Power, Systems, and Narratives: Community-centered Investment in East Contra Costa County

As the Alliance Manager of the East Contra Costa Community, Solomon Belette is responsible for developing a coordinated strategy to foster stronger collaboration, build a shared platform for advocacy, and work towards strengthening the non-profit ecosystem’s sustainability with capacity development and increased philanthropic investments. He also serves as the President of the Antioch Community Foundation and is a board member of the Village Community Resource Center, and Man2Man Urban Youth Advocate. Belette has extensive experiences in nonprofit management and has held key senior leadership positions with various organizations including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops supporting U.S. domestic refugee resettlement programs throughout the United States. He lead Catholic Charities of the East Bay as its Chief Executive Officer for more than a decade growing the organization’s budget from less than $3 million to over $7 million while building a strong endowment. As Executive Director of the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy at John F. Kennedy University, Mr. Belette established a robust training program for nonprofit executives including a highly recognized Fundraising Academy that has become a national model. Keys to his leadership success have been his strategic vision and commitment to social justice in addition to the extensive network he has developed with many professionals in the social sector.  In recognition of his strong background and leadership experiences, he was invited to join the planning group for the establishment of an Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice in Contra Costa County. More recently, he has also been invited to serve as a Regional Advisor for the Northern California Grantmakers (NCG) Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative.

For over 20 years Allison Magee has worked to transform public systems to reflect the strengths and meet the needs of the community. Allison is Executive Director of the Zellerbach Family Foundation, one of San Francisco’s oldest and most respected family foundations. ZFF promotes belonging, connection, and a shared sense of safety among people and communities across the Bay Area and California, with a focus on Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties.

Allison previously worked for the City and County of San Francisco, where she served as a leader in strengthening services for system involved youth and their families. Her work as Deputy Director of the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department includes the development of a national model for juvenile justice system reform. Allison also established a collaborative model for the city’s funding of community-based services that resulted in over $14 million in dedicated funding for violence prevention programs for San Francisco youth. Allison was awarded SPUR’s Good Governance Award for her work at JPD.

Allison also worked for Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Office of Budget and Policy, and the US Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General where she won the Inspector General’s Excellence Award. Allison holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration and a master’s degree in Social Work, both from Columbia University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University. Allison sits on the board of San Francisco’s GLIDE and previously with Northern California Grantmakers where she served as Board Chair. Allison lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons.