South Los Angeles community leaders, elected officials and entertainers joined Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson in celebrating his former staffer, Dina R. Andrews, at a farewell gathering as she transitioned from Council District 8 to EmpowerLA/Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.
People attending included the executive board members of Empowerment Congress West Neighborhood Council, Baldwin Hills Estates Homeowners Association, Park Mesa Heights Neighborhood Council, and the 78th/79th Street Block Club.
Also on hand were business owners Greg Dulan and Kim Prince, Civil and Human Rights General Manager Capri Maddox, L.A. Planning Commissioner Karen Mack, Dr. Belinda Allen of West Angeles CDC and Robert Sausado of Community Build. Some of her music industry friends in attendance were Thomas Shelby/Lakeside, Leon Blue/Ice Cube, and songwriter/producer Tony Haynes.
Andrews, known as a dealmaker and architect of talent from the late 1970s to early 2000s, contributed to contracts that grossed in excess of $100M in record sales and was responsible for placing her clients’ hit records with just about every major record label in the country.
She joined Harris-Dawson’s team in 2015 during his inaugural election to the L.A. City Council. She has since served as the “people’s advocate,” managing complex cases that had been unattended for decades, and was considered a gatekeeper for the councilmember.
During her CD 8 tenure, she produced several memorable events such as Solar Records 40th Anniversary, Soul Train Dancers, Bill Withers & Reggie Andrews, AAFCA with Anthony Hemingway, and support to her friends Earth, Wind & Fire, to name a few. She was also lead organizer for the council district’s square dedications for Don Campbell, EJ Jackson, and the National Association of Real Estate Brokers.
Prior to her city career, Andrews was widely known for her work in the entertainment industry including her accomplishments with Dick Griffey/Solar Records, and as talent manager for iconic producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Derek Bramble, Vincent Brantley and Alvin Speights. She also served as general manager of the PT Entertainment group, “TLC,” as well as worked in the Christian/gospel space, representing songwriter/producer Percy Bady and arranging for his songs to be recorded by Yolanda Adams, Bishop Paul Morton and Bishop Marvin Sapp.
