fantastic projects begin with fantastic teams.
i partner with superstars who carry skills and life experiences different from mine. That way, we bring more combined value and understanding to each project and its people— and i keep learning and growing as a human. Each team is customized to best serve the project’s mission.
Here are some teammates i’m fortunate to co-create with…
Benjamín Gonzalez
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR. GRAPHIC DESIGN.
Ben runs his family’s property maintenance company and his own rapidly-growing screen-printing business. At 16, his story was featured in the documentary Futbolistas 4 Life, and now another documentarian is captivated by Ben’s story and producing a follow-up film. oaklandovereverything.com
Ben is my mentee in the Youth Impact Hub Fellowship, though i’m pretty sure i’ve been learning more from him. We are developing a story-telling and design workshop series for immigrants to co-create t-shirt designs that amplify their stories, with proceeds going to immigrant support services.
Jason Naumoff
EXPERIENCE DESIGN. BIG EVENTS. HIGH SPEED CO-CREATION.
Jason is an experience designer with a formal background in recreation design (yes, you can actually go to school for that!). He has pioneered new event formats for brands like Red Bull and GE. He also creates independent real-world games and social art initiatives focused on empowering everyday people to do extraordinary things. newcreatures.com
Jason has brought me on to help produce large-scale artistic events like Red Bull Creation, GE BBQ Research Tailgate, and Deconstruction.
Louise Mackey
DESIGNER. PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
Louise is a senior designer and project manager at Gyroscope Inc. in Oakland. She specializes in interactive learning environments for informal educational spaces, such as museums, science centers, libraries and makerspaces. Notable recent projects include a mobile outreach vehicle for Oakland Public Library, a children's museum in Buffalo, NY, and a giant 'Laboratorio de Ideas' in Mexico City. Louise grew up in England, pursuing her formal architectural education in London, after which she found herself in California via a large and playful sculpture at Burning man. gyroscopeinc.com
Louise was an all-star on our community project team in the Pathways to Equity Fellowship. She’s one of those great hybrids with a quick-witted brain and ability to build beautiful things… always with a smile.
Jason Su
DESIGNER. CITY PLANNER. EDUCATOR.
Jason is an urban designer and city planner passionate about creating vibrant cities through placemaking, public space investment, and community development. Raised in Los Angeles to immigrant parents, his firsthand experience on the impact of cities on economic opportunity and ethnic enclaves informs his work in city building today. He was the street life manager for the San Jose Downtown Association, where he implemented art, construction, and activation projects. He currently is a community planning studio instructor at San Jose State University, where he also earned his Master of Urban Planning.
Jason was a dedicated member of our community project team in the Pathways to Equity Fellowship. He has a keen ability to be kind and calm in moments of chaos, and he is oh so good at zooming out to understand big picture connections and patterns.
Briana Bellamy
FACILITATOR. COACH. MOVEMENT ARTS.
Cross-cultural and experiential education has given Briana nearly a decade of useful experience in facilitating groups in diverse and complex environments. She is a certified Integral Coach, and combines her holistic skillsets to support multiple social justice and mindfulness organizations. brianabellamy.com
Briana and i co-facilitated Social Movement in 2019 and are co-producing this 3rd edition of Social Movement in 2020.
Nayeli Maxson Velazquez
CEO. COMMUNITY ACTIVIST. LAW + POLICY.
Nayeli is the CEO of the Alliance for Community Development, an Oakland-based not-for-profit dedicated to economically empowering local residents, increasing access to capital for underrepresented entrepreneurs and small business owners across the Bay Area.
Prior to joining the Alliance, Nayeli worked on political campaigns in California and Nevada, and worked for elected officials at the federal, state and local levels. She holds a Juris Doctor in Government Law and Social Justice from UC Hastings College of the Law, a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz, a Certificate of French Fluency from Universite de la Sorbonne, and a Certificate of Intermediate Spanish from Ixchel Spanish School. She has completed the Coro Center for Civic Leadership’s Public Affairs Fellowship and the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership program. Nayeli formerly served on the Community Development Block Grant Board for Oakland’s Central District and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Resilient Wellness and on the Advisory Board for Oakland Grown. alliancecd.org
Yep, Nayeli is a powerhouse (and a mama, too!). She engaged me to support Alliance for Community Development in their new strategic plan, which includes the unique and exciting VALUES Verification System.
Ramy Kim
COMMUNITY HEALTH. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. DESIGNER.
Ramy is a public health practitioner focusing on environmental justice issues. She has deep interest in exploring how groundedness in place and the built environment affect our health in obvious and subtle ways. Currently, she is activated in various groups ranging from technology for public interest, to a biohacking art space — and is informed by an equity lens to qualify if these communities are being inclusive or instrumental in mitigating inequities.
Brilliant Ramy was one of my project teammates in the Pathways to Equity Fellowship, and would be welcome on any team i’m ever on for anything!
William Renauld
SOCIAL WORKER. MUSICIAN. OPTIMIST.
William is a social worker, musician, and activist. He supports Hospice clients daily with his genuine positivity grounded in deep listening and compassion. When he’s not face-to-face with death, he is in creation mode, making music with his drums, piano, voice, and friends. Many organizations and causes receive his efforts, including Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR) and PLACE for Sustainable Living.
William invited me to collaborate on Pop Star for a Night, his fundraiser for BAWAR. It was an opportunity for non-musicians (like me) to select and perform a song to unleash their inner pop star… for a good cause.
Ajman Thrower (DJ AjGod)
MUSICIAN. DJ. COMMUNITY-BUILDER.
Ajman’s creativity is amplified in everything he does, in everything he is. Working at the intersections of music, health, and justice, Ajman brings positivity and possibility to his Oakland communities and beyond. He has been refining his skills as a rapper, DJ, and music producer for more than a decade. Ajman currently is completing a residency at prestigious Zoo Labs and is about to drop an album with partner Honey Gold Jasmine. ajgod.net
Ajman and i co-facilitated several pilot sessions using the Journal of Belonging at KIPP King Collegiate High School, and are co-producing Social Movement 2020.
Ras K’dee
MUSICIAN. EDUCATOR. AUDIO-VIDEO WHIZ.
Ras K’dee is a Native California Pomo/African musician, community educator, and lyricist, producer, and lead vocalist/keyboardist for the live world hip-hop ensemble Audiopharmacy. In 2002, K’dee cofounded Seventh Native American Generation (SNAG), a multimedia arts and education organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of Native youth leaders.
In collaboration with his community, Ras currently is building The NEST Community Arts Center, the first ever sustainably built Indigenous-led community arts center in California. Over a decade of Indigenous Youth media training and the publishing of SNAG Magazine, along with many other programs, soon will have a home at The NEST. nestbuildcreate.com
Ras provides the tunes at Social Movement. He and i also co-facilitated the pilot program using the Journal of Belonging at KIPP King High School.
Jonathan Santos
MUSICIAN. EDUCATOR. WORD ARTIST.
Jonathan Santos (aka “Santos”), of African American and Puerto Rican descent, was born in New York City but raised in Asia. He completed high school in Japan, lived in South Korea, and studied abroad in China. He is an artist, poet, songwriter, cultural organizer, and father. Often recognized for his role in the documentary “American Textures,” his works focus on social, intra-personal, and environmental justice, always starting with self as suggested by his latest CD title, I’m Changing the World, by Changing Me.
Santos is founder of Glocal Soul Edutainment, delivering life-changing, entertaining, and educational programing that empowers healthy collective and individual social change, self-transformation, and a healthy relationship to place. His work in schools and colleges ignites young people to think about their role in this world and using their voices for powerful good. He also is especially engaged in the African American community to empower and heal the youth of the next generation and to find pathways for young African Americans to join the world table and define themselves in a positive local and global context. His presentations and workshops will propel attendees to explore and discover their paths – not only in their community, but in this world. And he will do it with heart, soul, and inevitably a dash of spoken word and song, as his guitar follows him everywhere! Santos is greatly influenced by Tai-Chi , is a Sifu instructor, and earned a BA in Political Science.
Santos has been a strong influence on the shaping of Movement of Belonging, and soon to be a co-facilitator.
eve Warnock
ARTIST. STORYTELLER. DESIGNER.
eve is a multimedia artist working in film, performance, electronics, sculpture, and light. She is a concept storyteller who creates interdisciplinary teams that explore topical issues through research, social experiments, and community engaged artworks. eve is co-founder of OBLSK, a creative agency made up of artists, inventors, and entrepreneurs who engineer immersive experiences through interactive installations and large scale projection mapping. evewarnock.com
eve and i have been co-creating for 30 years. Most recently, we birthed HERD, an ongoing artistic research project exploring herding behaviors in humans and animals through public performances, Installations, workshops, and lectures.
Vibha Gupta
PHYSICIAN. PRODUCER. ACTIVIST.
Second gen daughter of Indian immigrants, born, bred and raised in the midwest, Vibha now is firmly transplanted to the left coast. Emergency room doctor by day (and night), she sees firsthand the humanity that both inspires and devastates her on a daily basis. Vibha founded No Immigrants No Spice as a way to create something that combines her passions for food, culture, and people to shed light on the positive impacts of immigrants and provide assistance to immigrant support services. noimmigrantsnospice.com
Vibha invited me to help produce BBQ Without Borders, and design and facilitate an interactive artwork at the event.
Catalina Duque Martinez
VISUAL DESIGN. SOCIAL JUSTICE.
Catalina is a graphic designer, illustrator, multimedia producer, community organizer, and activist in Medellín, Colombia. She is co-founder of El Hormiguero, a social justice collective based in arts and academics that has been fighting for the freedom of the Colombian people and land for more than a decade. Catalina also started and runs Creación Libertaria, a design studio for the people. Her work focuses on developing creative communications that amplify the messages of grassroots social justice organizations. And her undying commitment to caring for the plants and animals is beyond inspiring.
Cata and i have collaborated on numerous community projects, large and small, along with the other members of El Hormiguero (The Ant Farm), when i am in Medellín. Our biggest project was the design of a multimedia arts education school wherein “students” (ages 14-104) explore and address local injustices via arts-based investigations. i lived at El Hormiguero for most of 2017, and visit as often as i can.
Kion Sawney
HOUSING EQUITY. COMMUNICATIONS.
Kion is an affordable housing real estate developer. He enjoys working within the built environment and exploring how enhancements within it can create identity, advance equity, improve health and cultivate economic growth. He is the Board Chair of the nonprofit Street Works in Nashville,TN and an active member of Urban Land Institute SF, YIMBY Action, Friends of the Urban Forest, and the proud dad to a dog named Gizmo.
Kion brought undying commitment and lighthearted yet focused organization to our community project in the Pathways to Equity Fellowship.