Breaking Barriers & Building Power

Marico is a community advocate that has dedicated her career to making positive impacts on social and environmental justice issues. She is the Executive Director of CASSY – Counseling and Support Services for Youth, a nonprofit that partners with Bay Area schools to provide resources and professional, on-campus mental health services to students free of charge. Marico is also a Council Member for the Town of Los Gatos and served as Mayor in 2017 and 2021. She enjoys working in the community and learning first hand of the gaps in our safety nets to better advocate and legislate the policies necessary to lift the lives of those in need.

San Mateo City Councilwoman Amourence Lee has lived in San Mateo with her family for over a decade. She joined the council in 2019, and is the first Asian woman and Jew of Color to hold the office in San Mateo.

Amourence studied public policy and public health at Columbia University where she received her Master degree. Her 15+ year career has focused on building strong and empowered communities in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. She worked at Unicef in Beijing, is a two-time nonprofit executive director, and successful start-up founder.

She served as a Vice-Chair of the Parks & Recreation Commission and the General Plan Subcommittee. She currently serves on the board of the Home Association of North Central San Mateo, San Mateo County API Caucus, and Commute.org. She is a novice ukulele player and yogi.

Darcie Green is the Executive Director of Latinas Contra Cancer and brings with her 20 years of community activism and public policy experience. Latinas Contra Cancer works to ensure just and equitable access to health and healthcare for the Latino community around issues of cancer. While working for a nonprofit health insurance and hospital system, Darcie led local efforts on health policy, often bringing together unlikely allies and resources to support improved health outcomes for uninsured or underinsured populations.

Prior to entering the nonprofit and healthcare sectors, Darcie worked as a field representative in the CA State Legislature. Darcie served four years in appointed in public office and six years in elected public office serving on her Alum Rock Union School Board, County Board of Education, and County Commission on the Status of Women. Darcie currently serves as Chair of the Santa Clara County Race and Health Disparities Board.

Ellina Yin is a First-Generation Cambodian American entrepreneur, multidisciplinary social practice artist, and civic participation activist born and raised in San José, California on Muwekma Ohlone Lands. Recent productions include, “The Other Perspective(s) Podcast” on the Cambodian/Vietnamese Diaspora healing from war and trauma and the “Only in San Jose Podcast” a Civic Education explainer on local government. She currently serves as the Creative Director of the San José State University Research Foundation and Santa Clara County AAPI Activist Oral Histories Project and Documentary, Founder of Only in San José Nonprofit, onlyin design studio, and onalilrampage productions.

Community health has always been one of the drivers for Kalimah Salahuddin. That work led her to serve on the Jefferson Union High School District Board of Education after being elected in 2012 and on the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County Board, where she was appointed in 2019 and was appointed to the Board of Caminar this year. During the COVID-19 crisis, she was one of the founding members of the REACH Coalition to advocate for equity and community health for all. As a result, she was asked to serve on the Leadership Council for the Recovery Initiative for San Mateo County.