STAFF
Dana Harvey- Executive Director
Ms. Harvey holds a BS Degree in conservation ecology, with an emphasis in Agroforestry, and an MS Degree in Soil Science from U.C. Berkeley. She has over 10 years experience in non-profit management and development in areas of environmental justice, food security, education and economic development. She is a part-time faculty member at a local community college, where she teaches project-based courses on food security and environmental justice. She has over 6 years experience working with multi-stakeholder coalitions and collaboration building. dana@mandelamarketplace.org
Quinton Sankofa- Programs Coordinator
Quinton has a passion for social justice and a commitment to working with low-income communities of color.Throughout Quinton’s academic and professional career he has worked in a variety of community development positions at multiple levels. As the Project Manager for the Extreme Street Makeover project, he worked collaboratively with residents, community leaders, and city officials to organize, implement, and evaluate a neighborhood beautification project. As the Title V Program Coordinator, he ensured the organization offered high quality programs to neighborhood youth and neighborhood residents were actively involved in planning and operating community programs and activities. As a Program Evaluator for the Weed and Seed initiative, Quinton successfully engaged neighborhood residents in community revitalization strategies. Working with the Weed and Seed steering Committee proved that engagement of diverse coalitions of community stakeholders is a must for any successful neighborhood revitalization effort. qsankofa@mandelamarketplace.org.
James Berk - Outreach Specialist
Also a lifelong Oakland resident, James Berk has been working with Mandela Marketplace since he was 16 years old. He began as a participant in the CX3 project in 2006 and is currently a WYSE team leader, the outreach specialist for MMP, and a worker-owner at Mandela Foods Co-op. Some of his responsibilities include managing the sales and finances for MFC as well as doing outeach for MMP both locally and nationally.
Although he has a large amount of responsibilities to fulfill, James stays motivated by his belief in the value of equality: that everyone should have access to the same resources. Having to carry out a diverse amount of challenging tasks with very little training and experience has provided him with an opportunity to grow, overcome, and teach others. Some of James' goals include empowering people to take responsibility for their lives and make decisions by educating them on the choices that are available to them. When asked what he would like everyone to know about the food they eat, James responded: "That it's going to be one of the biggest factors determining how long you live." jberk@mandelafoods.com
Yuro Chavez- Markets Coordinator and Warehouse Manager
Yuro is a San Francisco raised Guatemalan-American who has been living in the East Bay for ten years. Starting out as a member of the WYSE team in 2007, Yuro is now the warehouse manager for Mandela Marketplace and is a worker-owner at Mandela Foods Cooperative. Yuro also operates a produce vendor booth at the Farmer's Markets held at the North Oakland Senior Center and the Bancroft Senior Homes on a weekly basis. In addition to his responsibilities at the warehouse, Yuro works with the Healthy Neighborhood Stores Alliance to bring fresh produce to marginalized Oakland communities.
Supplying the West Oakland community with wholseome produce so that they can lead healthier lives is a driving force behind Yuro's work ethic. Educating the community in the disease preventing properties of fresh fruits and vegetables also provides him with motivation to carry out his job supplying produce to Mandela Foods Cooperative and the surrounding community. tikal86@yahoo.com
Cesar Gonzalez - Produce Buyer cesar@mandelamarketplace.org
Shunkila Black Calf - Administrative Support - sblackcalf@mandelamarketplace.org
Shunkila is a Diné/Lakota woman who was born in South Dakota and raised in Arizona. Since moving to Oakland in 2007, she has been amazed by the overall availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in the Bay Area. As an EMT on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, Shunkila has witnessed the consequences of inadequate community nutrition as they are manifested through diseases like diabetes. She is currently a senior at Mills College and will graduate in May 2011 with a degree in Ethnic Studies and Sociology. Some of her goals for the upcoming year involve using the Mills College Powwow, which she is co-organizer of, as a venue to facilitate community nutrition education and food access.
Luisa Alvarengo - Bookkeeping/Accounting - luisa@mandelamarketplace.org
Mariela Cedeño - Farmer Outreach and Disbursement Coordinator - mariela@mandelamarketplace.org
Mariela was born and raised in Venezuela, and later migrated to California where she has now spent the majority of her life. Having been born abroad, she has always been driven by a want to give back to our global community and has sought to expand her understanding and commitment to chaning the pervasive global inequalities that force people to endure living in abject poverty
Mariela attended the University of California, Davis where she attained a B.A. in Economics with honors, and a B.A. in International Relations with honors. She later went on to pursue a Master's Degree in Latin American Studies with an emphasis in Development at Vanderbilt University. She has worked in various Non-profit Organizations focusing in the fields of economic development, human rights, international giving & volunteering, farm worker rights, and community development.
She is now the Farmer Outreach and Distribution Coordinator at Mandela Marketplace, and feels a very strong connection to the movement to support the entrepreneurial spirit of low-income residents and minority farmers in a way that creates thriving, sustainable, and healthy communities.
Leroy Musgraves - Nutrition Educator
Leroy is a master gardener and farmer who has been working with Mandela Marketplace and the West Oakland community since 2004. 16 years of farming and urban gardening experience make Leroy an invaluable asset to MMP and the West Oakland community. Mr. Musgraves holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Cal-State Los Angeles. He received his Certificate in Horticulture from the Agro-Ecology and Sustainable Agriculture Department of UC Santa Cruz in 1997.
Currently, Mr. Musgraves lives in West Oakland and works with MMP as a Nutrition Educator. He gives regular lectures on the 10 major diseases affecting African American and other low-income communities of color. He continues to utilize his extensive nutrition and produce experience to benefit the Bay Area community through community education. goodfoot@mandelamarketplace.org
YOUTH TEAM - WEST OAKLAND YOUTH STANDING EMPOWERED
Renée Armstrong-Team Leader
Renée has been a member of WYSE since February 2010. An exceedingly motivated young woman, Renée is very interested in the business potential of the Healthy Neighborhood and Stores Alliance. Part of the reason why she values her work with WYSE is gaining experience and learning about all aspects of running a business. She is currently a student, deciding between a degree in Business and Finance Accounting, Chemistry, and Computer Science.
James Berk-Team Leader
Jamelah Isaac-Team Leader-Excel College Preparatory High School Senior
Jamelah has been a member of WYSE for two years. Over that time we have seen her develop from a shy intelligent young lady into an outgoing and intelligent young woman. She is very active in leadership activities at her school and she plans to attend college to become a lawyer.
Ennis Jones- Team Leader
Ennis has been member of WYSE since December 2009 and by the way he has interacted with the team, it seems that he will be around for a long time. He is a very intelligent young man and is quickly learning about all of the WYSE projects and activities. During spring 2010, Ennis began attending classes at a local community college. He plans to study to become a Social Worker.
Alshea Mitchell- Team Leader-Excel College Preparatory High School Senior
Alshea is a relatively new member to WYSE. Although she has only been with the team for a few months, it is apparent that she has the dedication and personality to make a positive impact on the team and the Oakland community. Like Jamelah, Alshea is very active in leadership activities at her school. She is interested in studying psychology and plans on becoming an actress.
James Wells- Team Leader
James Wells has been with the WYSE Team since March 2010. Although he had not worked around community nutrition before, he had previous experience working with Hood Games, organizing skateboard demos in local neighborhoods.
When asked why community access to fruits and vegetables is important he answered, "People everywhere deserve to eat healthily. Fruits and vegetables grow out of the ground naturally; we don't have to pay the soil. They are meant for everybody, so why shouldn't everyone have access to them?"
Learning about the nutritional qualities of fruits and vegetables has been an integral part of his experiences with the WYSE Team so far. James is also an artist and would like become a tattooist and go to college to learn more about the world around him.
Ciante Lovely- Team Leader- Excel College Preparatory High School Senior
CONSULTANTS AND VOLUNTEERS
Marie Beichert, Professional and Organizational Development - Development Services
Serving social causes since the sixties, Marie's experience in nonprofit, educational, and governmental administration provides a broad base of expertise available to the clientele of her firm, www.granthelper.com. Ms. Beichert is credentialed as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and is registered as Fundraising Counsel with the State of California. She specializes in service to mission-driven community benefit organizations and has a special interest in prison reentry programming and prison advocacy.
