Cynthia has guided multiple leadership teams through periods of great change, accelerating growth and expansion within the constraints of broader economic and environmental challenges. She has experience as Founder, ED, Director, advisor, and Board member; for start-ups, nonprofits and for-profit organizations. Her unique understanding of the challenges (and opportunities) faced by developing organizations combined with her determination to ensure open doors and “on-ramps to opportunity” for persons living in and coming from systemically marginalized communities; help her collaboratively create systems and processes that lead to sustainable growth, better staff retention and higher profits due to optimization and efficiency gains.

Cynthia’s board experience includes serving as trustee/director for several smaller, social-justice nonprofits as well as co-chairing the Trustees Committee at Gateway Public Schools (a pair of San Francisco public charter schools whose mission is to “prepare a broad range of learners for success in college and beyond while being specifically committed to serving a student body that reflects the diversity of San Francisco with special emphasis on students with diagnosed learning disabilities.”)

She lives in Oakland with her wife of 12 years, waaaay too many cats, one small dog and the rejected ephemera of two successfully raised daughters who have chosen college and/or “the real world” over sitting around on the couch watching old/classic Pixar movies on repeat with their mom. Cynthia understands that this is “probably for the best” but it still makes her sad.