July's Nonprofit Roundtable: Successful Planning For Yourself

The importance of managing a professional’s own personal skills and knowledge was the featured conversation at the July 15 meeting of the Oakland Chamber NonProfit Roundtable. Like most, if not all, sectors, the nonprofit sector is managed and guided by professionals—managers, directors, fundraisers, marketers, program developers and leaders, HR personnel, IT experts and many others. As specialists in their fields, maintaining current skills is crucial for their respective organizations to pursue their missions and visions effectively.

What was the last class, workshop, webinar or conference you participated in? Who hosted it? Was it free or did you pay? How and why did you choose it?

While many of us are content with our jobs, positions and companies/organizations, others eventually want to move upward and outward. All wanted to continue to develop their skills, and none of those who attended the Roundtable meeting believed that s/he knew everything. So, in fact, we are all interested in strengthening our capabilities and keeping up with new trends, new technologies and new information that can positively impact or negatively impact us, whether we know it or not.

During our meeting, we addressed three questions:

What do professionals in your field need to know to be current?

Answers: Social media, volunteer management (especially how to address issues with volunteers), compliance and legal requirements, financial management (where is the money and how do you connect to it), learning knew storytelling styles and techniques, employee safety and readiness, state and local policies, internship management, payroll, workplace safety, GAP (general accounting practices), effective networking, evaluation on alignment with the organization’s goals, and community updates.

Where can you learn these kinds of things?

Answers: Foundation Center (www. http://foundationcenter.org/sanfrancisco), Vocus (www.vocus.com), CompassPoint (www.compasspoint.org), Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com), Chambers of Commerce (www.oaklandchamber.com), CARD (www.CARDcanhelp.org), California Association of NonProfits (www.calnonprofits.org), local Toastmasters Clubs (www.toastmasters.org), Association of Fundraising Professionals (www.afp-ggc.org), Planned Giving Council (www.ncpgcouncil.org), Taproot Foundation (www.taprootfoundation.org), East Bay Community Foundation (www.ebcf.org), Volunteer Center of the East Bay (www.volunteereastbay.org), and Volunteer Match (www.volunteermatch.org) to name only some.

What affiliations – professional associations—exist for your field?

Answers: American Society of Association Executives (www.asaecenter.org), Development Executives roundtable (www.dersf.org), and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (www.calvoad.org) to name a few.

Many of those listed provide free or low-cost trainings and workshops, as well as send out regular newsletters of other learning and conference opportunities. The importance of professional development and lifelong learning cannot be emphasized more strongly—for both personal and professional stability and growth.

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Have you been intrigued, startled or perhaps even jealous by the tremendous success of the Ice Bucket Challenge that has captivated the nation and the world? Have you wondered how your organization could implement such a successful campaign? Do you think that the Challenge has been an act of fundraising terrorism on the nonprofit community? Please join the co-chairs and other members of the Oakland area nonprofit community at the September meeting to a thorough discussion of the matter. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 from 2:30pm - 4:30pm at the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, 475 14^th Street, Oakland, CA.

Also, if you would like to promote your organization, please bring a door prize or some snacks.

Contacts:
Co-Chair Âna-Marie Jones, Executive Director of CARD (AMJ@CARDcanhelp.org)
Co-Chair Jerry Metzker, Development & Communications professional (jmetzman@earthlink.net)

Chamber Liaison Nikki Mendez, Membership Director (nikki@oaklandchamber.com)

May Flowers: Volunteers Are the Treasures of NonProfits

NonProfit Roundtable Blog

May 20, 2014

By Jerry Metzker, Nonprofit Roundtable Co-Chair and Development & Marketing Manager of Biotech Partners

For community benefits organizations and agencies, public projects, and community action initiatives, individuals who freely devote themselves, their skills and their time can be the life’s blood of an activity, and sometimes the organizations themselves. At its May meeting, the Chamber’s NonProfit Roundtable addressed the many aspects of volunteers and volunteering for the community. These included how to look for volunteers, engage them, train them, support them and thank them.

Volunteers are individuals who undertake tasks for an organization but are not paid, including such persons as board and committee members, pro bono consultants, people who are assigned community service, unpaid interns and students volunteering for class credit. In 2012, 26% of Americans volunteered, more women than men, and mostly in the 35-44 year-old range with 33% of all volunteers in youth services.

The meeting featured Jayne Cravens of Coyote Communications (www.coyotecommunications.com), an internationally-recognized consultant, researcher and trainer. Her work focuses on communications, volunteer involvement, community engagement, and management for nonprofits, NGOs and government initiatives. She has a decade of international experience, and extensive experience regarding community and institutional development. Cravens is a pioneer regarding the research, promotion and practice of virtual volunteering, including virtual team work, online mentoring, microvolunteering and crowdsourcing. She has worked extensively with multicultural audiences, corporate audiences, United Nations agencies, national and international agencies, international aid workers, low-income communities, and those who are traditionally socially-excluded. She is also co-author of the book, The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook.

During her presentation, Cravens covered many aspects of volunteering. Her suggestions include: 1) organizations should use their own strengths, mission and stories as recruitment tools; 2) think about why people want to volunteer, nothing that many people respond because they are angry about something and want to do something productive to address or fix the situation; 3) different people have different reasons for volunteering, and many of them go after what they are passionate about; 4) look for ideas from other organizations and volunteer services and try them; 5) beware of anti-volunteer positions, such as those held by individuals displaced after disaster or internships.

She also noted how important it is to value volunteers as individuals who are engaging with you in your mission or activity. They are not helpers because the organization cannot afford to pay workers. In fact, Cravens strongly recommends avoiding talking about monetary considerations at all. She also encouraged organizations and agencies that use volunteers to create a mission statement for volunteers.

In addition, developing a range of volunteer engagement and opportunities under the mission is crucial. These may include volunteer roles (such as board and committee members that have very specific requirements), length of time necessary (for example, a youth mentor is expected to dedicate her/himself to the youth for a minimum of nine consecutive months), location of activities (onsite, online) and skills needed. As many people like to work from home, do you have opportunities that satisfy this interest?

She concluded with the reminder that volunteering is a way to engage people in your mission and activity; the best way to satisfy them and utilize their potential is to help them enjoy it.

John Alyosa of CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates (www.casaofalamedacounty.org) – shared his experiences as a volunteer coordinator for that agency on how to maximize volunteer time. The best practices he shared include establishing goals, recruitment protocols, screening processes, training, supervision guidelines and ongoing engagement. He also shared ways to identify volunteers, such as having an inquiry process via an app or website, being listed in search engines (such as Volunteer Match), referrals and, crucially, word-of-mouth.

For any organization, determining how volunteers fit requires some thought and strategy. Alyosa recommends establishing requirements/guidelines, noting if the position is independent or supervised (and how much supervised) and creating an application process. For anyone working with youth, fingerprinting, TB testing and background checks are essential (and in many cases, required by law).

Working with volunteers follows many of the same protocols as those applied to paid employees, such as orientation, training and support; welcoming them warmly; identifying their immediate supervisor; establishing a reporting structure; and giving constructive and corrective feedback. Whether they have good or bad experiences, during and after, volunteers are spokespersons for the organization. It behooves the organization to be respectful and honorable in all of its dealings with them.

The meeting also featured an exercise on acknowledgment led by NonProfit Roundtable co-chair Âna-Marie Jones of CARD (www.CARDcanhelp.org). In this exercise, each participant wrote one or two different things that s/he had accomplished and was proud of. Then Jones divided the attendees into pairs of two, in which the partners swapped their cards. The recipient read the card, turned it over and wrote on the other side why s/he was pleased by the accomplishment or how important that contribution is. Then the partners shared aloud with each other both the contribution and the appreciation.

To learn more about volunteering and volunteer appreciation, check out www.volunteermatch.org, www.volunteereastbay.org, www.compasspoint.org and www.coyotecommunications.com.

 

Thank you, also, to Iryna Oreshkova of Iryna Accountancy (www.irynacpa.com) for bringing the treats.

 

 

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Events are critical to the success of nonprofits. Whether it's a classic fundraiser, an open house, a training or workshop, or simply sponsoring a happy hour to have your friends and supporters get together, these events allow people to experience us and embrace our work. Come join us at the Nonprofit Roundtable on Tuesday, June 17th, 2:30pm - 4:30pm, to go deep into making events work for our agencies. Presenters include Kathryn Weber, Corporate Partnership and Events Manager of Alameda County Community Food Bank, Maren Amdal, CAE, Executive Director of CFA Society and Roundtable Co-chair Jerry Metzker, Development & Marketing Manager of Biotech Partners. If you have an upcoming event, please come prepared to share about it! Also, we gratefully welcome door prizes and snacks.

 

Contacts:
Co-Chair Âna-Marie Jones, Executive Director of CARD (AMJ@CARDcanhelp.org)
Co-Chair Jerry Metzker, Development & Marketing Manager of Biotech Partners (jmetzker@biotechpartners.org)

Chamber Liaison Nikki Mendez, Membership Director (nikki@oaklandchamber.com)

 

 

 

After 5 Reception & OYP MIxer, Together on April 25th!

 Register Today,This will be one of the BEST Mixers of the Year!

 

 

Oakland Chamber Non-Profit Roundtable Meeting and Holiday Party on December 18

Please join the members of the Non-Profit Roundtable at our December meeting and holiday party on December 18, from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m., in the Oakland Chamber board room, 475 14^th Street. We will enjoy a couple of networking and support exercises as well as celebrate a fantastic year of Roundtable activities. We are planning some treats and door prizes, so if you and your organization would like to donate an hors d’oeuvres or door prize, please contact Chamber membership sales representative Brandon Brooks at 510.874.4800, ext. 321 or bbrooks@oaklandchamber.com.

 The Non-Profit Roundtable serves as the Chamber’s hub to connect the Non-Profit business community with the For-Profit business community in the mutually beneficial way to support Oakland. Please join us and participate in the conversation to strengthen Oakland.

-Ana-Marie Jones, Co-chair and Executive Director of CARD (Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disaster)

-Jerry Metzker, Co-chair and Development & Marketing Manager of Biotech Partners
-Brandon Brooks, Chamber Liaison and Membership Sales Representative

Just Stay Baby

Just stay. It’s a simple way to sum it all up.

Here’s how a good friend describes the Raiders’ experience. It describes why the Raiders are one of Oakland’s leading economic development lights and why we as a business community should do everything we can to keep them.

"The three-hour drive to Oakland is worth every minute just to be a part of one of the most unique cultural celebrations in North America – a Raiders home game. Since the last game, a day has not gone by without a laughter-filled conversation about going to a Raiders game as a family. The Raider Nation is alive and well and the experience lives up to the all the hype." – Josh Cook, Chico, CA.

The Raider Nation in Oakland is arguably the most passionate and loyal group of fans in the history of American sports. The team owns a storied history in Oakland, with championships in 1976 and 1980.

Last season, nearly a half-million people came through the turnstiles, many from far beyond the I-880 corridor. Raider fans spend money in Oakland. Raider fans drive national visibility for Oakland. Raider fans hella love Oakland.

The legacy of Al Davis looms large over the franchise, its fans and our city. Young fans are indoctrinated into the Raider Nation by learning some of Al Davis's (literally) trademarked slogans: "Pride and Poise," "Commitment to Excellence," and "Just Win, Baby." Photos of famed players hang in the lobby of the Tribune Tower.

But Raider Nation is far more valuable than just slogans. The most recent Forbes NFL franchise valuations show 19 of 32 clubs being worth at least $1 billion. In Major League Baseball, only the Yankees have a valuation of over $1 billion, as ranked by Forbes.

And the economic importance of the Raiders makes it to the grassroots as well. During last year’s lockout, the NFL Players Association estimated that shutting down the league would cost each city $140 million in revenue. The NFL supports about 110,000 jobs in NFL cities and adds about $5 billion to the economies of those cities (according to Edgeworth Economics).

Let’s be very clear, the Raiders are a nearly billion-dollar enterprise in the midst of our city. Shouldn’t we do everything we can to find them a new home in the city and grow jobs and the economy at the same time?

Oakland is the epicenter of Bay Area sports. We host to the Raiders, the A’s and the Warriors. While two of the teams are making noises about leaving, the Raiders, by way of Amy Trask and Mark Davis, Al’s son, have consistently said that the city, the community, and the fans make this their number one choice for a home for generations to come. Our job as East Bay business leaders is to ensure it stays that way. Let’s win baby.

P.S. – As an aside, if you have read this far, you know the value that the Oakland Business Review has to you, your business and your customers. Please take a moment to consider advertising in some of our upcoming editions and in our on-line properties. You’ll get huge bang for your marketing buck.

Dan Cohen, a principal at Full Court Press, a full-service public relations, public affairs and crisis communications agency in downtown Oakland, is a member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors and is chair of the Communications Department.

Inside Info for Tonight's At-Large City Council Debate

Candidates for Oakland City Council At Large Seat will Debate Tonight at the Kaiser Center

Four of the five candidates for Oakland’s City Council At Large Seat will debate tonight in an open forum at Kaiser Center, located on the shores of Lake Merritt in Oakland.  The debate, produced by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee starts at 6:30pm and is free to attend. Doors open at 6pm, and questions will be solicited from the audience.

 

The role of the Oakland City Council is to be an elected governing body representing the City of Oakland. There are seven council districts in Oakland, and one at-large member for a total of eight seats. If needed, the Mayor serves as the tie breaking vote. Since 1998, Oakland has had a strong mayor form of government. The mayor is elected for a four-year term and council members serve staggered four-year terms. Oakland's Mayor is subject to a tenure limited to two terms. There are no term limits for the city council members. The At Large council seat has often been considered a more city-wide policy focused position, as the 8^th council member doesn’t have just one district of constituents to represent, and can instead have more flexibility to view issues with a city-wide scope.

The job of council member for the At-Large sear has been most recently held by Rebecca Kaplan. First elected to the Oakland City Council in 2008, the former AC Transit District board member has advocated for attracting retail, housing and job-producing businesses to Broadway's Auto Row and to the Oakland Army Base redevelopment site. A resident of the Temescal district, Kaplan is the first openly lesbian City Council member.  Currently, Councilmember Kaplan is a member of both the public works and life enrichment committees of the council and represents the City of Oakland on the Alameda County Transportation Commission Board.

Many political consultants consider this year unique for the Oakland City Council in that it will have at least three new council members after the November election, a turnover unseen for 16 years. The existing council is characterized as having “fractious dynamics” and even some seated council members themselves are excited for a chance to change the tone of the conversation.

This debate will likely cover (but won’t be limited to) several critical issues concerning Oakland as a whole, including economic development, public safety, jobs, pensions, and basic services. What do you think are the biggest issues facing the city in the next four years? Please attend and submit a question for the candidates. Or let us know your comments by following the event on Twitter tonight @oaklandchamber and using the tag #oakdebates.

Candidate Backgrounds (Alphabetical by First Name)

Carol Lee Tolbert

Carol Lee Tolbert is the President and Principal Consultant of Tolbert & Associates (a School Improvement Consulting Firm), she also has been the executive director of the North Oakland Parish, Seniors Care Service, and the Education Learning Center. Ms. Tolbert is a native of Oakland and is an alumna of Oakland Technical High School. She holds both a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Development and Masters of Arts Degree in Public Administration from California State University, Hayward.   

Ignacio De La Fuente

Ignacio De La Fuente has been the city council member for Oakland’s District 5 since 1992. Mr. De La Fuente has served as the chair of the Council's Economic and Community Development Committee until January 1999. De La Fuente then became the first Council member to serve as Council President, and held the post of Vice Mayor from 2009-2011. Mr. De La Fuente is stepping down at this end of this term (Dec ember 2012) as the District 5 representative to concentrate on his campaign for the At-Large Council seat for Oakland.  Most recently, Councilmember De La Fuente has chaired the influential Finance & Management Committee of the council. De La Fuente also co-chairs the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Joint Powers Authority, overseeing the City’s Coliseum-Arena complex and three professional sports franchises. Mr. De La Fuente was born in Mexico City and came to Oakland to work as a machinist at age 21.

Mick Storm (not attending the debate tonight)

Mick Storm  has a campaign website at this address: http://mickstorm.com/.

Rebecca Kaplan

Rebecca Kaplan has the City of Oakland At Large councilmember since 2008. Prior to her service on the Oakland City Council, Ms. Kaplan served as At-Large Director on the AC Transit Board of Directors from 2002 to 2008. Councilmember Kaplan’s work experience includes serving as an aide for the California State Legislature in the 16th Assembly District and as an attorney. Ms. Kaplan earned a Bachelor of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Phi Beta Kappa) and also holds a Master of Arts in Urban & Environmental Policy from Tufts University and a Juris Doctorate from Stanford Law School.

Theresa Anderson-Downs

Theresa Anderson-Downs is currently the CEO at Dandell Entertainment and is running for the At-Large seat on the Green Party Ticket. Ms. Anderson-Downs is holds a degree in business law from Heald's Business College.

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Chamber Support

The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (OMCC) public policy committee does not endorse political candidates, but there is a separate political action committee OakPAC that does.  For more information on OakPAC, please contact Paul Junge, OakPAC Executive Director at pjunge@oaklandchamber.com 

Full Debate Schedule

Tonight’s At-Large debate is the fifth of six debates in this series. The full schedule is posted below; all debates are FREE and begin at 6:30pm.  All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

 

Inside Info for District 5 City Council Debate Tonight

Candidates for Oakland District 5 City Council Seat will Debate Tonight in Fruitvale

The four candidates for Oakland’s District 5 City Council Seat will debate tonight in an open forum at the Fruitvale- San Antonio Senior Center, located in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland.  The debate, produced by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee starts at 6:30pm and is free to attend. Doors open at 6pm, and questions will be solicited from the audience.

The boundaries of District 5 encompass the diverse East Oakland area, including the Glenview and Fruitvale neighborhoods and portions of the estuary waterfront, Dimond District and Jingletown. The District is sometimes characterized on the council as predominately Latino (as compared to other Oakland council districts) however, when examined more closely it appears to be quite diverse ethnically.

The role of the Oakland City Council is to be an elected governing body representing the City of Oakland. There are seven council districts in Oakland, and one at-large member for a total of eight seats. If needed, the Mayor serves as the tie breaking vote. Since 1998, Oakland has had a strong mayor form of government. The mayor is elected for a four-year term and council members serve staggered four-year terms. Oakland's Mayor is subject to a tenure limited to two terms. There are no term limits for the city council members.

The job of council member for District 5 has been most recently held by Ignacio De La Fuente, for nearly 20 full years (5 consecutive terms). First elected to the Oakland City Council in 1992, he served as the chair of the Council's Economic and Community Development Committee until January 1999. De La Fuente then became the first Council member to serve as Council President, and held the post of Vice Mayor from 2009-2011. Mr. De La Fuente is stepping down at this end of this term (Dec ember 2012) to concentrate on his campaign for the At-Large Council seat for Oakland.  Most recently, Councilmember De La Fuente has chaired the influential Finance & Management Committee of the council.

Many political consultants consider this year unique for the Oakland City Council in that it will have at least three new council members after the November election, a turnover unseen for 16 years. The existing council is characterized as having “fractious dynamics” and even some seated council members themselves are excited for a chance to change the tone of the conversation.

This debate will likely cover (but won’t be limited to) several critical issues concerning the Fruitvale part Oakland, including economic development, gang injunctions, jobs, pensions and crime. What do you think are the biggest issues facing District 5 in the next four years? Please attend and submit a question for the candidates. Or let us know your comments by following the event on Twitter tonight @oaklandchamber and using the tag #oakdebates.

Candidate Backgrounds (Alphabetical by First Name)

Dawn McMahan

Dawn McMahan is the founder and Executive Artistic Director of the Pythia Arts Foundation, and the creator of the Phoenix Rising Homeless Project, and the Oak Tree Arts Center in East Oakland. Ms. McMahan lives in District 5 and is a guest lecturer in the Merritt College business program. She holds degrees from the Merritt College Community Social Services/Substance Abuse Counseling Program, and the University of Southern California.

Mario Juarez

Mario Juarez has been a District 5 resident since he was a youth.  Mr. Juarez owns Mario Juarez Real Estate and has been recognized by the Pinnacle Award for Sales from the Bay East Association of Realtors in 2009, 2010, and 2011. He also currently serves on the City of Oakland Workforce Investment Board. Mr. Juarez has been a member of the Unity Council Board of Directors, City of Oakland Parks and Recreation Commission, and Hispanic Chamber Commerce of Alameda County.

Noel Gallo 

Noel Gallo grew up in the Fruitvale/San Antonio District neighborhoods. Mr. Gallo was elected to the Oakland Board of Education in 1992 and has lead 6 successful education funding campaigns, generating over a $1 billion dollars for schools. Under his tenure, the Oakland Public Schools has been voted  the most improved school district in the state of California for the past 7 years. He currently works as Regional Director with Ray & Associates leading Superintendent Searches for School Districts throughout the country. Mr. Gallo holds a graduate Business Degree from University of California, Berkeley.

Shelly Garza

Shelly Garza has been a City of Oakland employee for 11 years, and is a single mother of 5. Ms. Garza is also the General Manager of a Micro Business Incubator center in District 5.

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Chamber Support

The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (OMCC) public policy committee does not endorse political candidates, but there is a separate political action committee OakPAC that does.  For more information on OakPAC, please contact Paul Junge, OakPAC Executive Director at pjunge@oaklandchamber.com 

Full Debate Schedule

Tonight’s District 5 debate is the fourth of six debates in this series. The full schedule is posted below; all debates are FREE and begin at 6:30pm.  All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Inside Info for Tonight's District 1 City Council Debate

Candidates for Oakland District 1/North Oakland City Council Seat will Debate Tonight in Rockridge

After filing the papers indicating their intention to run earlier this month, the seven leading candidates for Oakland’s District 1 City Council Seat will debate tonight in an open forum at the College Avenue Presbyterian Church (CAPC), located in Rockridge.  The debate, produced by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee starts at 6:30pm and is free to attend. Doors open at 6pm, and questions will be solicited from the audience.

The boundaries of District 1 encompass the vast North Oakland area, including the Rockridge and Temescal neighborhoods and portions of Piedmont Avenue. The District is sometimes characterized on the council as more affluent and politically connected to the city power structure than other Oakland council districts.

The role of the Oakland City Council is to be an elected governing body representing the City of Oakland. There are seven council districts in Oakland, and one at-large member for a total of eight seats. If needed, the Mayor serves as the tie breaking vote. Since 1998, Oakland has had a strong mayor form of government. The mayor is elected for a four-year term and council members serve staggered four-year terms. Oakland's Mayor is subject to a tenure limited to two terms. There are no term limits for the city council members.

The job of council member for District 1 has been most recently held by Jane Brunner, for nearly 16 full years (4 consecutive terms). Ms. Brunner is stepping down at this end of this term (Dec ember 2012) to concentrate on her campaign for City Attorney for Oakland.  By many accounts, Ms. Brunner has been a reliable and dedicated council member, and she is widely viewed as a policy and “big picture thinker” in the areas of labor relations and community development, citing the development of the Oakland Army Base as one of her  many accomplishments. Most recently, Councilmember Brunner has chaired the influential Community and Economic Development Agency (CEDA) committee of the council. She has been a Rockridge neighborhood resident of Oakland for 35+ years.

 

Many political consultants consider this year unique for the Oakland City Council in that it will have at least three new council members after the November election, a turnover unseen for 16 years. The existing council is characterized as having “fractious dynamics” and even some seated council members themselves are excited for a chance to change the tone of the conversation.

This debate will likely cover (but won’t be limited to) several critical issues concerning the Northern part Oakland, including the pending Safeway store development, gang injunctions, schools and property values. What do you think are the biggest issues facing District 1 in the next four years? Please attend and submit a question for the candidates. Or let us know your comments by following the event on Twitter tonight @oaklandchamber and using the tag #oakdebates.

 

Candidate Backgrounds (Alphabetical by First Name)

Amy Lemley

Amy Lemley lives in North Oakland with her husband and two daughters. In 1998, she co-founded First Place for Youth in Oakland, which provides affordable housing to hundreds of youth and young adults. Ms. Lemley holds degrees from the University of Chicago and UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy and has served on the Measure Y Oversight Committee.

 

 

Craig Brandt

Craig Brandt has been a District 1 resident for 28 years.  Mr. Brandt is a trial lawyer in private practice and a Board Member and Secretary for the International Center for Integrative Medicine, a 501(c)(3). He holds a masters in Community Planning from Antioch University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration also from Antioch University.

Dan Kalb

Dan Kalb has been the California Policy Director at the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Chapter Director of the Sierra Club. Mr. Kalb also co-led the Isaiah Project, and currently serves on the Youth Leadership and Community Safety Strategic Planning Task Force for the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth. Mr. Kalb holds a B.S. in Conservation of Natural Resources from UC Berkeley and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco.

 

 

 

 

Don Link

Don Link joined the Shattuck Corridor Neighborhood Watch in 1991, and chaired Oakland’s Community Policing Advisory Board from 1999 to 2008. Mr. Link is an electrical contractor specializing in energy efficiency for his company, Controlled Energy.  He holds degrees from UC Santa Barbara (AB) and UC Berkeley (CPh).

Don Macleay

Don Macleay owns and manages a computer networking business in Oakland; East Bay Computer Services, Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Macleay has spent over 24 years doing industrial work, 19 of them as a general machinist/millwright and as a member of the machinist union (IAM) and IAM shop steward.  Mr. Macleay got a GED in California and went on to graduate from Laney and then San Francisco State (Phi Beta Kappa).

Leonard Raphael

Leonard (Len) Raphael is the co-owner of Car World in Temescal and has been a staff auditor and tax accountant for Price Waterhouse and Deloitte.  Mr. Raphael has been the Treasurer Temple Beth Abraham and on the board of directors of the Oakland Food Pantry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Raya

Richard Raya lives in North Oakland with his wife and four sons. Mr. Raya is currently the policy director for California Forward. He sits on the Board of Directors for two Oakland-based organizations, Youth Radio and TransForm, and has previously been the budget director for the Alameda County Public Health Department, an analyst for the Alameda County Administrator, and an auditor for the City of San Jose. Mr. Raya holds two degrees from UC Berkeley, where he earned a B.A. in English and a Master’s in Public Policy.

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Chamber Support

The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (OMCC) public policy committee does not endorse political candidates, but there is a separate political action committee OakPAC that does.  For more information on OakPAC, please contact Paul Junge, OakPAC Executive Director at pjunge@oaklandchamber.com 

Full Debate Schedule

Tonight’s District 1 debate is the third of six debates in this series. The full schedule is posted below; all debates are FREE and begin at 6:30pm.  All are welcome and encouraged to attend.