Rooted and Rising: Reparative Economic Development

Noni is a 3rd generation West Oaklander, Cultural Anthropologist and Grassroots Organizer. After a 2016 run for Oakland City Council in which she garnered more than 43% of the vote, Noni came to believe her community’s clearest pathway to economic justice and to the halt of rapid displacement was a cooperative economy. 

Noni holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Black Studies from San Francisco State University, and an M.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Cornell. As Executive Director, Noni implements bold strategies for building community power through education, outreach and engagement.

Sasha Werblin serves as a program officer at LISC Bay Area. Prior to joining LISC, Sasha was a special project manager at Self-Help Federal Credit Union where she helped initiate and manage real estate projects in California. During her time at SHFCU, Sasha executed projects related to the core operations of the credit union, managed community and corporate partnerships, and led key projects that enhanced organizational development and culture.

Sasha also served as the economic equity director at the Greenlining Institute where she advocated for increased wealth, assets, and financial sustainability in communities of color. She serves on the Board of the Greenlining Academy Alumni Association and the Oakland Community Land Trust.

Sasha earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She is a proud Oakland native and longtime resident who wants to live in a world where love is abundant, siestas are the status quo, and race is not a barrier to prosperity.

Roshaun Davis is an entrepreneur, community developer, and cultural strategist.
He partners with community-centric organizations that range from early stage
entrepreneurs, corporate companies, and governmental agencies.

Roshaun’s rare talent for community development, strategic focus and program
implementation bridges the gap between the built environment and the community
that lives within it. He makes sense of the always-changing environment, visualizes
what could be, and connects both with tangible results.

His client and partner roster includes the likes of AT&T, MetroPCS, YELP, Fiat,
Electrify America, Redbull, Sierra Nevada, MillerCoors, The City of Sacramento, City
of West Sacramento, and The Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

Roshaun is a sought-after strategist and speaker with a dynamic and engaging style.
He has led from the front of the room for Duarte, Whole Foods, Pacific Builders
Coalition Conference, Congress of New Urbanism, Creative Mornings, and California
State University - Sacramento State, among other places. He has a TEDx talk
entitled, “How Do You Show Love To Your City.” In a former life he was a well known
musical artist that toured the country performing in places like South by Southwest,
Los Angeles, and New York City. It is here where he found his passion for
representing the underrepresented.

He has been named Top 100 Business Leaders, 40 under 40, Top 25 Changemakers
in Sacramento and received the Local Vision Award from the American Planning
Association. In addition to his professional accolades, Roshaun still finds time to
give back to the community by sitting on the board for the Inclusive Economic and
Community Development Investment Committee, Sol Collective, and The California
Events Coalition. He received his BA in Journalism from the California State
University - Sacramento State, and his PHD from the streets.

Over the past 15 years, Tony Tolentino has worked in the philanthropic, non-profit, and government sectors focusing on entrepreneurship and inclusive economic development. He currently serves as a Vice President with JPMorgan Chase’s Global Philanthropy group overseeing the strategy and grantmaking portfolio for the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. The portfolio supports eligible nonprofits focused on building a more inclusive economy through neighborhood development, small business growth, workforce development, and financial empowerment.

Prior to his role at JPMC, he served as Chief Integration Officer with Forward Global (formerly The Philanthropy Workshop), a community of nearly 400 philanthropists and social investors committed to solving the world's most pressing social issues. As a leadership team member, he was responsible for integrating processes and information across the global organization and for working with the organization's key investors and stakeholders.

Before Forward Global, Tony was Vice President with the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. He was responsible for implementing the Foundation's Entrepreneurship Initiative, a $60M+ philanthropic commitment to creating targeted regional programs globally to support entrepreneurs and small businesses. Before joining Blackstone, he worked at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the agency created to help plan and coordinate the rebuilding and revitalization of Lower Manhattan after September 11, where he managed a portfolio of $240M+ grants to various community and cultural non-profits and city agencies.

Tony holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies & Geography from San Francisco State University and a Master of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia University. He currently serves on the board of Future Founders, an organization building the nation’s largest inclusive community of intentional young entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial-minded leaders, and as Vice Chair of the Market & Octavia Community Advisory Committee (CAC). He formerly served on the board of Tumml, a startup hub for urban tech.