WE PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR WORK AND LIFE

Tess Reynolds has served as CEO of New Door Ventures since 2003. Under her leadership, New Door has provided over 1,000 jobs to disconnected youth ages 16-24 years-old, with over 90% of graduates still connected to next jobs and/or further education six months later. New Door has won numerous awards including the Bank of America Neighborhood Builder’s Award in 2010 and a Google Impact award in 2014. Tess began her career as a brand assistant at Procter & Gamble and spent 20 years in the personal computing industry, where she is best known for having co-created the first presentation software, Harvard Graphics. She has held the positions of business unit general manager, vice president of marketing, and principal of her own management consulting firm. She has also served on several nonprofit boards. Tess is an immigrant from the Philippines, has a B.A. in Economics-Honors from the Ateneo de Manila University, and an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University in California.

Mark oversees New Door Ventures’ social enterprises Ashbury Images and Pedal Revolution in addition to finance, human resources, administration and organizational learning functions. He also leads planning and development of key strategic initiatives. Mark served as the organization’s operations manager and then its COO from 2001-2008, when he left the organization to work for a national disease advocacy organization. He returned to New Door as COO in 2011. Mark received his B.A. from the University of Washington. He holds master’s degrees in business administration and healthcare administration from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fuller Seminary.

As Chief Program Officer, Lilly oversees New Door’s programs in San Francisco and the East Bay, as well as our advocacy and field-building work. Before joining New Door, Lilly spent three years as a Director of School Partnerships at Seneca Family of Agencies as part of the Unconditional Education team. Prior to that, she spent seven years at Reading Partners, where she ended her service as the VP of Regional Operations, and was part of the leadership team that scaled Reading Partners from a small, community-based organization, into a national organization serving 8000+ children across 10 metropolitan areas. Lilly is passionate about program sustainability and impact evaluation, with extensive experience in strategic planning, organization/staff development and fundraising. She earned her BA from UC Santa Cruz, a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University and a Masters in Education from Bank Street College.

Christine is responsible for the administrative, finance and accounting operations across the organization.  She comes to New Door Ventures with over 13 years of experience in non-profit finance.  Most recently she managed the $16 million budget for Teach For America – Bay Area.  She is the proud mother of two girls and when not executing on the logistics of their extracurricular activities she enjoys reading and baking.

Joanna builds and sustains New Door Ventures’ individual and community giving in support of organizational goals. She has eight years of experience raising funds and awareness for high-growth nonprofit organizations and has raised more than $15 million to support local communities during that time. Prior to New Door, Joanna grew and diversified revenue for Tech Exchange, an education organization working to close the digital divide for low-income students and led development and communications for Reading Partners SF Bay Area, a children’s literacy organization. Joanna is passionate about connecting donors to the transformative work of high-impact youth programs like New Door. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison and enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, yoga and travel.  

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.

Amanda is responsible for supporting young people in attaining their goals and employment/life skills through case management and workshop facilitation. Before joining New Door, Amanda case managed LGBT identified youth experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. In her free time, she enjoys watching stand-up comedy, attending baseball games, meditating, doing yoga, and reading articles about issues related to social justice.

Annie manages all aspects of the HR function within New Door, supporting New Door’s hardworking front line staff behind the scenes. She began her career in Human Resources and has continued this work (including staff development and hiring) throughout her career. Within New Door Annie is very excited to be focused on the part of her work she likes best: hands-on staff engagement with a focus on equitable and inclusive practices. Annie spends her time outside of New Door learning about the world from her own children and cheering them on in school, the arts, and athletics.

Emma has spent the last nine years working to increase the employability of high-risk youth. Prior to joining New Door in 2015, Emma worked for several years as a Program Coordinator and Instructor at San Francisco Conservation Corps. She has been involved in youth development in many capacities, including performing research and data evaluations for similar organizations. Her passion to teach life skills and professional development, combined with her relatability and desire to intentionally leave a positive impact on youth lives has paved her way to join the team at New Door. She maintains New Door’s library and loves to read and talk about comics. You can also catch her around SF playing drums with one of her bands!

Gabriella helps to recruit and support our New Door Ally partner sites. She is excited to work closely with our partners to create meaningful internships for our youth. In her free time, Gabriella enjoys reading and spending time with her dogs.

Grace manages client intake processes and client data for all youth applicants. Alongside the youth development team, she assesses client job readiness, risk factors, and stability while tracking and reporting on client information. Grace also trains and supervises a team of program graduates who work as front desk receptionists. She enjoys collaborating with all members of the New Door team internally to create a welcoming, inclusive, safe space for youth as well as maintaining external communication with members of the community to provide high quality services to young people. Grace teaches and practices yoga and enjoys vegetarian cooking, traveling, and the outdoors.

Heather plans and coordinates a range of activities designed to promote New Door’s mission and impact through online and print communications and events. She also manages volunteer recruitment and engagement. Heather started her career as a beat reporter for a newspaper in rural Maryland, but soon discovered that her passion for storytelling and making a difference was better utilized in the public sector- previous employers include the American Nurses Association and the U.S. Department of State. A long-time mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters, Heather is excited to dovetail her passions for youth development and digital marketing. She loves long walks through the city, live music, and her two cats, Cyrus and Penelope.

Hermeka is a Youth Development Specialist for the East Bay and an Oakland native. She specializes in providing case management, job training, and skill development for teens and young adults. She enjoys helping others find their passion and achieve their goals. She’s worked in various youth services for over 10 years, with the goal of helping youth to create a life plan of success and self-sufficiency. Hermeka is a foodie who loves family outings, animals, reading, yoga, and hiking.

Jenny advocates resources for at-risk youth who are underserved and underrepresented in the Bay Area community, specifically Oakland and San Francisco. She has been involved in youth development and education for 5 years. She worked at EBAYC, Expanded Learning Program at Dewey Academy, and Asian Pacific Islander Student Achievement,an initiative that supports struggling youth to reach their desired goals. She is expanding her knowledge toward case management and building community partnerships. Jenny enjoys reading fiction novels, walking Lake Merritt, and traveling.

A former disconnected youth born and raised in the Bay Area, Jessy has been working with young people in various capacities for the past 11 years. Jessy co-teaches skill-building workshops, works with interns one-on-one on their life goals, and strengthens New Door’s relationships with the surrounding community as part of the Youth Development team. In addition to their role at New Door, Jessy has facilitated trauma-informed mindful movement workshops at the East Bay Meditation Center, Mission High, and San Leandro’s Juvenile Justice Center. They have also supported youth of all ages, social service staff, and formerly homeless individuals in reconnecting to themselves through somatic practices. Jessy enjoys cooking, gardening, and creative expression—they have written for the Buddhist Peace Fellowship’s Turning Wheel and read spoken word onstage at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond.

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.

Kelsey recruits and supports New Door’s 130+ Ally partnerships, as they provide meaningful work experience to young people across multiple industries. Previously, she led business development for a social enterprise that employed youth. She also managed operations for an internship-based study abroad program in San Francisco. Kelsey is passionate about designing innovative and sustainable solutions that both empower young people for their futures and strengthen the Bay Area’s workforce.

Kimiko assists the Youth Development team with grant tracking, data and enrollment, and provides individualized case management support to students in the Education Program. She also assists with the intake process to get young people enrolled in New Door’s program. Prior to working at New Door, Kimiko worked at Bret Harte Elementary School in San Francisco’s beautiful Bayview- Hunters Point community for three years as a Site Coordinator. In her free time, she loves to play and watch sports, spend time with her family and attend concerts and festivals.

Liz guides students on their individual path towards high school equivalency testing or graduation, and beyond. She creates daily lesson plans for critical thinking, language skills, goal-setting, and current events. Liz thoroughly enjoys working with young adults and hearing their perspective, a passion she discovered while teaching English in Japan. She also teaches yoga in the Bay Area.

Maddie is responsible for leadership of a Youth Development sub-team and implementing high quality youth development programming. Along with her team, she provides case management services for youth in New Door’s employment program and facilitates job training workshops. She also oversees the Alumni Leadership Council, working with New Door graduates to advise the program team and elevate youth voice and representation within the organization. She has spent several years volunteering with youth in San Francisco in a variety of capacities in addition to working in a supervisory and mentorship role on the staff of an undergraduate living and learning community, emphasizing career and vocational counseling. Maddie carries a lot of love for her hometown of Chicago, but has made a home in Oakland where she enjoys spending time on her bike, walking the hiking trails, and cooking meals in the company of good friends.

As New Door’s Development Associate, Mariah supports individual donors, general fundraising and event planning. She’s worked in the nonprofit sector for the last few years and directly before joining New Door she worked for an education travel company, bringing teenagers on meaningful trips around the world. She cares deeply about helping our young people achieve their highest potential and is passionate about sustainable and meaningful travel. She likes to spend her free time reading and cuddling her cocker spaniel, Muni.

Maureen works closely with the Business Partnership Manager with projects, data entry, business partnerships, and research. She is originally from the East Coast (Connecticut), but has been in California for over a year. On her downtime, she likes to bake, do plank challenges, and watch anime.  

A former disconnected youth and San Francisco/Oakland native, Mechan has helped young people discover and reach their potential in various capacities for the past 7 years. Mechan co-facilitates skill building workshops, works with interns one-on-one on their life goals, and strengthens New Door’s relationships with the surrounding community as part of the Youth Development team. Mechan loves to spend time in warm tropical settings with family and being a food connoisseur.  

Mel is responsible for leadership of a Youth Development sub-team and implementing high quality youth development programming. Along with her team, she provides case management services for youth in New Door’s employment program and facilitates job training workshops. She also coordinates the tutoring program, matching current and former participants with volunteers to work toward their educational goals. Mel has worked in underserved schools in addition to serving as a Program Coordinator at an elementary school using games and sports to teach students life skills. Outside of work, Mel enjoys spending time outdoors and cheering on her alma mater, Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish.

Rachel is responsible for surveying local recruitment opportunities at local job fairs, community calendars and tabling opportunities to build capacity at New Door. She develops data collection and analysis processes to engage NDV graduates and current youth interns to measure the effectiveness of our outreach activities. She brings her passion and experience as an environmental canvasser for the Vermont Public Research Group to increase the awareness of our programs and create sustainable recruitment strategies. Outside of work, Rachel finds herself on the water, surfing or paddling, and never too far from the beach.

Randy is responsible for providing case management support and skill development training for New Door Employment Program interns in San Francisco. He has been involved in youth development for over 8 years and has continues to support young people looking to to get connected to employment and education. In his free time, Randy loves spending time with his two dogs and watching Disney films.

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Rhea is thrilled to be back in the Bay Area and at New Door as a Youth Development Specialist in the East Bay. Rhea is dedicated to supporting young people with navigating oppressive systems and overcoming barriers. Through group workshops and intensive individualized support, she helps youth to develop the skills and access the resources they need to realize and pursue their educational and career goals. Rhea has been engaged in youth development work in New York City for the past 5 years providing academic, socioemotional, and post-secondary readiness and access counseling and workshops for young people faced with a myriad of barriers to success in education and employment. Outside of work, Rhea is an avid Yogi, dancer, and music-lover who spends as much time as possible in beautiful outdoor spaces and places.

Sidy is responsible for the curation, scheduling and distribution of marketing materials, both digital and physical, for New Door’s social enterprises. When he is not busy looking for new angles to promote Pedal Revolution and Ashbury Images, he spends his time at Yelp events, comedy clubs, and anywhere else there are laughs to be had and food to be eaten.

Sofia brings over three years of non-profit executive assistant experience to her role at New Door. With a background in administration, marketing and sales, she enjoys contributing towards this amazing organization. Sofia loves music, food, being outdoors and visiting new places. A California native, she resides in San Francisco.

Steve has been with New Door’s social enterprise Pedal Revolution since 2005 managing the business and overseeing the youth internship program. He has 15 years of management experience in the bike industry. His prior experience in business management and youth-oriented afterschool art-related programs brought him to New Door Ventures. He is passionate about the bike shop being a diverse and welcoming environment that reflects the positivity of its unique social mission, and its role in the bike culture of San Francisco.

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.

Wade is responsible for New Door’s social enterprise Ashbury Images. He oversees the overall business and youth internship program. He has over 18 years of management experience in the printing and manufacturing industry. His experience in business management and coaching youth sports helped bring him to New Door Ventures. When he is not showing his passion for youth and their development, you will find him rooting for his beloved Chicago Cubs.