Community Organizing, Company Programs and Thought Leadership
List of hosted, planned, and spoken–at events.
Co–ORGANIZER | Covo Wellness Popup
*Dr. Krystal Drwencke DC of Ascent Sports Chiropractic is a certified sports chiropractor and will be conducting onsite sports injury evaluations.
*Jeri Hirvela, CPT, CES, PES, FNS of Everchange Fitness will be performing movement and flexibility assessments.
*Gary L. Johnson, MA, CMT of Intuitive Touch Massage is Covo's resident massage therapist and will be offering up ten minute chair massages.
ORGANIZER | YIMBY Mobility Meeting
Join YIMBY Mobility as we hear from two of the Bay Area's primary transportation thought leaders! Adina Levin from Friends of CalTrain will present on the regional megameasure planned for the 2020 ballot and BART Director Janice Li will be updating us on the current BART GM and Muni ED searches!
ORGANIZER | Covo 2020 debate series
Whether you have a favorite 2020 candidate already or you haven't picked a frontrunner yet, come cut through all the noise with Covo! We'll be streaming BOTH NIGHTS of the round 2 debates from our Tap Lounge, with $5 rose and delicious beers/wines (and alcoholic kombuchas!) on tap ready to help the politics go down.
Co–ORGANIZER | Power Hour for Changemakers
Calling all changemakers! The open house included a tour of the space and a panel discussion about “Maximizing Impact” with Bevis Cheng of Hacker Exchange, Victoria Gitlin of Inclusion Ventures and Desi Danganan of Kultivate Labs, moderated by Lantanya Hilton of the Ambassador’s Circle.
Guest | Carpenters International Training Center Tour
Invited by the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council to tour the International Training Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 15–16, 2018. Travel group included elected officials and city bureaucrats, higher education administrators, nonprofit directors, and career development executives.
Organizer | YIMBY Mobility Happy Hours
Following up our meet-and-greet during the campaign, we held a post-election decompression event to congratulate Janice Li on her election, discuss plans for 2019, and pat fellow urbanists on the back for a job well done in November 2018.
Co–Host | No on 6 "Hair and Heels" bike ride
On Oct 28, 2018, YIMBY Mobility teamed up with State Senator Scott Wiener’s office and the SF Bike Coalition to advocate against Proposition 6, which would repeal a recent increase in the state's gas tax and vehicle fee.
The "Hair and Heels" bike ride was organized in response to comments from California congressional candidate Diane Harkey. Harkey said that if Proposition 6 didn't pass, people would be forced to bike and take trains, and that wouldn't work for her because of her "hair and heels."
Organizer | mobilizations for november 2018 election
During the 2018 midterms, YIMBY Mobility successfully helped elect Janice Li to BART Board and defeated Prop 6, the effort to repeal CA’s newly enacted gas tax (#NoOn6), by phone-banking and canvassing San Francisco’s West Side (D1, D4, and D7) and its northern Marina District (D2).
Co–founder | yimby mobility
YIMBY Mobility was founded to activate the YIMBY movement’s growing energy around transportation issues. In addition to campaign-related efforts, we hosted monthly general meetings in August, September, October, and November to introduce members to current citywide and regional mobility organizations and communicate priorities to volunteers.
Organizer | D10 Urbanist Supervisorial Debate
Hosted the first debate of the 2018 district 10 supervisor’s election, featuring Neo Veavea of Visitacion Valley, Shamann Walton of Bayview–Hunter’s Point, Theo Ellington of Bayview–Hunter’s Point, and Tony Kelly of Potrero Hill. The debate was moderated by Hoodline writer and Bayview native, Meaghan Mitchell.
After the debate, D10U endorsed Theo Ellington (#1) and Shamann Walton (#2). Walton won in November 2018.
organizer | JUMP Bikes Community Event
Approached by JUMP Bikes to plan a presentation in Bayview-Hunters Point to collect service feedback of its existing fleet and learn about its expansion plans in 2019. We partnered with newly opened local business, Cafe Envy, and kicked a series of sister events around the city due to events success. The event was in September 2018.
organizer | Small Biz & Beer: Discussing the Urban Economy
Insightful panel discussion with restaurant owners and the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, hosted by YIMBY Action and the Bay City Beacon. Panelists include:
organizer | urbanist mayoral debate
The urbanist-focused debate, gave the San Francisco mayoral candidates chance to expand in-depth on their housing platforms and answer tough questions about past housing stances, upcoming state laws, and just how the hell they plan on solving our housing crisis. (Video)
Moderator: J.K. Dineen, the San Francisco Chronicle
Candidates: Angela Alioto, London Breed, and Mark Leno
organizer | Future of SF Urbanism: Housing, Transit, and PDR?!
Moderated by Bayview local Meaghan Mitchell of Hoodline, this panel continued the dynamic discussion of growth in District 10, the urban future of San Francisco. How do our local businesses make it happen day-to-day? What struggles do they face in getting the job done (or getting to their jobs)? What efforts are at play in Bayview and District 10 to support community amidst the growing number of neighbors?
Panelists: Tyra Fennell, Imprint City | Aaron Yen, SF Planning | Egon Terplan, SPUR | Laura Foote, YIMBY Action
Founder | d10 urbanists
I started D10 Urbanists in early 2018 because I saw the need for greater interconnectivity between the neighborhoods of San Francisco’s District 10. In 2018, D10U organized monthly member events, happy hours, and community events. The organization endorsed candidates in both the June and November 2018 elections.
speaker | business track
The Cannabis Education Advocacy Symposium and Expo (CEASE) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to increase awareness and to educate consumers about the medical and economical benefits of cannabis as a legalized product. CEASE Oklahoma City took place from February 22–24, 2018.
Speaker | Achieving Diversity in Cannabis Through Collaboration
This addressed the important history of the industry while providing updates on diversity opportunities in cannabis business, education, and advocacy. Panelists also gave thoughts on key collaborative next steps required to achieve the desired representation of people of color within the cannabis industry.
Moderators: Dasheeda Dawson, MJM Strategy and Tanganyika “Tangy” Daniel, Jayn Green
Panelists: Virgil Grant III, California Minority Alliance | Fanny Guzman, Latinos for Cannabis | Lakisha Jenkins, Foundation of Natural Health | Rosalind McCarthy, Minorities for Medical Marijuana, Inc.
Organizer | reboot safety – Oakland hackathon
Reboot Safety partnered with FUSION on November 5, 2016 to host Reboot Safety: Oakland, the East Bay's first hackathon against police and community violence.What is a “hackathon”? A hackathon in essence, is an event that brings together diverse experts and perspectives from across multiple sectors to problem solve creatively.
Organizer | reboot safety – toronto hackathon
Bringing together a dynamic group of culture sector leaders, policy makers, researchers, artists and creatives to solve the issues related to public safety. What's a Hackathon? A hackathon in essence, is an event that brings together diverse experts and perspectives from across multiple sectors to problem solve creatively.
co–host | Real Future Lab: Hacking Against Violence
“Fusion's The Real Future hosts a discussion and asks:
How can technology be used to combat systemic violence in our communities?
By viewing tech and society through a myriad of critical lenses, Reboot Safety builds tools and solutions that create safe and prosperous communities by organizing civic hackathons to address issues of violence. We look forward to seeing you and adding your voice to the conversation!”
President | Light up the game
As the 2014–2015 class of Literacy is the Edge (LITE), we created repeatable events for the Literacy Council of West Alabama (LCWA). Among those events was “Light Up the Game,” an activation before and during college athletics – primarily college football – to increase awareness about LCWA’s effort to eradicate adulthood illiteracy.
Asst. director of marketing | UADM 2014
The University of Alabama Dance Marathon fundraises all year to support the Children’s Miracle Network and Children’s of Alabama. The year culminates in the dance marathon, the end-of-year celebration where students and families gather to dance for 12+ hours. Its first year raised $15,000 and this number grew to $56,000 in 2013.
In 2014, UADM raised $83,061.09.
Attendee | 2013 out for undergrad business conference
Accepted to attend the Out for Undergrad Business Conference in New York, New York. At O4U Business, the student experience includes:
Inspiring keynote speeches from senior LGBTQ business executives
Opportunities to hear about life and work across roles, cities and companies
A career fair with representatives from 50 leading firms in financial services, management consulting and professional services
Networking time and opportunities to build deep, lasting relationships
secretary–general | Alabama Model united nations conference 2013
Alabama Model United Nations Conference (ALMUN) is an annual weekend-long conference hosted by the Alabama International Relations Club. Based on simulations of United Nations committees and debate, it encourages the creation of new Model United Nations programs in schools across the state of Alabama and the wider region. In its first 10 years, ALMUN has hosted schools from Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Florida.
The crisis committee format was introduced in 2013 and, since then, ALMUN’s reputation has been defined by its well–developed and unique committee offerings.