Staff & Advisory Board

Learn more about the team behind Roots of Success

 

Staff

Raquel Pinderhughes, Ph.D. is Professor of Urban Studies and Planning at San Francisco State University where she has been teaching classes on urban planning and environmental planning since 1991. An internationally recognized expert on sustainable development and environmental justice, her work focuses on improving quality of life for people living in low-income communities and families. Much of her work has focused on providing individuals with barriers to employment with the knowledge and skills they need to benefit from efforts to “green” cities in the face of neighborhood improvements that typically lead to gentrification and displacement. She conducted the first study on “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 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. She is the Founder and Executive Director of “Roots of Success”, an innovative and empowering environmental literacy and work readiness program that is used in prisons, jails, job training programs, youth programs, and other settings throughout the United States.

 

Chad Flores is the Head of Product and Deputy Executive Director of Roots of Success. 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.

 

Myah Rivera-Wiegmann is a recent graduate from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and an emphasis in Sustainability and Social Justice and is a Project Manager with Roots of Success.

 

Advisory Board

Kay O’Neill (Co-chair) – Independent Consultant 
Curtis Penn (Co-chair) – Division Director of Justice Services, Felton Institute
Cyril Walrond – Roots of Success Instructor and Master Trainer, Stafford Creek Correction Center
David Duhaime – Roots of Success Instructor and Master Trainer, Stafford Creek Correction Center
Grady Mitchell – Roots of Success Instructor and Master Trainer, Washington Corrections Center
Eugene Youngblood – Roots of Success Instructor and Master Trainer, Monroe Correctional Complex
Karlyn Eklof – Roots of Success Instructor, Coffee Creek Correctional Center 
Traci Akers – Roots of Success Instructor, Coffee Creek Correctional Center 
Lanelle Warner – Roots of Success Instructor, Coffee Creek Correctional Center 
Maurice Hampton – E.I.T. Civil Engineering, Quality Engineering Solutions (QES)
Lisbeth Shepard – Executive Director, Green City Force
Jamie Brewster – Program Manager, Success Centers 

Pedro Noguera – Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA
Van Jones – ReBuild the Dream

Employment Opportunities

We are hiring! See the post on Idealist, or send an email to info@rootsofsuccess.org for more information.

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.