POWER's Staff
Alicia Garza, Co-Executive Director
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Alicia has organized with local communities of color for racial and economic justice for the past 7 years. As Co-Executive Director, Alicia supports POWER's staff and members to build the power of working class communities of color by coordinating the growth of a sustainable, dynamic organization that is ready to meet the challenges of this new era. Alicia also serves on the Board of Directors of The School of Unity and Liberation (SOUL) in Oakland, California.
Aspen Branch-Moore, Director of Fundraising and Finances
Aspen joined POWER's staff in January 2005. Her prior experience included fundraising, leadership development and grassroots organizing work with youth and community organizations around welfare rights in Atlanta, Georgia. Before joining POWER, Aspen worked in Oaxaca, Mexico with EDUCA, a grassroots organization dedicated to sustainable community development and the struggle for self-determination in indigenous communities. She now serves on several fundraising committees for national alliances such as Grassroots Global Justice and Right to the City.
Beatriz Herrera, Women Worker's Project Organizer
Born and raised in NYC, Beatriz joined POWER in September 2007. Beatriz began organizing as a student activist with MEChA and Poder Latino while in college. Post graduation, Beatriz organized with Movement for Justice in El Barrio, alongside Latino immigrant residents fighting slumlords in East Harlem. A graduate of CTWO's MAAP program, when she's not organizing, Beatriz likes to dance, go out to eat, and bike around the streets of San Francisco - it's not as hilly as you might think!
Donaji Lona, Women Worker's Project Organizer
Donaji has been involved with POWER since 2005. As a member of the Women Worker’s Project she participated in the member organizer internship. In September 2007 she began working as a staff organizer in the Project. Before working with POWER Donaji worked in San Francisco as a reproductive health promoter, she also has a background in domestic work; cleaning houses, taking care of children, cooking etc. Donaji has also worked as a community representative in Veracruz, Mexico.
Jaron Browne, Bayview Organizing Project Organizer
Jaron joined POWER's staff in July of 2002. Jaron is helping to build a powerful campaign for community-driven, accountable and sustainable development among low-income homeowners and public housing residents as a lead organizer in POWER's Bayview Organizing Project. Jaron is also an active member of POWER's leadership development projects and a co-author of Towards Land, Work, and Power. Before joining POWER, he did organizing and campaign research against racism in the criminal justice system with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. Jaron was trained as an organizer in Los Angeles at the Labor/Community Strategy Center's National School for Strategic Organizing.
Juana Teresa Tello, Youth In POWER Organizer
Juana Teresa joined the POWER staff in March 2009, after having been a long time participant, volunteer and member under the Bayview Organizing Project. As a San Francisco native, Juana is helping build youth leadership in the Bayview as the new lead organizer for Youth In POWER. She is committed to the conscious development of her peers for the growth of strong young leaders who advocate for justice, on all fronts. Juana came to POWER with organizing experiences in the Santa Cruz Area, including extensive campus organizing at UCSC around the lack of diversity in higher education, while providing assistance and support to low-income, first generation, students of color. She broke into the world of grassroots organizing in 2004 with the Watsonville Brown Berets around Immigrant Rights, the Migra Watch network, and youth involvement and empowerment. Juana continues the struggle as she reconnects with San Francisco and the Bay Area, building with other young organizers to create a youth-led migrant front.
Karen Gibson, Office Manager, Volunteer Coordinator
Karen got involved with POWER through an internship in a Grassroots Community Organizing class at San Francisco State University in March of 2007. After earning a BA in Sociology, Karen continued her work with POWER and joined the staff in May 2008. Working with POWER allows Karen to actively pursue her passion for social justice.
Steve Williams, Co-Executive Director
Steve is Co-Director and co-founder of POWER. Steve cut his teeth as an organizer with the Philadelphia Union of the Homeless and the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness, organizing welfare recipients and homeless people during a period of intense local attacks on low-income people. He spearheads POWER's movement building and leadership development work. In 2006, Steve co-authored Towards Land, Work & Power- a primer on political economy for organizers and grassroots activists. He is active in several local and national efforts to build a powerful movement from the bottom up, including Grassroots Global Justice, the U.S. Social Forum and the May 1st Alliance.
Xochitl Bernadette Moreno, Child Care Coordinator
XBM, Xochitl Bernadette Moreno joined POWERs staff in January of 2008 to head up Power Kidz! Childcare that dares to put the power in the hands of the children and to share with our young community members the basics and foundations of why and how we struggle for justice and freedom in our communities and in our world. She knows the importance of working with the kidz because XBM found the movement at age 14, in Pittsburgh, with PA Abolitionists, an anti-death penalty group organizing hand in hand with formerly and incarcerated prisoners. She continued Organizing and training in Direct Action on a variety of global justice issues throughout the country and abroad. In 2005 she helped to Found SEEDS, Sustainable Environments through Educational Developments, an Indigenous Youth Program in Northern Thailand. Currently Xochitl is studying Filmmaking at CCSF turning the camera lens on her community to fight for Positive Change!
