Abby Rovner (she/her) is a social sector leader, educator and advocate with two decades of experience collaborating across sectors to build mission-driven organizations, joyful, high-impact programs, and the conditions for young people to thrive, learn and lead in equitable and transformational ways. She is the founder and former Executive Director of Horizons at SFFS and San Francisco’s “I Have a Dream” Foundation, both community-centered nonprofits that partner with students and families most underserved by our systems to advance education access, opportunity and justice. Abby has served as a coach and consultant supporting local school and nonprofit leaders as they navigate the challenges of COVID-19. She also recently joined the board of First Exposures, a youth arts organization that leverages the power of mentoring relationships and photography to develop and elevate the creativity, leadership and diverse voices of young Bay Area artists.

Abby is bilingual in Spanish and holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Policy Analysis and Evaluation from Stanford University.

Alia Toran-Burrell is the Associate Program Director with Code for America’s Clear My Record initiative, where she leads partnerships and program strategies. Before joining Code for America, she managed a jail diversion program in Massachusetts, working to divert people with mental health and substance abuse issues away from the criminal legal system.  Alia is a social worker by training and has over ten years of experience in the field, including work as a community organizer and social justice educator. When she’s not working to improve the justice system, she loves to dance and eat anything dessert-related.

Alison Fox Mazzola is a math coach, workshop leader, and consultant to public and private schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. She has over twenty years of teaching experience, including a decade as a teacher of gifted second graders at The Nueva School. She is particularly passionate about helping teachers use the Mathematical Practices to deepen student understanding. She also blogs about math, teaching, and parenting at: https://alisonfoxmazzola.com/blog. Alison is a graduate of Wellesley College and holds a Masters Of Education from UCLA. She also co-authored a book with Michael Thompson: Understanding Independent School Parents.

Allison Joe is the chief of staff and policy director for Sacramento City Councilmember Jay Schenirer, and has professional experience in real estate development, public finance, economic development and housing. Previously, Allison worked as an appointee to Governor Jerry Brown as a deputy director for the California Strategic Growth Council, where she spearheaded the state’s climate investment programs around local affordable housing, transportation and community-focused technical assistance priorities. A lifelong Sacramentan, she is a fan of community arts, bikes and tacos.

Allison Zamani is a psychotherapist and attorney based in Oakland, CA. She specializes in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, mood disorders, and psychotic spectrum disorders. She currently works in private practice through The Center for Mindful Psychotherapy. Her past experience is in community mental health at La Cheim Behavioral Health Services, a partial hospitalization program in Oakland, CA. In addition to her therapy work, she is an attorney specializing in commercial litigation at Blank Rome LLP. She holds a Masters in Counseling Psychology from The California Institute of Integral Studies, a JD from UC-Hastings College of the Law, and an undergraduate degree from Boston University.

Alyson Jacks serves as the Associate Minister at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco where she oversees and directs their children, youth and adult religious education programming. Jacks has been part of the congregation since 1991 and joined the staff in 2012. Her work/ministry has focused on working with children and youth, primarily with low-income families. She has lived in SF since 1985. She loves to bike, both commuting and long-distance travel. She is married and lives in Bernal Heights.

Amelia M. Martínez-Bankhead is the Director of Community Engagement at the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. Her own experiences as a child in the U.S. and Latin America drove her to embark on a career in the nonprofit sector for over 20 years serving those who have been disenfranchised as immigrants and people of color. She has been active on several nonprofit and advisory boards. Currently, she is the president of the Board of Directors of the Mission Neighborhood Health Center, Vice Chair of the Mission Graduates Board, and member of the School Renaming Advisory Committee that reviews San Francisco public school names.    Amelia holds a Master of Nonprofit Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, both from the University of San Francisco. She is married and the mother of an inquisitive 2.5 year old boy who sometimes makes appearances on Zoom.

As an Associate Director – Program with Hirsch & Associates, Philanthropic Advisors, Anna Luna strategizes with philanthropists to implement impactful grantmaking portfolios in the fields of Education and Youth Development. Before joining Hirsch & Associates, Luna worked as a Program Associate at the S.H. Cowell Foundation, where she developed a keen understanding of best practices that empower children and their families to thrive. She also worked across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to amplify the Family Resource Centers network’s impact.  Luna is an active member of the Latino Community Foundation Giving Circles in San Francisco and Contra Costa County. She holds a B.A. in Chicano/a Studies with a Public Policy emphasis from the University of California, Davis.

Annie Ledbury is a Senior Manager of Creative Community Development at the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation in Oakland, CA. She is a licensed architect and community developer who brings hands-on project management, culture & creativity, and health into affordable housing and comprehensive neighborhood development. Her work   ranges in scale from grassroots to neighborhood planning to systems change; from ephemeral to temporary to permanent improvements to the built environment.  Annie’s creative community development programs and projects empower longtime Oakland residents to envision, plan, and construct collective, creative actions that advocate for the city they want to see. Annie has been working in West Oakland with the SPARC Collaborative since 2015, during which time she has supported resident teams to envision, plan, and complete more than 35 creative action projects in public spaces. She was an Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow from 2015-17 and currently serves on the board of the Open Architecture Collaborative and their Pathways to Equity program.

Arianna Taboada, MSW, MSPH is a Senior Research Associate at Hopelab. She is a public health social worker by training and has designed and evaluated health interventions for adolescents across school, community, and clinical settings. Prior to joining Hopelab, Arianna worked on a range of issues affecting adolescents and young adults including intimate partner violence, sexual & reproductive health, HIV education and prevention, perinatal mental health, and culturally tailored health education for Spanish-speaking immigrant youth. At Hopelab, Arianna works to infuse the digital products created with scientific evidence on behavior change, and leads small and large scale evaluation of products with young people.

Ashley Tomerlin is a landscape architect and Certified Access Specialist with expertise in accessible outdoor recreation. She specializes in developing inclusive user experiences that are engaging and inspire curiosity. Ashley joined the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission earlier this year, with a focus on increasing public access to the Bay shoreline. She worked previously for planning and landscape architecture firms in the Bay Area and New York City.

Atasi Uppal is Senior Policy Attorney at National Center for Youth Law (NCYL). She leads policy and litigation strategies in multiple states to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of youth in the education and juvenile justice systems. She strives to connect her work to the goals of communities of color, utilizing her skills as an advocate to complement their visions for change. Prior to joining NCYL, Atasi was a public defender in Massachusetts. Atasi has toddler twins, who are a constant source of laughter and exhaustion. She is a proud Missourian and the child of immigrants from Odisha, India.

Having taught herself how to code in middle school, Brittany Robinson now empowers others to do the same. With a unique background at the intersection of web development, SEO and instructional design, she’s spent more than six years creating online courses and bootcamps that help untapped populations break into the tech and SEO fields. Having worked with startups, nonprofits, and the State of California, she’s now in the process of launching a startup addressing systemic issues in the tech and SEO fields, one local community at a time. Her programs, which are currently being pilot tested, will blend social entrepreneurship, activism, and coding with culture change.

Carole Sylvester is a resourceful problem solver and relationship builder who is energized by developing and executing marketing programs. Carole’s experience in marketing and finance has enabled her to develop a strong analytical and strategic skillset. She has managed initiatives ranging from business development to comprehensive media campaigns. What makes her unique is that she truly enjoys developing strong relationships built on trust and genuine interactions. With those relationships Carole leads teams through challenges such as truncated deadlines, decreased resources, and competing priorities. She received her MBA from Cornell University.

Christine Omata is the Assistant Director, Brand Communications at University of California, San Francisco, where she manages brand strategy and marketing communications for the university. She’s spent her career working for large health care organizations including Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield. Christine has a Master of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco, where her studies focused on health disparities, hospital community benefit and health care social impact. She is also a long-time Executive Board member of La Casa de las Madres. Christine lives in San Francisco with her husband and 5-year-old daughter. Currently, you can find her navigating the blurred lines of work, life with an essential worker spouse, and virtual kindergarten.

Deanna van Klaveren works with her passions: connecting with high school students as a coach and co-founder of the Find Your WHY, Inc. program, connecting with leaders as the alumni coordinator for the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, and connecting with plants as the secretary/treasurer of their family nursery, Generation Growers, Inc. Deanna received her Bachelor’s of Science in Horticulture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo as well as a teaching credential in Agriculture with add-ons in English and Physical Science. Deanna lives at their ten-acre nursery in Modesto with her husband, Roger, two teenage children, and a menagerie of pets.

Emily Sprague is an aspiring educational consultant based in San Francisco. Her interests have always spanned a variety of areas. While at Bucknell University, she volunteered her time as a peer educator for a student organization that raises awareness about sexual assault on campus while additionally serving as President for the school hip-hop and jazz dance team. Instead of choosing a single subject to study in college, Emily concentrated her studies in both Philosophy and French & Francophone studies. Since graduation she has been fortunate to call California and France home, teaching English to high school students in Paris for two years before returning to the Bay Area. One thing that continuously underlies Emily’s work, though, is her drive to support youth throughout their educational journeys. As a Program Coordinator at the Posse Foundation, Emily is empowered to cultivate the next generation of diverse leadership.

Heather Dennis is an environmental scientist with specific interests in climate adaptation and building resilient coastal communities. In her current role as a resilience planner for the County of Marin, she focuses largely on preparing for, and adapting to, sea level rise impacts to communities and the environment through community-based planning. She is passionate about collaboration to identify equitable solutions to environmental challenges, especially considering complex ecological, social, and economic interests. Outside of the office, she can be found running, climbing, hiking, and generally frolicking outside, and is active in the Bay Area’s local climbing stewardship and access organization.

Jennifer Cabán serves as a Management Analyst with Alameda County Social Services Agency supporting Early Care and Education and child welfare policies, budgets and contracts. She is an early childhood advocate who brings a strong blend of cross-sector experience amassed over 25 years of dedicated service to creating access and equity in education. Jennifer is a co-founder of Cypress Hills Collegiate Preparatory High School in her native Brooklyn, NY. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Binghamton University and a Masters of Public Administration from Baruch College as a National Urban Fellow.

Jennifer Sirkus’ zest for life stems from her work and life experiences locally and globally. Whether volunteering to build schools in El Salvador, learning a second language in Mexico, or designing and implementing educational content for juveniles in California, Jenny’s ambitions align with community, education, and transformation. Currently in the sphere of Customer Success at Salesforce.com, Jenny ensures client goals are met and fully supported. Her work is highly collaborative, engaging, and solution oriented. Jenny’s also been a kindergarten, first, and second grade teacher within the charter and public school systems. She holds her MA in Education from the University of the Pacific and a BA in Sociology from Pitzer College. Outside of work, Jenny can be found gardening, keeping up with her yoga practice, or paddle boarding with her dog.

Julie Henderson has years of experience in fundraising and business development specializing in corporate sponsorships, events, and donor cultivation. An advocate and caregiver by nature, she began her professional life at the age of 19 by providing wound care for pediatric and adult burn patients at the University of Kansas hospital. Upon moving to the San Francisco Bay Area she studied wine which led her to several entrepreneurial endeavors focusing on event marketing, corporate communications, and project management. She has worked with both nonprofits and corporations on strategic giving and has collaborated with notable organizations such as the Smithsonian National Zoo, Google, Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Humane Society, and Brain Injury Network.  She is currently the Director of Development for Fred Finch Youth & Family Services, a nonprofit with a 129-year history of serving vulnerable youth and families in California.

Katherine Berg is an activist and advocate for social justice and a healthy civil society. She’s focused her career on championing integrated health and community-rooted anti-violence strategies that surface, ameliorate, and eliminate othering beliefs and power-over frameworks. Currently at PRC, Katharine led campaign fundraising and development of shared language and goals during its dual merger. Now, as Managing Director of Institutional Support and Communications, she’s launching a comprehensive communications program and building institutional support. Never one to slow down, Katharine serves on Mariposa Kids’ board of directors and Flynn Elementary’s School Site Council. She enjoys raising two kids in a vibrant city and oversees business operations at a Bayview District enterprise she co-founded to sustain local design/build-related entrepreneurs, artists and small businesses in a collaborative community.

Kim Nash creates meaningful places for people to live, work, play and learn. She has over 20 years of experience managing complex real estate development projects through all phases of development. Kim’s experience has included developing and financing market rate and affordable rental and condominium projects as well as community facilities. In addition Kim has managed development projects for several local nonprofits, assembling teams and guiding projects through feasibility, entitlements, design and construction.

Kristin Hogan Schildwachter is a strategic communications expert currently serving in public sector emergency management with the City and County of San Francisco Department of Emergency Management. She approaches every communications project with critical thinking and vision to ensure communication products and tactics are developed strategically, targeted carefully and integrated seamlessly. She currently serves as the External Affairs Manager for the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management where she develops and executes communication strategies that support the department’s mission to promote a prepared and resilient San Francisco. In her role with city government, she is responsible for establishing and cultivating strategic partnerships with fellow city departments and agencies, elected officials and community-based organizations. She also works with organizations throughout the region, state and the country to bolster emergency management collaboration in the realm of strategic communications planning.

Larissa J. Estes-White, DrPH is the Executive Director of ALL IN Alameda County. She has over 15 years of experience in healthcare and public health with a focus on community, equity, policy and systems change. She received her BS from Duquesne University, MPH from the University of Arizona, and DrPH from the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston. Dr. Estes-White is contributing faculty member at Walden University, a board member of the College for Behavioral Health Leadership, a member of Junior League of Oakland-East Bay and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Lorena Guadiana is passionate about Community Development and healthy cities. Currently serving in a Financial Analyst role with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Lorena analyzes and interprets financial data, advocates for best practices, and advances efforts within Agency divisions and sections to ensure that financial investments result in planned benefits, all in support of public transportation. In this role, Lorena also works on process improvement efforts and provides technical assistance. Lorena’s prior experience includes doing policy research and legislative advocacy work around workforce, economic and consumer protection issues. In addition, Lorena is a proponent of immigrant civil rights and liberties. As a native Mexican, Lorena can often be found eating one of their favorite dishes, a savory pozole.

Lori Pepper was appointed the Deputy Secretary for Innovative Mobility Solutions by Governor Newsom in August 2019. In this role, she focuses on using her background in technology policy to ease the mobility of people, goods, and services throughout California. Lori believes that the ability to move freely is one of the great equalizers in society and is passionate about using that tool to help lift up others. Lori previously worked in Washington, DC for Honda North America, Inc.  and served on Capitol Hill for 10 years in various capacities, including as a Policy Advisor and Deputy Floor Director for Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Lori started her career in her home state of Maryland as a Legislative Assistant for a state delegate.

Lynn Wu is a Staff Attorney at the City of Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board where she conducts mediations, acts as an administrative law judge, and prepares legal recommendations on appeal cases.  She also works with legislators to write, analyze, and support legislation to promote housing stability and prevent displacement.  Lynn is also the Project Manager for the Stanislaus County Youth Assessment Center, a new diversion program to support vulnerable young people and their families to prevent youth from entering the youth justice system.  Lynn also supervises and mentors field placement students as a lecturer at the Berkeley School of Law. For nearly a decade, Lynn was a Staff Attorney and Juvenile Justice Policy and Projects Manager at the Prison Law Office.  She advocated with and on behalf of incarcerated people and their families in legislative and regulatory proceedings.  She helped pass legislation to establish a youth parole process, monitored its implementation, conducted workshops for incarcerated people, and challenged improper parole denials and Governor reversals. Lynn also managed and provided technical assistance to county stakeholders in multiyear projects to improve outcomes for justice-involved girls, LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming youth, and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the youth-serving systems. Lynn was a middle school teacher, new teacher coach, and family liaison in East Oakland.  She also worked as a consultant to the Oakland Unified School District to develop more effective systems for agencies to coordinate services for young people.

Manpreet Bains is proud to work alongside her family to continue the legacy her parents built after emigrating from India. In 1969, Manpreet’s parents established their farming operation, which included producing prunes and peaches as well as running a commercial prune dehydrator. Manpreet and her sister spent the majority of their summers working in the orchards and at the dehydrator where they learned the value of working as a team. In 2005, Manpreet and her sister officially took over the general operation of their parent’s farms and created Manseena Orchards where they currently produce prunes and walnuts. As second-generation farmers, it is their goal to maintain the same level of mindful land stewardship and commitment to California agriculture their parents exemplified throughout their career. Manpreet earned a BA in International Studies with an emphasis in Political Science from Pepperdine University and an MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago. She currently serves as a Director for the Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau as well as the Agricultural Council of California. She also serves as a Regional Director for the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation Alumni Council. She is an alumna of the California Agricultural Leadership Program and the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program. Manpreet currently lives in Sacramento with her husband and in her spare time she enjoys playing with her Golden Retriever, traveling, supporting local theater, listening to live music, and spending time with her family.

Margot Frey is a marketing communications professional and mission-driven leader with expertise in higher education and a passion for social justice. As an empathetic marketer, she gets into her audience’s heads, profoundly understands their needs and behavior, and approaches them with enthusiasm and digital storytelling. Margot has a track-record of infusing digital innovations into traditional organizations and repositioning their brands and messaging. She was most recently the Director of Marketing and Communications at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Previously, Margot directed Marketing and Communications at the University of San Francisco’s School of Management and led Graduate Admission and Marketing at Notre Dame de Namur University. She earned a master’s degree in nonprofit administration at the University of San Francisco and received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Northwestern University. Margot is a nonstop learner and has an authentic, student-centric, servant leadership approach.

Mitzi Iniguez is the Partner Success Manager at PERTS (Project for Education Research that Scales), working with teachers and administrators around the nation to help educators apply evidence-based strategies related to growth mindset in the classroom. She has worked at AnitaB.org managing the scholarship program supporting students and faculty from around the world to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC). Her work focused on increasing the number of women who are underrepresented, from minority serving institutions and/or rural communities. Mitzi comes with 8 years of higher education experience at UC Berkeley with the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) focused on supporting first generation, low income, underreported students. Mitzi is an Oakland native who received her bachelor’s degree at  UC Berkeley and masters degree at San Francisco State University.

For the past 5 years, Mariah Gonzalez has been working with The Greenlining institute, an organization working to close the racial wealth gap, to produce our Annual Economic Summit and various events. Prior to joining Greenlining, Mariah helped to start-up the Insight Garden Program, a nonprofit that builds gardens and offers job training in prisons across California. After finishing an interdisciplinary degree from UC Berkeley that focused on ethnic studies, political economy, and sustainability, she worked with La Cocina on my first large scale project: the SF Street Food Festival, an event that attracts 60,000 attendees and shut down six city blocks. The through line of my work has been in contributing to projects and programs that provide increased economic opportunity to communities of color. When not in the virtual office, Mariah likes to incessantly listen to podcasts, experiment with taco recipes, and browse pinterest for my next DIY home-design project.

Maurya Tollefsen is the Director of Public Affairs at Storefront Political Media where she works with corporate clients in support of their brand, public relations and advertising goals. Previously, Maurya served as an aide to Senator Mark Warner of Virginia and Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and cat, Larry.   

Mayra Chavez, is from Oakland and went to Oakland public schools. After school, she went to community college and transferred to UCSC. There she majored in Sociology & Latin American & Latino Studies with a minor in Education. After college, she returned home and worked for my family at their small business. Mayra later began to work for an immigration attorney as a legal assistant and a year later began to work for Oakland City Government. Currently she lives in Oakland and still also also works with her family.

Nisha Anand is passionate about using data to drive meaningful change in the community. As the Lead Analyst at the County of Marin, Health and Human Services, she is working on building a data and evaluation program to measure and address the racial and social inequities across the county. Since obtaining her MSPH, Nisha has sought out opportunities to work in vulnerable communities. She has worked in various organizations across several areas including Baltimore, the Bronx, and San Francisco. Outside of work, Nisha enjoys hiking, photography and reading.

Rawan Elhalaby is the Senior Economic Equity Program Manager at The Greenlining Institute where she leads research efforts around bank accountability and financial inclusion. As the daughter of Palestinian working class refugees, Rawan is all too familiar with the obstacles that low-income and immigrant families face in achieving self-sufficiency in the United States. She has spent her career fighting barriers to economic opportunity: at the systems level at Greenlining, and at the individual level with refugees from Iraq and Somalia at the IRC in San Diego. Rawan holds a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley and a BA in Political Science from San Diego State University.

Rebecca Haskell (she/her/hers) founded Just Design Consulting (JDC) in 2015. JDC helps social justice organizations confidently deliver on their mission and vision through innovative program design and execution. JDC specializes in program & training design, project management, content management, and leadership coaching. Rebecca developed her expertise in education through her 10+ year career working with EdTech, venture capital, nonprofits, advocacy organizations, and schools locally, nationally, and internationally. She has held leadership roles including Vice President, Associate Director, Director of Training & Support, and Board member. She has her MA in Education from Columbia University and her BA in Education from Boston University. She lives in Oakland, CA.

Rosario Chacon is a Financial Coach at Mission Economic Development Agency, in San Francisco. As a Financial Coach, Rosario helps her clients improve their personal finances with the goal to set their foundations for asset building. Rosario believes that in order to improve the lives of our communities, it is important to keep the talents at home. She is proud to invest her time and skills gained through my education and professional experience as a Financial Planner and Life Coach in her community, in the heart of The Mission. Recognizing the need for personal finance guidance among her professional peers, she founded Wealth-Source Financial in 2019, a Registered Investment Advisory, with a focus on Financial Behavior and money relationships.

Patrice Sweeney is a leader in higher education diverse philanthropy. As Director of Diversity and Next Generation Giving at Stanford University, she is building a foundation to support Stanford’s alumni of color as they become the next generation of higher education philanthropists. Patrice also holds a leadership role in the newly announced IDEAL fundraising initiative focused on addressing racial justice on campus and in society. For more than 20 years, Patrice has worked in development offices in public and private institutions. She has built a model for inclusive philanthropy, and helped ensure that the most vulnerable and disadvantaged youth have the same opportunity as all students to attend and succeed at college. Today, as the country confronts anti-Black racism, Patrice is being called on to share her expertise and leadership to help bring about significant cultural and institutional change at Stanford and in the broader community.

Sara O’Hearn is the Director of Product at Moneythink, a nonprofit working to help resource-strapped students finish college with minimal debt. Over a nearly 20-year career in educational technology, she has developed a wide variety of products for companies such as Nearpod, Cengage, Pearson, LeapFrog and Scholastic. Sara moved to San Francisco 25 years ago, after falling in love with the city upon first visiting from her native Canada. She has volunteered with several Bay Area nonprofits that are focused in the education space, including First Graduate and Reading Partners. She was excited to join the board at FacesSF to help the organization grow its services and help preserve and support the diverse cultural makeup of the city that she loves.

Sara Orton is the Director of Client Strategy at Outvote, a civic technology company for progressive campaigns and organizations. In her role, Sara manages partnerships with advocacy organizations and electoral campaigns. Outside of work, Sara is involved in initiatives to encourage ethical and inclusive technology, and encourage women’s participation in politics. Prior to her work at Outvote, Sara worked in policy research, immigration advocacy, and tech inclusion. Sara is committed to the intersection of racial justice, ethical technology, and public policy.

Shannon Fiala received a Bachelor of Science in Resource Ecology and Management at the University of Michigan and Masters degrees in City Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to joining San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s (BCDC) staff as Planning Manager in 2017, Ms. Fiala worked on habitat restoration planning for the Marin Municipal Water District and the Napa County Resource Conservation District; as an environmental consultant; on the Ocean Beach Master Plan at SPUR; and on cutting-edge coastal land use planning at the California Coastal Commission.

Shola Olabode-Dada is a Behavioral Scientist at YLabs, where she applies behavior change design to products and services that address the health of youth all over the world. She specializes in applied research methodologies, program evaluation, the implementation of behavior change techniques, and stakeholder engagement. Her main interest is to use narratives and various forms of media to promote and engage people in healthy behaviors. Shola holds a M.S. and Ph.D. in community psychology from North Carolina State University.

Sonya Rumpf has been working in the financial inclusion space for the past 6 years, both in the private sector, managing corporate strategy projects for the biggest fintech company in San Francisco, as well as the nonprofit sector, leading Oakland‘s largest grassroots, community based microfinance institution. Having grown up in a bicultural family, Sonya is deeply committed to the value of cross cultural connection, which has guided her personal and professional trajectory.  She attended public high school in Germany, college outside of Los Angeles, and graduate school in Medellin, Colombia. Sonya loves bicycling, yoga, and getting down to dancehall and salsa music.  She lives between Oakland and Western Massachusetts with her husband and baby daughter. 

Sylvia Bereknyei Merrell is a Research Scholar at Stanford University School of Medicine, with over sixteen years of experience conducting qualitative and mixed methods research studies in medical education, health services, and healthcare disparities. She surprised herself with loving teaching and mentoring graduate students and trainees to design more rigorous research method projects. She graduated with a Doctorate of Public Health from the University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health.

As Senior Policy Associate, Susannah Parsons works across SPUR’s policy areas, focusing particularly on governance and economic research and advocacy. Prior to her current role, she led special policy projects on behalf of the CEO, managed grants and facilitated SPUR’s large group workshops and programs. Before joining SPUR, Susannah worked for an environmental policy and planning consultancy where she contributed to policy development around federal water management on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency. Susannah studied political science and environmental policy at Smith College and the University of Vermont.

Terry Mock is a Bay Area native. She has worked both in the private and public sector, specializing in media advocacy and philanthropic communications outreach. Currently, she is thrilled to be in her “dream job” serving as Communications Manager with the Clif Bar Family Foundation. In her role, she elevates grant recipients through their compelling stories, including inequities and injustices in the food system, environment and community health. Her Twitter (@TerrySueMock) profile is apt, “Social impact leader. Connector. Disagreeable giver. Fighter for the underdog.” She’s a UCLA alum and obtained her graduate degree from UC Berkeley. Mock is also the mom to two adult children who are kind and compassionate human beings.

Tyler Epps is currently earning her master’s degree in Professional Communication at the University of San Francisco. However, her day job is working as a recruitment coordinator at the University of San Francisco School of Law. She works in the office of career services providing support through workshops, relationship building, and social media engagement. Tyler is excited to be a part of this program and have the chance to learn leadership skills from talented women leaders as she works to navigate a career in health communication.