Research Report: Local Homelessness 2012

Sister Carmen Barsody is co-founder of the Faithful Fools Street Ministry and a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, Minnesota. Faithful Fools is a ministry of presence that works in part to shatter myths about those living in poverty. This work includes "Street Retreats" where people from all walks of life are invited to spend a day on the streets of the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco. She has a background in Theology and Pastoral Ministry and was involved in ministry in Venezuela, inner-city Chicago and the barrios of Managua, Nicaragua before co-founding the Faithful Fools.

Patricia Bennett is the Director of Program Services at Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence. Ms. Bennett started her work in the anti-domestic violence field as a volunteer on Next Door’s 24-hour crisis hotline in 1995. Ms. Bennett was hired as a case manager at the shelter 15 years ago and was promoted to Manager of Advocacy where she held that position for more than 5 years before being promoted to her current position. Ms. Bennett serves on several coordinating councils and is a leader in the community working to end violence against women and girls. She is a Board of Supervisors-appointed councilmember for the Santa Clara County Domestic Violence Council, the chair of the Police-Victim Advocacy Committee, is a member of the City of San Jose Family/Domestic Violence Advisory Board, the Membership Chair for the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking, and is an Executive Board member for the Domestic Violence Advocacy Consortium of Santa Clara County.

Marie Bernard is the executive director of Sunnyvale Community Services, an organization dedicated to preventing homelessness and hunger for low-income families and seniors facing temporary crises. Honored in 2012 as a Silicon Valley Woman of Influence for her work, Marie is also a board member for Cake4Kids and a member of the Sunnyvale Rotary. She earned a MBA from The Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania and a BA in history from University of Buffalo. Marie is currently a student in the master’s program in Pastoral Ministries at Santa Clara University.

Jeff Bialik is executive director of Catholic Charities CYO(CCCYO), one of the largest non-profit providers of social services in the Bay Area. As executive director, Bialik oversees the $39 million organization, which has over 600 employees in four counties and supports 30 programs that help the Bay Area’s most vulnerable and in need. CCCYO provides critical services to families in crisis, children, the homeless, the aging and disabled, those living with debilitating HIV/AIDS, refugees and immigrants, and runs CYO Camp, Athletics and Transportation programs. A graduate of the University of Washington and the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Bialik most recently served as the Vice President for Finance and Enrollment Management, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at Dominican University in San Rafael, CA, where he was responsible for the office of admissions, financial aid, human resources, facilities, financial and business services and budgeting for the $45 million college. Prior to his most recent position at Dominican, Bialik also served as Dominican’s Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Dominican from 1991 to 1999. He was the Vice President of Operations at Golden Gate University for eight years, where he directed multiple departments, including human resources, admissions and student affairs, marketing and communications, financial aid and registrar, financial, business and facilities services. Bialik has dedicated his time and leadership abilities to a number of organizations, including the Marin Education Fund, American Red Cross, North Bay Leadership Council, National Association of College and University Business Officers, Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce.

Most recently, Gloria served as Community Development Program Associate at The San Francisco Foundation, where she worked on local grantmaking and special projects to support affordable housing, economic security, and neighborhood revitalization. Gloria’s experience as an educator and nonprofit professional has taken her from her native Washington, D.C. area to Boston, northeast China, and finally the Bay Area, focusing primarily on solutions to urban poverty. Prior to joining The San Francisco Foundation, her work included projects at World Resources Institute, East Bay Housing Organizations, the City of Richmond, the National Park Service, Affordable Housing Associates, and Urban Habitat. Gloria received her master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of California-Berkeley and a B.A. in history from Harvard University. She currently lives with her wife in Oakland, where she serves on the board of Walk Oakland Bike Oakland and is an active community volunteer.

Julia Burkhead has worked for InnVision since 2005, first as case manager and now as program director. She earned a BA from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Tom Cantrell currently serves as program manager for Lutheran Social Services of Northern California. He attended Oklahoma State University and San Francisco Theological Seminary.

Louis has been with Abode Services since 1992 and Executive Director since 1994. He is only the second Executive Director in the history of the organization. He has a Masters Degree in Social Work as well as a Masters Degree in Theology. Before coming to Abode Services he was youth director at Corpus Christi Church in Niles.

Vera R. Ciammetti has over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management. Her first job in a nonprofit was as Executive Director of an adult care facility in New York. Her success led her to become a consultant for long-term care facilities with Ernst & Young Consulting. She moved to California in 1996 and worked for a brief time in Los Angeles before journeying to Asia to build Malaysia's first Elder Care Facility in Kuala Lumpur. Since returning to California, her nonprofit positions have included: Assistant Vice President of Capital Projects for the American Baptist Homes of the West; Executive Director for Petaluma Ecumenical Properties; Founding Executive Director of West Bay Housing in San Francisco; Director of Operations for Slow Food Nation and Slow Food International in San Francisco and Turin, Italy; and Interim Executive Director at the Alzheimer's Activity Center in San Jose. Vera is also a grant consultant for area nonprofits and a business consultant for various organizations on operations and management protocols. Nonprofit management and consulting are not Vera's only passions. She is an avid volunteer for organizations including Slow Food San Francisco, ECHO Housing, and the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. She is an accomplished chef and her cuisine can be experienced around the bay area as she performs as Guest Chef at various restaurants. Vera is also fluent in Italian and speaks conversational Spanish.

Gay Plair Cobb serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Oakland Private Industry Council. Ms. Cobb serves as a Member of Advisory Board at OneCalifornia Bank, FSB. Ms. Cobb serves as a Trustee at San Francisco Foundation. She serves as a Member of the Alameda County Board of Education. She serves on the boards of the California Workforce Association, the Oakland Mayor’s Summer Jobs Program, the New Oakland Committee, the Oakland Advisors, and the Chabot Space and Science Center.

Bob Erlenbusch is the executive director of Sacramento Housing Alliance. Previously, he was the executive director of the Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness, which uses organizing, education, advocacy and lobbying in its efforts. LACEH&H gained recognition for its Bring Los Angeles Home! partnership to develop a comprehensive plan to end homelessness in the next decade in Los Angeles City and County. Mr. Erlenbusch also serves as a board member for the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Doug Ford has been a management consultant with nonprofit and government agencies for the past 25 years, specializing in the areas of governance, strategic planning, organizational assessment, board development, nonprofit organization formation, program design and evaluation, affordable housing development, community needs assessment, grant making systems, fund development planning, and mergers and strategic alliances. Doug is currently serving as interim executive director for Family Emergency Shelter Coalition in addition to his consulting work. His community activities include serving as Board President of Abode Services and of Allied Housing, both in Fremont, and an organizer of Fremont’s Advocates for Affordable Homes. Prior to starting his consulting business, he was Vice President of Fund Distribution and Community Services with United Way of Santa Clara County, Executive Director of Eden I & R in Hayward, and held planning and community organizing positions in the field of Social Services. He has extensive volunteer experience as a Board member and officer, public commission member, and political campaign chairperson. He was raised in a minister’s family in the Southwest and has lived in the Bay Area for over 35 years.

Deputy Director Paul Fordham plays an integral part in Homeward Bound's community relations, program development and strategic planning efforts. He served as Homeward Bound's development director from 2006 to 2010, when he assumed the deputy director position. He previously worked in the development field for private consultants and has served the homeless population with Loaves and Fishes in Sacramento and Julian House in Bath, England. He holds a B.A. in English and American Studies and presented at the Marin Nonprofit Conference in 2006 and 2008.

Doug Gary, Director, never imagined he would find meaningful and rewarding social justice work through the business of keeping SROs safe and clean, collecting rent, and enforcing leases! When Doug co-founded DISH in 2006, he was eager to increase the positive influence of property management on the well-being of some of San Francisco’s most vulnerable and traumatized residents. DISH’s successes and challenges have proven inspiring and energizing. Doug is grateful to be doing this work and loves doing so with everyone who works at DISH. In addition to being Director of DISH, Doug is also currently the Chair of the Police Community Advisory Board for the San Francisco Police Department’s Tenderloin Task Force. Prior to founding DISH with co-conspirator Lauren Hall, Doug and Lauren had a consulting firm providing consulting and training services to a range of housing and service providers. Doug worked for seven years at the Corporation for Supportive Housing as head of its national Resource Center, as a Program Officer in its Housing & Finance department and as a Contracts & Grants Manager in its California Program Office. Previously, Doug served as Administrative Director of the Harm Reduction Coalition for four years and as Administrator of Seattle’s Street Outreach Services for two years. He also served as Board Treasurer of the Harm Reduction Coalition from 2003-2005. Doug has a master’s degree in nonprofit arts management from Yale University’s School of Drama. His life in the theater is a whole other story.

As co-founder and Executive Director, Rob Gitin has been with At The Crossroads since its inception in 1997. Rob holds a BA in history from Stanford University.

Karen Gruneisen joined ECS in 2008. In addition to practicing employment law for over two decades, Karen has worked with many homelessness commissions and taskforces, most notably San Francisco’s Local Homeless Coordinating Board and the 14-county Northern California Homeless Roundtable. She has authored several dozen articles and reports related to homelessness.

Lauren Hall, Director, has worked in the homeless services and supportive housing field since 1994. When she first starting working with homeless adults as a case manager at Conard House, it drove her crazy that many of her clients could not access housing due to their mental health or substance use issues. She then had the privilege of helping develop and implement a supportive housing program that was targeted at individuals who were often unable to access other affordable housing because they were deemed “not ready for housing.” As the Program Director of the Lyric Hotel she was able to work closely with her team to provide housing where access to a home did not require months of sobriety—or the ability to spin a good story about being in recovery. She learned a lot from the Lyric tenants and her mentors from the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) (certainly more, she reports, than in those four years she spent getting a B.A. at the University of Michigan), but between the daily grind of direct service and her nighttime gig slinging drinks at The Fillmore, she needed a break. She was fortunate to be able to head over to Oakland to spread the word of Supportive Housing as the solution to homelessness with her colleagues at CSH. She spent about five years there as a Program Manager and worked with local and national organizations on creating permanent supportive housing for transition-aged youth, families, and homeless adults. At CSH, she heard a lot of concerns about property management, and, you guessed it, the lack of access and housing retention success for homeless adults with mental health and active substance use issues. After struggling to really impact this issue through direct services as an intermediary or as a consultant, she and Doug Gary decided to put their money where their (loud) mouths were and try to provide the kind of housing that they had been rattling on about for years. So with the incredible support of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, DISH was born in 2006, and is still striving every day to provide housing where we need to focus on being “ready” to house those in need—not the other way around.

Mary is a formerly homeless youth who has dedicated her career to developing and implementing interventions that empower young people to improve their own lives and those of their peers, and to addressing the structural causes of poverty and homelessness. Mary assumed leadership of HYA in 2006 when two longstanding grassroots programs—Haight Ashbury Youth Outreach Team and San Francisco Needle Exchange—ended their affiliation with Haight Ashbury Free Clinics, Inc. and merged to form a single organization under the name "Homeless Youth Alliance." Mary secured fiscal sponsorship for the newly created HYA and spearheaded its consolidation and growth. She brings nearly ten years' experience in direct service and outreach with marginalized and underserved populations. With each successive position she has held, she has been increasingly responsible for managerial, administrative, and supervisory duties, while still maintaining a hands-on approach to day-to-day operations. Prior to serving as Executive Director of HYA, Mary was an outreach worker and later the Center Manager for Haight Ashbury Youth Outreach Team, Program Coordinator for San Francisco Needle Exchange, and Trainer for the Drug Overdose Prevention and Education Project of the City and County of San Francisco. She is the recipient of a 2009 Bay Area Unsung Hero Award from KQED Northern California.

Anna Hurtado joined Raphael House in 2008 as the ChildReach Program Supervisor. Since then, she has expanded AfterCare Services for both adults and children. Anna holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Dominican University of California in English Literature and a minor in pre-law, a Master of Arts degree in Comparative Politics from San Francisco State University, and is currently working on a Master of Public Administration degree. Anna’s experience with families and children includes teaching literacy in Guyana, South America and volunteering at a summer camp for disadvantaged youth.

Linda Lazzareschi is Co-Founder of the Women's Daytime Drop-In Center in Berkeley, a nonprofit program that provides support, meals and access to community resources for homeless women and children. Lazzareschi, a trained social worker, got involved with the city's new Homeless Facilities Task Force when several homeless people died in an abandoned-building fire in Berkeley. She soon discovered that there were no support services for homeless women or children, and in 1988, she and several volunteers started a daytime drop-in center in a city-owned bungalow. Today, the organization has a paid staff of 12 working with 25 volunteers and helped more than 1,100 clients during the last fiscal year. The center serves two meals a day, hosts support groups, provides housing and health programs, and hosts a women's legal clinic. Lazzareschi has two sons, Dan and Michael. She lives in North Berkeley with her husband, Steve. She got her bachelor's degree in social work and psychology and her master's degree in social work from UC Berkeley.

Andy Lief joined South County Housing in 1992 and has also worked for the federal government and the San Jose Redevelopment Agency. Mr. Lief has worked in finance and administrative capacities with SCH to go along with 13 years in project management roles. He has successfully obtained 9% tax credits for several projects and also completed deals using HUD 811, HOME, MHSA and MHP funding among other sources. Mr. Lief earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in History from UC Santa Barbara as well as a Master of Public Administration from San Jose State. He currently serves on the City of Gilroy Housing Advisory Commission.

Executive Director, Terrie Light, has spent the past 12 years easing and ending the crisis of homelessness through her work at the Berkeley Food and Housing Project. She began her work in 1998 as a program supervisor of transitional housing services for women and children, and held several other managerial positions until she was promoted to Executive Director in May 2006. As Executive Director Terrie has shaped a diligent, loyal team of managers who have brought, and continue to bring fiscal and operational stability and best-practice standardization to BFHP’s programs. The agency is responsible for 197,000 meals annually, serves 2,500 individuals, and places over 150 people of Alameda County’s homeless population into permanent housing per year. Terrie has partnered and collaborated with many nonprofits in the East Bay in order to pool resources and create a network of safety net agencies to effect positive change for the homeless population. She is also working with the City of Berkeley housing department and other Berkeley CBO’s to help create a systems change which has and will continue to effectively house more of our community’s homeless population. Terrie serves actively on the Board of EveryOne Home Leadership Council, which is working to end homelessness in Alameda County by 2020. She is a fellow of the Leaderspring Fellowship Class of 2010, and meets monthly with other Executive Directors who are equally interested in creating stellar nonprofit organizations. Responsible for the increased participation of faith communities in the life of BFHP, she extended herself to BOCA (Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action) and established BFHP’s Annual Pastors’ Breakfast. Terrie’s community work has led to her being the first ever speaker at Berkeley’s Jodo Shinsu Center; a lead participant in Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson’s 2008 Presidential Inauguration Event at the Oracle, as well as a select invitee of The Forgotten International to meet the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Terrie received her BA from The University of California, Berkeley, and earned her Master’s from California State University, East Bay. As a Marriage and Family Therapist and a practicing licensed clinician, she works with victims of violence and abuse. Her clinical work led her to speak abroad and to be awarded by Voice of the Faithful for her outstanding service and public advocacy work on their behalf. Terrie has furthermore been acknowledged by Episcopal Charities as Caregiver of the Year. It’s obvious that Terrie is able to bring about change and healing for people by creating and shaping safe environments. Under her leadership Berkeley Food and Housing Project received recognition from many community organizations, including the San Francisco 49ers Foundation’s “Community Quarterback Award” (2008); Berkeley Community Fund award (2007, Alameda Countywide Continuum of Care Council’s “Best InHouse System Practices” (2007); Wells Fargo’s “Trailblazer” Award (2008); League of Women Voters (Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany) “Spirit of the League” Award (2007); and recognition from the California Senate (2007).

Diane Linn (left) has served as Ritter Center’s Executive Director since March 2008. Diane moved to Marin County after an extensive career in public life in Portland, Oregon – as Director of the Office of Neighborhood Involvement as well as elected leadership positions for Portland’s Multnomah County where she co-sponsored the 10-year Plan to End Homelessness and worked on numerous efforts related to funding affordable housing and issues affecting the homeless and mental health services. She also served as Executive Director of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) and was Vice President of Programming and Government Affairs at Paragon Cable in Portland.

Jennifer Loving has spent 15 years leading efforts to better serve the needs of homeless youth, families and adults. Working in a variety of shelter, street and permanent supportive housing programs, she has developed innovative service models including the County's first Housing First program for homeless families. Since joining Destination: Home in 2010, she has brought together public officials, government agencies, private sector leaders and nonprofit executives to collectively pursue permanent solutions in preventing and ending chronic homelessness. Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School's Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management. Jennifer received the Tribute to Women in Industry Award in 2004 and was named one of the 100 Women of Influence in the Silicon Valley in 2011.

Diane joined Hamilton Family Center as Executive Director in June 2011, bringing to her position an impressive record of visionary community leadership spanning more than twenty years. Prior to coming to HFC, she held positions as Housing Director for Multnomah County, Oregon; Executive Director at Northwest Housing Alternatives; Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of Oregon; and Associate Director at the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, where she was instrumental in helping to create and implement Sacramento’s 10 Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. She earned a Master of Public Administration from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from California State University, Northridge. Diane is committed to a Housing First philosophy and is excited to work with Hamilton Family Center’s staff, board, and community partners in our shared mission to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness for families and children in San Francisco.

Daniel Macallair is the Executive Director and a co-founder of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. His expertise is in the development and analysis of youth and adult correctional policy. He has implemented model community corrections programs and incarceration alternatives throughout the country. In 1993, Mr. Macallair established the Detention Diversion Advocacy Program (DDAP) for serious and chronic youth offenders in San Francisco’s juvenile justice system. This program was cited as an exemplary model by the United States Department of Justice and Harvard University's Innovations in American Government program. In 1994, Mr. Macallair received a leadership award from the State of Hawaii for his efforts in reforming that state's juvenile correctional system and developing model community-based reentry programs. In August 2007, Mr. Macallair initiated a technical assistance project to assist California counties in developing model intervention programs for high-end youthful offenders. Mr. Macallair is presently involved in the efforts to reform California’s adult sentencing and parole practices and serves as an advisor to the State’s prestigious Little Hoover Commission. Mr. Macallair’s research and publications have appeared in such journals as the Stanford Law and Policy Review, Journal of Crime and Delinquency, Youth and Society, Journal of Juvenile Law, and the Western Criminology Review. His studies and commentary are often cited in national and international news outlets including the BBC, CBS Evening News, ABC Nightly News, NBC Evening News, CNN, FOX News, the Today Show, National Public Radio, New York Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, and Los Angeles Times. He is also the coeditor with Randall Shelden in the upcoming book Juvenile Justice in America: Problems and Prospects and with Vincent Schiraldi on Reforming Juvenile Corrections; Reasons and Strategies for the 21st Century. He teaches in the Department of Criminal Justice Studies at San Francisco State University and is an invited speaker and trainer at conferences and seminars throughout the country (http://bss.sfsu.edu/cjustice/index.htm ). To learn more about Mr. Macallair, go to his Director's Message.

Lea Martinez, Family Service Coordinator at Ecumenical Hunger Program, is responsible for the intake of participants as they come to EHP seeking food and other support and referrals. Lea works with several organizations, including Family Harvest, Produce Mobile, Women’s Support Group, and Children’s Summer Program. She has received several certifications from Canada College in the social services field and earned a Family Development Credential from Cornell University. Lea is a member of the Bay Area African American Health Initiative and currently serves on the Voices of Recovery committee working with individuals affected by drugs and alcohol.

Valerie McEntee is currently the Volunteer Coordinator at SF CARE, in addition to serving as Director of Christian Education at Congregational Church of Belmont, UCC and Assistant Night Minister at San Francisco Night Ministry. She attended the Pacific School of Religion.

As the Homeless Policy Director, Zack Olmstead advocates for policy reform to prevent and end homelessness and coordinates the efforts of homeless advocacy partners throughout the state. Efforts include tracking and lobbying legislation relating to homeless policy, the development of policy positions advocating for state leadership plans and initiatives to end homelessness, and building support among homeless advocates for legislative and funding priorities. Prior to joining Housing California in 2006, Zack worked directly with homeless individuals and families in transitional and permanent housing settings as a case manager at St. Vincent De Paul Village in San Diego, CA. Due to a desire to work for systematic change within homeless policy, Zack then obtained his Master's degree in Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento. While in graduate school Zack worked as a graduate assistant for the California Student Aid Commission and for the Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy. Zack studied as an undergraduate at the University of San Diego where he received a Bachelor's in Spanish and a Bachelor's in Theology and Religious Studies. He grew up in Sacramento, California. Zack's favorite hobbies include traveling with his wife, playing golf, and reading.

Elizabeth Orlin joined TNDC in June of 2006 as Chief Operating Officer. Prior, she served as Associate Director for the Corporation for Supportive Housing in Oakland. She also served as Program Officer and Assistant Program Officer from 1998 through early 2003. Before CSH, Liz worked for the Trustees of Columbia University’s CSS Program in New York where she was a program director and program supervisor, as well as a senior case manager. Liz has completed social work internships from the CSS Program and the Sunset Park Mental Health Clinic in Brooklyn, and began her career in social work at the Women Against Abuse Legal Center in Philadelphia in 1988. She received her Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University in 1994 and in 1991, she received her Master of Social Work degree from New York University. She earned her BA in Sociology/Anthropology from Haverford College in 1988.

Jen Padgett is the Executive Director of the non-profit Community Technology Alliance, and has worked in the non-profit technology field for almost a decade. She has also been involved in shaping local, state, and national policy surrounding data collection on homeless and at- risk populations, and has extensive experience providing assistance and advice to a number of communities who have implemented Homeless Management Information Systems. Community Technology Alliance is a leader in implementing innovative solutions to manage outreach, data collection and to report statistical data and outcome performance measures.

Deanne Pearn is the co-founder and vice president of policy of First Place for Youth. What started 11 years ago as a pilot program with a staff of two, a budget of $80,000 and a caseload of five youths, has burgeoned into a nationally recognized model for helping young people make the transition out of foster care. Based in Oakland, First Place for Youth is California's largest such program. This year, a staff of 54 serves 900 youth in four counties with a budget of nearly $8 million. In addition to helping with housing, youth receive educational and employment support, health care and one-on-one counseling. First Place recently opened a bright and welcoming resource and referral center in downtown Oakland. Next year, a new branch of the program will offer similar services to foster children in Los Angeles. Pearn holds a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and a Masters in Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC-Berkeley.

Wendy became Dolores Street's Executive Director on March 1, 2012, after working for six years as Program Director of the Richard M. Cohen Residence. She has worked in the Mission District for over 11 years, with a focus on supportive housing, tenant rights, homeless services, policy advocacy and community organizing. Prior to her work in the Mission community, Wendy worked with two international NGOs focusing on human rights and sustainable development issues, primarily focused on Latin America. She holds a Masters in Social Work from San Francisco State University and is fluent in Spanish and English.

Raj Rambob has been executive director of Home & Hope since August 2009. Previously, Raj worked for the Area Health Education Center of Southwest Oregon where he served as the Executive Director, heading the agency in its collaborative, inter-disciplinary mission of connecting students from under-served populations to careers in health care, and connecing under- served communities to health care services. Among the achievements Raj is most happy to announce is the 42% increase in program capacity since his acceptance of the position of Executive Director. Raj served the homeless and under-served in El Dorado County, California as co-founder of Grace Place and United Outreach of El Dorado County (UOEDC), and for 23 years has been board vice chair of Mahima, a school he helped found in his native India in 1986. Committed to the non-profit world since 1984, his experience is enhanced by his undergraduate studies in Psychology at Columbia Union College, and is an Masters of Divinity student at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

Debbie Raucher is a Nonprofit Consultant and the owner of Debbie Raucher Consulting, providing independent consulting related to affordable and supportive housing. Her current and former clients include Contra Costa County MHSA, San Mateo County MHSA, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation and Lutheran Social Services of Northern California. Previously, she was the Deputy Director of Tenderloin Housing Clinic and Executive Director of East Bay Housing Organization. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from University of California, Berkeley, and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities.

Ken Reggio has served as ECS’s Executive Director since February 2002. Ken holds advanced degrees in sociology and social work and has a 26-year history of executive leadership in organizations serving people who are poor and disenfranchised, notably ECS, Catholic Charities of the East Bay, and St. Vincent DePaul Society of San Francisco.

Megan Rohrer is a nationally recognized leader on issues of gender, sexuality and faith. Executive Director of WELCOME - a communal response to poverty in San Francisco, CA, Pastor Rohrer is an activist, advocate and educator who speaks and preaches nationally.

Kevin Sharps joined MidPen in October 2010 with a nearly 20 year track record of working with special needs populations including those challenged by substance use, mental illness, and homelessness. Prior to MidPen, Kevin was the Director of Housing for Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco, a community-based organization serving homeless and very low-income residents in San Francisco. He also served as the Director of Guest Services for one of the largest substance abuse recovery programs in Los Angeles. In 2009, he was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to serve on the City’s Local Homeless Coordinating Board to advise City officials and the public regarding policies and services affecting the homeless. Kevin received his bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Georgia and his MPA from the University of San Francisco.

Executive Director Mary Kay Sweeney, PhD -- Mary Kay works passionately to end homelessness with all the resources at her disposal as executive director for Homeward Bound of Marin, where she took the helm in 2000 after seven years with the agency. She previously held assistant executive director positions at Seva Foundation and Canal Community Alliance. She was awarded the Heart of Marin Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership in 2006 and presented topics at the National Alliance to End Homelessness convention in 2006, 2007 and 2010. Mary Kay recently talked about her work in a Q & A interview with Pastor Barbara Rowe at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Tiburon.

Charles H. Turner, Re-Entry Team Manager for the Oakland Private Industry Council (PIC), has over 15 years experience in dedicated work to help the formerly incarcerated successfully reintegrate into society. California Workforce Association recently named Turner as Workforce Professional of the Year for his dedicated efforts. Turner is considered a pioneer in the development of specialized services to the re-entry population and currently manages Oakland PICs Breaking Through Barriers (BtB) unit, which specializes in supporting participants with case management, assessment, training, placement and follow-up services. With a success rate of 70 percent, Breaking Through Barriers helps in positive activities related to education, training and employment. Graduates of the program, which currently services 170 participants, have obtained employment in fields such as wastewater management, retail sales and management and environmental occupations. Turner forms broad-based community partnerships to address the diverse needs of the formerly incarcerated.

Ciara has been with New Door since 2005, and has over 12 years of experience in youth development. She is endorsed by the Community Network for Youth Development to provide training to others in the youth development field. Previous to New Door, Ciara worked in a specialized high school program where she led a therapeutic skill-building group and provided case management for dual diagnosis youth ejected from the public school system. After graduating with a B.A. from Taylor University, Ciara worked on a human rights research project at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Currently, Ciara participates in many local forums on youth employment, including the San Francisco Youth Council, a body that advocates for the needs of youth to the Mayor and where only three seats are allocated to youth-serving organizations. Ciara is also on the San Francisco Workforce Investment Community Advisory Council and co-chairs the San Francisco Youth Employment Coalition, leading their subcommittee on performance standards and outcome measures.

As Associate Director of Community Services Agency, Maureen Wadiak is responsible for the supervision of program staff and program evaluation and quality assurance for CSA’s four core programs. Additionally, she is responsible for government contracts and United Way of Silicon Valley funding proposals and outcome evaluations. She has over 20 years supervisory and management experience in a variety of health social service agencies. She holds a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and has been an Instructor of Social Work at San Jose State University. Currently, she is the Chair of the Silicon Valley Oral Health Collaborative, a member of the local Emergency Food & Shelter Program Board, the Second Harvest Food Bank Advisory Board and the Mountain View-Los Altos Adult Education School Advisory Committee.

In her role as Associate Director of Abode Services and Allied Housing, Vivian promotes affordable housing for those most at risk in our community - extremely low-income households and those with special needs. She oversees all of our programs and affordable housing developments, which keep over 1,000 people in homes each night. Vivian holds a Master’s degree in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley in the area of Management and Planning. Before coming to Abode Services in 2006, she worked extensively in the areas of homelessness, foster care, and community development, and is also a former Peace Corps Volunteer. She has devoted her career to assisting low-income people to succeed in their educational, health, and economic goals.

Kevin Winge joined Project Open Hand as executive director in 2012. Prior to joining Project Open Hand, Kevin served 12 years as executive director of Project Open Hand’s sister agency in Minneapolis, Open Arms of Minnesota. During his tenure at Open Arms Kevin grew the organization to provide daily nutrition services not only to people with HIV/AIDS, but also to people with MS, ALS, breast cancer, and more than 60 other life-threatening illnesses. Kevin is also a board member and former board president of the Association of Nutrition Services Agencies where has worked to promote food justice and the availability of plentiful and healthful food for individuals and communities both in Minnesota and nationally. He has also led Open Arms to create international partnerships to provide nutrition services to people affected by HIV in Ethiopia, Namibia, and South Africa.

Kevin has served as the Executive Director of Housing Trust of Santa Clara County since October 2008. He has been awarded the national distinction as a 2010 Young Leader Award by Affordable Housing Finance magazine. Kevin has worked in the field of affordable housing and community development since 1999. Prior to joining HTSCC, Kevin was Director of Housing Development and Deputy Executive Director of Affordable Housing Associates, a nonprofit affordable housing developer in Berkeley, CA. While there, Kevin oversaw the development of fifteen affordable housing communities throughout Alameda and Sonoma Counties totaling over 600 new units of housing for seniors, working families, people with special needs, artists, and emancipated foster youth. Previously, Kevin worked as a Loan Officer at Lenders for Community Development, now Opportunity Fund, in San Jose. Kevin received a Master's Degree in nonprofit administration (MNA) from the University of San Francisco, and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley.