Lead the development and implementation of innovative workforce pathways for school-based behavioral and mental health professionals across Alameda County, including managing grant-funded programs, fostering community and district partnerships, and creating equitable opportunities for individuals entering the school-based mental health field with the goal of increasing support to K-12 students and strengthen the capacity of schools to serve their diverse student communities.

LYRIC’s mission is to build community and inspire positive social change through education enhancement, career training, health promotion, and leadership development with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQQ) youth, their families, and allies of all races, classes, genders, and abilities.

Led and shaped SFUSD’s strategic support for focal student populations, including homeless, foster, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ youth. My role involved advancing systems-level initiatives through cross-department collaboration to enhance service equity and accessibility, focusing on compliance, data-driven improvements, and anti-racist practices. I oversaw program evaluation, complex grant management, and key partnerships with district and community stakeholders, driving impactful change through collaborative leadership. My work centered on refining processes, improving resource alignment, launching new partnerships, and strengthening our student and family-centered approach.

Supervise and coordinate focal student services, and student leadership programs, with a central team of social workers, school counselors, para-educator specialists, and community partners with the Student & Family Services Division. The focal services include Foster Youth Coordinating Program (FYSCP), LGBTQ+ Student Services, Refugee & Immigrant Solidarity in Education (RISE-SF), students and families experiencing homelessness (SAFEH), and the youth outreach worker (YOW) program. Work highlights include:- Coordinating a multi-year racial equity professional development plan, under the direction of the Executive Director of the School Health Programs Department, for over 200+ central and school site staff, including maintaining liaisons with DEI expert consultants.- Development and implementation of QGroups, psycho-educational groups for LGBTQ+ students in middle and high school. Launched in 2015 in 3 high schools now serves nearly 20 middle and high schools. Originally funded with a CDC innovation grant to support HIV prevention among Black and Latino YMSM, the program is now grant funded by the SF Department of Children Youth & Families (DCYF) and coordinated by LYRIC: Center for LGBTQ Youth.- Selected to work with a key group of district leaders to plan and coordinate the district-wide Wellness Checks. This included the development and implementation of a communication protocol, resources and data collection tools, that guided site leaders and staff at over 100+ schools to reach out to 47,000+ students, and their families, to record and adddress their needs during shelter-in-place.

Coordinated district-wide initiatives and programs with a focus on increasing the district's and each school's capacity to be welcoming and affirming educational environments for LGBTQ students and families. This included reviewing, updating, and implementing district policies and administrative regulations, reviewing systems for inclusivity in collaboration with district leadership, legal department, and department of technology, as well as engaging stakeholders to identify gaps and implement innovative strategies and programs to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ students. The work also included:- Providing coaching, professional development, and technical assistance to school site staff regarding tier 1 supports, interventions, and inclusive school climate practices to address student incidents and increase site capacity to incorporate health and wellness, inclusion, and LGBTQ-affirming practices. -Developing student risk reports using data from the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the California Healthy Kids Survey to analyze and present pertinent data to administrators, staff, local and national stakeholders, and other key partners to address disparities.-Referring students and their families to culturally appropriate and language-specific community resources; and maintaining relationships with public and private partners. Other duties included supporting local, state, and federal grant writing, program evaluation, program monitoring, budget management, submitting quarterly and annual reports, and attending mandatory state and national meetings.

Selected as a member of the 2020 Oakland Surge Fellowship cohort, of equity-minded emerging African American, Latinx, and Asian/Pacific Islander education leaders in the Bay Area designed to provide executive-level leadership training and development to transform urban education in our area.

Lecturer, Sexuality in Society (SOC/SXS 110)

Coordinated bilingual case management services for youth ages 12 to 24 years oldAligned case management assessments and practices with city grant requirementsEmployed harm reduction, restorative justice practices to address LGBTQA youth needsEstablished community-school partnerships to ensure continuum of care for school youthProvided supervision of program assistants and transitional-aged youth case managersMonitored monthly program dataFacilitated family meetings, and coached peer-led activities for YMSM

Established & maintained partnerships with SF Unified School District & school site staffDeveloped LGBT studies pilot, including outreach and curriculum middle/high school youth in collaboration SFUSD Academics & Professional Development (APD) staff & teachersFacilitated anti-bullying workshops and professional development training for teachersSupervised and coached youth interns