Our Staff & Board


Neva Walker, Executive Director
Email: nwalker@colemanadvocates.org

Neva is a long-time youth worker, community organizer and political leader from Minneapolis who recently relocated to the Bay Area. She was born into an activist family; her mother founded and ran community programs at the Sabathani Community Center, located right across the street from the family’s home. Neva herself now has decades of experience working with low income youth and families of color around economic and racial justice issues. She has organized intensively around community demands for affordable housing and opportunities for youth. At age 29, Neva was the first African American woman elected to the Minnesota Legislature in the state’s history. She ran a precedent-setting grassroots election campaign that involved young people of color at every level of leadership. She served 8 years as a legislator before stepping down to return to her organizing roots. She’s a former Board member of the Progressive States Network. Since coming to the Bay, Neva spent time supporting the Black Organizing Project at the Center for Third World Organizing, and has been organizing workers in the labor movement.

Chelsea Boilard, Director of Programs
Email: cboilard@colemanadvocates.org

Born and raised in San Francisco, Chelsea has always been passionate about working with children and youth!  She has years of experience working with youth in non-profit organizations all over San Francisco, but she found a place at Coleman in 2002 as an AmeriCorps member with YMAC.  Since then, she hasn’t strayed far from the organization, and rejoined Coleman as a staff member in 2007.  She is proud to be a part of this organization, whose members, and staff, are so deeply committed to a more just San Francisco for all young people and their families.

Pecolia Manigo, Education Justice Campaign/Policy Director
Email: pmanigo@colemanadvocates.org

Pecolia is a San Francisco born community activist and grassroots organizer dedicated to empowering communities of color with organizing skills to defend their rights and build power. Pecolia was a former staff member of the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) where she used her organizing, business and education skills to help non-profits, small businesses, religious and social groups to achieve their missions and continue to provide their services to communities of color in the East Bay Area.

Christina Cañaveral, Economic Justice Campaign Organizer
Email: ccanaveral@colemanadvocates.org

Christina Cañaveral was born and raised in the Excelsior District in San Francisco. She has a strong background in program management and youth development, serving as the Volunteer Coordinator at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center and Project Manager at the Upward Bound program of the University of Central Florida. Christina has extensive experience developing skills building and political education curriculum and facilitating workshops and leadership development programs, for both youth and parents. In multiple positions, Christina has carried out federal, state and local budget monitoring activities. Christina received her Masters Degree in Political Science in Bogota, Columbia where she also served as the Academic Coordinator of an English Language Institute. While in Columbia, Christina played leadership roles in multiple political campaigns, including the Mayoral Campaign of a member of the Independence Party, in which she served as a precinct captain, event and media coordinator, fundraiser and translator.

Rosario Ramirez, Lead Organizer, PMAC Parent Organizer
Email: rramirez@colemanadvocates.org

Rosario is the parent of a 6th grader in San Francisco Public Schools. Rosario was a parent leader at Coleman for two years before she was hired by Coleman Advocates to be the Parent Engagement Organizer. She has worked as a case manager at Francisco Middle School, assisting Spanish -speaking parents in navigating the educational system. She has been a PTA President, member of the School Site Council, President of the English Language Advisory Committee and is currently a member of the district wide K-8 Spanish 2 Way Immersion Curriculum/Articulation Committee. She is fully Spanish bilingual. Her goal is to be able to raise her daughter in San Francisco and provide her with a quality education and many opportunities for the future.

Alize Asberry, Y-MAC Restorative Justice Organizer
Email: aasberry@colemanadvocates.org

Alize is a native San Franciscan born and raised in the Mission and Excelsior districts. Alize has more than 12 years of experience as a community worker and youth advocate in San Francisco. She served as the Program Manager for the Mission Health Academy and as a Case Manager for homeless youth at Larkin Street Youth Services. She also worked as a Lead Teacher at the Marina Regional Learning Center and Lead Instructor at the Mission YMCA. Alize has been a dedicated volunteer over the years with several local grassroots organizations including CARACEN, United Playas Gang Prevention Program, and SportsBridge Mentoring Program. She was founding Board member of the Urban Pioneer Experiential Academy as well as Youth Initiated Projects (YIP) and a founding member of the Keeping it Reel Youth Film Festival. Alize also served as Commissioner on the SF Youth Commission and was a core leader in the Third Eye Movement, the juvenile justice youth organizing project of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. Alize is currently a student at SF State University pursuing dual degrees in Political Science and Criminal Justice Studies, with an emphasis on Juvenile Issues.

Kevine Boggess, Y-MAC Program Lead & Organizer
Email: kboggess@colemanadvocates.org

Before joining Coleman’s staff to lead our new city college student organizing project, SMAC (Students Making a Change), Kevine worked with Black Youth Vote in Atlanta and led the Morehouse University Amnesty International chapter. While at City College of San Francisco Kevine served as the Student Body President and Coordinator of Students Serving Students (S Cubed), the peer mentoring program at CCSF that Coleman is partnering with to manage SMAC.

Karn Saetang, YMAC Youth Organizer
Email: ksaetang@colemanadvocates.org

Karn brings a breadth of experience working with multi-racial grassroots organizations in Chicago, where he was born, raised and educated. Most recently, Karn served as the Youth Organizer and Youth Program Coordinator with the Korean American Resource & Cultural Center in Chicago, coordinating and supporting the organization’s youth-led organizing council to develop campaigns and legislative advocacy on social justice issues. Karn graduated from DePaul University with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Animation.

Lena Carew, SMAC Community College Organizing Coordinator
Email: lenacarew@berkeley.edu

A returning college student and 2011 CCSF graduate, Lena is currently attending Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. During her time at CCSF, Lena was the Student Shared Governance coordinator for the Associated Student Council, and a peer mentor for the Students Supporting Students program. Lena also served as the student president and founder of Students Making A Change (SMAC), a student organization at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF). In 2009, Lena joined SF Equity, a CCSF advocacy group comprised of progressive faculty and student members working towards increasing equity on campus. In 2010, SF Equity successfully advocated for the passing of the college’s Equity Resolution, which prioritizes student transfer and completion rates, and supports policies, which decrease the achievement gap.

Karen Ramirez, Director of Administration
Email: kramirez@colemanadvocates.org

Karen hails from Honduras by way of Los Angeles, and is the proud mother of three sons, all of whom have or are currently attending San Francsico public schools. Karen was one of Coleman’s most active and strong PMAC parent leaders from Hillcrest Elementary, and was recruited to join our Civic Engagement Program, where we witnessed her remarkable organizational skills at work. Karen has more than twenty years experience in retail and store management, and is both the most organized and the best soccer player of the Coleman family. She is a student at City College of San Francisco and seeking a degree in Business Administration.

Samantha Liapes, Development & Communications Director
Email: sliapes@gmail.com

Samantha has over two decades of experience supporting the development and sustainability of social justice organizations at the local and national level. She worked with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights for eight years, serving as the Director of the Bay Area PoliceWatch project, founding staff and Director of NYC PoliceWatch, Staff Development Coordinator and Development Director. In 2007 and 2008, Samantha ran the Generational Alliance (GA), a national network of progressive youth and student organizations working to promote the voices, vision and leadership of young people from historically disenfranchised communities.  Before that, as an independent consultant based in the Bay Area, Samantha provided training and consultation to numerous local and national organizations in the areas of resource development, membership growth, project management and communications.

Kathy Almendares, PMAC Parent Organizer
Email: Kalmendares@colemanadvocates.org

Born and raised in the Bay View district of San Francisco, Kathy is a fully bilingual, Mexican American single mother of a 3 year old. Kathy first got involved with Coleman in 2005 as a YMAC leader. Within months, Kathy was hired as a stipended YMAC youth organizer. Later, Kathy sustained her involvement with YMAC as an active volunteer for four years, helping to plan and coordinate a major YMAC event in 2008, among other activities. From 2008 to 2011, Kathy was employed at the Teenage Parenting and Pregnancy Program, running the resource center and coordinating events for young families.  Kathy’s long-term goal is to work with struggling youth, possibly as a social worker. Whatever professional role she takes on, her commitment is to fight hard, and for the long-haul, for parent, children and youth rights, so that her daughter, and all children, will have access to the quality education that they deserve.

Gisela Venegas, PMAC Parent Organizer
Email: Gvenegas@colemanadvocates.org

Gisela is a Peruvian immigrant and the mother of a 7 year old and a 2 year old.  While in Peru, Gisela worked as an accountant for a Doctor who, as part of his private practice, provided free services to low-income people. The Doctor told Gisela she had too much energy and charisma to be behind a desk all day and put her to work as his Outreach Coordinator, a role in which she proved to be a natural. Before joining the Coleman staff as a parent organizer in 2011, Gisela volunteered as a PMAC member for 6 years, helping to lead multiple campaigns around education justice, daycare budget advocacy and affordable housing. Gisela was also a long-time volunteer with Compass Family Services, helping immigrant mothers to apply for food stamps, medical, calworks and other public benefits.  Gisela believes that education is the key to economic survival and mobility and is committed to fighting for quality education for all children in San Francisco.

Chris Ballard, PMAC Parent Organizer
Email: CBallard@colemanadvocates.org

After graduating from Fresno State with degree’s in Political Science and Business Administration, Chris spent two years organizing in Kern County around issues ranging from neighborhood safety and education to foreclosure work. He is highly interested in improving the quality of life for folks living in the Bayview, by giving them a taste of power.

 

Eduardo Olivera, Coleman Center Building Janitor

Daisha Spires, PMAC Parent Organizing Intern

 

BOARD MEMBERS

Maria Luz Torre, President
Rosario Cervantes, Vice President
Rick Judd, Treasurer
Sara Howard, Secretary
Stephen Bingham
Roel Blanco
Prudence Carter
Curtis Chan, M.D.
Jaymee Faith Cadiz Sagisi
Ianthia Mack
Giuliana Milanese
Ana Pérez
Greg Tanaka
Cynthia Yannacone
Emeritus Members: Peter Bull, Betty Alberts