Tuesday, October 5 at 11am - 12pm
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On October 5, we'll gather for A Candid Discussion with Chief Equity Officers: The Future of Racial Justice in Government.
Over the past half decade or so, a growing number of cities have added the position of "chief equity officer" (or similar title) to their leadership teams, a trend that dramatically increased since the outpouring of grief and anger across the nation in response to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and so many others last year. Installing a chief equity officer has become an increasingly popular for cities who want to address inequities across city services. What do we know about whether it is an effective tool? Hear from local chief equity officers about how they plan to make systemic change in the ways city halls serve their constituents. Learn also how they plan to interface directly with nonprofit organizations and the communities we serve.
About the Nonprofit Racial Justice Summit:
The Summit is hosted by Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits (SVCN), Thrive Alliance and Sacred Heart Community Service. The Summit is designed for the region's nonprofit organizations leadership, staff, and board members.
The Summit will be a learning environment where we can deepen our understanding about how to meet the nonprofit racial equity pledge and to advance racial justice and equity within our institutions and in our community. It is also a call to action for nonprofits.
The art for the Summit -- No Going Back -- was created by Bay Area artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez.
Shireen Malekafzali (she/her) joined the County Manager’s Office in April 2021 as San Mateo County’s first Chief Equity Officer. As Chief Equity Officer, Shireen supports the County to build more equitable structures, policies, and practices in order to advance equitable outcomes for our communities. As part of her work, she will lead the development of a new Office of Racial and Social Equity.
Shireen brings over 20 years of experience advancing equity through the non-profit, government and philanthropic sectors. Most recently, she served as Health Equity Officer and previously as Senior Manager for Policy, Planning and Equity for San Mateo County Health since 2013. Prior to joining the County, Shireen was Associate Director at PolicyLink, a national racial and economic equity institute. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Advisor Committee to the Office of Health Equity at CA Department of Public Health, and as Board Chair of Human Impact Partners, a national non-profit advancing equity.
Dr. Analilia Garcia is the Racial & Health Equity Senior Manager at the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. She provides leadership and strategic direction for the planning, research, coordination, facilitation, implementing and management of a diverse portfolio of department, and countywide, multisectoral public health initiatives, with a focus on racial and health equity, social determinants of health and community engagement. Dr. Garcia possesses over 23 years of experience in the non-profit sector, academia and government. Dr. Garcia completed her bachelor’s degree in Bio-Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, a Master of Public Health degree in Community Health Education at San Jose State University, and her doctoral degree in Public Health (DrPH) from the University of California, Berkeley.
Zulma Maciel is the Director of San Jose’s Office of Racial Equity, where she aims to institutionalize equity and support sustainable, transformational change so that, ultimately, Black and Brown communities experience better outcomes. Her diverse leadership experiences, track record of authentic community partnerships, results-driven approach, and commitment to racial justice has enabled Zulma to live out her calling in this role.
Zulma has served the public for over two decades in various capacities, such as, policy development, administration, and management of a $15M grant portfolio. In 2015, she became the first Director of San Jose’s Office of Immigrant Affairs committed to creating an environment of belonging for people who call San Jose home. Collaboratively with community partners, Zulma developed the City’s first Welcoming San Jose Plan that outlined an ambitious set of goals and strategies in service of immigrants and refugees.
In her spare time, Zulma volunteers on local non-profit boards and regularly enjoys hiking and Pilates. Zulma is binational (México and US citizen), bilingual, and bicultural. She earned a B.A in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Briana Evans was appointed Redwood City's first Equity and Inclusion Officer. Evans holds a Master’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology and a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Anthropology, both from Stanford University. She has a strong background in research, policy and leadership, and brings an innovative and forward-thinking approach to complex topics. Most recently, Evans worked as an equity design strategist with Reflex Design Collaborative, a consulting firm that uses collaboration to co-design solutions that improve social equity. Previously, she supported San Mateo County Health’s Office of Diversity and Equity where she designed organizational change strategies, navigated complex partnerships and coached community leaders to create a more culturally humble and inclusive behavioral health system of care. She also helped lead a local cohort from the Government Alliance for Race and Equity, a national network of government employees working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all.
Petra is an energetic connector, coordinator, and leader passionate about bringing people together to turn ideas into action to create a better and more just world for everyone. She developed and directs the Advocacy & Education program at Thrive Alliance, where she drives advocacy, outreach, and education initiatives to help nonprofits amplify the impact of their work. Prior to Thrive, Petra established innovative social programs such as a for-profit catering service at D.C. Central Kitchen, one of the first revenue-generating social enterprises, and the School Choice Program at Peninsula Bridge. She is also an experienced leader and effective fundraiser for local schools. She speaks Swedish, Spanish, and French, and has dabbled in five other languages with less success. Petra holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and a diploma from the Pot au Feu École de Cuisine in Paris.
Since 2006, Nick has served as an advocate for low-income and immigrant communities. In the Bay Area, he started his nonprofit career as a volunteer and then staff attorney for Asian Law Alliance where he provided low-cost and pro bono immigration services as well as run the firm’s civic engagement program. The civic engagement program utilized the strength of several local nonprofits to register voters, ensure proper language access during elections, and notably, a successful lawsuit and campaign that changed the political representation of Asian Americans in the City of Santa Clara. Most recently, Nick was the Program Manager for the County of Santa Clara’s Office of the Census where he led one of the most comprehensive and successful efforts to count individuals on the 2020 Census. In the County program, Nick emphasized a community-led approach that engaged numerous stakeholders from nearly every sector and resulted in over a million dollars in funding to local nonprofits.
Nick earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Utah and later attended Willamette University to receive his JD. He enjoys spending his free time tending to his new family and collaborating with a local, Japanese dance school, NDS.
Registration is FREE for all Racial Justice Summit webinars. Use the form below to register for this session. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to join us on Zoom.
SVCN strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, or to request the OtterAI transcript, please email Danna Elneil at [email protected].
Please enter your work domain email (e.g. [email protected]). If you do not represent an organization, please use your preferred personal email.
