Investing in the Long Arc of Justice: Post-Election Convening

Lydia leads California Calls’ Power Building Team in supporting Anchor organizations across California with all aspects of their statewide electoral, organizing, and digital programs. In 2022, she took a leave of absence from California Calls to serve as Field Director for the Karen Bass for Mayor Campaign, helping to elect LA’s First Black Woman Mayor. Lydia is also a Movement Leader Fellow of the Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice program at the Colin Powell School and CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies.

Before joining California Calls, she was the Director of Community Organizing at Innercity Struggle, an educational justice organization working with youth and parents to improve the quality of education in East Los Angeles schools. She was also a Community Organizer with East LA Community Corporation, working with Boyle Heights’ leaders to fight gentrification by advocating for community-driven equitable land-use policies, legalizing street vending, expanding affordable housing, and protecting tenant rights.
 

Saa'un is the daughter of a Black Alabamian and Filipino immigrant.

Saa'un leads political, policy, and narrative strategy to build the political power of young voters of color at Power California. Her work includes expanding the vote to 16, building a bench of underrepresented gen z and millennial leaders to run for local and statewide political office, and redefining democracy and civic engagement in California. Previously, Saa’un organized Black and Brown youth and community college students to transform California’s education system at Californians for Justice for 11 years. Her organizing, strategy, and writing are rooted in working Class, Black southern, and rural Filipino Immigrant roots.

Rose Cahn is a program officer with the Human Rights program at the Heising-Simons Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2023, Rose served as the managing attorney at Immigrant Legal Resource Center, where she oversaw the organization’s national work at the intersection of criminal and immigrant justice. Rose has worked closely with stakeholders from the immigrant and criminal justice sectors to pass local, state, and federal policies that protect the rights of all people, regardless of where they were born or contact with the criminal legal system. Previously, she clerked for Warren J. Ferguson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Rose has received the Emile Gumpert Award from the American College of Trial Lawyers and a Senior Soros Justice Fellowship in recognition of her innovative work launching the country’s first project to pass and implement new laws that erase unlawful convictions. Rose currently serves on the board of directors of For The People, and on the advisory board of La Defensa. She received a law degree cum laude from New York University School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree with highest honors in government and Latin American studies from Wesleyan University.

Priscilla Enriquez leads the team at the James B. McClatchy Foundation as Chief Executive Officer. With over 20 years in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector, she has curated investments across a wide range of issues that center communities and people seeking better lives for themselves and the next generation. As CEO she provides leadership in strategic philanthropic investments while supporting the bedrock tenets of democracy and advancing equity. Both a servant leader and advocate, Priscilla works to enhance and uphold the foundation’s promise to stand with the people of California’s Central Valley in partnership with her board, staff, and grantee partners.

As a first-generation college graduate, Priscilla holds an A.B. and an M.A. from UC Berkeley. Her sweet spot is leading for change — to transition systems that divide and separate into ones that build and unite. She leads by innovating with a start-up mindset for community and systemic change.

Tere Flores Onofre began her career as a youth organizer and has been engaged in faith-based community organizing for the past 18 years. As part of various PICO/Faith in Action affiliates, she has led campaigns to invest in youth development, expand access to healthcare, increase opportunities for students of color to attend college, support passage of comprehensive immigration reform, and encourage civic participation among underrepresented communities throughout California. During her time at the Laudato Si’ Movement, her work focused on increasing Catholic participation and engagement in caring for creation and achieving climate justice by managing an organizing portfolio across 5 global regions. Her work is currently focused on leading the organizing programs as the Director of Programs & Strategy for Sacramento ACT by developing and implementing comprehensive strategies that expand our democracy, develop community leadership, and create systemic change in the Sacramento region.

She is a mestiza from Puebla, Mexico and a 1.5 generation immigrant in California, United States. She received a Bachelors of Science in Political Economies of Industrialized Societies from the University of California-Berkeley.

Michael Gomez Daly is the Senior Political Strategist for the California Donor Table.

Before joining California Donor Table in December of 2022, Michael was the executive Director of Inland Empire United, a regonal coalition of community forward organizations dedicated to turning the Inland Empire progressive. Michael was with Inland Empire United for seven years, prior to that he served as the CA Political Director for PowerPAC.

Kimi Lee brings three decades of experience organizing and working with social justice organizations to her role as the Executive Director of Bay Rising. Kimi has organized students with the University of California Student Association and served as field director for the ACLU of Southern California, executive director of the Garment Worker Center, lead organizer of the United Workers Congress, among many other leadership roles. Her first-generation family immigrated to the U.S. from Burma in 1971.
 

Steve Phillips is a national political leader, bestselling author, and columnist. He is the author of The New York Times bestseller Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority and the newly released national bestselling book How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good.

He is a columnist for The Guardian and The Nation, and an opinion contributor to The New York Times. He is also the host of “Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips,” a color-conscious podcast on politics. He is the founder of Democracy in Color, a political media organization dedicated to race, politics and the multicultural progressive New American Majority.

Phillips is a graduate of Stanford University and Hastings College of the Law and practiced civil rights and employment law for many years. Phillips has appeared on multiple national radio and television networks including NBC, CNN, MSNBC and C-SPAN.

Marc was named executive director of the California Black Freedom Fund in April 2022, bringing more than a decade of leadership in advocacy working with grassroots organizations to build power for racial justice.

Prior to joining the California Black Freedom Fund, Marc led the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color. Under his leadership, the Alliance successfully advanced more than 100 state policies and established powerful partnerships with the California Senate and Assembly Select Committees on the Status of Boys and Men of Color and the California Funders for Boys and Men of Color. Through Marc’s leadership, the Alliance broadened its focus to include fighting for gender justice and ending intimate partner violence by addressing misogyny and patriarchy, as well as racial equity.

Through these experiences, Marc has gained deep campaign and policy expertise across a wide array of issues, including public health and violence prevention, community safety, education, youth justice, economic equity, and civic engagement. Marc serves on the board of directors for the California Immigrant Policy Center, Partners for Dignity and Rights, the Schott Foundation for Public Education, and is on the advisory committee for the University of Southern California’s Equity Research Institute.

Marc serves on the Board of Directors for the California Immigrant Policy Center, Partners for Dignity and Rights, and is on advisory committees for the University of Southern California’s Equity Research Institute and The Colorado Health Foundation’s Locally Focused Work.

Jack is the Director for Movement- and Power-Building at Silicon Valley Community Foundation. He joined the foundation in early 2018.

Since joining SVCF, Jack has spearheaded several civic engagement initiatives across the organization. He led SVCF's support to implement the California Voter's Choice Act in Silicon Valley and worked with government partners in the City of San Jose and San Mateo County to establish voter engagement funds. Jack believes it is vital to support BIPOC leaders in order to advance systemic change and build long-term power in communities of color.

Early in his career, Jack worked as an organizer on progressive campaigns across the country and brings lessons from his experience into his work today. More recently, Jack worked in the international development field to promote good governance. He spent over five years at the Open Government Partnership, an international initiative started by the Obama Administration to bring governments and civil society together to build more transparent, accountable, and participatory institutions.

Jack holds a MSc in Public Management and Governance from the London School of Economics and a BS in Religious Studies and Political Science from Santa Clara University.

Dwayne S. Marsh assumed the position of President and CEO of Northern California Grantmakers on September 9, 2020. He brings 27 years of experience in the public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors with a career commitment to advancing racial and economic equity.

Dwayne recently completed a four-year turn as co-Director of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) and Vice President of Institutional and Sectoral Change at Race Forward Race Forward. During his tenure, the membership network of local, regional, and state entities committed to advancing racial equity through the policies, practices, and public investments grew from just over 20 to nearly 200 participating jurisdictions.

Prior to GARE, Marsh spent six years as a senior advisor in the Office of Economic Resilience (OER) at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. There, he helped advance sustainable planning and development through interagency partnerships, departmental transformation, and funding initiatives managed through OER. He was OER’s principal coordinator for a $250 million grant program and led the development of capacity building resources that reinforced the work of pioneering grantees in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Under his leadership, OER prioritized equity as a foundational principal for its planning and investment initiatives.

Marsh brings to the movement his expertise and considerable experience in coalition building for regional equity and leadership development for policy change. He provides technical assistance and capacity building knowledge to equitable development initiatives that address continuing disparities in affordable housing, transportation investment, and environmental justice. Before HUD, Marsh spent a decade at PolicyLink, the national organization committed to economic and social equity. Before PolicyLink, he directed the FAITHS Initiative for eight years at The San Francisco Foundation, building a nationally renowned community development and capacity building program that continues to this day. His career has been defined by supporting communities traditionally marginalized from full participation in our economy and society to build power and leverage lasting systems transformation.

Liana joins NCG as our Director for Policy and Movement, where she’ll focus on growing our capacity to transform philanthropic practice and investments and building power in communities most impacted by racial inequities. She brings a wealth of experience as a social change advocate and strategist advancing social, racial, and economic justice campaigns. 

In her role with Build Affordable Faster - TODCO over the last few years, she’s provided core support for the emergent Oakland Progressive Alliance (OPA), a partnership between labor, community-based organizations and progressive elected leaders to harness political power to further progressive policy changes centering Oakland’s most vulnerable residents. Prior to this, she worked with the California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) - now known as Rise Economy - as the Director of Community Engagement and statewide organizer where she led a multi-year campaign to reform predatory payday lending at the federal, state and local level and strengthened the statewide movement for financial justice and consumer protections. In her work throughout the years with the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), she organized faith leaders, workers, residents and built coalition support for campaigns to lift low-wage workers out of poverty and win community benefits from large-scale development projects. 

Liana’s passion for social change work is rooted in her experience growing up in El Paso, Texas on the US - Mexico border, her family history, formative years in college, living in deep east Oakland, her spiritual beliefs and a strong desire to serve a greater purpose in life. Liana holds a B.A. in Sociology from Santa Clara University and a certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University. In her free time, you can catch her chasing sunsets and waterfalls, hiking in the redwoods, going to concerts and other shows, traveling to beautiful destinations and enjoying time with friends and family.

 David (he/him) is the Money in Politics Program Manager with California Common Cause. In this role he works to make representation more equitable and empower communities across the state, by ending the tyranny of big money and special interests in the political arena. This includes building support for, passing, and implementing public campaign financing programs throughout California. Prior to joining Common Cause, David worked at the cross section of elections and local community organizing, spending time in a variety of roles in electoral campaigns and political organizations of various sizes.

David was born and raised in the Bay Area, and grew a deeper appreciation for California (and a need to get home) after nearly a decade braving east coast winters.

Victoria’s commitment to racial justice and systems change stems from her upbringing as a daughter of immigrants in Southeast Los Angeles and a desire to see the needs of underrepresented communities addressed in our political system. Most recently, she served as Program Associate at the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund for seven years, where she partnered with program directors and grantees on key initiatives and grantmaking in support of immigrant rights and strengthening California’s democracy. Her previous experience includes immigration legal services and a few stints as an intern on political campaigns.Victoria is a first-gen college graduate and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a (soon-to-be) master’s degree in public policy from Mills College. She is originally from Bell Gardens and has now lived in the Bay Area for over a decade. Her passions include Lakers basketball, walks around Lake Merritt, and finding the perfect mezcal cocktail.

Pablo Rodriguez is the founding Executive Director of Communities for a New California. He directs 14 full-time staff and over 40 part-time year-round canvassers who implement ongoing non-partisan voter engagement efforts via CNC's Sacramento, Merced, Fresno, and Coachella Valley offices.

Since 2011, CNC Education Fund's Civic Engagement programs have engaged over 800,000 voters through phone banking and door-to-door canvassing. The implementation of CNC's integrated leadership development and mass voter engagement strategy spans seventeen counties in the San Joaquin Valley, Coachella Valley, and Sierra Foothills.

Before CNC, Pablo served as a Public Policy Consultant and Communications Director at a Sacramento political strategy and research firm.  His responsibilities included developing and implementing Federal political strategy, issue research, communications, and national field programs emphasizing voters of color.


Pablo currently serves as a board member of:

• Community Water Center Action Fund in Tulare County
• Courage California, board member
• Advisory Committee member of USC's, Equity and Research Initiative

Khanh Russo serves as the Vice President of Policy and Innovation. In this role, he leads a policy & innovation agenda focused on accelerating racial equity, economic inclusion and systemic change towards a more just society. Khanh’s expertise focuses on advocacy, power building, grantmaking and policy. Previously, Khanh lead San Jose Mayor Liccardo’s strategic initiatives focused on education, workforce development, innovation, performance management and budget. He also worked in the private sector leading social responsibility initiatives for Cisco Systems and Kaiser Permanente. Khanh received his MS in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and B.S. from Santa Clara University.

Celi Tamayo-Lee (they/them) started at SF Rising 7 years ago as the Field and Youth Organizer. Over the years they have organized the SF Rising alliance, developed the college student organizing program, and grown the grassroots civic engagement capacity of the organization. Celi is a third-generation, non-binary and queer San Franciscan and a student of somatics and cultural organizing.

Jonathan Ronald Tran is a political and narrative strategist with a background in grassroots organizing, electoral campaigns, and narrative power building. His work has supported California's marginalized communities by reshaping narratives, uplifting voices, and growing the infrastructure for long-term power building.

Currently, Jonathan is the Senior Program Manager on The California Endowment’s Power Infrastructure team. His grantmaking portfolio includes support for the state’s leading alliances and coalitions supporting integrated voter engagement and investments in community and electoral organizing. Additionally, he co-leads the Endowment's narrative power portfolio–resourcing the statewide narrative infrastructure so that communities have the capacity to compete for dominant narratives that shape the fight for social and racial justice. In addition to grantmaking, Jonathan is a proud member of the AAPI workgroup and previously managed TCE’s social media presence, and led strategic communications on voting rights, health care for the undocumented, justice reform, Census, and youth engagement.

Before joining the Endowment, Jonathan served as the California Policy and Programs Manager for the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), advocating for refugee and other immigrant communities. His policy experience includes roles in the California State Legislature under State Senator Sheila Kuehl and Assemblymember Mike Eng.

Jonathan graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with degrees in Asian American Studies and Political Science. Born to Teo Chew refugees from Vietnam and raised in Los Angeles, he now lives in Sacramento, California.

James Woodson is the Executive Director of the California Black Power Network, a growing ecosystem of Black-led and Black-serving community based organizations working together to change the lived conditions of Black Californians by dismantling systemic and anti-Black racism. Previously, James served as the Redistricting Lead and Policy Director of the California Black Census and Redistricting Hub. He also served as Policy and Strategic Projects Manager at California Calls where he managed work around the 2020 census, redistricting, and the Voters Choice Act (VCA). He is a former member of the California Secretary of State’s VCA Task Force. James began at California Calls as an Organizing Coordinator in 2016, where he worked on the African American Civic Engagement Project, coordinating civic engagement programs and providing support and assistance to the founding cohort.

Before moving to California, James served as the Director of Programs for the Boys & Girls Club of Newark, NJ, in a variety of capacities within the Obama For America / Organizing for America ecosystem, and for the NJ Health Care for America Now campaign. James is a licensed attorney in the states of New Jersey and New York and an alum of Rutgers Law School. He served as co-Counsel for the New Jersey Congressional Redistricting Commission in 2011 and 2012. In addition, James was the Founding Director of the Friendship Development Corporation, where he led the effort to create an outreach center that provides food, clothing, and other services to thousands of low-income families in Baltimore.