We would not be the organization that we are without our incredible team!
We like to think of our staff, many of them volunteers, as a group of rock stars. They are our front line, our very own set of changemakers. From the exceptional work in the office to the change we see happening every day at our program sites, we couldn’t be more proud of our Upward Roots team!
our team
Cherish Ignacio
Site Leader
East Oakland Pride
Rigo Garcia
Site Leader
Hoover Elementary
Site Leader
Emerson Elementary
Autumn Belnap
Site Leader
Esperanza Elementary
David Caven
Site Leader
Horace Mann Elementary
Michala Wilson
Site Leader
Prescott Elementary
Ellen Hum
Site Leader
Global Family School
María Pirner
Site Leader
Korematsu Discovery Academy
Site Leader
Elmhurst United
Nairobi Barnes
Site Leader @ 5 Sites
Site Leader
Roosevelt Middle
Elizabeth Knight
Executive Director
Lindsey Jones
Founder
““I think that the biggest benefit that I see for these kids is that they are learning that they do have the power to be leaders in their community...they have the power to get their voice heard in a positive way and to make their opinions heard and show that they matter and can benefit the community in a really good way.””
our board of directors & directors emeritus
Drew DeWalt
Co-Founder & COO
Rhumbix
Andrea Lynn
Sr Performance Audit Analyst, LA City Controller’s Office
Carter Hemming
Founder
Crosspoint Realty
Anthony Rodriguez
Deputy Chief of Staff
Office of the Mayor, City of Berkeley
Tripper Ortman
Founder & Mediator
Ortman Mediation
Wesley Jacques
Executive Director, Academics and Innovation
Oakland Unified School District
Lindsey Jones
Founder
Upward Roots
Jacqueline C. Perl
Trustee, San Leandro Unified School District
Former OUSD Principal
Martha Lewis
Managing Director, Financial Intelligence Reporting and Analytics Charles Schwab
Our partners
Our partners help us through funding, providing supplies, and expanding our work.