Team
Kyla Christoffersen Powell
President and CEO
Since 2019, Kyla has led Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC), the only statewide advocacy organization focused solely on legal reform on behalf of businesses, in the California legislature, courts, and regulatory arenas.
Lucy Chinkezian
Senior Counsel
Lucy brings to her CJAC role nearly five years of civil litigation experience including in the areas of labor and employment and disability access laws.
She also worked in the California Legislature as an intern with the Assembly Judiciary Committee and as a legislative aide in Senator Portantino’s office.
Lucy is admitted to the California Bar and is a graduate of UC Davis School of Law and UC Berkeley with a BA in political science. She is fluent in Spanish and Armenian.
Calvin House
Appellate Counsel
Calvin House is a partner at Gutierrez, Preciado & House, LLP, where he defends public entities and private organizations in the federal and state trial courts and appellate courts located in California. He has tried 41 cases to juries in federal and state court. He has briefed and argued four cases in the California Supreme Court, and over 200 cases in the California Courts of Appeal and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is a frequent speaker on employment law topics.
Natalie Bruton-Yenovkian
Consultant, Political Affairs
Natalie has extensive experience in political strategy and fundraising for California statewide, legislative, and local races, and her clientele includes various elected officials and the California Armenian Legislative Caucus Foundation.
Natalie previously served as Special Projects Manager for California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and former Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones.
She has a BA in English and Political Science from UC Davis and an MA in Intercultural Communication from University of the Pacific.
David Cooper
Senior Director of Operations
David has been part of the CJAC family for three decades. Before joining CJAC in house, he worked for 27 years with CJAC’s founder and longtime former general counsel, Fred Heistand, in helping review, draft, and file hundreds of amicus appellate briefs which ultimately shaped the civil liability landscape in the state.
David originally hails from Oregon. He has a degree in Journalism from University of Oregon.
Adam Struck
Legislative Manager
Adam brings to his role nearly 20 years of experience in California politics, advising lawmakers and advocating for voters and constituents at multiple levels of government. He previously worked as a Field Coordinator at a lobbying firm and as a freelance campaign advisor, developing campaign strategies, organizing rallies, and managing day-to-day operations in these roles.
Dustin Tran
Political Assistant
Dustin previously worked as a lobbyist intern in Washington D.C. and as Chair of Regulation and Finance for the UC Davis student government. Dustin began working at CJAC while a senior at University of California, Davis. He graduated in 2025 with highest honors in Political Science and Philosophy and was a seven-time Dean’s list honoree.
Dustin has a strong interest in politics and legal reform and plans to pursue a Juris Doctor. He is fluent in Vietnamese.