Our Team

Born and raised in the San Antonio neighborhood of Oakland, Rany is a dedicated leader in her community. As the Shop 55 Wellness Center Managing Director at Oakland High School, her alma mater, allows her the opportunity to give back to and help build her community by cultivating an environment that supports, motivates, and inspires young people to become safe, smart and socially responsible. She engages school staff, community-based partners, local businesses and colleges to be involved in being a part of our youth’s development. She received her Bachelors of Art in Social Welfare and Ethnic Studies with a minor in Education at U.C. Berkeley in 2006.

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Juan was born in Mexico but has spent his entire school career in Oakland, from Highland Elementary to Castlemont High. Juan first started youth work in 2001 at Castlemont High and has been working with the community ever since. He has over ten years of youth experience in the arenas of court advocacy, probation, schools, home, and in the community. Juan is also a passionate soccer player and coach and has coached the EBAYC’s soccer team since 2011.

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As the Deputy Director of Strategic Development, Nhi is responsible for strategizing EBAYC’s financial sustainability through securing funding sources. Nhi is the former Executive Director of the Oakland Asian Students Educational Services (OASES) and joined the executive team of EBAYC after the two organizations merged in 2012. Prior to these roles, Nhi served as a Program Manager for Student Group Relations at the UC Berkeley California Alumni Association (CAA). Nhi holds a bachelor degree in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley and a Masters of Education from Harvard University. Nhi is actively involved in her community as she has also served as a co-founder, Board Member, and teacher/facilitator for the Alameda Community Learning Center, an independent charter school created in partnership with the Alameda Unified School District and Arthur Andersen.

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Rosio grew up in the San Antonio Neighborhood of Oakland and attended and graduated from Oakland schools. She first came across EBAYC in 2008 as a parent volunteer at Garfield Elementary School, where her children attended school. In 2009, she joined the staff as a Family Advocate at Garfield. She is responsible for providing outreach and case management to parents and guardians of children who are chronically absent from school. She also runs the Parent Center, providing support to parents, guardians, and caregivers regarding health-related and social service resources for their children. Rosio strongly believes in EBAYC’s mission and is excited to be able to give back to the community and the people that saw her grow up.

Marisela started her career in youth development through EBAYC as a high school youth intern at Franklin Elementary School in 2004. Thereafter, she spent over 10 years as the After School Program Director at La Escuelita TK-8th School and led the community though many milestones, including the successful transition to a newly constructed school site in 2012. She also served as EBAYC’s Special Projects Director, managing EBAYC’s high school employment program, summer program design and more, before her current role as Managing Director at Roosevelt Middle School. Born and raised in Oakland, Marisela comes from an upbringing similar to the youth she serves and is a strong believer of giving back to her community.

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Erik is a long-time EBAYC staff member, currently working as a Counselor at Oakland High’s Wellness Center.  He screens all students who come the school’s referral system and connects them to services within and outside of the Wellness Center for further support. Born and raised in Oakland, Erik understands the importance of having the right guidance keeping youth on track and giving them tools to be successful, and credits the mentors he had when he was young with shaping him into the person he is today. Erik is a graduate of San Jose State University and attended Oakland public schools elementary through high school.  He currently lives in Oakland with his family.

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As Executive Director of EBAYC, David is responsible for leading our organization strategically to fulfill our mission. David has over 30 years of leadership experience in his role as Executive Director and is known for his bold community leadership. David previously served as president of the Oakland Unified School district Board of Directors and has secured over $30 million to make needed renovations to Oakland schools. David is the author of Oakland’s Kids First! Initiative, which voters passed overwhelmingly in 1996. Today, Kids First! provides $9 million annually for children services throughout Oakland without raising taxes. David’s work has been honored by the Ford Foundation with its prestigious Leadership For A Changing World Award.

Evangelina first worked with EBAYC as a parent volunteer at her children’s school while they were enrolled at Roosevelt Middle and Oakland High School in 1999. Eva’s strong family traditions and her passion to serve her Latino community is motivated her to become more involved. In her role as Community Organizer, Eva provides translation services, leads community events, and engages families to provide a wide range of support services. She is actively involved in the English Learners Advisory Committee, School Site Council, Principals Coffee, and the Parent Teacher Association.

Quyen brings more than 10 years of experience working in community based organizations that serve low income children, youth, and families. She began her career advocating for domestic violence survivors at Bay Area Legal Aid and then as a social worker providing case management and counseling to families living in affordable housing at TNDC. Her interest in research, developed during her graduate studies, led to her subsequent research and evaluation roles at UCSF Child and Adolescent Services and Huckleberry Youth Programs, where she continued to hone her skills in evaluating programs and managing and analyzing data. In her work, she especially enjoys engaging with all levels of an organization, from leadership to direct service staff, to build and support a more data-informed culture. She holds a bachelor degree from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University.

Jimmy has been with EBAYC since 2008, previously serving as the program coordinator for Roosevelt Middle School before launching our programming at Edna Brewer Middle School, now serving as a Program Director at Franklin Elementary. A product of Oakland’s public schools, Jimmy is connected to the community and particularly recognizes the challenges of growing up in an English-learning family can pose for students without proper support. Jimmy graduated from Cal State Hayward in 2009 with a Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice.

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Chanda May is a proud alumni of EBAYC’s youth program. She has served as a Street Team Counselor, working specifically with system involved young women, since 2006. Prior to her role as a Case Manager, Chandra served as a Youth Organizer to train campaigning and community organizing skills to youth in the San Antonio district and a Community Mapper with the Oakland Child Health and Safety Initiative. Chanda is a unique liaison to EBAYC’s youth through her cultural competence and extensive youth development working with the Southeast Asian Communities. Chanda is fluent in Khmer.

Frederick Douglass Mesa has worked in the field of youth development and education for 18 years. Frederick is passionately dedicated to youth empowerment and leadership, cultural awareness and appreciation, and social justice and change. The multiculturalism and commitment to community that Frederick brings supports his community to feel respected and valued.  As a father of five, Frederick understands the importance of positive male role models of color for all youth despite of race, ethnicity, gender or social status. As an inner city urban youth of color raised by a single mother, he brings experience and insight to the issues facing the young people he serves.

Darling was born and raised in Oakland, and spent her entire school career in the Oakland Unified School District, attending Laurel Elementary, Montera Middle School and Skyline High School. While attending Skyline’s Education Academy, she discovered her passion for working with youth, particularly within the city she calls home. She graduated from Cal State East Bay with a B.S. in Business Administration. Darling was introduced to EBAYC in 2012 and loves that she can work and give back to her community at the same time. As the Communications Director, she coordinates the OASES Leadership team, provide communication support to all programs, produce organization communication materials and coordinate projects and special events.

Lucero was born and raised in Oakland. She has been part of the EBAYC family since her days at Franklin Elementary School as a youth participant. Lucero started working with EBAYC in 2011 as a high school intern at Roosevelt and realized her passion for youth development. Upon her internship completion in the fall of 2011, Lucero became an academic mentor at Franklin Elementary and was promoted to Program assistant and now she is a Program Director . Lucero understands the struggle of being a youth in Oakland and found that EBAYC gave her a safe environment to learn and take on different opportunities to grow. She graduated from Cal State East Bay with an Administration and Management Degree In Health Science. She loves to go hiking and spend time with her family.

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As the Director of Expanded Learning at Manzanita Community School, Angela provides a safe, inclusive and engaging environment for our students to thrive and develop leadership skills. Angela has been a part of the EBAYC team since 2002, working as a high school mentor, Program Assistant and Academic Team leader prior to her current role. Angela’s motivation in youth development work stems from her own experiences when she was younger.  She credits her own mentor for encouraging and supporting her through difficult times in school and now strives to be that support system for our young people, providing them a safe place for them to be who they are, express themselves, grow and thrive. Angela is currently attending Merritt College, and is the proud parent of a kindergarten student in the Oakland Unified School District.

With over 14 years of experience, Angelica has served in many capacities at EBAYC, including being a Case Manager at Oakland High School, After School Program Director at Garfield Elementary, After School Program Director at Roosevelt Middle School, and Director of Family Services.  As a Street Team Case Manager Angelica is dedicated to working and helping youth and families fight for justice and develop their leadership skills so they can have the educational, living and employment opportunities they deserve.  In her spare time, Angelica’s loves cycling up many hills, and participates yearly in the AIDS Life Cycle Ride from SF to LA, a 585-mile, seven day ride. Angelica is a graduate of UC Berkeley and holds a BA degree in Social Work and a minor’s in Chicano Studies & Ethnic Studies.

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Jana has been serving with EBAYC since 2007. Her responsibilities include maintaining and managing EBAYC’s information database, as well as financial and office systems to support programmatic services. She is a proud alumni of EBAYC’s youth development program and her own kids are now enrolled in EBAYC programs.

In her current role as the Administrative Services Director, Mae plays a vital role in supporting EBAYC’s human resources and financial systems. Mae has been an EBAYC staff member for over 15 years and is an integral part of our administrative team. Mae is fluent in Mien and is a proud 1992 Alumni of EBAYC’s youth development program.

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As Program Director of the Shop 55 Wellness Center at Oakland High, Lucumi guides a comprehensive array of health and wellness services for high school youth. Lucumi has extensive experience with youth and community development work though his prior positions as a Mulimedia Coach at the HOME project and Assistant Director at the Long Life Medical Kids Village. Lucumi is also multi-talented as a poet, writer, and hip-hop artist, and is fluent in Spanish. Lucumi is a graduate of the University of Berkeley, California with a Bachelor of Arts in English Degree.

Gianna Tran has served with EBAYC since 1990.  She began her EBAYC career as a counselor working with Southeast Asian juvenile probationers and gang-involved youth. She later served as EBAYC’s Director of Case Management, Director of Education and currently is the organization’s Deputy Executive Director. In 2000, Gianna was awarded the California Peace Prize by the California Wellness Foundation for her collaborative leadership in violence prevention, and unique work with Southeast Asian justice-involved youth. Gianna has provided training and consultation on culturally-responsive, trauma informed care practices and youth development program design to many practitioners, and public and non-profit organizations. Gianna earned her Masters in Social Work from San Francisco State University.

John Tran is a graduate from CSU East Bay where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Recreation and Community Service. John brings a wealth of youth development experience working with youth through his various roles at Sports4kids, Americorps, and Oakland Parks and Recs. John works specifically with system involved male youth and utilizes his strong child development experience to provide character development opportunities for his youth. John is fluent in Cantonese.

Jonatan was born in Mexico and moved to the United States when he was a year old. He grew up in Oakland as the youngest of 3 brothers. While studying at California State East Bay, he first began working at EBAYC in the summer of 2009.  With over a decade with EBAYC, he has been an Academic Mentor at Garfield Elementary, a Summer Team Leader at Garfield, La Escuelita and Roosevelt Middle Schools, a Program Assistant at Garfield and now is the Director of Expanded Learning at Bella Vista Elementary. Working with youth is very fulfilling for him, and he values the opportunity to support and guide young people to help our communities thrive and shape the future in the right direction. Jonatan loves live music, photography, and playing and watching sports.

Nikita grew up in Oakland and attended OUSD schools. When she was first offered an intern position with EBAYC 14 years ago, the opportunity allowed her to find her passion to work with Oakland youth.She has learned and grown with EBAYC, from intern to Program Assistant to Site Coordinator to Program Director.As the Community Schools Manager at Garfield Elementary, she is thrilled to continue to give back to the community that she grew up in.