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  • Who We Are
    • Mission & History
    • Our Team
    • Board Leaders
    • IDEAL
    • Our Impact
    • Financials
    • Contact Us
  • What We Do
    • Consulting
    • Workshops
    • Boot Camp
    • IDEAL Program
    • Board Matching >
      • BRB Cohort I
      • BRB Cohort II
    • Leaders Institute >
      • Meet LI Class XIII
      • Meet LI Class XIV
      • Meet LI Class XV
      • Meet LI Class XVI
    • Roundtables
    • Conferences & Executive Education
    • Nonprofit Resources
  • Learning Calendar
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Membership Description
    • Renew/Join
    • Member Upgrades >
      • GrantStation Membership
      • Board Orientation Success
      • BoardSource Membership
    • Member List
  • Newsletter
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    • Corporate Sponsorship

CEN Leaders Institute Class XVI

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Ana Angel Avendaño

Executive Director, El Concilio of San Mateo County

About Ana:
Ana Angel Avendaño is a first generation Chicana/Latina born in the Bay Area and raised between borders. Her childhood experiences with her grandmother in Michoacán, Mexico, not only shaped her identity but her everyday work as a community leader, activist and mama scholar. Ana has worked both in the public and non-profit sector with youth and community development programs in leadership, advocacy, and cultural awareness. Ana is the new Executive Director for El Concilio of San Mateo County. She is excited to continue working directly with the community to address the needs of our most underserved and vulnerable populations. Her community leadership includes serving in a steering committee for New Voices for Youth, seating in an Art Advisory Board for the Chan Zuckerberg Community Space, and organizing an annual Latinx Youth Conference. Ana holds a doctorate in Education from the University of San Francisco, a Masters in Chicanx Studies from San Jose State and a B.A in Ethnic Studies from CSU, East Bay.
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​About the organization: 
El Concilio of San Mateo County (ECSMC) is a non-profit, community-based organization incorporated in 1980, is committed to increasing education, employment and access to quality of life services to underserved communities in San Mateo County. It has responded to the well documented racial and ethnic health and education disparities that include all underserved, low-income, non/limited English speaking communities through its programs.. 
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Julia Chih

CEO, Aim High

​About Julia:
Rooted in by her own experience as an immigrant to this country and a first-generation college graduate, Julia’s fight for educational equity is a personal one. She has dedicated her career to improving educational outcomes for students of color from low-income communities.

Julia brings over two decades of experience in education and a fierce commitment to ensuring that all students have the opportunity to pursue their passions.

She earned her B.A. in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley and holds a dual master’s degree in Public Affairs and Urban and Regional Planning from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

About the organization: 
Aim High creates life-changing opportunities during the summer and beyond. Our community: nurtures
the promise and potential of middle school students from low-income neighborhoods and prepares students for high school, setting them on the path to college and future success.​.
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Shanda Cooper

Chief Program Officer, Tigerlily Foundation

About Shanda:
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Shanda Cooper is Chief Program Officer of Tigerlily Foundation, a national breast cancer foundation on a mission to educate, advocate for, empower, and support young women, before, during, and after breast cancer.  Prior to joining Tigerlily in 2020, Shanda served as the Founder of the Fena Group, an international development consulting firm specializing in partner engagement, corporate social responsibility, and health equity. She has a Bachelor of Science in international relations and a Master of Science in violence, conflict, and development. Active in her community, she is the Vice-Chair and Chair of the Engagement Committee for the W&M Society of 1918 and Co-Chair of the Outreach and Social Justice Ministries at the Washington National Cathedral.

​About the organization: 
Tigerlily Foundation's mission is to educate, advocate for, empower, and support young women, before, during, and after breast cancer.
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Sara Dean

Executive Arts Director, South Bay Musical Theatre

About Sara:
Sara K. Dean’s experience spans all levels of theatre, from community productions to Broadway.  In 2017, she joined South Bay Musical Theatre as Production Manager, and in 2019 was named Executive Artistic Director. She received her BFA theatre from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, with a focus on directing and arts management. In New York, Sara was a Production Assistant with the original company of Disney’s The Lion King, and worked with Madison Square Gardens on A Christmas Carol and The Wizard of Oz. In the Bay Area, Sara was the Company Manager at AMTSJ, and worked for San José Rep and CMTSJ. Sara is immensely proud of the diverse and passionate community of artists at SBMT that have persevered to bring vital, thought-provoking stories to the South Bay and beyond - both on stage and through our eStudio - during this unprecedented era of pandemic theatre-making.​
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​About the organization: 
South Bay Musical Theatre strives to provide high-quality entertainment by bringing together a diverse group of participants in an inclusive, collaborative, and nurturing environment. As we share our passion for Theatre Arts, we endeavor to leave a lasting, positive impression upon our community.
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Ryan Easterly

Executive Director, WITH Foundation

About Ryan:
Ryan Easterly serves as executive director of the WITH Foundation. An experienced grantmaker, strategist, and advocate, he is driven by a desire to effect meaningful change. Before joining WITH, he served on its Board of Directors, which advanced his commitment to disability justice and the need for broader access to comprehensive healthcare for adults with developmental disabilities.

Regarded as a leader on the intersections of race, class and disability, Ryan has worked across the federal sector and within community outreach and advocacy efforts with a strong record of collaboration. He is a co-founder and previous director of Northern California Community Relations at MySupport, Inc., an online platform designed to empower people with disabilities and seniors with dignity, self-determination and respect while connecting them with direct support workers. As manager of the National Youth Transitions Initiative for The HSC Foundation, a Washington, DC nonprofit operating as the parent foundation of a health system for children and young adults with complex medical needs, he led funding and programmatic support for a grantee and collaborative network of 70+ organizations serving young people with disabilities and young veterans. Ryan also worked at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and was appointed by President Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities in 2016.  

Ryan regularly advises government agencies and the philanthropic sector on issues such as community participatory practices, inclusive philanthropy, accessibility, leadership development, employment, and healthcare impacting communities of color, the foster care system, and the LGBTQ+ community. He is a member of the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy, the Disability & Philanthropy Forum Steering Committee, and co-chairs Exponent Philanthropy’s Disability Funders Peer Circle. Ryan hails from Alabama, and after moving to the West Coast, often wonders when he will find his next glass of sweet tea.
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​About the organization: 
WITH Foundation promotes comprehensive healthcare for adults with developmental disabilities in the United States that is designed to address their unique and fundamental needs.​
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Laurie Egan

Executive Director, Coastal Watershed Council

About Laurie:
Laurie leads the Coastal Watershed Council to transform the lower San Lorenzo River into a thriving urban riverfront where all Santa Cruzans can connect to nature in their daily lives. Since joining the team in 2013, Laurie has shaped CWC's strategy, launched trademark programs, forged deep relationships with funders and decision-makers, led staff through significant challenges, and fundraised some of the most transformational investments in CWC's work to date. Prior to joining CWC, Laurie worked on statewide campaigns to reduce ineffective toxic chemicals in consumer products with Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles and the Center for Environmental Health. Laurie serves on the City of Santa Cruz Climate Action Task Force, the board of directors at United Way of Santa Cruz County, and was recognized as Santa Cruz County's 2016 Emerging Leader of the Year. She earned a B.S. in Environmental Analysis from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA.

​About the organization: 
CWC’s mission is to preserve and protect coastal watersheds through stewardship, education and monitoring.​
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Jacquetta Gifford

Founder/Principal, Dismantling Daughters Foundation

About Jacquetta:
Jacquetta Gifford is an entrepreneur, educator, and multi-hyphenated creative located in Oakland, CA, originating from Newark, NJ. With an education background in Marketing and Theater, from Temple University, she found herself working in the many intersectionalities of the communities that she is a part of such as the nonprofit industry, education, and performing arts. Through Jacquetta's own journey of self-discovery, she was led to build Dismantling Daughters Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on supporting BIPOC women with navigating disruptors in their structural blueprints. She found that her journey to success was not linear and that she spent a lot of her time living as an observer of her life and not as a participant. After conversations and years of research with several women in the many different communities Jacquetta is a part of, Dismantling Daughters was birthed. As a creative, she has a passion for storytelling, social and environmental justice, education, and women’s rights.

About the organization:

Dismantling Daughters Foundation - A community based organization that focuses on supporting BIPOC women with navigating disruptors in their structural blueprints; through five pillars/focuses: food and housing security, education, finance, mental health and wellness, and professional development by supporting an internal shift that lends them the opportunity to gain success in the world.
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Kevin William Heller-Antrim, EdD

Executive Director, Santa Clara Schools Foundation

About Kevin:
After ten years of teaching English as a Second Language, Kev made the jump to administration, first running UC Scout, UC’s online high school program, and then leading operations for Stanford’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, before taking on the ED role with the SCSF. He has a BA in English, an MA in TESL, a graduate certificate in Project and Program Management, and an EdD in Educational Leadership. He participated in study abroad programs in Mexico and Italy, and after college spent a year in Ecuador, a year in Northern Ireland, and four years in Germany. In his spare time, Kev is an avid disc golfer, crossword puzzle enthusiast, and photographer. He spent four years helping to shape admissions policy on the UC Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS), helped craft the QualityMatters (QM) national standards for high-quality online education, and currently serves on the board of the Katie Johnson Fellowship, a non-profit dedicated to supporting people with disabilities. He lives in Santa Clara with his wife and daughter, and most mornings he runs with his dog, Walnut.
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​About the organization: 
​The mission of the Santa Clara Schools Foundation is to enhance the quality of education for all students in the Santa Clara Unified School District by providing a source of funds for educational projects, equipment, and programs which directly benefit the students.​
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Jill Holloway

Co-Executive Director of People and Operations, Bikes East Bay

About Jill:
Jill joined Bike East Bay, a bicycle advocacy and mobility justice nonprofit based in Oakland, as the Operations Director in June 2021. She will be stepping into a new position, Co-Executive Director of People and Operations at the end of this year. Her background is in environmental engineering and she previously owned a zero-waste business in Oakland. She graduated with an MBA from UC Davis in 2018. Since moving to Davis, CA from Pennsylvania in 2013 her appreciation for biking and advocacy for safer streets has continuously grown. Now a resident of the East Bay she spends a lot of her time commuting and running errands by bike and advocating for just and equitable transportation systems.
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​About the organization: 
Bike East Bay promotes healthy, sustainable communities by making bicycling safe, fun and accessible.
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Rolland Janairo

Executive Director, Silicon Valley Urban Debate League
About Rolland:
Rolland joined SVUDL as its Executive Director in December 2018.

Born and raised in New York City to parents who immigrated from the Philippines, Rolland has developed a deep appreciation for the transformative power of education as a product of the NYC public school system. While attending and after graduating from Brown University, Rolland volunteered and taught at a preschool in Providence, Rhode Island. He later earned his Masters Degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

During his time in Boston, Rolland was the Associate Director of Teacher Development at Jumpstart for Young Children, as well as the Director of Playmaker Operations at Life is Good Playmakers. Prior to joining SVUDL, Rolland served as the Chief Operating Officer at World Savvy. Across all of these roles, Rolland's focus has been on supporting students to reach their full potential by empowering the caring adults around them to do the same.

Rolland also serves as Treasurer of the Board of the Directors of the Thrive Alliance of Nonprofits of San Mateo County, as well as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the California Association of Urban Debate Leagues. He is a current Fellow at the Silicon Valley Multicultural Awards Program, as well as an IDEA Fellow of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Silicon Valley Chapter. He is also a Senior Fellow faculty member with the Institute of Nonprofit Practice. In his spare time, Rolland enjoys running, cooking, and exploring the Bay Area with his wife and two young boys.​
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​About the organization: 
Our mission is to empower Silicon Valley students, regardless of their race or socioeconomic status, to reach their full potential to become professional and community leaders by teaching critical thinking and communication skills through Speech and Debate programming.
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Kim Jones

Executive Director, The Changemaker Initiative

About Kim:
Kim is passionate about enabling people to find their abundant, purpose-filled life.  She worked as a pediatrician for 20 years before leaving clinical medicine to do nonprofit work. Her favorite things are being part of an awesome team, biking, hiking, board games, and ice cream.
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​About the organization: 
​Empowering and equipping real people to be compassion-driven changemakers every day in their families, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, and communities.
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Melanie McDougall

COO of Public Editor, Goodly Labs

About Melanie:
Melanie has a demonstrable track record of delivering high-quality work in under-resourced teams and thrive in positions that require continuous learning of technical subjects. She has refined these skills over ten years, recently working with early-stage technology companies in the Bay Area; notably, Ambisafe where her team grew from 12 to over 100 people in my first 6 months

She is adept at spearheading new initiatives, communicating complex ideas, developing relationships with early customers and building teams. Melanie believes integrity is a cornerstone in building high-performance teams, and as such, will always ensure that she completes deliverables on-time and within budget.
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​About the organization: 
Goodly Labs a nonprofit organization leading research and development of prosocial technologies that develop public capacity to understand and improve society. Goodly's ready-to-scale projects empower responsible citizens to address vital democratic concerns, including misinformation, police and protester interactions, the oversight of elected officials, and deliberation/governance. Future projects will also produce tools for improving social life offline and scaffolding better interpersonal relationships at a number of scales.

Goodly's flagship 'Public Editor' project enlists online volunteers in an assembly line of evaluation/annotation tasks to label over 40 types of misinformation directly onto the erroneous words and phrases of each day's most popular news articles. The labels help newsreaders avoid being fooled, and gradually train them in media literacy and critical thinking. With open, explainable processes, Public Editor also computes a credibility score for each article, which can be used to provide media platform users with a credibility threshold filter on their feeds.
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Gabriel Medina

Executive Director, La Raza Community Resource Center

About Gabriel:
Gabriel’s more than 20 years’ experience in policy, government, nonprofits and leadership have demonstrated the innovation, compassion, and integrity that have defined La Raza Community Resource Center’s (La Raza CRC) culture. While he lived most of his life in the Excelsior and Portola neighborhoods, he was born and raised in the Mission. A 100% product of SFUSD schools, Gabriel serves his community on the Community Action Group member for UCSF and his local Mission YMCA Advisory Board. Working for the CEO’s of both the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) and Mission Neighborhood Centers (MNC) since 2013 has given him a well-informed perspective on serving the Mission community. He is the current Co-Chair of Commissions for All, which successfully passed Proposition C (2020) so all immigrants can serve on City Commissions, regardless of their status. He was the Campaign Manager for Proposition N (2016) the Immigrant Parent Right to Vote Act, winning the right to vote for School Board for Aspiring Citizen Parents with children in SFUSD schools.​
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​About the organization: 
La Raza Community Resource Center (La Raza) works to preserve and develop the Latino/a community by providing the appropriate resources which promote self-sufficiency and leadership. Our primary focus is to address the unmet needs of Latino/a immigrants.
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Jethroe Moore II

Past President, San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP

About Jethroe:
Rev. Jethroe (Jeff) Moore II was born in Norfolk Virginia and is a graduate of Silver Creek High School; received an Associated Arts Degree from Evergreen Valley College and a B.S. Degree in Bible & Theology, Management and Ethics from San Jose Christian College. Rev. Moore was licensed and ordained to preach the gospel by Rev. Dr. Willie T. Gaines Jr. and is current Pastor of the Rehoboth Christian Center.

Rev. Moore Past President of the San Jose/Silicon Valley National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). And a Former Commissioner on P.O.S. T. Peace Officer Standards and Training for the state of California; Juvenile Justice Commission of Santa Clara County Commissioner, 2020 Census Count Steering Committee Valley Water Environmental and Water Resources Committee Vice Chair.  He is an active member of Eta Sigma Lambda Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated and Past Co- Chair/Co-founder of the Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet, Member of American Leadership Forum XXVIII. He is married to the beautiful Audrey Hill of Birmingham Alabama; we have two son Jethroe Zion Moore III and Josiah Javon Moore. Rev Jethroe (Jeff) Moore II the Doulos One (Servant): Inalienably possessed by God, at the disposal of God, obedient to God, and constantly in the service of God,​
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​About the organization: 
Our mission is to achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights, eliminate discrimination, and accelerate the well-being, education, and economic security of Black people and all persons of color. 
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Mandy Murphy

CEO, Kay Yow Cancer Fund
About Mandy:
Murphy is the CEO of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against all cancers affecting women through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved, and unifying people for a common cause.  She was previously an independent consultant at MNM Strategy LLC, where she successfully guided clients to drive strategic social impact through the power of sport. Murphy has spent more than two decades in the sports industry, including the last 12 years in the international sport for development non-profit sector, including leadership roles at both Special Olympics International and PeacePlayers. An ESPN “Enspire” Award winner and proud graduate of Penn State University, Murphy has an extensive background in strategy, communications and partnerships and has demonstrated success in using sport as a vehicle for positive change.

About the organization:
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund aims to find an answer in the fight against all cancers affecting women through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved, and unifying people for a common cause.

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Yvonne Murray

COO & Director of Community Engagement, The Changemaker Initiative
About Yvonne:
Yvonne sees herself as a catalyst for change. Until recently, Yvonne managed software development teams, maximizing team dynamics and building innovative solutions. Early in the pandemic, she shifted to focus on changemaking, both movement building and local community activism. Yvonne and her husband have a blended family of four adult children, one foster daughter, and two grandkids. Yvonne enjoys snuggling with her new grandson, doggie, and bringing order to chaos all with a smile
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​About the organization: 
Empowering real people to be compassion-driven changemakers in their families, work, schools, neighborhoods, and communities.
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​Mimi Nguyen

Executive Director, Step Forward Foundation

About Mimi:
Mimi Nguyễn is a fierce leader and staunch advocate, who has dedicated her career to public interest with the goals of addressing challenging issues, building stronger communities, and reshaping the nonprofit sector. Mimi is passionate about empowering and uplifting the voices of underrepresented and marginalized communities through her legal representation and advocacy. She represents immigration clients, who are monolingual speakers in low-income households. She helps survivors of crimes through their immigration process by supporting survivors as they heal from their trauma. She believes her clients can write the next chapters of their lives by taking this step forward. Mimi advocates on issues impacting the immigrant communities, such as human trafficking, deportation defense, racial equity (census, redistricting, and voting).  She is a fearless, compassionate, and kind person who stands for love, community, healing, liberation, and justice for all.

As the Executive Director of Step Forward Foundation, Mimi takes a collaborative approach and puts her clients and team at the forefront in her decision-making. Her team takes a person-centered and trauma-informed approach in supporting survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assaults, and other crimes. Mimi applies a social justice and racial equity lens to transform the nonprofit sector to create a more IDEAL (inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible, and liberating) workplace. Mimi also serves on the board of the Vietnamese American Roundtable (VAR) and the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California (VABANC).

In 2020, Mimi and her husband, Vietnam Nguyen, welcomed a beautiful baby girl named Sophia. In her free time, Mimi enjoys calligraphing, weightlifting, yoga, traveling, and spending time with her family, friends, and two Shiba Inu dogs.​
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​About the organization: 
Step Forward Foundation’s mission is to provide pro bono legal services to marginalized, underrepresented, and underserved communities. Our legal services includes: immigration, family, and employment law with a focus on survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and of other crimes. Our goal is to further social justice by providing legal access and helping immigrants and survivors navigate the legal system.
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Roopali Rajvanshy

​​Founder and Executive Director, Rcoz

About Roopali:
Roopali is a mother of 2 lovely children and an experienced professional who has led various initiatives including collaboration, networking events, social media marketing, diversity programs, mentoring, etc. in organizations and companies ranging from high tech, non-profits, and incubators, etc. A multi-talented and award-winning individual who is ready to learn and try new ideas each day. 

Most recently she is the founder of Rcoz.us. Rcoz (our cause) is an open web platform whose vision is to remove stigma around mental health challenges and normalize conversations through short personal stories. They focus on making a positive impact in the community with digital media and user-generated stories that create empathy and compassion. 

She was a core member of member Woman, Startup! CA  where they built the organization from the ground up. The mission was to Advise, Inspire and Connect global and local communities of entrepreneurial women.

Before that she held Marketing related roles at Cisco, IBM and VMware and other companies

She has volunteered in different roles such as:
  •  Forest Park Elementary School - Member of the PTA executive committee 
  • Forest Park Elementary School - Chairperson for the Arts program 
  • Odyssey of the Mind - Coach for Mission Valley Elementary and Mission San Jose High School 
  • Hopkins Junior High School - Chairperson for Career Day 
  • Hopkins Junior High School - Member of the PTA executive committee 
  • Mission San Jose High School Vice President of the PTA 
  • Olive Hyde Art Guild - Chairperson for receptions, Vice President 
  • Rotary Club of Milpitas - Charter President
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​About the organization: 
Rcoz (Our Cause) is an open platform that connects communities to remove stigma and normalize conversations through short personal stories around mental struggles. Peer-to-peer conversations and personal narratives of everyday people are relatable to realize that we are not alone in this journey. Stories of hope, inspiration, and overcoming adversity to build a stronger community.​
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Kendal Sager

Executive Director, Sager Family Farms

About Kendal:
When Sager Family Farm Executive Director, Kendal Sager, was in first grade, she went on a school field trip to a local organic farm (Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills). On that field trip, she got to feed chickens, milk a cow, shake cream into butter, and taste organic plants from roots to fruits. This formative experience sparked a lifelong passion and inspired Kendal to bring this form of hands-on education enrichment to as many students as possible. 

In 2015, Kendal founded Sager Family Farm with the goal of inspiring budding farmers, scientists, and naturalists (and more) through hands-on, interactive experiences with animals and nature. Kendal has personally taught in hundreds of classrooms throughout Silicon Valley, connecting directly with the students we serve. 

Kendal has always been passionate about nature education and education in general. Throughout her life, she has volunteered as an instructor for outdoor classes at the Washington Park Arboretum, Hidden Villa, and Living Classroom. She has also been an educator as a Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering Teaching Assistant at University of Washington, a volunteer instructor in inner-city computer programming workshops in Seattle, and an Education and Curriculum Consultant for DreamWorks Animation. When developing courses, Kendal excels at simplifying complex topics, making them accessible and engaging to her audience.
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​About the organization: 
The mission of Sager Family Farm is to foster a love for learning, curiosity about the natural world, and to help our students apply project-based lessons to real world applications. Our elementary school lessons bring learning to life and spark interest in STEAM fields through hands-on, engaging activities. 

Our programs utilize a “reverse field trip” model which brings the farm into the classroom, eliminating the barriers of traditional field trips and expanding access to a wider range of students. Since the founding of Sager Family Farm in 2015, our flagship program “Big Buzz About Bees” has visited a total of 350 classrooms and presented to approximately 8208 students.​
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Justin Standley

​Founder/Chief Executive Officer, ThaTown

About Justin:
Justin Standley, a father of 2, was born and raised in Oakland, Ca. Experiencing an inner-city upbringing, but also being able to get out of Oakland through sports he was able to make relationships with people from different backgrounds. 
Justin is passionate about creating opportunities and providing information to people. Using his relationships, he has built a growing podcast platform to have conversations with people about their mental health.
Justin is a Mental Health Advocate who embraces sharing his experiences and knowledge for others to learn from.
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About the organization:
Tha Town is a digital hub of resources "to help all" by inspiring hope and building community through truth seeking and storytelling.
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Eric Valladares

Executive Director, Family Connections

About Eric:
For more than a decade, I have worked at various non-profits in San Mateo County where my focus has been on supporting some of our most vulnerable families and communities. My work has included home visiting services for children and their families, family reunification, school-based counseling, therapy in childcare settings, supporting survivors of sexual assault, and supporting survivors of domestic violence. For the last 8 years, I transitioned into a leadership role where I have overseen programs that focus on Early Childhood, Child Abuse Prevention and Intervention, and Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention. My passion is to partner with families and communities to work towards addressing the systemic inequities that exist. I care deeply for my team and the incredible work that they do everyday and strive to foster an environment where they feel valued, respected, and can thrive. I have a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology from San Francisco State University and hold a license in Marriage and Family Therapy through the State of California.
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​About the organization: 
Thriving Kids through Thriving Families​
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Elizabeth Wells

Executive Director, Foundation for a College Education

About Elizabeth:
As the Executive Director at Foundation for a College Education, I lead a team of dedicated staff in providing educational resources to first-generation, financially disadvantaged youth. Our mission is to increase the college graduation rate of underrepresented students. 

As a Senior Attorney, I had a demonstrated history of improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged youth. I developed expertise in education law and foster youth policy initiatives that level the playing field for at-risk youth. I have a proven track record in project development and management, evaluating systems, streamlining procedures and processes with the end goal of improving outcomes.  I have contributed to state and national policy initiatives for foster youth financial stability, and have been published nationally.
  
I am a demonstrated community leader with an ability to collaborate and foster partnerships that advance ESG goals. I have extensive experience managing and training teams of diverse backgrounds and skill sets. I am also proficient in Spanish.
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​About the organization: 
Foundation for a College Education’s mission is to increase the number of first-generation, low-income students of color from East Palo Alto and similar communities who graduate from a four-year college or university.​
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Lihong Zhang

Executive Director, Chinese Performing Arts of America

About Lihong:
Lihong is the executive director of the Chinese Performing Arts of America (CPAA). Prior to that Lihong had almost two decades of experience in the high-tech industry, holding various engineering management positions. Lihong also has been an active volunteer in the community, serving several leadership roles in PTAs for local schools, Boy Scouts of America etc. Lihong holds a master’s degree in Computer Science.
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​About the organization: 
Chinese Performing Arts of America (CPAA) is chartered to introduce Chinese culture as an integral part of the American society through performing arts, community services and education; to promote multiculturalism through collaborations with arts organizations from other communities; and to promote global cultural exchange through international cultural events. 
CPAA also manages a community center serves 40+ local small to medium arts and culture groups from different ethnic backgrounds, bringing the vibrance of diversified arts to our community.
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