Angie (She/They) was born and raised in Costa Mesa, California, and comes from an immigrant single-parent household. She is of Mexican descent and a first-generation college graduate. As a child, she was part of a community-based organization in which she advocated for the rights of low-income POC; that is where her love for supporting her community began. Angie graduated from San Francisco State with a BA in Child Development and a minor in Criminal Justice in 2021. She recently worked as a Spanish Primary Teacher at a Montessori school and is excited to be part of the Coleman family.

Chris (They/She) is a first-generation Salvadoran-American. They are passionate about supporting black & brown youth in their efforts in accessing and fighting for an equitable education. Chris comes with experience in non-profit development, stewardship, and education outreach. Previous to joining Coleman, she worked at various non-profit and education spaces, both as a paraeducator and high school college advisor. Their passion for racial and educational justice grew as they witnessed gaps in education during the pandemic that predominantly setback Black and brown students. In their free time, Chris likes to skateboard, hang out with their dogs, and embroider.

Chris first joined the Coleman family in 2012 as a PMAC Organizer under the leadership of Neva Walker. He served on the Board of Directors before becoming Co-Executive Director.Chris grew up in the Central Valley region of California. He was born into generational poverty, where he experienced welfare, food stamps, and mass disenfranchisement. Despite his father being a high school dropout, he holds a B.A. in Political Science, an M.A. in Negotiation, and a law degree from UC Hastings Law. After undergrad, Chris joined PICO California (Faith in Action Kern County) as a Community Organizer and Coleman Advocates as a PMAC Organizer.Chris Chaired the City of Wasco’s Planning Commission before heading to UC Hastings. While there, he served as President of the Black Law Students Association, Summer Associate at Coblentz, Patch, Duffy and Bass, Extern for the 1st District Court of Appeals, and Extern for the San Francisco Public Defender's Office. After law school, Chris worked at the law firm Lang, Richert, and Patch and oversaw compliance at a university. Before becoming Co-Executive Director, Chris taught criminal law and criminal justice at Cal State.His life experiences have taught him that "if there is no struggle, there can be no progress."

Brandie Bowen is the CMAC Lead Organizer. Brandie has been connected with Coleman Advocates since 2015, when she started as an intern and established Children Making a Change for Coleman's youngest members to develop as organizers and leaders for education justice early on. She is also an Auntie, artist, and writer, and she holds an M.A. Degree in Human Rights Education from the University of San Francisco's School of Education.

Melissa is a Mexican immigrant, single mother, and survivor of domestic violence. In Mexico, she studied biology and earned a Master of Science. She is currently studying Business and Administration at City College of San Francisco. She also works for the City Dream program at CCSF where they help undocumented students obtain scholarships and resources to continue studying. She is the manager of a senior care cooperative that works in conjunction with Dolores Street Community Services and runs her own digital marketing business. She collaborated with La Raza Centro Legal and Walking Tenderloin as she is interested in helping her community and that her children have a better education regardless of their immigration status or race. She firmly believes that change begins with us and that is the best legacy she can leave. Her dream is to make San Francisco a community filled with love and tolerance.

Christina is a bilingual/bicultural Latinx woman, born and raised in the Portola and Excelsior Districts of San Francisco. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BA in the History of Latin America and received her MA in Political Science from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia. She has over 20 years of experience in family engagement, youth development, and education policy work both in the US and abroad. She is a founding member of the New School of San Francisco and has worked in long-standing San Francisco organizations, such as Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center. This will be her third time being on staff at Coleman – her first was from 2002-2003, and her second was from 2011-2015. She was also part of the Coleman Board of Directors from 2015-2022. In her spare time, Christina enjoys spending time with her family and friends, dancing, cooking, and challenging herself to find the best nachos in the city (Farolitos on 24th St).

Blanca was born in Mexico and has lived in San Francisco since 2006. She has four children who she enjoys spending time with. She joined Coleman in 2020 while wanting to learn more about how the education system works in SFUSD and also wanting to find and create greater opportunities for her children’s education. Blanca has been working with Coleman since 2021 as a PMAC Fellow. She is very passionate about helping the community. “Together, we can make the change for better opportunities for our students!”

Elizabeth came to San Francisco when she was 20 years old in 2008. She has two children in SFUSD Schools and enjoys camping with them during the summer. Elizabeth has been part of Coleman for approximately four years, starting as a PMAC member, then supporting as a volunteer, and now working as a Promotora for IPV (Immigrant Parents Voting). She likes Coleman's work and development with parents, youth, and children in each program. She has learned and grown a lot from each step she’s taken as a mother and member at Coleman, like learning her rights as a mother. She believes parents working together will help make change because there is strength in unity!

Gillian was born and raised in San Francisco and has been a part of Coleman since she was three. Her mother was a PMAC Fellow, and now Gillian is one too! She began broadening her knowledge by working with organizations that provide families access to affordable housing, rent relief, and resource assistance. She was also a first-grade teaching assistant and tutor at an elementary school. That experience led her to continue working with children and get to know them better to give them the knowledge they need to thrive. She’s also been an ASL and Spanish instructor. In Gillian’s free time, she likes to explore art museums and create art herself. She also enjoys camping and hiking.

Lauren (she/they) was born and raised in the Bay Area. They are a first-generation graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Legal Studies from UC Berkeley and a Master of Arts in Urban and Public Affairs from the University of San Francisco. Their thesis explores the use of restorative justice in public education and its impact on school culture and safety. Lauren currently serves as an Education Policy Organizer and started with Coleman as an intern in March 2022. In their free time, Lauren can be found reading a book in Golden Gate Park, caring for their plants, or spending quality time with friends.

Vitto Mendez is a dedicated advocate for education justice. He has served as a Youth Justice Advocate & Cool 2 Be Kind Director for the National Association of People Against Bullying (NAPAB), advocating to support youth who are bullied and helping youth start and run their own grassroots anti-bullying chapters. He has worked with youth to start anti-bullying chapters across the U.S. as well as in Nicaragua, Honduras, Thailand, China, and Tanzania and has helped students develop their own advocacy skills in the process. Vitto recently earned his M.A. in Public Policy from Stanford University, where he worked on policy projects for the Stanford Provost, Yurok Tribe Health & Human Services, and NAACP of South Carolina. He also published an article in the Journal of Education & Social Policy on anti-bullying protections in state legislation.

RoShon, born and raised in San Francisco, is passionate about Community/Public Health and Education. She has over 10 years of experience serving and working in San Francisco, Bayview/Hunters’ Point as an Advocate, Educator, and Navigator. She obtained her Associate of Science in Public Health and Community Health Worker Certificate from City College of SF. RoShon has a genuine interest in building trusting relationships, inspiring individuals to achieve their goals, and serving the underserved. She enjoys self-care, visiting new places, meeting new people, and spending time with loved ones.RoShon’s goal at Coleman Advocates is to provide efficient community organizing to all parents, ensuring that barriers and needs have been assessed and addressed. She strives to empower and encourage individuals to create change through advocacy and education. With experience working in community-based organizations in San Francisco’s marginalized communities, RoShon truly appreciates the impact of non-profit organizations and is excited to be part of Coleman Advocates for Children & Youth!

Ashley Pocasangre is a first-generation immigrant and SFUSD graduate currently studying Political Science and Criminal Justice at San Francisco State University. She has been doing community-based work for the past five years, focusing on helping the most impacted people in our community. She started organizing in high schools around high school-related issues and immigration, then moved to organize around housing-related issues in SF. She is passionate about working with the community and learning about the different struggles that the community in SF has. She is a stronger believer in "Those who are closer to the pain of the problem should be the ones closer to the power" and "Change starts within ourselves."

Diana is a first-generation American whose family immigrated to the United States from Mexico. She is the first in her family to get a higher education by receiving her Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a minor in Journalism, Editing, and Publishing. Diana has a huge passion for investigative journalism and policy work, which led her to intern with the Maryland State Legislature and local Congresswoman Jackie Speier's office and to now work with Coleman as a Policy Organizer. She has two younger brothers whom she loves tremendously but grew up predominantly as a single child to a single parent. Diana loves watching films from the Criterion Collection, reading classic literature, and laughing with family and friends outside of work.

Once an at-risk foster youth from the low-income projects, Art had to navigate his way through being homeless as a young teenager, re-entering high school after missing a few years of public education. He re-routed his life towards a future where he was able to finish college to return to the community and pay it forward. Earning a BA in Studio Art from San Francisco State University: he is passionate about bridging Art and community in ways that express the complexities and beauties of being a from the struggle individually and collectively. Through YMAC he hopes to champion restorative justice, especially with youth who are facing similar struggles he survived while ensuring that they are at the forefront of leading the change they want to see in their schools and in the world.