L.A. GOAL, the longstanding and acclaimed Culver City organization serving adults with developmental disabilities, welcomes Dr. Kimberly S. Austin as the new Executive Director.
Dr. Austin brings over 25 years of experience working across educational and community-based spaces to create opportunities for individuals with disabilities to lead lives rooted in self-determination, connection, and dignity.
As co-founder of Bridges to Inclusion, a community-based organization that empowers individuals with disabilities, Dr. Austin developed and led several initiatives centering on disability equity, including the Bridges to Employment program, a yearlong Department of Developmental Services-funded initiative that supported adults with developmental disabilities in building workplace readiness skills.
Dr. Austin also served for nearly two decades at New Roads School, most recently as Dean of Access, Equity, Inclusion & Engagement, and also contributed her expertise as a Higher Education Expert for the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Autism Spectrum Disorders Program Support Task Force. Dr. Austin holds an M.S. in Physiology and Behavioral Biology from San Francisco State University, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from California Lutheran University, where her doctoral research explored faculty support of students with autism and other disabilities.
“It is a true privilege to join the L.A. GOAL community as Executive Director. In this moment, when vulnerable communities face growing challenges, I am deeply committed to building on L.A. GOAL’s legacy of opportunity and belonging for adults with developmental disabilities” said Dr. Austin. For more than five decades, L.A. GOAL has empowered adults with developmental disabilities throughout the Greater Los Angeles area by providing employment opportunities, life skills training, education, community, and an outlet for creative expression. L.A. GOAL’s art studio and creative venture, Inside Out Productions, employs 20 artists with developmental disabilities and hosts two free community art shows annually.
The upcoming show, titled “Autumn Art Show & Open House,” will take place on October 25, 2025 at L.A. GOAL (4911 Overland Avenue, Culver City, CA 90230) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Guests will have the opportunity to meet Dr. Austin and connect with L.A. GOAL’s vibrant community.
Aaron Matsuda for LAGOAL
