Stephanie Adams has been in the healthcare field for 20 years and is a  licensed practical nurse currently working at Kaiser Permanente. Stephanie is originally from Alameda, CA and recently obtained a B.S. in Business Administration/Healthcare Management. She is looking forward to this opportunity to learn new skills and meet other women in leadership.

Lillian Archer (she/her), has been a development professional and fundraising consultant for close to 20 years. She is the founder and principal consultant of The Archer Group, a non profit management and fundraising consulting practice based in San Francisco. Prior to founding The Archer Group in 2016, Lillian was Director of Development for San Francisco Botanical Garden and has worked on all lines of fundraising throughout her career –  from development associate to corporate philanthropy, major gifts, capital campaigns and events. Recognized as an expert in her field, Lillian works with small and large nonprofits alike to raise essential dollars by serving as a resource on philanthropy to organizations, a coach to executive directors and board members, and a mentor to development directors. 

Eve Delfín is a second generation Chicana, raised in Berkeley where she is active in the community working on several campaigns and supporting community initiatives. She has dedicated the last twenty years to underrepresented, at-risk youth and violence prevention in public schools and the community.Eve has worked at several TK-12 Oakland Unified schools including the Juvenile Justice Center in the first cohort of Community School Managers, a critical role as a high-level administrator managing, leading, and coordinating integrated community partnerships. Currently, Eve is a Latino Student Achievement Targeted Student Specialist in the Office of Equity for Oakland Unified School District. In this role she strives to create the educational and systemic conditions, culture, and competencies necessary to advance Latino student achievement within a full-service community school district. Eve received her Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities with an emphasis on Chicano Studies from UC Merced. Eve keeps in touch with her heritage and culture through traditional folklorico and has danced semi-professionally touring the U.S and Latin America.

Thieu Do has dedicated her career to working for organizations that strive to create positive social impact. She is currently the Operations Manager for Informing Change, a data and strategic learning firm working with nonprofits and foundations. In her position, she is focused on making sure her staff have the support and resources they need to do their best work. Her role includes everything from managing hiring and onboarding, to organizing staff events, to overseeing our (virtual and in-person) office space. Prior to Informing Change, she has worked at various social sector organizations, including Goodwin Simon Strategic Research and OneJustice.

María D. Domínguez (she/ella) is a multiskilled advocate and attorney dedicated to advancing intersectional racial justice and equity. Born and raised in East Oakland on Ohlone Land, she is grounded in her indigenous, immigrant, working-class, first-generation Salvadoran Mexican roots. María has led numerous community organizing, people-powered campaigns in Oakland, Alameda, and throughout the East Bay. Her present work is in health equity and environmental justice in the government sector. A proud Oakland public schools and Peralta community colleges alumna, María has a Bachelor’s degree in Ethnic Studies from Mills College and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. María enjoys weaving networks, dancing, and singing.

Nicole Fernandez serves as district director for first-term State Senator Josh Becker. A career-long public servant & the 1st AAPI chair of the San Mateo County Democratic Party, she is the proud child of immigrants who believes that the power of community lies in its diversity. Nicole has a BA in Political Science from San Jose State and lives in San Mateo, CA.

Caitlin Gliniecki is the Branch Chief of FEMA Region 9’s Preparedness Grants Program. Originally from Wisconsin, Ms. Gliniecki relocated to Washington D.C. in 2010 after her service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Kyrgyz Republic. She spent the next decade working in grants management for both Peace Corps Headquarters as well as the Department of Transportation before relocating to the Bay Area to continue her public service.

Gezche Graves is passionate about empowering others to get engaged in their communities and give back through volunteerism. She serves as a Senior Program Manager for the Free Tax Help Coalition at United Way Bay Area and as a Client Advocate for the Tax Benefits Team at Code for America. Outside of work, she enjoys time with her family, traveling, photographing the outdoors, and spending summers storm chasing during the monsoon.

Sally Robb Haims is passionate about sharing stories to help mission-driven organizations raise awareness that drives engagement. A news junkie by nature, she began her professional life at age 12 by pitching journalists to cover events at St. Joseph’s Elementary School in Alameda. Although her backhand is not the weapon it once was, she played tennis for U.C. San Diego and graduated with a degree in Mass Media Communications. Her career spans the private, nonprofit, and public sectors where she promoted the good work of The Body Shop, Americas Region, The Salvation Army Golden State Division, New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services, and the New York State Senate majority leader.  Currently, she serves as the Director of Communications & Marketing for Epiphany Center, a nonprofit with a nearly 170-year-old legacy of empowering the city’s most vulnerable children and women. Sally serves on the board of the S.F. Public Relations Roundtable and enjoys doing pro bono work for S.F. Court Appointed Special Advocates for Foster Children.

Chalyna Lazo is a first generation college graduate, grew up in a single parent household and is a San Francisco native. She recently earned her Master of Public Policy (MPP) from Mills College. During graduate school, Chalyna pursued a Policy and Research Advisor position at the Drake Institute of Women’s Policy, a non-partisan policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. that focuses on addressing policy areas that affect women and others nationwide. Chalyna received her B.A. from San Francisco State University in Women and Gender Studies and a minor in Communications. Chalyna has always been motivated to make a difference in her community and throughout the world. She learned how to create a network and build relationships with individuals in the non-profit sector throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Over time, Chalyna has gained experience volunteering and interning with organizations such as Oasis for Girls and Young Community Developers, Inc. In her free time, Chalyna loves dancing, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Colleen Ma is a Senior Project Manager at the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), where she has spent the past 5 years financing and developing a wide range of affordable housing developments including homes for families, seniors, and special needs populations. Previously, she worked as a housing coordinator and re-entry case manager in San Francisco and as a community organizer in Southern California. Colleen is proudly a born and raised San Franciscan and product of SFUSD public schools. She earned her master’s degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her undergraduate degree in Geography/Environmental Studies from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Brittany McDaniel is a first generation college graduate who was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a bachelor’s degree from Savannah College of Art and Design. She currently works at First Graduate, a community based organization located in the mission district of San Francisco as Operations Manager. In her free time she enjoys reading and spending time with her spouse and cats.

Diana Medina is a first-generation Mexican-American writer, poet, and educator born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Her mission in life is to use her gift with words to bring more clarity, compassion, and comic relief to the world. She is the Program Director at The Practice Space, a Bay Area nonprofit that seeks to build confidence and community through communication skill development programs that advance inclusion, develop empathy, and elevate underrepresented voices for people of all ages. In 2020, Diana released her debut poetry collection, Healing Out Loud, via Alegria Publishing and performs regularly in venues around California.

Jeanne Merrill has more than 20 years of experience in agricultural, environmental and energy policy advocacy at the state and national levels. Since 2009, she has served as Policy Director with the California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN), a coalition of the state’s leading sustainable and organic agriculture organizations. She led the legislative and administrative campaigns that established the state’s Climate Smart Agriculture Programs. Prior to her time with CalCAN, Jeanne worked with Michael Fields Agricultural Institute of Wisconsin, the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Greenpeace U.S. and Pesticide Watch. She lives with her husband and daughter in Alameda, CA.

Liz Scully is a first generation Italian American who grew up in San Mateo, CA.  She has over 20 years of experience working in the early childhood education field in San Mateo County. Throughout her career Liz has strived to contribute to impacting the growth of the childcare industry through effective organization, prioritization, and execution of key ideas and projects.  In 2007 she established Little Laughs Early Learning Program, a licensed family childcare and in 2022 she founded the rejuvenated San Mateo County Family Childcare Organization. Over the past 20 years in the field she has been an active member of many local, state and national associations and committees such as the San Mateo County Childcare Partnership Council, the California and National Family Childcare Associations and the National Children’s Facility Network. Liz is a strong family childcare advocate that hopes to help educate the broader community and our local leaders to advocate for policies that support the childcare community, families and children in her county.

Ciara Segura’s experience within California’s food system spans multiple industries, including early-stage food startups, organic produce distribution, and participatory social science research. She brings with her a strong capacity to think across disciplinary borders and a dedication to thoughtful, place-based advocacy that is driven by the needs and perspectives of local residents. In her role as Mandela Partners’ Co-Executive Director, Ciara fosters cross-sector partnerships and programs to cultivate pathways for asset and wealth building in limited-resource communities of color.

Shannon Singleton-Banks is a native of Berkeley, CA. She has 20 plus years of professional experience developing and implementing programs for young adults across Bay Area Counties. Shannon is a leader with a passion for knowledge in communicating goals with a wide range of multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders. She’s an accomplished leader in coaching, program management, and evaluation. As a Public Health Educator and Program Services Coordinator, Shannon has worked for Alameda County Behavioral Health for more than 15 years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH). Her hobbies include traveling, hosting parties, spending time with her 10-month-old granddaughter, and dancing. As an African-American mother of three young adult daughters, Shannon possesses copious knowledge in working with transitioning populations.

Nicole Tanori currently works for the Town of Portola Valley, in the Finance Department, as a Finance Analyst overseeing day-to-day fiscal functions of the town including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger, Payroll, Fiscal Reporting, and assisting the Finance Director on Budget, Human Resources, and Risk Management. She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from San Jose State University, and is currently finishing her Master’s in Business Administration at California State University East Bay. Nicole is passionate about individual and collective education, development, and leadership for women in the workplace and aims to bridge the gap in any way possible. Although she resides in South Bay, her career and education extend her community involvement to Central and East Bay.

Sarah Valor is committed to shifting power through money and sees food as a critical way to interrupt systemic injustice. As the Western Regional Director of Philanthropy at FoodCorps, she raises funds to connect all students to the joy and power of food in schools. From a young age, Sarah understood that institutional racism paved the way for some, like her ancestors, and placed roadblocks for those whose land and bodies were stolen. Committed to equity for people and the planet, Sarah has worked with social impact nonprofits and businesses for more than two decades. Antiracism motivates her work while deep listening frames her approach. 

As Director of Communications and Strategic Projects for Coro, Genanne Walsh works closely with the External Affairs Team to tell the story of Coro’s impact, programs, and network, playing a key role in the organization’s annual report, website, institutional fundraising efforts, collateral, and other initiatives. She has more than 15 years of experience grant writing, copywriting, editing, and consulting for organizations across the Bay Area and beyond. She’s also a prize-winning novelist and freelance editorial consultant for creative writers.

Yi Zheng gained her Ph.D. in cognitive science at Stony Brook University. She is currently a Principal User Researcher at Splunk.  Yi is passionate about understanding human behavior, attitude, and perception. During her spare time, Yi likes painting, reading, and playing musical instruments. Yi recently became a mom while maintaining her ambition to pursue and develop her professional career.