Alexandra Shade is the Workforce Development Manager for the GRID Alternatives Bay Area regional office and has been at the organization since 2019. She graduated from MIT with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Sustainable Development and Innovation. She has collaborated with people around the world to work on the product design of low-cost, practical innovations to address global poverty challenges in developing countries. A San Diego native, she returned to California to pursue her interest in inclusive sustainable technology and found GRID Alternatives through their Solarcorps Fellowship program.

Alexandria Baker is the South Bay Manager for Pacific Gas & Electric’s PowerPathway Team and Lead for the Women in Trades Initiative. With over 20 years in marketing and program management, she has held a variety of roles, including promoting economic development programs for the Indiana Department of Commerce and serving as a program administrator/adjunct business instructor for Carl Albert State College in Oklahoma. Alex graduated from DePauw University with a degree in Communication and earned her MBA through Indiana Wesleyan University. Through Coro, Alex hopes to gain more insight into workforce strategies and gain skills around leadership, collaboration, and networking.

Candace Wagner is a Chief Estimator for RF Contractors and Project Manager. She has 6 years of experience in the commercial, multi-family and residential construction industry. Prior to transitioning to estimating and project management, Ms. Wagner spent 4 years working for a Property Management company working alongside DR Horton to develop single family homes and condos, while managing 17 HOA Communities throughout Texas. Through the Workforce Leadership Network, Candace hopes to build on and improve her leadership skills and develop the necessary tools, knowledge, and abilities to inspire and impact her team, collaborative partners, and community.

Enjema Hudson has over 25 years of experience in workforce development and social services. She is currently a Program Analyst II for the City of Oakland’s Economic and Workforce Development Department, where she oversees the administration of federal and city workforce funding at Oakland’s four America’s Job Centers of California. Prior to the City of Oakland, Enjema worked for Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services. Enjema’s purpose in joining the Workforce Leadership Network is to grow her leadership skills and develop a deeper knowledge base and peer network.

Germaine Davis is the Assistant One Stop Operator/Events Coordinator at Oakland Private Industry Council, Inc. She is dedicated to creating innovative ideals that produce results for job seekers in the Oakland community. Through collaborations with Community Based Organizations and working with Employers, she always reminds them of her common goal that must be shared amongst all, “ONE EMPLOYER, ONE PERSON, ONE JOB AT A TIME!” Germaine is committed to making an impact to secure jobs for Oakland residents as well as creating meaningful business engagements that will last a lifetime!

Greg Rideout earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Elementary Education from Colby College and went on to earn a master’s degree in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis.  After two years of direct services in child welfare, Greg launched what has grown into a 25-year career in nonprofit management.  After spending the last 20 years leading youth development and workforce development programming in New York City, Greg recently relocated to Northern California and returned to child welfare, serving as Chief Program Officer for Community-Based Programs at Seneca Family of Agencies.  He is also an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Services.

Kriztina Palone is a Sacramento native who currently serves as the Workforce Development Manager in the Office of Innovation & Economic Development for the City of Sacramento. In this role, she leads a portfolio of workforce development initiatives and programs focused on addressing the workforce needs of marginalized and vulnerable communities. Kristina has 17 years of experience working in local government, with 10-years in the San Francisco Mayor’s Kriztina holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work, from San Francisco State University.

Ms. Latoya Reed is a Management Analyst at the Alameda County Workforce Development Board (ACWDB). Ms. Reed leads analytical endeavors for ACWDB, as well as program policy development, strategic local planning, labor market analyses, and leads the department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, while collaborating on special initiatives that dually support department and agency goals. Ms. Reed earned a master’s degree in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley, with an emphasis in Management and Planning. As an American-born West African with Tennessee and Bay Area roots, Ms. Reed is also passionate about fostering Pan-African collaborations.

Leslie Alfaro is a Policy Manager at the Bay Area Council, focusing on the Workforce of the Future Initiative and gender equity and diversity issues. As a first-generation college student, Leslie is passionate about creating a more equitable education system that works for all students. Prior to joining the Bay Area Council Leslie worked with families in East Oakland for Children’s Home Society of California. Leslie also served as a VISTA Volunteer for the City of San Antonio’s Head Start program. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a major in Sociology and a minor in Global Poverty & Practice. In her free time Leslie enjoys watching live music and spending time outside.

Linda Liu works at City College of San Francisco managing workforce development grants to fund career technical education courses and programmatic supplies. Her passion is in workforce development, to ensure people have access to job opportunities, to allow them to live, work and thrive in San Francisco. Her dream is for public, private, and nonprofit sectors to work together and create access to job opportunities in high-demand industries. Linda also serves on the Board of Directors for San Francisco Women’s Political Committee. She graduated with a BA in Political Science and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, San Diego, and a MA in Public Administration, at the University of San Francisco.

Lynne Wilkins is the Owner/Director of the Community English Center, with 30+ years experience delivering effective communications and digital literacy training to employees and clients of corporations and community partners in the SF Bay Area. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she was the Director of Programs and the Director of Corporate Training for Industry at The English Center in Oakland, CA, helping non-native English speaking job seekers to take advantage of their work experience and life skills to find employment in the U.S. She holds a B.A. from Mills College in Second Language Pedagogy and a M.A. from SFSU in Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language. 

Mariel Estrada Bonilla is the Director of Workforce Development for Building Skills Partnership where she works to provide professional development opportunities to janitors throughout California. Mariel brings years of experience supporting and developing programming for marginalized populations, especially immigrants. Because she is a first-generation immigrant herself, Mariel is particularly interested in exploring the intersection between immigrant labor, workforce development, and education. She is excited to join a cohort of like-minded individuals who care about making a difference in the lives of working people.

Mario Wagner is a local Bay Area Contractor dedicated to his family, work, and community. He is set on enhancing the process of how the community engages the Workforce and businesses as a whole. What inspires him is the efforts within his network and the commitment others take in solving issues that are hardships that hinder growth and equity. Mario is excited to work with so many others to collectively strengthen leadership skills, learning from one another across the workforce sector which will have a huge impact going forward. He believes that lots of people possess the ability to become leaders but it takes a very special person to lead.

Miguel Velasco is an experienced Workforce Development Specialist who brings robust knowledge in the private, nonprofit and public sectors. As a former director of Workforce Development Programs, he brings a foundation in development, implementation, and facilitation of projects aimed towards the community, including job placements and retention, development of technology and basic computer training programs, relief funds, housing support, and community engagement. As an immigrant himself, his goal is to create programs that will enhance community members’ lives, and provide support, especially to monolingual Spanish speakers. He currently works for the City and County of San Francisco.

Sandhya Laddha is the Advocacy and Policy Director at Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition where she works with the community members, electeds, decision makers and other stakeholders to make it safer for people walking and biking. She moved to the United States in 2018 from India, where she did her undergrad in Architecture, followed by a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. She has worked in various sectors, like rural development, parking, and urban street design and waste management. She is a trained classical dancer and an entrepreneur, having started two ventures: one on waste management for a town and another where she made handicrafts with her BFF.

Sofia Andrade is passionate about improving the diversity of our healthcare field in order to reduce health disparities and increase access to high-quality healthcare for underserved communities. She started her career in the California State Capitol, serving as a legislative aide in the Senate and Assembly. Sofia now serves as a Workforce Development Program Manager at CommonSpirit Health, a national not-for-profit healthcare system. There she works with executives, community organizations, and key education patterns in building pipelines for underrepresented communities to enter into the healthcare workforce. Sofia holds a MPH in Health Policy and Management from the University of California, Berkeley.

Teresa McGill is a dynamic Job Developer with 17+ years of experience delivering workforce development services to diverse and unique job seekers, of which, seven years are with Alameda County Social Services Agency, where she serves as a liaison between clients, and meaningful employment. She firmly believes in career construction, based on identifying transferable skill sets, motivation, and occupational choices. She is passionate about establishing partnerships to gain knowledge, learn about resources, and gather information that will help customers navigate a culture where workplaces are changing rapidly and require endurance and self-determination.