Leadership Team
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Barbra Silver, Executive Director
Executive Director
Barbra Silver, Executive Director
Executive Director
Barbra Silver is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a proud Oakland resident. She has been with the agency since 1998 when she began as a clinician with the Families in Transition program and helped to develop the early documentation training for our then new EPSDT funded services. Barbra was then a Program Manager for the Oakland FIT team between 2000-2007. In 2008, Barbra was promoted to become Family Paths’ Clinical Director, during which time she grew the clinical training program to have a strong focus on the Strengthening Families Framework™ and Diversity-Informed and Trauma-Informed best practices. She has co-lead the organization’s Multicultural Organizational Development committee since 2013. In October 2015, Barbra became Family Paths’ interim Executive Director and then was hired by the Board in February 2016 to lead the organization into its next stage of growth.
Misa Trotman, Clinical Director
Clinical Director
Misa Trotman, Clinical Director
Clinical Director
Misa Trotman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been a part of Family Paths since 1998. She started out as a direct service clinician, providing therapy and case management services to children and their families for 4.5 years in the Families in Transition (FIT) program before leaving the agency to raise her own family. She returned in 2007 as a Program Manager for the FIT program where she provided management and clinical support for her team of clinicians who provide community-based mental health services for children and families. She was named Clinical Director in April 2016. Prior to her employment at Family Paths, Misa’s previous experience included medical social work, school based services, and residential treatment. Misa has lived and traveled throughout the U.S. and abroad and these experiences have greatly influenced her commitment to working with diverse communities.
Farzana Fakhry, Finance Director
Finance Director
Farzana Fakhry, Finance Director
Finance Director
Farzana Fakhry earned her BA in International Relations and Political Science at the University of Toronto and holds a Master’s in Public Administration, emphasis in Public Management, from Cal State East Bay and a Master’s in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from Golden Gate University. Farzana has extensive experience in the non-profit sector in finance and administrative positions and has worked in numerous organizations with a focus on children’s welfare, education, mental health services, arts, and global health. At Family Paths, she will be mainly in charge of managing the organization’s financial resources, executing budgets, providing cost projection, conducting analytical review of financial reports, and creating new procedures to control expenditure. Farzana is excited about joining Family Paths as Finance Director. She loves to utilize her skills where her passion lies.
Christopher Palmer, MIS Director
Management Information Services Director
Christopher Palmer, MIS Director
Management Information Services Director
Christopher Palmer has worked in technology services for more than 20 years. Formerly he was the Director of Technology for the Global Business Network, The Idea Factory, and the East Bay Conservation Corps. He is also a practicing artist and arts educator in the San Francisco Bay Area, runs a consultancy for tech arts, and is a member of the faculty at San Francisco Art Institute, where he teaches students how to combine technology with their art.
Shay Black, Admin/Facilities Manager
Administration/Facilities Manager
Shay Black, Admin/Facilities Manager
Administration/Facilities Manager
Shay Black comes from Dublin, Ireland and has been with the agency since 1995. His first career was as a Psychiatric Nurse, which developed into Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and lectured in Child Health and Development in Liverpool, England, before migrating to California in 1994. His first connection with the agency was as a hotline volunteer, progressing to after-hours staff, then worked temporarily as CMS (Case Management Specialist), Hotline Recruitment Specialist, and eventually moved into Admin. He is currently Family Path’s Administrative Support Manager and also has responsibility for the Facilities team. He has lived in Dublin, London, Canterbury and Liverpool, and currently resides in Berkeley. Shay’s passion is music, and performs regularly with his brothers and sisters in Europe and the United States.
Kimberly Cohn, Head of Development
Head of Development
Kimberly Cohn, Head of Development
Head of Development
Kimberly Cohn is the Head of Development and continues to oversee Victims of Crime (VOC) services. She joined Family Paths in 2005 as an MFT-Intern, then following MFT licensure, established dedicated VOC trauma treatment services in 2009. Previously, Kim worked with post-acute psychiatric patients; with deaf children at the California School for the Deaf using ASL and spent 20 years in the restaurant industry working her way up from Napa Valley diners to waiting tables at Chez Panisse. As a Registered Drama Therapist and Board Certified Trainer, Kim presents nationally, guest lectures at local graduate schools and directs Self-Revelatory Theatre. Kim can sometimes be found dancing to local bands, foraging east bay farmer’s markets or trying to improve her batting average.
Rene DValery, Family Support Manager
Family Support Manager – Oakland
Rene DValery, Family Support Manager
Family Support Manager – Oakland
Rene DValery is a Licensed Family and Marriage Therapist, who was born in Nicaragua (Central America) and grew up in San Francisco. Rene has been at Family Paths since 2006, when fresh out of grad school joined Early Childhood Mental Health and later on the Families in Transition branches of the organization to start and eventually complete his required hours of internship toward licensure. After completing his licensure, Rene began working at Kaiser Permanente in the Early Start Program and began working as a private practice clinician. A few years later, Rene returned to Family Paths and became one of the managers of the Families in Transition Program. He has focused much of his energy into growing the support for Spanish speaking clinicians, as well as expanding the awareness of the Latino Culture within the agency. He is now one of the Family Support Managers in our Oakland office with a focus on growing and expanding our 24-Hour Parent Support & Resource Hotline. Rene received his undergraduate degrees in psychology and French literature from UC Berkeley and later his MA in psychology from John F. Kennedy University. Outside of work, Rene enjoys working out, traveling, dining out, spending time with friends and family, and “discovering.”
Julie Fishman, FIT Manager-Oakland
Families in Transition (FIT) Manager - Oakland
Julie Fishman, FIT Manager-Oakland
Families in Transition (FIT) Manager - Oakland
Julie Fishman is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist currently living in Oakland, California. She came to Family Paths in 2012 as part of the Treatment Intervention and Prevention Services (TIPS) Internship Program and was hired onto the Families In Transition Program in 2013. In her time at Family Paths, Julie has been a part of the Early Childhood Mental Health Cohort and is also a bilingual therapist, serving Spanish speaking clients and families. After becoming licensed in 2016, Julie began a small private practice, and enjoys further developing her therapeutic skills in this setting. Julie began her role as Families in Transition (FIT) Program Manager at Family Paths in March of 2018, and is thrilled to be able to support clinicians as they do such important work in our local communities. Julie received her MS in Counseling at San Francisco State University, and her BA from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. In her free time, Julie enjoys travelling, dancing, hiking, cooking, and spending time with friends.
Andrea Makunje, Clinical Operations Manager
Clinical Operations Manager
Andrea Makunje, Clinical Operations Manager
Clinical Operations Manager
Andrea Makunje is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who started at Family Paths in 2007 as a clinician in the TIPS and FIT programs. After realizing how much she enjoyed the paperwork aspect of her clinical work, she forged the path in helping to create a more unified Quality Assurance program, and is currently the Clinical Operations Manager. Prior to Family Paths, Andrea worked at other non-profits in program management and was an editor with a large publishing house (likely where her keen eye for detail and annoying yet useful desire for perfection were developed). Andrea grew up in Southern California, but loves the East Bay so much, she’ll never go back. Due to being a working mom of young twins, Andrea has no time for hobbies, but enjoys staring out the window and drinking coffee when the rare opportunity presents itself.
Nancy Morosohk, TIPS Program Manager
Treatment, Intervention and Prevention Services (TIPS) Manager – Oakland
Nancy Morosohk, TIPS Program Manager
Treatment, Intervention and Prevention Services (TIPS) Manager – Oakland
Nancy Morosohk is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has lived in the Bay area since 1978. She is the TIPS (Treatment, Intervention & Prevention Services) Program Manager and has been with the organization since 2001 when she began working for Family Paths as a Treatment Specialist in the TIPS Program. Prior to her work at Family Paths, Nancy worked as a child and family therapist at Jewish Family & Children’s Services on the Peninsula as well as at the Edgewood Children’s Center Day Treatment Program in San Francisco. When she isn’t working, Nancy is an avid hiker and amateur photographer.
Kruti Patel, FIT Manager-Oakland
Families in Transition (FIT) Manager – Oakland
Kruti Patel, FIT Manager-Oakland
Families in Transition (FIT) Manager – Oakland
Kruti Patel is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Registered Art Therapist who has been with Family Paths since 2010. She started as a clinician serving children and families, providing therapy and case management within the Families in Transition program. She is currently a Families in Transition Program Manager in the Oakland office. She also provides clinical supervision with a focus on art therapy and uses art therapy in her East Bay private practice. Previously, Kruti provided community-based mental health services at YMCA Urban Services and Youth Services Bureau in San Francisco and South San Francisco. Before that she was an Americorps Vista with People’s Community Development Credit Union in Oakland, where she taught financial literacy to youth and managed a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site for residents. She is passionate about community connections and uses a collaborative approach to address social justice issues.
Sarah Pilgrim, FIT Manager-Hayward
Families in Transition (FIT) Manager – Hayward
Sarah Pilgrim, FIT Manager-Hayward
Families in Transition (FIT) Manager – Hayward
Sarah Pilgrim is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with an emphasis in Expressive Arts Therapy currently living in Oakland, California. She came to Family Paths because of her passion for early intervention, community based, collaborative and social justice oriented mental health services. Sarah provides clinical supervision, and has been a clinician at Family Paths since 2010 providing mental health services for children and families as part of the Early Childhood Mental Health Program in Oakland and the Families in Transition Program in Hayward. Sarah began her role as a Program Manager for the Families in Transition Program in January, 2016. Prior to her work at Family Paths, Sarah provided psychotherapy for adults and couples at New Perspectives a non-profit counseling center in San Francisco, school based psychotherapy services for children and families for the USF Center for Child and Family Development and Alvarado Elementary School in San Francisco, has experience facilitating grief and loss support groups for children and working on a crisis hotline for Domestic Violence. Sarah grew up in Sonoma County, and during her free time she enjoys music, art, hiking, reading and traveling.
Kimberly Porter-Leite, FIT Manager-Hayward
Families in Transition (FIT) Manager – Hayward
Kimberly Porter-Leite, FIT Manager-Hayward
Families in Transition (FIT) Manager – Hayward
Kimberly Porter-Leite is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and lives in Oakland, California. She is one of the program managers for the Families in Transition program, supporting six clinicians out of the Hayward office for the past four years. Prior to her work at Family Paths, Kimberly worked as a Clinical Supervisor at three other community based organizations in the area; East Bay Agency for Children, Seneca Center and Fred Finch Youth Center. She has also had a private practice since 1994 working primarily with clients with severe childhood abuse histories. In her spare time, Kimberly enjoys studying Portuguese, traveling to Brazil and tutoring English as part of a leadership mentoring program for immigrant women at Mujere Unidas y Activas in Oakland.
Zainna Reed, Human Resources Manager
Human Resources Manager
Zainna Reed, Human Resources Manager
Human Resources Manager
Zainna Reed’s roots are right here in Oakland where she was born and raised. Zainna first joined the Family Paths family as a Biller/Admin Assistant in 1999. She moved on in 2006 to pursue her career path in Human Resources. With 11 years’ experience in Human Resources, Zainna has joined Family Paths once again as HR Manager and is excited to be at an agency where she can do the work she loves and provide support to the people who give strength and hope to the community where she grew up. In Zainna’s free time she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, exercising and loves finding new places to eat!
Julianne Rositas, Family Support Manager
Family Support Manager-Oakland
Julianne Rositas, Family Support Manager
Family Support Manager-Oakland
Julianne Rositas is the Program Manager for Parent Education and Foster Parent Community Advocate Programs. She has a Masters of Public Administration and a Master of Science in Education. Julianne is a certified Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) Practitioner and a certified Nurturing Parent Facilitator. She also has training as a Fatherhood Group facilitator as well. Prior to her work with Family Paths, Julianne worked for the Kinship Support Services Program in East Contra Costa County, where she was the Program Coordinator for 5 years and the Program Manager for 7 years. Julianne also has experience as a Community College Educator/Trainer, Program consultant, and Grant writer. When she is not working, Julianne enjoys learning new things and exploring new places with her grandchildren, listening to Latin Jazz, playing her congas, and writing.
Willard Ogan, President
Managing Editor – NBCSN Sports Group
Willard Ogan, President
Managing Editor – NBCSN Sports Group
Willard Ogan has been a Network Television Executive for more than 40 years and has worked for all four major networks. After some time in New York City and working as Assignment Manager for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Willard is now the Managing Editor at the NBCSN Sports Group. His interest in serving Family Paths as its Board President comes from dealing with the challenges of having a Bipolar daughter at home. Being in TV news most of his adult life, and seeing the underbelly of the world, Willard’s mission in life is to bring some good to the world, so he is privileged to support the work of the Family Paths’ clinicians.
Lyman Hollins, Vice President
Adjunct Instructor/Facilitator, The Wright Institute
Lyman Hollins, Vice President
Adjunct Instructor/Facilitator, The Wright Institute
Lyman Hollins, M.A., received a B.A. in History and a Minor in Women’s Studies from California State University at Hayward. He earned his M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the Wright Institute in Berkeley in 2009. He has been a treatment specialist at Family Paths in Oakland, CA, where he provided services to multi-stressed, children, families and adults of diverse backgrounds. He has also been a member of the Alameda County Fathers Corps, a county-wide team of male service providers trained to help strengthen families by fostering constructive engagement of fathers in the care and upbringing of their children. Their mission is to promote and support fathers and father figures to be meaningfully engaged with their children and families, and to advocate for family service providers to provide father friendly services and to assist fathers in strengthening their parenting skills.
He has held a position as an Adjunct Faculty member, since 2011, in the Wright Institute’s Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program, instructing the Multicultural Clinical Awareness Course. He has been a program manager and therapist at Brothers on the Rise in Oakland, CA, where he coordinated the Brothers Helping Brothers Counseling Program providing gender-responsive individual, group and family counseling, crisis intervention to male youth experiencing social-emotional and behavioral issues with a focus on boys who have witnessed or experienced violence, as well as facilitating groups for African American fathers. He currently offers services in facilitation and training, engaging in issues of difference, inclusivity, and cultural humility.
Lisa Valles, Treasurer
Head of Global Fraud Operations, Square, Inc.
Lisa Valles, Treasurer
Head of Global Fraud Operations, Square, Inc.
Lisa Valles was born and raised in a small farming community in Southern California, and migrated to Northern California to complete post-secondary education (M.S. Organizational Development, University of San Francisco). She is now the Head of Global Fraud Operations for Square, Inc. She is also a Mission College, Puente Mentor, and Employee Resource Group Co-Founder & Chair, LatinX Community – Focused on Latino Culture & Awareness at Square, Inc.
Evangeline Brown, Secretary
Attorney
Evangeline Brown, Secretary
Attorney
Evangeline Brown is an attorney. She studied law at University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall). She worked as a criminal defense lawyer in the Contra Costa County Public Defenders office for 26 years. Prior to joining that office she worked in Legal Aid and in Children’s Rights advocacy. During her years as a criminal defense lawyer she spent a number of years working on cases in Juvenile Court. She spent substantial time children and parents in cases involving abused and neglected children where she had the opportunity to advocate for both parents and children, as well as representing children in delinquency cases. She also had some experience representing clients who were in conservatorship or were seeking release from residential mental health supervision.When Evangeline was a young lawyer, she and a colleague dreamed of a law practice which in many way followed the pattern that Family Paths models: a service that addresses the needs of people as whole beings with a variety of needs and strengths that can be addressed.
Deborah Sack, Director
Retired HR Manager
Deborah Sack, Director
Retired HR Manager
Deborah Sack worked for Family Paths from 2001 to 2017, and was Family Paths’ Human Resources Manager when she retired. She graduated from the University of Oregon receiving a BS in Community and Public Health Administration. Debbi came to the agency with over 20 years of management experience including working as the Clinic Manager at Over 60 Health Center in Berkeley. She began her management experience in Hawaii in 1977, and feels her many varied experiences managing people and systems from retail to restaurant to nonprofit gave her a broad view at how to provide fair and balanced HR support to every employee at Family Paths during her tenure. Outside of work, Debbi’s passion is gardening and does much of her mental health therapy there.
Alice Shumba, Director
Supervising Senior Auditor, SOAProjects
Alice Shumba, Director
Supervising Senior Auditor, SOAProjects
Alice Shumba was born and raised in Zimbabwe. She relocated to United States soon after graduating high school to attend the University. She studied Accounting at Utah Valley University, got married, relocated to San Jose California and completed her bachelors degree at John F. Kennedy University. She is a Financial Auditor and worked for KPMG and PwC prior to joining other firms. Currently she is a Supervising Senior SOX Auditor at SOAProjects Inc. Alice is also a member of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) of the San Francisco Chapter.
Wanda Thrower, Director
Retired Drug and Alcohol Counselor, UC Berkeley University Health Services
Wanda Thrower, Director
Retired Drug and Alcohol Counselor, UC Berkeley University Health Services
Wanda Thrower was the Alcohol and Drug Specialist for the University of California at Berkeley, prior to retiring after 40 years of service. In her role as a counselor, she worked with many students in crisis who used substances to cope with trauma or undiagnosed psychological issues . Wanda felt that many of the students she worked with would have benefited from much earlier interventions. The impact of such interventions would have resulted in less hurt, shame and pain of these individuals and their families. Wanda believes that Family Paths provides that early level of intervention services that are so badly needed in our community. Wanda has served on several boards including Women’s Alcohol Coalition in SF and Berkeley Builds Capacity. She received her BS from University of San Francisco and Certification from JFK University.
Melissa Zucker, Director
Senior Human Resources Consultant
Melissa Zucker, Director
Senior Human Resources Consultant
Melissa Zucker, SPHR, has over 20 years of experience developing, implementing, and leading successful domestic and global staffing, training, and strategic human resources programs for Bay Area companies representing a variety of industries. Now, semi-retired, she provides consulting and coaching services to local non-profits and socially responsible start-ups. Melissa was born and raised in the Oakland area and is passionate about this community. She is highly appreciative of the vital services Family Paths provides and is honored to serve on its Board.