WE PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR WORK AND LIFE

Tsehayu is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operation needs and supporting his immediate staff to optimize youth development programming.

Tsehayu comes with over 6 plus years of youth development experience, with an expertise in Workforce Development. He believes confidence is built by accomplishing goals and that it’s critical to provide youth the foundation as soon as possible. He lives for the moments when a young person’s dreams come to fruition.

Tsehayu loves to travel and is a Youtube fanatic for learning new skills.

Imani Baylor is a Youth Development Specialist for the East Bay region and is committed to serving youth to successfully guide them in the workforce and navigate through life using case management support and skill development workshops. She has worked in many inner-city schools and programs throughout the Bay Area providing services, mentoring youth, and advocating for students of color. Imani enjoys doing pop up shops for her online boutique, Eccentric Vibes and binge-watching television shows.  

Annie joined New Door in 2018 and leads the Human Resources function for the agency. Annie began her career in HR, and it is the through-line of her experience, especially recruiting, staff development, and coaching. Before joining New Door Ventures, Annie served as Interim Executive Director for Parents for Public Schools, and as a management consultant building strategies for San Francisco private sector and not-for-profit companies. Within New Door Annie is very excited to be focused on the work she likes best: hands-on staff engagement with a focus on equitable and inclusive practices. Annie grew up overseas but considers herself a San Francisco local after more than 26 years residency. She spends her time outside of New Door learning about the world from the young people in her life and cheering them on in public school, the arts, and athletics. 

Terriana was born and raised in Oakland. She has been committed to serving her community for the last 8 years. She has worked at various nonprofits serving youth and adults living with mental illness in Oakland and surrounding areas. She is excited to begin working with youth at New Door and looks forward to helping youth develop lifelong skills that they will be able to use as they transition to adulthood.Terriana was born and raised in Oakland. She has been committed to serving her community for the last 8 years. She has worked at various nonprofits serving youth and adults living with mental illness in Oakland and surrounding areas. She is excited to begin working with youth at New Door and looks forward to helping youth develop lifelong skills that they will be able to use as they transition to adulthood.Terriana was born and raised in Oakland. She has been committed to serving her community for the last 8 years. She has worked at various nonprofits serving youth and adults living with mental illness in Oakland and surrounding areas. She is excited to begin working with youth at New Door and looks forward to helping youth develop lifelong skills that they will be able to use as they transition to adulthood.
Terriana was born and raised in Oakland. She has been committed to serving her community for the last 8 years. She has worked at various nonprofits serving youth and adults living with mental illness in Oakland and surrounding areas. She is excited to begin working with youth at New Door and looks forward to helping youth develop lifelong skills that they will be able to use as they transition to adulthood.

Omar was previously at College Track, which he joined in 2007 and led its programmatic expansion into San Francisco. He most recently served as the Northern California Regional Executive Director, leading programmatic, operational, and fundraising efforts across four communities in Northern California – Oakland, San Francisco, East Palo Alto, and Sacramento. Omar is a San Francisco native and a graduate of McAteer High School and California State University Long Beach. As a first-generation college graduate, he is heavily influenced by his personal journey. He is passionate about equipping youth with the tools and resources that they need to become agents of change within their communities and committed to disrupting structures and systems that foster and support inequality. Omar is an American Express Leadership Fellow at the Campaign for Black Male Achievement. He has been recognized as the KQED Local Hero and earned the State Farm Community Achievement Award.

Keisha is an Oakland Native with over 15 years’ experience serving the community and working with the youth. As a kid, she also experienced many trials, tribulations, and adversities growing up in East Oakland. Her mission is to support any young person that I cross paths with help build the confidence necessary to reach their full potential.

Cheyanne is people-driven and views our youth as one of our greatest investments. She is passionate about changing the way we raise our youth and reestablishing family systems. Education should focus on compassion over conformity and approaching them with more individualized care so they can each thrive within their unique communities as themselves. Cheyanne is pursuing her masters in counseling, she is a healer who focuses on justice and using relational cultural therapy to improve mental health because we are all connected. With New Door she will focus on providing personalized one to one counseling services whilst youth are completing their internships. She will also work with her team to ensure their cohorts receive relevant workshops to support essential work and life skills. We are forever learners and she hopes to instill that in our youth so they can continue to progress in their own way despite the current oppressive systems in place. In her free time she remains active and works on her passion projects such as writing children’s books.

“Pay attention to the whispers, so we won’t have to listen to the screams” -Cherokee Proverb

Anelisa provides over 4 years of community based work in Oakland. They previously worked with Community Works as a youth worker. They’ve been working with New Door since their senior year of high school in 2021. They started as a youth participant in our first virtual Employment Program. Once graduated, they transitioned to becoming a member of the Alumni Leadership Council. After a year they were promoted to their current position of East Bay Peer Specialist. Their roles as Peer Specialist for the East Bay include but are not limited to, program outreach, program support, and facilitation support in the Alumni Leadership Council. 

Tim documents and researches various aspects of operations and growth strategies, analyzes current branding, and supports preparation of strategic market analysis. With prior experience in wealth management and data analytics, he hopes to do whatever he can to support New Door’s mission. In his spare time, Tim enjoys traveling and rooting for the San Francisco 49ers, Giants, and Golden State Warriors.

Kelsie assists the Director of People Operations in administrative responsibility for full cycle recruiting, staff development, performance management and benefits administration. She has previous experience within a similar field at California State University East Bay, Pioneers for Change program. Kelsie’s personal values align with New Door’s mission statement, as she believes that all youth deserve access to resources and opportunities to meet their needs in order to encourage a sustainable future. In her down time, she enjoys listening to music and spending time with her loved ones.

As the Career Development Program Manager at New Door, Maddie is responsible for extending the continuum of support for Employment Program alumni by strengthening post-program pathways through job coaching, facilitating ongoing professional development opportunities, and developing strategic partnerships with Bay Area employers and vocational training programs. Maddie also established New Door’s first Alumni Leadership Council, a youth-led and staff-supported group providing peer support for current program participants as well lending expert input and crucial youth voice essential to the success of New Door programming and operations.

Jenesh works to support the Youth Development Team by creating and maintaining processes to best serve youth. Jenesh also provides a first point of contact to new participants in navigating New Door programing.  Jenesh joins New Door with multiple years of both operational and youth development work. On her free time you can find Jenesh in a ceramics class or trying a new cookie recipe.

Phuntsok brings over a decade of experience as a Finance professional, most recently serving on the leadership team at Long John Silvers’ company owned restaurants.

Phuntsok was born and raised in an exiled Tibetan community in South India. She believes her schooling in the Tibetan Children’s Village and college education at Berea College (free tuition as a work/study program) were instrumental to her accomplishments. She is very excited to join The New Door Ventures team to support its mission of providing education and employment opportunities for at-risk youth in the Bay Area.

In her free time, Phuntsok enjoys the outdoors, swimming and spending time with her husband, son and daughter.

Kareem Ervin is a San Francisco native and graduate of George Washington High School. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of Memphis and specializes in Youth Workforce Development & Violence Prevention. Kareem began his career with the Omega Boy’s Club (Alive & Free) in 1998 and from that time, he has given back to the communities from which he was raised. While in college, he consistently volunteered his time at San Francisco Juvenile Hall, California Youth Authority (C.Y.A.) Alameda Juvenile Hall (Camp Sweeny) and he’s made presentations to inmates at San Quentin Prison and Vacaville Prison; while working alongside Omega Boys Club Co-Founder Jack Jacqua. Also, he’s worked as a former co-host on 106.1 KMEL’s Street Soldiers Radio Show (2007-2014) with Omega Boy’s Club Co-Founder and Alive & Free Founder Dr. Joseph Marshall, Jr.  

Kareem Ervin has received a host of awards and recognitions for his work which includes a letter of recognition from Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and he’s received the Board of Directors recognition from The United Way of the Bay Area. He has also garnered praises from San Francisco Superior Court Judges, Hon. Kathleen Kelly and the Hon. Katherine Feinstein. Kareem is also a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated.    

Currently, Kareem is the Program Director of Transition Services at New Door Ventures, where he was previously employed by the organization from (2011-2016) working as a Youth Development Specialist. Upon his return, he was previously employed with Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) where he worked as a Senior Case Manager (2017-2019) and a Program Manager (2019-2022) where he oversaw Federal and State Reentry Contracts in Contra Costa County; for providing employment services to formerly incarcerated youth and adults. Kareem has over twenty years of knowledge and experience working with underserved communities throughout the Bay Area.  

Jennifer reviews and revises data in order to create accurate reports. What Jennifer likes about her job is that she can network and communicate with different individuals that introduce her to new ideas. Outside of work Jennifer loves traveling and spending time with her loved ones.

As an education specialist, Karina teaches in the classroom at New Door, supporting student success in their individual goals, and creates an engaging environment for all participants. Karina joins New Door’s Youth Development team after five years of teaching humanities and philosophy at Contra Costa College in San Pablo, CA. Karina is a practicing visual artist and musician.

Kevin leads the development and implementation of New Door’s programs for young people. Kevin’s career is built on helping youth and families achieve self-sufficiency and build healthy communities. Before joining New Door Ventures, Kevin served as Director of High School and Bridge Programs at Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) where he led efforts to secure job placements and postsecondary education for young people throughout San Francisco. He also holds faculty appointments at the University of San Francisco and San Francisco State University. Kevin loves growing spicy peppers! He is a proud veteran of the United States Navy.

As the development coordinator, Natalie leads New Door’s gift administration process and manages the donor database. She previously worked as a fellow for Teach for America at Gonzaga University where she advocated for education equity and mentored low-income middle schoolers. Natalie strives to continuously support her community and outside of work, you can find her exploring San Francisco.

Amanda is a recent participant and graduate of the SF Employment program. As a Peer Support Specialist, she looks to be a welcoming face to those visiting New Door. She is an advocate for mental and disability rights and is constantly looking for ways to make spaces more inclusive. You can tell her style a mile away with her cute Kawaii additions. When Amanda is not working you can find her taking a class and learning new info in the field of social work.

As Development Manager for Institutional Giving, Cathleen works to extend and diversify New Door’s core funding base, taking strategic and tactical ownership over institutional funding sources at New Door. Cathleen’s development background includes eight years of progressive experience working with foundation and individual donors, as well as managing the digital fundraising, P2P, and direct mail programs at Make-A-Wish Illinois. Cathleen enjoys new outdoor adventure and traveling as much as she can.

Connie comes to New Door Ventures with about 6 years of prior experience in non-profit accounting and budgeting. Her responsibilities include Payroll, Finance, and HR operations within the organization. Outside of New Door, Connie enjoys spending time with her family and loves traveling and exploring the world.

• Juliana is responsible for creating and maintaining partnerships with businesses in the community. Before joining New Door, Juliana spent the majority of her career in youth and work force development, always having youth advocacy as her main priority. Juliana loves to stay active- you can catch her riding her bike around town, on a court playing tennis, or on a field playing soccer.

Gilberto Parada Jr. is our Director of Staff Learning and Development. He has spent 13 years in education, with the last three years as an instructional coach.  He has a background in professional development, programmatic design, PBIS, English language development coordination, and experience in differentiated instruction. He holds various certifications, most recently a master’s in educational leadership. He hopes to bring his range of expertise to support the learning and development of our staff to support the mission of aiding youth in the Bay Area.

Jenny manages and leads the Business Operations for New Door Ventures.  She comes to us from a recent move to the US from Canada, bringing in a wealth of operations expertise. Jenny completed her BBA in British Columbia, while volunteering as the Director of Events for, Enactus Canada, supporting youth.  She is a strong advocate for youth and truly believes that they are the future. Jenny is also extremely passionate about making positive experiences and impacts in the community to serve and inspire others. Outside of New Door, Jenny enjoys traveling, sports, and working out.

Maica manages New Door’s Education Program to provide support for the education team and to foster an empowering student-centered learning environment. As an educator by heart, she has held a variety of roles as: an instructor, academic coach, resource specialist, as well as being a continued advocate and cheerleader for her students. Prior to joining, she served as a coordinator for the Office of Student Equity at City College of San Francisco to connect students to resource programs that holistically supported them as they navigated their education/career endeavors. Maica enjoys traveling, exploring new cafes and book stores, and searching for new locations to scuba dive.  

Joel manages all youth development operations and supports Youth Development staff to work effectively with disconnected youth. Joel loves to solve problems big and small that come each day working with New Door youth and staff. In addition to his work at New Door Ventures, Joel is an accomplished composer for dance and film.

Melissa is committed to supporting young adults by identifying their needs, strengths, creating new skill sets and providing them emotional support. Melissa has a background in supporting young adults who have experienced Teen Dating Violence as a Peer Counselor & Advocate in San Mateo County. Melissa considers herself a gourmet short-order chef, waffle connoisseur and loves spending time with her dog, Mr. Tibs.

As Director of Strategic Initiatives, Ally manages a portfolio of high-impact, organization-wide projects and identifies and assesses new opportunities.  Ally has 10+ years of nonprofit experience as a team leader, strategy consultant, people manager, and professional coach. Before joining New Door, Ally served as Chief Development Officer at Rubicon Programs, a workforce development organization, and as Director of Partnerships at KIPP Public Schools Northern California. Ally lives in the East Bay and loves buffalo wings and stand-up comedy.

Robin Watson has a track record as a leader in the service of Nonprofits. Robin served in numerous leadership roles, most notably Chief Program Officer for OIC, and Executive Director (ED) -Year Up and ED-Achieve Palm Beach County, VP of Institutional Advancement Tennessee State University. Robin has a track record of maximizing business opportunities; enhancing market share, developing, and maintaining corporate and community engagement; and implementing focused programs and initiatives. Adept at formulating and executing diversity and inclusion strategies. Effective at cultivating partnerships and collaborating with numerous organizations to achieve equity and inclusion goals and foster growth. Robin Holds a BS degree from Fisk University and a MA degree from the University of San Diego in Nonprofit Management and Leadership and is a certified Restorative Justice practitioner. Robin is an active volunteer within the School of Leadership Education (SOLES) at the University of San Diego and in service to two subcommittees within SOLES focusing on pedagogy, curriculum development, and classroom environment for young adults to excel. This sub-committee is attentive to removing structural barriers and social support for young adults to excel. I am excited to join New Door Ventures as the Chief Development Officer. I am committed to optimizing the New Door Ventures program’s performance by identifying key drivers in the system and removing the resource barriers to help our youth reach their full potential. Robin has two adult children and joins us from Orlando, Florida.  

Rakiya leads the recruitment, retention and expansion of employer and education partners for the San Francisco and East Bay locations at New Door.

Rakiya has a background in workforce development, youth development and empowerment and partner relations management. Before joining New Door, Rakiya served as the Employment Placement Manager at Year Up Diablo Valley College, in Pleasant Hill California, where she helped young adults between the ages of 18-24 secure job placements and post-secondary education opportunities, as well as securing entry-level jobs through employer partnerships. Rakiya is a strong advocate for Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging and believes in the idea of bringing your whole self to the workplace. She is an active member of the CAL Alumni Association and serves as a mentor at UC Berkeley and the University of San Francisco. She is a wife and mother of two and loves to travel in her free time

An East Oakland native, Roberto has had the pleasure of working with youth of all ages – from kindergarten to high school – for the past 14 years. Working with elementary kids gave him an up-close visual on how fast their lives can change as they get older and closer to being young adults. He’s excited to work with youth in Oakland to help New Door interns develop life skills and use them in a system that’s designed for us to fail. Outside of work he enjoys music, dancing, outdoors, and animals (a sucker for dogs).

“You are busy doubting yourself while so many people are intimated by your potential”