As the former Director of Capacity Building at San Francisco’s Department of Children, Youth and their Families, Tanya draws from her vast experience in training, non-profit systems, and youth development to develop capacity-building pathways for the non-profit sector. She has a rich background in multicultural education and art with over ten years of teaching experience, deep-rooted work with diverse populations, and knowledge in organizational capacity-building including strategic planning, program development, staff development, board retention and fundraising. Tanya is also a certified Life Coach.

Carmen Navarro-Perez (she/her) is a Production Coordinator who supports in the coordination of Be The Change Consulting’s trainings to ensure all interactions are meaningful, transformative, and safe. Before working with Be The Change, Carmen worked 10 years as a childcare provider, academic tutor, academic mentor, and site coordinator. As an educator, Carmen’s practice has developed to be informed by best practices around equity, social justice, sustainability, and authentic interaction. Carmen enjoys reading, eating pickles, spending too much time with her niece and nephews, and fancies herself an aspiring biker.

Ed Center is passionate about ending poverty through education and equity. From running a student support center in the basement of Balboa High School, to leading philanthropic initiatives in education, his career has always focused on helping low-income students thrive. Ed excels in partnership development, guiding teams through change and growth, and supporting multi-faceted groups to focus on equity. He is an expert at helping organizations move from planning to action, and facilitating difficult conversations. Ed is in the current class of the Annie E Casey Foundation Children and Family Fellowship. Ed brings innovation, thoughtfulness and play to all who work with him. He plays and coaches soccer, is obsessive about watching raptor birds in the wild, and hosts an annual Spam cookoff competition. He lives with his husband and two sons in San Francisco.

Amelia Lopez-Helm is the Production and Communications Manager for Be The Change Consulting. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Policy (2011) and Master’s Degree in Public Policy (2012) from Mills College, Oakland. Amelia previously worked in local and state government offices and non-profit organizations developing and using her skills in project management, outreach and communications, and analysis. In her role at BTCC she brings her wealth of experience and knowledge to life, supporting both the organization and the needs of its clients.

Franklin Hysten is committed to creating transformative experiences that strengthen youth and their communities. Drawing on 18 years of experience developing leaders in youth development, philanthropy and government -based organizations, he supports Be the Change Consulting’s organizational consulting portfolio, which includes program design, logic modeling, and strategic planning for organizations state-wide. He also manages the youth development portfolio for high-school aged-youth, with a focus on restorative practices. His strong background in youth development has afforded him the opportunity to train and coach emerging non-profit professionals and share best practices with staff, managers and funders. 

Lynn Johnson is an award-winning speaker, coach, producer, and organizational development consultant based in Oakland, CA.  A lifelong theater artist and transformational facilitator, her work lies at the intersection of arts, culture, and social change.  Together with her wife, Allison Kenny, Lynn co-founded Go Girls! ™, a popular summer camp and afterschool program based in Oakland that teaches social/emotional skills to girls and gender non-conforming kids through the arts.  Lynn is also the co-founder and Executive Producer of Oakland Freedom Theater - a first-of-its kind ensemble of actors, musicians and expert facilitators utilizing art and empathy to dismantle systems of oppression. Learn More about Lynn at https://www.spotlightgirls.com/pages/lynn-johnson

Russell G. Jones is a youth development expert, equity consultant, and an Audelco, Obie and SAG Award winning actor to boot. He is the founder of BLIND SPOT, a campaign that facilitates cross-cultural dialogue and critical thinking so more of us can recognize and resist both internalized and systemic racial oppression. Most recently he was a series regular opposite Edie Falco in CBS' Tommy. In his twenty plus years in the NY Tri-State area, he has also served as a director, facilitator, moderator, and teaching artist creating multiple programs, workshops, and curriculum. He was an active member of LAByrinth Theater Company for over 20 years.

Sue comes from a social-context based, trauma-informed and restorative justice-oriented approach to capacity building. As a social worker, clinical therapist, case manager, community organizer and trainer she has worked with youth and families in afterschool and alternative educational setting advocating for the needs of special education student and multi lingual communities. Sue holds a Bachelors in Psychology, Master’s in Social Work is a trained Somatic Coach and will soon hold an LCSW. As a coach Sue’s expertise lies in Trauma, Vicarious Trauma, Program design for ESL integration, Restorative Justice, Behavior Management, Program Coordination and Curriculum. Cross-identity collaboration and trust-building. Sue loves working out, and dancing in the kitchen with her two children.

Dr. Nino Rodriguez received his Doctor of Philosophy in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership with a concentration in the social and cultural studies of education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His scholar-practitioner efforts focus on liberating black males of maladaptive notions of what it means to be black man in America. At the center of Nino’s work are adolescent black males (ages 13 to 18), due to his desire to amplify their voices to ensure that their views and experiences will no longer be ignored during the development of “well-intentioned” initiatives created to “serve them” at the community, state, and national levels. Currently, he serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Excellence and Advancement Foundation – an Austin, Texas based non-profit organization dedicated to transforming how communities combat the school to prison pipeline – where he works with adolescent youth of color to develop their critical consciousness via experiential learning opportunities to empower them to resist the master narratives imposed upon them.