Racial Equity Action Institute | Cohort

As a Director with the strategic learning firm Informing Change, Michael Arnold designs and conducts research at the nexus of health, education, and the social safety net. He seeks to promote equity in access, opportunities, and capabilities across society through a greater understanding of individual, social, institutional, and environmental factors. He works with clients to enhance the ways their systems, practices, activities, and contexts promote thriving and wellness, particularly for traditionally excluded groups and disadvantaged communities. Michael has developed and led participatory research projects with youth, African American, low-income, and LGBTQ communities to support their well-being. He conducts his projects in partnership with community nonprofit organizations, public-private collaboratives, public agencies, academic researchers, and foundations. Michael holds a PhD and MSW in social welfare and an MPH in epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley. As a longtime Bay Area resident, Michael is continually inspired by time exploring parks and trails across Northern California.

Bianca Diaz is Assistant Vice President and Community Relations Consultant for the Wells Fargo Corporate Responsibility and Community Relations Group, based in San Francisco. In this role, Diaz helps drive the development of community relations strategy and social impact measurement for the Western United States. Her work mainly focuses on strategically increasing corporate responsiveness to community needs. Diaz is the co-chair of the Wells Fargo Community Relations Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, and part of the leadership committee for the Wells Fargo San Francisco Volunteer Chapter. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Diaz worked for Instituto Familiar de la Raza, a social services and mental health agency serving the Latinx and multiracial communities in San Francisco. Diaz holds Bachelors degrees in Politics and Latin American Studies from Pomona College and is currently pursuing a Master in Business Administration from Western Governors University. Diaz is driven by her commitment to racial and social equity in underserved and underrepresented communities, and serves as a dedicated member of the San Francisco Latina Giving Circle through the Latino Community Foundation. She is also a part of the Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) Policy Network. Diaz previously served as the Treasurer for the Bay Area Chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy.

As the Manager for the newly created Division of Equity & Social Justice and Interim Director for the Office of Immigrant Relations for the County of Santa Clara, Mike brings more than ten years of experience shaping policies that address racial and health inequities for disenfranchised communities.  Mike’s commitment to equity and social justice is based on his experience growing up just a few miles from the Mexican border, where he frequently crossed to visit close family members. The experience gave Mike the ability to understand how policies, systems, and environments play a direct role in the determinants of health and success for our communities, especially the most vulnerable. Mike received his undergrad at Cal State Monterey Bay in Collaborative Health and Human Services, where he led health strategies in the Salinas Valley, targeting the health improvement of migrant workers and families. Mike then moved to San Jose to receive his Masters in Public Administration at San Jose State where he served in a variety of leadership roles to support Health Equity & Social Justice for the underserved, uninsured, and diverse communities.  Most recently, Mike departed from the American Heart Association after serving seven years as the Sr. Director of Health Equity & Community Impact for the Bay Area.

Gregory has worked with the San Francisco Public Library for over a decade. Prior to that, he received his MLIS (Librarian Master’s) at UCLA and briefly worked at the Chicano Studies Research Center Library. Currently, Gregory is working with the library’s Racial Equity Task Force, which comes out of other colleagues' work with a Bay Area cohort of the Government Alliance on Racial Equity.

In her 10+ year tenure at LS&Co, Jamila has pivoted her career from a focus on product to concentrating on people. After a career in Product Development then Learning & Development, her empathy, passion for supporting people in their personal growth, and commitment to social justice led her to a dream role on the Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging team. The purpose of the D&I team at LS&Co. is to create an inclusive environment where people can bring their best selves to work. the team creates meaningful and impactful programs and initiatives globally that allow employees to engage, learn, connect and grow. When she’s not focusing on creating a more inclusive workplace, Jamila enjoys relaxing in her garden, popping up on her long board surfing the waves at various California beaches, teaching women and girls of color to surf, and mentoring young women in leadership and community building with the Oakland based non-profit Brown Girl Surf.

Malik Looper is a Sr. Community Development Specialist with the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development. His career spans over two decades with more than half spent in the nonprofit sector advancing workforce, housing, youth, and community development. Alongside his wife, Malik is raising a second generation of San Franciscans. Today, Malik is co-leading a department-wide racial equity initiative heavily informed by a framework and tools provided by the Governmental Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE). 

Olivia White Lopez is an organizational leader inspired by the power of community engagement to enact real change. Currently pursuing her Master of Science in Organization Development at the University of San Francisco, Olivia has built a career over the last 10 years focusing on innovative strategies in workforce development, strengthening cross-sector partnerships, and creating inclusive and equitable learning and working environments. In her current role as the Director of Career Pathways with Hack the Hood she forges partnerships with tech companies seeking diverse, local talent and collaborates with community coalitions working at the intersection of tech education, talent pipeline development, and equitable access to hiring opportunities. She has previously worked as the Director of Volunteer Engagement and Pirate Store Manager for the nonprofit 826 Valencia, and as the Dalton Gallery Fellow of Agnes Scott College. Olivia holds a BA in anthropology, sociology and studio art from Agnes Scott College.

Galen is the Director of Human Resources and Administration for the San Francisco Foundation. In this role, Galen leads organizational development, recruitment, compensation, payroll, real estate, and facilities. Galen serves as an advisor and thought partner to the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team. During Galen's tenure at Starbucks, he supported the multi-branded Northern CA Market. While at Starbucks, Galen supported over 10,000 employees, served on the National Veteran's Advisory Council and built a reputation of partnering with civic and community leaders to create career tracks in the under-resourced communities of Northern California. Galen is a Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), has achieved his Human Capital Strategist Certification (HCS), served on the City of Oakland (CA) Workforce Investment Board-an appointed role by the Mayor of Oakland and has earned his SHRM-SCP. Galen is a Mentor for the East Bay College Fund.

Mona Masri is a veteran community development professional and co-founder of Summit Co-Lab, a consulting collaborative, where she seeks to advance positive social change by motivating human, social and financial capital through collaborative, integrated expertise and a focus on outcomes. Mona currently works with the Asset Funders Network (AFN) to advance AFN’s mission of working with funders to promote wealth building opportunities for low-income individuals such as emergency savings, homeownership, small business development, etc. as well as asset preservation strategies such as reducing fines and fees, identifying alternative responsible financial service providers, which have a specific impact on closing the racial wealth gap. Her work with AFN involves both local and national efforts. Locally Mona spearheads the Bay Area AFN’s funder network which seeks to identify the causes, challenges and opportunities for philanthropy to help low-income individuals, particularly people of color, to build and preserve their wealth. As part of AFN’s national team she coordinates efforts to educate funders through a data driven approach to develop overarching strategies, as well as promising practices and innovative solutions to close the women’s wealth gap, with a particular emphasis on women of color.

Anyania I. Muse is an innovative leader in equity, diversity and inclusion work within higher education, nonprofit and private sectors. She is an enthusiastic educator, facilitator, and community advocate with over 15 years of investment in the work. Anyania’s work includes strategic planning, project management, program development, curriculum development, coalition building, and training on microaggressions, implicit bias, and cultural competency. Dedicated to effecting change that advocates for, and operationalizes equity and inclusion, Anyania’s work is about stabilizing organizational transitions, and forging pathways for stakeholders to successfully build equitable outcomes, and holding systems accountable for the creation and implementation of equity plans. Holding a bachelor’s in political, legal, economic analysis (PLEA) from Mills College, Anyania’s ability to analyze policies and develop methods for change while at the same time keeping a pulse on the social, political and environmental issues that her constituents face is immeasurable. Anyania’s master’s degree in educational leadership with a focus on education policy from the same institution gives her the advantage of being able to create shifts in culture while creating policies that close equity gaps within systems.

Naomi is the YWCA Silicon Valley’s new Sr. Director of Social Justice. Previously, she served as Executive Director of CHAC and West Valley Community Services, Assistant Director of Social Sector Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, as well as the Associate Director for Asian American Recovery Services in Santa Clara County. For over thirty years, Naomi has worked as a social worker in a variety of capacities, with twenty of those years focused on executive management in the local nonprofit community. She has extensive experience in diversity/equity and inclusion work, the development, implementation and coordination of successful prevention, intervention and treatment programs. Naomi was elected as a Trustee for the Fremont Union High School District Board in 11/18. She was the Chair for the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits and serves on their Leadership Team; has served on the United Way Silicon Valley Board of Directors and was appointed to serve on the Commission on the Status of Women and Housing and Community Development Advisory Commission for Santa Clara County, on the City of Sunnyvale’s Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee. She has been an active community volunteer in the schools, temple, jails.

Born in California and raised in South Africa, Nolizwe (they/them) currently serves as the Associate Director of Engage San Francisco, a University of San Francisco place-based campus-community initiative. They additionally serve on the steering committee of the Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project (BLMP). Nolizwe graduated from Clark University with a B.A. in Economics and the University of San Francisco with a Master of Arts in Urban Affairs. Prior to Engage, Nolizwe served as the AmeriCorps Financial Grant Coordinator for YouthBuild USA and cultivated the next generation of LGBTQIA+ leaders of color as the Mentorship Program Coordinator for the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition (HBGC) in Boston, MA. Additionally, they served on the Board of Directors of multiple organizations including New Leaders Council, Brookview House and BUTCH Voices. When they're not basking in QTPOC magic, you can find them jiving to the sounds of Afro-house or recharging with the power rangers.

Strategic voicing, visioning, collaborating and grantmaking in the philanthropic sector since 2004. In her professional and personal roles, Marcia Quinones is determined to increase visibility, opportunities and inclusion of Latino/a/x people in high stakes conversations and decision-making that affect philanthropy and society at large.

Adrianna leads and manages the coordination of Energy Foundation’s work to develop, foster, and sustain a diverse workplace with equity and inclusion as core values. She also works with our program teams to develop cohesive, meaningful, external equity strategies. Adrianna is a nationally recognized expert on strategic power-building, sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion, Adrianna most recently served as Director of Partner Engagement at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). In 2007, Adrianna founded and, for a decade, served as Executive Director of Voces Verdes, a national coalition of Latino business, health, community, and cultural leaders, advocates, and organizations calling for action on clean energy and climate, and one of the first organizations dedicated to building leadership among Latinos and Latinas on sustainability. She began her career at NRDC as an attorney litigating cases on pesticides, toxics, drinking water, and air quality.

Olivia M. Rebanal is Director of Inclusive Food Systems at Capital Impact Partners (CIP), a CDFI that has deployed over $2.5 billion to serve 5 million people in our communities’ critical sectors: health care, education, elder communities, healthy food, cooperatives and affordable housing. Olivia manages the strategy, initiatives and partnerships related to CIP’s work in building equitable food systems. Through state and regional initiatives, CIP increases access to affordable healthy food, creates opportunities within the food economy, supports neighborhood retailers, and expands food distribution, processing and production, with a focus on racial and social equity. Olivia is a thought leader and justice advocate in the CDFI industry for strategically embedding inclusion and equity into programming and investment strategy. Olivia has 20 years of experience in the CDFI industry with a focus in building wealth for excluded entrepreneurs.

Angel Rios, Jr., is a leader with 25 years of professional experience working in both the public and non-profit sectors. He currently serves as the Deputy City Manager for the City of San Jose. Angel previously served as the Director of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services. Prior to joining the City of San Jose, Angel served as the Associate Director of the largest Latino based, non-profit in Santa Clara County. Angel holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and a bachelor’s degree in political science and government. He is a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum.

Karina is the Organizational Development & HR Specialist for the Heising-Simons Foundation where she leads the Foundation's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion work. In addition to DEI, Karina supports the organization's learning and development, employee engagement, and human resources function. Karina holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in organization development from the University of San Francisco School of Management.

Melynnie Rizvi is the Director, Employment Law and SurveyMonkey for Good at SurveyMonkey. Ms. Rizvi provides strategic guidance to the People team, oversees global employment law, and leads SurveyMonkey for Good, the company’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Social Impact initiative. Prior to SurveyMonkey, she was Senior Director, Global Employment, Litigation, Chief Sustainability & Diversity Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer at Veritas, a global technology company. In this role, Ms. Rizvi led the global employment law and litigation teams, managed the global compliance program, and led the Corporate Responsibility, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives. Prior to Veritas, she was a Director of Global Employment Law at Symantec. Prior to Symantec, she was a partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith and an associate at Baker & McKenzie. Ms. Rizvi is a a recent graduate of The Leadership Consortium, Harvard Business School’s Executive Leadership Acceleration Program, was named Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 2016 Employment Counsel of the Year and is an accomplished speaker on employment law, corporate responsibility, diversity and inclusion issues. Ms. Rizvi is a Board Member of Fresh Lifelines for Youth and Success Through Education Program. She received her JD and Bachelors of Commerce degrees from the University of Alberta.

Jennifer brings more than 10 years of experience of serving communities throughout the Bay Area to her role as the Director of Training and Leadership with the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits. Jennifer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and has worked for Stanford Health Care’s Government and Community Relations Team, oversaw autism services for the Regional Center of the East Bay, and developed counseling programming at the YWCA of Silicon Valley. She has been a Community Educator for the Asian American Voices project with Asian Americans for Community Involvement, and has been an adjunct professor and field instructor for San Jose State University’s School of Social Work. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Social Workers - California Chapter as Vice President of Professional Development, and has served for more than a decade on their Professional Development Committee. She was also a member of the Regional Advisory Committee for the State Council on Developmental Disabilities’ Bay Area office and is a past Co-Chair of the Asian/Pacific Islander Social Work Council of Northern California. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz, and Master’s degrees in both Urban and Regional Planning and Social Work from San Jose State University.

Miriam Warren is the vice president of engagement, diversity and belonging at Yelp and board chair of the Yelp Foundation. She leads a team working at the intersection of culture, engagement, corporate philanthropy and diversity, equity and inclusion. A product of Las Vegas public schools, Miriam was a first generation college student at Mills College where she studied ethnic studies. She lives in Oakland.