Team
Raquel Pinderhughes, Ph.D., founder and Executive Director of Roots of Success, is a professor of Urban Studies and Planning at San Francisco State University. Her work focuses on improving quality of life for people from underserved communities. She conducted the landmark study “Green Collar Jobs for Individuals with Barriers to Employment” and co-authored the first report on “The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System” for the Federal Department of Corrections. Her programmatic work on preparing people with barriers to employment for jobs in the green economy informed the creation of the Obama Administration’s “Pathways Out of Poverty” Program and the development of hundreds of green jobs training and environmental literacy programs in the United States.
Abby O’Brien is Deputy Director at Roots of Success. Prior, she worked at the SFS Center for Sustainable Development Studies in Atenas, Costa Rica. Abby holds a B.A. in Environmental Analysis with a focus in sustainability and the built environment from Scripps College. She is excited to work with our partners and help Roots of Success grow.
Douglas Pentland is Program Manager with Roots of Success. Before working with RoS, he worked as a community organizer in Los Angeles, a dual language teacher in Texas, Washington, and NYC, and a service provider in Rikers Island jail. He believes that where there are people there is power, and is excited to be a member of the Roots of Success team. Douglas grew up between the forests and hay fields in Oregon and loves being in nature.
Florencia Diano Borghini is Director of the Roots of Success en Español team, working on Curriculum Development and as Video Editor. A photographer and filmmaker from Uruguay, she holds a degree in Social Communication with emphasis in Audiovisual Narrative and a Diploma in Editing. She works as a photographer, audiovisual producer, teacher, and graphic designer.
Grady Mitchell is a consultant to the Corrections and Reentry program at Roots of Success. Grady became a Roots of Success instructor and Master Trainer in Washington state prisons, where he taught hundreds of students over many years. In January 2021, Grady’s 37 year sentence was commuted and he was able to return home to his family and community.
Shruti Sreenath is Product Manager and Project Lead for Course Migration at Roots of Success where her work focuses on researching learning management systems, content migration, and improving user experience. She has a wide range of experience in Technology Management and Consulting with multiple industries. Shruti holds an MBA degree from Indian Institute of Management, Indore and a B.E degree from BITS Pilani. She is passionate about learning new technologies and their application in product management.
Julia Ramos, Graphic Design Specialist at Roots of Success, is a 4th year transfer student at UC Davis from Mexico, aspiring to become a visual designer focused on graphic design, UI design and web design. One of her biggest goals is to create innovative and inclusive designs around the world. Julia loves nature, international experiences, and community.
Tien Tran, Graphic Design Specialist at Roots of Success, is a graduate from San Jose State University with a major in Graphic Design. Her childhood love of art including movies, animations, and video games inspired her passion for graphic design. She enjoys creating a variety of works including posters, brochures, brand identity, and motion graphics.
Board of Directors
Kay O’Neill, Board President Kay joined Roots of Success Advisory Board in 2010 while directing five Green Job Academies in California’s San Mateo county. Inspired by the enduring and transformative power of the Roots of Success teaching method, she continued to support Roots of Success as a Community College Workforce Director and Consultant to non-profit workforce and apprenticeship training programs. Kay became President of the Board of Directors in 2022 and is committed to expanding the reach of our 600+ programs across the country through fundraising and community-based partnerships.
An Bui, Vice President and Secretary An has worked in the nonprofit sector for close to 10 years, and has been involved with Roots since 2017. Currently, he is the Community Needs Assessment Coordinator for the nonprofit Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) in Portland, OR. He is passionate about equity, community empowerment, and data-informed decision making, and is immensely proud to be serving on the board.
Maurice Hampton, Director Mr. Hampton began his service with the Roots of Success Program in 2013, while serving a 4 year prison term in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) at the Pickaway Correctional Institution (PCI). Mr. Hampton was selected with 18 other honor inmates from correctional institutions all over the state of Ohio and certified by Dr. Pinderhughes in the first wave of inmate facilitators for the RoS Program where he served as an Inmate RoS Facilitator for 3 years, proctoring dozens of classes and teaching hundreds of men before being released in 2015. Prior to accepting his role on the RoS Board of Directors, Mr. Hampton was a regional representative in the state of Ohio for the RoS Program where worked to see RoS used by the Ohio Department of Youth Services. Mr. Hampton has been employed by Quality Control Inspection (QCI) since 2016 as a Civil Engineering Inspector and attained a Bachelor of Science Engineering Technology (BSET) in Civil Engineering from the Ohio State University (OSU). A social entrepreneur, he is also the President of Hampton Properties Reformed, LLC a Commercial and Residential Construction Company providing living wage employment for previously incarcerated men and women. Mr. Hampton is a volunteer navigator for the Kindway Embark Program and the ODRC where he facilitates incarcerated men via a cognitive behavioral modification program called Thinking for Change and Getting it Right. Lastly, married his beautiful wife Stephanie Hampton on October 14, 2017. They reside in Canal Winchester, Ohio where they built their home and raise their three children; Semaj, Julyah, and Sanaa.
Chad Flores, Treasurer Chad is Director of Product Management at Cohesion. His expertise is in nonprofit organizational management and environmental policy. Previous to his work with Roots of Success, he worked for the online fundraising nonprofit Network for Good and the social innovation incubator Hub Bay Area. Chad holds a M.S. in Public Service Management from DePaul University’s School of Public Service and a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Marquette University. He is passionate about issues at the intersection of public health, economy, policy, and innovation.
Cyril Walrond, Director Cyril was a Roots of Success Instructor and Master Trainer in Washington state prisons, where his immense talents, passion, wisdom, and leadership have changed the lives of countless men during his incarceration. After being incarcerated for nearly two decades, with two more on the books, Cyril was resentenced in June 2022 and was able to return home to his family and community. He is a dedicated community organizer, advocate, and ambassador for social change, transformative justice, and community empowerment.
Raquel Pinderhughes, Director Raquel is Executive Director of Roots of Success.
Advisors
Van Jones – CNN political contributor, The Van Jones Show, The Redemption Project
Lisbeth Shepard – Independent Consultant
Employment Opportunities
We may be hiring! Look for our postings on Idealist, or send an email to info@rootsofsuccess.org for more information. We also have a Handshake profile for student internships.
Volunteer and Internship Opportunities
If you are interested in interning or volunteering with Roots of Success please send your resume and a cover letter to info@rootsofsuccess.org.