Shana Peete, JD

​Chief Executive Officer

Prior to joining CEN in 2019, Shana served as the founding executive director of a Tri-Valley nonprofit dedicated to offering individuals and families a hand up from poverty. She has a Bachelor of Science in international business and a Doctor of Jurisprudence. She practiced law for eight years prior to moving to the Bay Area and has professional experience that includes managing Excel Child Development Center, serving as a program coordinator for Read Aloud America, and managing a 30-person customer fulfillment team for Amazon. In her spare time, she enjoys teaching the game of tennis to students of all ages and using her gift of communication—in English and Spanish—to bring people together. In light of COVID-19 and the social uprising in support of Black lives, Shana, a community activist, was tapped to serve as moderator for a three-city panel on Racial Inequity in City Government and Policing featuring nine government officials. Shana served as a board member and the membership committee chair for the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance.  Her passion is creating avenues for others who, like her, are members of groups historically excluded from board service in the nonprofit and for-profit worlds.  With a focus on IDEAL (inclusion, diversity, equity, access and liberation), she consults with individuals and organizations alike to ensure their preparedness for this unprecedented level of openness and opportunity to learn and grow in greater partnership than ever before.
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Contact Information:  shana@cen.org

Larissa Robideaux, MPA

Chief Strategy Officer

​Larissa Robideaux (She/Her) is a transformative nonprofit executive, having served in the sector for the last 20 years. Larissa is a proud second-generation nonprofit community leader who feels deeply passionate about supporting nonprofit executives and working to make needed changes regarding equity in the sector. Her commitment to the CEN IDEAL principles is profound, and returning to CEN after working for three years as a consultant in Los Angeles demonstrates her commitment to the CEN mission and the work it does for the community.   Larissa immigrated from Ireland as a child with her parents. Her father was involved in the civil rights movement in Ireland in the 1970s; this lived experience, and her father's work greatly impacted her. Larissa has a Master's degree in Public Administration and an Undergraduate degree in Business. Larissa is in the final months of her doctoral degree, EdD, at the University of Southern California in the Rossier School of Education, focusing on Organizational Change and Leadership. She has strategically transformed many organizations as a CEO and COO, focusing on creating equitable environments that promote diversity and inclusion.   In addition, Larissa has worked for the last two decades with individuals from many historically excluded communities. Working in areas such as early intervention, gender services, racial equity, disability services, and the LGBTQ community, to name a few. Larissa is passionate about executive coaching for current leaders and providing high-quality educational opportunities for emerging nonprofit leaders, organizations, and their Boards. She has demonstrated success in impactful systemic growth, fundraising, board development, strategic operations, staff management, communications, and financial strategy. In 2019, the Silicon Valley Business Journal recognized her as a Woman of Influence award, nominated by CEN staff. 

​Contact Information:  [email protected] 

Friedland + Associates

Friedland + Associates is a San Francisco-based CPA firm that specializes in cloud-based accounting and consulting services for small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Friedland and Associates supports the financial operations for Center for Excellence in Nonprofits.