"I like Art Beats because we get to learn different varieties of art where we show our personalities."
--Nana Geodzhayeva
 
   
Organizational Leadership Team  
   

Staff
 

Rachel Paredes Paras
Executive Director (outgoing)

Rachel is a second generation Pilipina-American with experience in the nonprofit sector as well as in youth programming and development. Prior to leading Oasis For Girls, Rachel was a unit director at the Mid-Peninsula Boys and Girls Club in San Mateo. Rachel has been a Bay Area resident since 1989, with the exception of a two-year hiatus in which she worked with undergarduate students to implement a community based, art and technology program for youth while at Brown University's Swearer Center for Public Service in Providence, Rhode Island. She also briefly served on the Rhode Island Foundations Grants Policy and Procedures Committee for the Women's Fund before returning to California.

Rachel is committed to working with creative and educational programs in urban communities and believes in the impact of the arts and leadership development on personal transformation. She danced in the Barangay and Larawan Dance Companies in the early to mid 1990s and was a founding team member of Project PULL (People United through Learning and Leadership) Academy, a college preview and leadership program for Pilipino/a youth. Rachel hopes to inspire and enable the girls and young women of Oasis to achieve aspirations through reinvigorating programs and building the community of Oasis supporters. Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She is the proud parent of Malaya (b. 2002) and Maceo (b. 2009) and partner to Robert Mangrobang, graphic designer extraordinaire.

 

Jessica Van Tuyl
Interim Executive Director (eff. 6/21/10)

With over 6 years experience in the youth development field, Jessica joined Oasis For Girls as the Program Manager in January 2008 to coordinate the RISE program, support staff and programming, and engage in organizational development work.

Prior to joining Oasis, Jessica worked primarily with LGBTQQ youth supporting youth organizing efforts, leading anti-homophobia trainings for school personnel, and providing case management services at the Richmond Village Beacon, GSA Network, and the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network. In addition, Jessica has worked in the youth employment field, coordinating city government internships at San Francisco YouthWorks. Jessica holds a Bachelors degree in Women’ and Gender Studies from Macalester College and a Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California. Jessica is honored to to be a part of Oasis' team and is committed to increasing Oasis For Girls' capacity to provide empowerment programming for young women throughout San Francisco!

Jocyl Sacramento
Program Coordinator/RISE and Leadership Institute

A second-generation Pinay, Jocyl is the Program Coordinator for the RISE program and Leadership Institute. Deeply invested in social justice work, she joined Oasis in June 2008 and brings over 8 years of experience working in youth programming, curriculum development, and leadership skills training. Her service with the Youth and Community Outreach Program in Riverside, California, GABRIELA Network's Women's Youth Leadership Program in Los Angeles, and currently with Pin@y Educational Partnerships in San Francisco has provided her with the lens necessary to envision and hope for a world where young women can be critical of systems of oppression, learn to survive from their struggles, and become leaders in their communities.

Jocyl received her Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies and Sociology from the University of California, Riverside and earned her Masters degree in Asian American Studies from San Francisco State University. She was recently honored as a 2008-2009 Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholar.

Jah' Torri Bettis
Youth Staff/Youth Program Assistant


Jah' Torri Bettis was in the 2007 Leadership Institute and liked it because it was a very comfortable environment. This is not her first job, but this is her favorite job so far. Jah’Torri was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She loves working with Oasis For Girls and encourages every and any female to take a stand. In 2009, Jah' Torri was recognized by the San Francisco Youth Commission and the San Francisco's Department of Children, Youth and Their Families' Youth Empowerment Fund Advisory Board as one of twelve "Youth Warriors" - young people who have made a commitment to bettering themselves and the community around them. In Summer 2010, Jah' Torri will be running the RISE life skills educationi program.

 
































































































Rebecca Brown, CFA
Development Consultant and Grantwriter

Rebecca joined Oasis For Girls in May 2007 as Development Consultant and Grantwriter and is the founder and president of Further The Work, providing writing, fundraising, and consulting services for nonprofit organizations serving disenfranchised communities. Her current or recent clients include Family Service Agency of San Francisco; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts;Young Musicians Program; Resource Development Associates (working on behalf of Clark County, Oregon); and John F. Kennedy University. Working on behalf of these clients, she has raised $5 million in the past three years, writing successful grant applications to an extensive array of leading private foundations and government agencies.

Rebecca's life has been significantly shaped by the fact that, during her childhood, an arts-related program like Oasis For Girls offered her an extended opportunity to shape the quality and course of her own life. In her professional life now, she's driven by her desire to support social-benefit organizations by applying the skills she's learned through her experience in corporate communications, academia, financial management, and the performing arts. As a contract writer, grant writer, and development consultant, Rebecca devotes her professional energies to serving organizations that are making an important contribution to the quality of life and resources for under-served members of our communities.

Oasis For Girls Advisory Board Members

Tina Lee, Advisory Board Chairperson
Membership Officer, Global Philanthropy Forum, a project of the World Affairs Council, San Francisco, CA

Tina has worked with several Bay Area non-profits including Opportunity Fund and Net Impact on social media projects and private-public partnerships. Tina has also worked in social responsible investing at Jantzi Research, evaluating companies’ environmental, social and governance performances. Tina received her MA in International Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and her BA in Asia-Pacific Studies from University of Toronto. She is currently working on her MBA at the San Francisco State University in hopes to combine her passion in public policy with business. Tina enjoys traveling, photography, volunteering with the SF Public School Volunteers/SF Education Fund program and debunking Canadian stereotypes. She speaks Cantonese, Japanese and rudimentary French. Tina is extremely excited to join Oasis For Girls as an advisory board member!

Viviane Scott
Program Manager, Richmond District Neighborhood Center, San Francisco, CA

Viviane discovered Oasis during the summer of 2009 while searching for opportunities to reengage with the community and make a difference. She is proud to possess a rich background of over 7 years in youth activism, advocacy and empowerment. A bicultural native Californian woman of Swiss and African-American descent, Viviane was herself a participant in youth programs. She found her life’s mission in community work first as a youth activist with the American Civil Liberties Union, where she later landed her first professional position as a young woman. Following ongoing work as an educator for youth while earning her degree at UC Berkeley, she traveled to Berlin, Germany as a Fulbright Scholar in Afro-German Studies. There, she founded Creative Spaces, a program for young Afro-German girls offering safe, intercultural and confidence-boosting arts enrichment. Programming of the kind Oasis offers, therefore, holds a very soft spot in her heart. Viviane is currently Program Manager at the Richmond District Neighborhood Center in San Francisco.

Grace R. Alano
Associate Attorney, Philip Levin & Associates, San Francisco, CA

Grace is an Associate Attorney at Philip Levin & Associates, a full-service boutique immigration law firm in San Francisco, California. She specializes in U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law and has been practicing since 2000. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley and received her Juris Doctorate from Southwestern Law School. Grace's more recent community involvement consists of doing pro bono work for the Volunteer Immigration Project of the San Francisco Bar Association, as well as the AIDS Legal Referral Panel of San Francisco. Her interest in Oasis stems from her desire to ensure that girls and young women have the opportunity to explore, advance, learn, experience, daydream and create so that they can be the leaders of tomorrow - or simply fulfilled and at peace with the lives they create for themselves. Grace was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her ethnic background is Filipino and Venezuelan. She is the proud mother of Georgina, born in 2006.

La Toya Boyd

La Toya received her undergraduate degree in Legal Studies from the University of California at Berkeley and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is also a licensed insurance broker. Raised by an Elementary School Teacher, La Toya grew up knowing that quality education is invaluable and should be provided to all youth. Because of this belief, she has often worked and volunteered in positions that help young adults, including Break the Cycle and Junior Achievement. She is also a firm believer in ending domestic violence, which led her to positions working with families at the Boulder County Safehouse. La Toya is currently volunteering with the Bay Area Urban Debate League and Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency.

Bernadette Sangalang, PhD
Evaluation Officer, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Los Altos, CA

Bernadette is currently the Evaluation Officer at the Packard Foundation, where she provides direct consultation, coaching, and technical assistance to Foundation staff in evaluation planning,
implementation, and, management. Her prior work has also focused on assessing the impact and effectiveness of community programs, social and health services research, and analyses of social interventions. Bernadette received her PhD in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also received postdoctoral training in public health at the University of California at Berkeley, an MSW from University of Washington, and a BA in social welfare from the University of California at Berkeley. Bernadette’s social work training and research backgrounds have primarily focused on the health and well-being of children and youth, especially girls. As someone who grew up in San Francisco, she is especially drawn to Oasis’ mission of supporting the growth of girls and young women in the city.


Oasis For Girls Emeritus Advisory Board Members

Lupe C. Garcia

Associate General Counsel, Gap, Inc., San Francisco, CA

Lupe Cecilia Garcia is a graduate of Occidental College with a B.A. in Public Policy. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1995. Since obtaining her J.D., she has been associated with Lafayette & Kumagai, where she practiced in the areas of labor and employment and civil rights. Lupe is currently Associate General Counsel, Compliance for Gap, Inc., leading the compliance function and international labor and employment law matters. Lupe joined the Advisory Board member in 2002 and served as Advisory Board Chair during her five year term.

Nicole Lambrou
Owner, NL Consulting Inc., San Francisco, CA

Nicole Lambrou first became involved with Oasis in September 2004 as a volunteer seeking out a way to give back to the community of young women in San Francisco.  She also served as the Advisory Board Chair.

The vision and mission of Oasis For Girls holds a special place in Nicole’s life. The daughter of immigrant parents, Nicole struggled to find her authentic "voice" in a world of varying cultural values. The challenge of integrating into American life, while her Greek Cypriot immigrant parents fought to maintain the values of their culture, was a tremendous challenge throughout her youth. She fully understands the value of a "safe space" where girls feel comfortable sharing themselves while having the opportunity to build their own skills to be healthy, strong, and creative leaders in their community. 

Nicole's own personal journey to inspire leadership in the world is integrated in her work with Oasis as well as in her current professional role as a Leadership and Organization Development consultant and coach. Nicole started her career as a human resources management consultant and later held various internal roles with consumer product, retail, and apparel companies, including PepsiCo, Williams-Sonoma Inc., and Levi Strauss & Co.

Today, as a consultant and coach, Nicole partners with organizations, teams, and individuals to help them realize their potential and drive growth through self awareness, understanding, and dedication. With expertise in executive coaching and leadership development, Nicole serves a client base that is diverse in size, industry, and location. She has coached across all levels of organizations, from executive level leaders through 360-degree feedback, strategic planning sessions, and cultural change efforts to building high-performance organizations and team effectiveness. Nicole has designed, developed, and delivered a broad range of initiatives including new employee integration, leadership development, competency modeling, succession planning, and retention solutions. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical and School Psychology from Hofstra University in New York, and is affiliated with Lominger International and Jackson Hole Group. 

Ly Nguyen
Oasis For Girls Co-Founder
Owner, Entice Boutique, Oakland, CA

As one of the co-founders of Oasis For Girls, Ly Nguyen has been involved with Oasis For Girls since its beginning. From 1998-2003, Ly was the Program Director for Oasis and developed many of theprograms that still exist today.

A daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Ly grew up in San Francisco's Richmond District where her days were spent learning at public schools and playing at neighborhood recreation centers. Back in those days, Ly wished that there were a place like Oasis. After graduating from University of California – Santa Cruz, Ly returned to the city of San Francisco. After working at the SOMA Teen Center in 1997, she was inspired to give back to the girls of San Francisco.

In 2006, Ly re-joined Oasis as an Advisory Board member, lending her knowledge of the organization's history and founding values. Having supported Oasis through the hiring of a new executive director and program staff and the growth the Advisory Board over the course of 2006-2007, Ly now serves as an Emeritus Advisory Board member. She is a published writer who teaches creative writing in the Art Studio at University of California – Berkeley and is the new owner of enticeboutique.com, a women's online boutique for vintage and modern clothes.

Jill W. Pfeiffer
Oasis For Girls Co-Founder
Development Director, Wexford Ridge Neighborhood Center, Madison, WI

Jill W. Pfeiffer co-founded Oasis For Girls with Ly Nguyen in 1998 and acted as the Organizational Director until 2003. During this time, she helped to build Oasis' infrastructure and developed its fundraising plan. Jill looks very fondly at her time at Oasis and still considers it her favorite professional position to date. "The young women of Oasis For Girls made every minute of every day worthwhile. I think of them often, with a smile on my face."

After Oasis For Girls, Jill went on to help create a branch of Excelsior Family Connections, a family resource center in San Francisco. In 2005, she (and her husband) collaborated on their best creation to date, their beautiful daughter, Aviva. With the arrival of Aviva came the difficult decision to leave the Bay Area and head back to the Midwest, where her extended family lives. She and her family relocated to Madison, Wisconsin, where Jill attended the University of Wisconsin many years before.

Jill took some time off to raise her daughter, do consultant work, and spend time creating sculptures in clay (her other passion). In September 2007, she returned to work full time as the Development Director of Wexford Ridge Neighborhood Center, the site of her first job in the nonprofit sector, 12 years earlier. As the Development Director, she is again working to build the organization's capacity as it transforms into a Community Education Center serving all of Madison's West Side. The new center will be located in a brand new 12,000 square foot green building called the Lussier Community Education Center. In fact, all of the agencies Jill has worked at over the past decade will find new spaces in 2008, including Oasis For Girls!

Jill often says that she "left her heart in San Francisco" and that it will forever beat in Oasis For Girls...where it all began.

Danielle Tomkiel
Medical Device Specialist and San Francisco resident

Danielle has held several volunteer roles at Oasis For Girls serving as both a mentor and a tutor. She served on the Advisory Board from August 2006 to July 2009. Danielle has a background in education as both a teacher and a tutor and has presented a healthy relationships workshop for Oasis For Girls’ RISE program.

Danielle received a BS in Microbiology from the University of California – Santa Barbara and a Masters degree in Biomedical Laboratory Science from San Francisco State University. After working for several years as a Research Associate in Molecular Biology and Infectious Disease, she now works in Medical Device Sales.

Linda Johnson
Executive Director, Streetside Stories, San Francisco, CA

Neha Patel
Structured Transactions Principal, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Francisco, CA

Purvi Patel
Auditor, Hood & Strong, LLP, San Francisco, CA

Purvi is a Bay Area native. She has her Bachelors in Exercise Science from UC Davis and spent time working as a physical therapy aide before moving to India for a year. While living with her extended family in India, she completed a course in computer programming. After returning from India, Purvi started a career in accounting.

Oasis For Girls Executive Volunteers

Freya Bernardo

Freya is a graduate student at San Francisco State University, currently mastering in Education, Equity and Social Justice. She is involved with a number of other SF based organizations, including Pin@y Educational Partnerships and Babae SF, similar organizations dedicated to serving the needs of our communities as Pin@ys. She is passionate, particularly about women's issues. She therefore loves to volunteer at Oasis For Girls because of the extreme dedication to the empowerment of young girls. She is also inspired by their continued struggle and drive to work in solidarity with youth in spite of such harsh economic conditions. Freya provides us with much needed administrative support and has provided support to the Youth Staff and Membership program as well.

Natalie Taylor

Natalie served on the Oasis Advisory Board in January 2009. She has over 15 years experience in marketing and product management for the mortgage and financial services industries. Natalie looks forward to using her experience to help expand community awareness of Oasis For Girls.

Oasis For Girls Volunteers and Special Guests 2009-2010
Carolyn Shin
Kate Purnell
Tanya, intern from Intersection for the Arts
Liza Gesuden
Angela Angel
Sophy Shiahua Wong
Vanessa Mayorga
Temi Ogunyoku
Linda Nguyen
M. Elena Anaya
Charina Palomares Garcia
Tala Ghantous
Jee Suthamwanthanee
Roseann Torres
Freya Bernardo
Cadelba Lomeli-Loibl
Julene Allen
Mary Anne Brady
Deanna Kondrath
Simone Custodio Bilkstein
Nicco Giaccone