition, fostered increased access, encouraged greater participation of older adults in the community, and championed principles of equity and social justice.

Ms. Freire-Reyes brings her vast experience of serving older adults coupled with Age-Friendly principles to lead the County’s Area Agency on Aging Branch to address the increased demand for programs, services and support resulting from the rapidly growing older adult population in the LA Region.

She received a B.A. in Business Administration, specializing in Finance and an M.A. in Public Administration, specializing in Public Sector Management and Leadership from California State University Northridge (CSUN).

Winna Crichlow

Assistant Director, Aging & Disabilities Services & Supports Branch

Winna Crichlow is an executive-level manager with over 25 years of service with Los Angeles County. More than 18 years have been serving in a management capacity with assignments ranging from front-line operations to training, human resources, call centers, and project management. Previously, Ms. Crichlow was responsible for leading multiple district offices that administered public assistance programs and issued approximately $137 million in monthly assistance payments. During this time, she led a combined workforce of approximately 1,800 staff that worked diligently to inspire hope and provide services and resources to LA County residents.

Ms. Crichlow has an M.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Leadership & Management from the University of La Verne, where she is also completing a Doctorate in Public Administration. Winna is a strong supporter of mentoring and staff development and recognizes the importance of building resilient teams that can meet and sustain the vision of an organization.

When she’s not at work, Ms. Crichlow enjoys spending time with family, volunteering with youth, and traveling to other countries to serve with her church or simply relax and experience other cultures.

Jerrell Griffin

Acting Assistant Director, Adult Protective Services (APS) Line Operations Branch

As Acting Assistant Director of the Adult Protective Services (APS) Line Operations Branch, Jerrell Griffin oversees 24 APS field offices and over 160 social workers who investigate more than 5,000 referrals of alleged abuse of older and dependent adults every month. APS Line Operations is the only AD branch that works 24/7.

Mr. Griffin started his L.A. County career in 1997 as a Social Worker Trainee with the Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS), specializing in their Emergency Response division. He was later promoted to Assistant Regional Administrator. In 2018, Mr. Griffin started working for the L.A. Superior Court, where he oversaw Court operations for the Compton Court, and later for the Long Beach Courthouse. In 2022, Mr. Griffin returned to social work by joining our department as the Program Manager over Adult Protective Services Line Operations.

Mr. Griffin has a B.A. in Sociology from Cal State L.A., a B.A. in Political Science from Cal State Dominquez Hills, an M.A. in Public Administration from Cal State Northridge, and an M.A. in Psychology from Purdue University.

Ivan Pacheco

Department Chief Information Officer

Ivan Pacheco is an accomplished technologist with years of progressive experience; he has been a leader in the modernization of various LA County systems.

Mr. Pacheco has been responsible for successfully completing many initiatives that include migrating countywide electronic forms to a cloud-based solution, converting paper-based HR personal records to a digital format, and various other countywide IT initiatives.

Over the last three years the teams lead/managed by Ivan have won the Productivity & Quality Award (PQA) Bronze Eagle, PQA Covid-19 project award, PQA Certificate of Recognition, and the National Association of Counties (NACo) award.

Mr. Pacheco is a powerful force in the workplace who uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard, learn, innovate, and succeed. He is inspired by his family and the commitment to help others.  Mr. Pacheco received a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Nikolette Orlandou

Head, Marketing & Communications

Nikolette Orlandou is a seasoned professional who thrives at the intersection of the creative, business, and technical realms.  

She brings over twenty years of private sector experience in entertainment, having worked as a film and video producer, a production executive, and later, as a business development and marketing executive.  

Her L.A. County career started with the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS), where she pitched and created “What Is,” the department’s first public-facing accessible video series, which features subtitles and interactive transcripts in ten languages. The series won ASPA’s (socalaspa.org) 2022 Tom Bradley Equal Opportunity Award.  

Ms. Orlandou holds a B.A. in Film & Television Production from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and an M.A. in Digital Marketing & Data Analytics from Emerson College.