Our Crew

Amanda grew up in Northern California at the foot of the majestic volcano Mount Shasta. With the aspirations of becoming a first grade teacher she graduated from California State University Chico with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts. Amanda is passionate about working with the youth, sports, and investing in her community. Read More

Chris Nguon is an Oakland native and graduate of the University of California-Berkeley. An avid learner and advocate, Chris has held numerous community-based roles as a public service professional, spanning commitments in elementary schools, affordable housing, recreational centers, residential services, and family resource centers throughout various neighborhoods in West Oakland. Chris firmly believes that radical healing, consistency and follow-through, cultural competency, and community awareness are the foundational hallmarks of impactful work. Read More

Deborah, lovingly known as Deb, is a native San Franciscan and brings over 20 years’ experience to our team, having provided high-level administrative support to C-suite Executives, Boards of Directors and top senior management. She is a servant leader who "rolls up her sleeves" to lead by example, inspire others and promotes a positive work environment with a sense of humor.  Read More

Diana Quintana is an enthusiastic learner committed to supporting initiatives that foster well-being and continual growth in young people and the adults serve them. Originally from Makati, Philippines, Diana grew up in various parts of Southern California. Throughout her K-12 schooling experience, she participated in afterschool and summer programs that shaped her unwavering belief in the value of intentional investment in young people beyond the school day to support their overall well-being. Read More

Evert has over a decade of experience in scaling innovative EdTech startups and nonprofit organizations. He has spoken to and trained over 100,000 people throughout the world. He loves bringing an idea to reality and bringing it to the masses. When Evert is not working, you can find him roaming the streets of California with his amazing wife and daughter in search of the perfect cup of tea. Read More

Evin is a connector, educator, healing facilitator, and lover. Read More

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Dr. Farima Pour-Khorshid is a proud Bay Area educator-organizer-scholar. She has taught at the elementary grade levels for over a decade throughout California, as well as teaching, supervising and supporting educators locally, nationally and internationally through her roles as a university professor, teacher supervisor, educational consultant and community organizer. Read More

Gerricka is a Bay Area native with B.A.’s in Psychology and Religious Studies from Smith College. She has spent her time working with nonprofits and the legal system, all in ways that surround and intersect with the well-being of others. She is very passionate about Mental Health, Movies/TV/Books, and her Maltipoo named Baby. Read More

Jordan Howzell is an experienced educator and project driver for social-emotional and equity initiatives in K-12 and higher education. Jordan has been engaged in a variety of social-emotional equity initiatives with the goal of providing underserved youth with the skills necessary to navigate the world with success and self-efficacy. She has worked closely with school administrators, students, and communities to collaboratively design systems to implement strengths-based and healing practices and interrupt systemic inequities. Read More

La'Cole Martin is a West Oakland native and proud graduate of McClymonds High School. In 2004, La’Cole received her B.A. in African American Studies from the University of California Berkeley, and in the 2011, La’Cole completed her Master's Degree in Ethnic Studies with an emphasis in Africana Studies at San Francisco State University. La’Cole has 14 years of experience as an educator in the city of Oakland, starting her career in 2006 as a sixth grade English teacher for the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). Since leaving OUSD as a classroom teacher in 2008, La’Cole has worked in various capacities for non-profits throughout the city of Oakland including Mills College Upward Bound, Youth Together, Alternatives in Action, EBAYC (East Bay Asian Youth Center) and Lincoln (formerly Lincoln Child Center). La’Cole also served as an instructor of African American Studies at Laney College from 2011 to 2018. Read More

Dr. Lee Porscha Moore (pronouns: she/her/ella) is a fun-loving lifelong learner committed to walking with children, youth, and families as they reconnect with their inner superhero. Porscha lives in her intersectionality and navigates this world as a Black cisgender woman. Outside of facilitating and guiding trainings, Porscha juggles many hats, which include her role as Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing individual & group therapy and as a college instructor at various CSU, Private, and community colleges throughout the Bay area. Porscha is a proud first-generation college graduate who has earned a bachelors in psychology from California State University San Bernardino, two masters degrees in Social Work with an emphasis in community mental health, and Communications from Cal State East Bay, and a doctorate in Education from San Francisco State University. Porscha communicates through laughter and sarcasm, as she challenges those she works with and serves to never stop challenging the status quo. Read More

Nedra Ginwright is our Chief Flourish Officer. She has a Master’s Degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from California State University East Bay. Nedra previously co-founded and led Leadership Excellence, an organization which provided leadership development to African American youth. Read More

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Oscar is a Bay Area native that has over 25 years of experience promoting evaluation research, educational equity, youth capacity-building and community inclusion. As the first in his family to attend a university, Oscar transferred from City College of San Francisco to UC Irvine to receive his BA in Sociology and went on to receive his M.Ed and doctoral candidacy at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education. At the core of his academic and professional career is Oscar’s commitment to practice research and evaluation that strengthen opportunities for communities of color to not just be recipients of support services but to become agents of change. Read More

Raana is a youth developer with a deep passion for reminding young people, their families and communities of their brilliance and magic. Read More

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Shawn Ginwright, PhD is one of the nation’s leading innovators, provocateurs, and thought leaders on African American youth, youth activism, and youth development. He is Professor of Education in the Africana Studies Department and a Senior Research Associate at San Francisco State University. His research examines the ways in which youth in urban communities navigate through the constraints of poverty and struggle to create equality and justice in their schools and communities. Read More

Tahisha is a first-generation Haitian-American, and her personal journey heavily influences her work. Rooted in her values of justice and the power of community, Tahisha is committed to equipping historically and systematically underrepresented and marginalized communities with the tools and resources they need to become agents of change within their communities. Before joining Flourish Agenda, Tahisha served as Executive Director of the San Francisco 49ers Academy; a nonprofit focused on equity education for black and brown youth. Read More

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