See who enables us to bring services
to thousands each year

Chandra Alexandre, the Chief Executive Officer of Community Action Marin, has over 30 years of experience supporting organizations to social justice outcomes and a deep commitment to public service. Over the last six years leading CAM, Chandra’s vision and fiscal acumen have successfully leveraged public investment and mobilized resources to increase well-being across Marin. Her efforts have grown the agency’s budget to $32M and helped to ignite anti-poverty movement building strategies and strengthen partnerships across public and private sectors in support of our community.  

Earlier in her career, Chandra’s work at the Bay Area Council, a business-sponsored public policy advocacy organization, led to important wins for affordable housing and early childhood education. At Partners in School Innovation, an education reform nonprofit, Chandra helped to promote national scale for approaches to working with the lowest performing schools and districts in five states, including sites across the Bay Area and Silicon Valley in California. At Global Fund for Women, she ensured record-breaking fundraising to support women’s human rights.  

From local, to regional, to international efforts, Chandra’s focus has been on equity and the value of creating deepened understanding. A lifelong learner, she recently became a certified conflict mediator and earned a professional designation for her poverty fighting work as CAM’s first Certified Community Action Professional (CCAP).  

Chandra gives back through volunteering and service. She is Vice Chair of the City of Novato Multicultural Advisory Commission, a board member of Marin Community Clinics, Marin Promise Partnership, and the Common Counsel Foundation. She also sits on the United Way of the Bay Area Advisory Board.  

Chandra holds an MBA in sustainable management and a doctorate in the humanities specializing in Asian & Comparative Studies. Her undergraduate degree is from Columbia, where she double majored in psychology and philosophy. 

Liz rejoined Community Action Marin as Chief Operating Officer in December 2023, having served previously as Chief Program Officer and VP – Program & Strategic Initiatives for the agency from 2021-2023. Liz brings over 15 years of experience in non-profit management, operations, program design and business development for U.S and international non-profit organizations.

Liz has served previously as Senior Program Development Advisor and Program Director at Mercy Corps, an international non-profit that provides lifesaving humanitarian assistance and long-term development support in over 40 countries. Based in East Africa for six years, she led the design and implementation of country level and regional initiatives. Her work included raising $115M for Mercy Corps for both humanitarian and development focused programming.

Liz first began her career as a non-profit consultant at Odell, Simms & Lynch based in the Washington DC area. Later, she worked as the Director of Training & Development at a social service non-profit organization – Women’s Housing & Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCo), located in the South Bronx. At WHEDCo, Liz led the training, mentorship and establishment of over 80 new businesses among low-income female entrepreneurs. Across these roles, she gained invaluable experience in partnership development, program design, and business development.

Liz holds a Master in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a BA in International Affairs from Lewis & Clark College.  She now lives in Ross with her partner and dog and enjoys outdoor activities, including trail running and hiking.

Gina’s work to advance racial and economic justice is grounded in her personal values of human dignity, freedom, courage, and joy. With over 25 years of nonprofit experience, Gina has led organizational development efforts as well as policy advocacy in partnership with local communities and service providers to improve outcomes for communities that have been historically marginalized and underserved. Her work has helped improve approaches and increase public investments in early childhood education and family support, immigrant and refugee rights, housing, health care, income supports, and asset building.

Gina joined Community Action Marin in 2020 where she served as an agency fellow and Chief of Staff. Now as Chief Strategy Officer, Gina leads advancement of agency strategy and advocacy efforts where she partners with leadership to ensure that staff, clients, and community stay at the center of all decision-making. Her work informs cross-agency synergies and guides collective practice to ensure strategic assets are deployed in line with agency priorities. As part of CAM’s Executive Team, Gina provides strategic and operational leadership to create a vibrant organizational culture and achieve outcomes in community to advance racial and economic justice.

Gina received a Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, a Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction from San Francisco Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor’s degree from Alma College. Prior to joining the team at CAM, Gina served in a variety of nonprofit leadership roles, including with the Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership and Parent Services Project in California, and Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights and the Ounce of Prevention Fund (now Start Early) in Chicago, Illinois. Gina lives in Marin County where she enjoys local cheese, a year-round garden, and family game nights.

Jennifer Radics-Johnson joined Community Action Marin as Chief Development Officer in August 2024, bringing 18 years of experience in fundraising, marketing, public relations, and financial, personnel, and program management.

She served previously as Senior Director of Advancement Operations for the California State University Maritime Academy, working closely with the Academy’s Foundation Board of Directors to provide financial support for the institution.

Jennifer is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and first began a career in nonprofit leadership as Director of Marketing and Communications for Community SeniorServ in Southern California. She continued her career in nonprofit leadership roles of Director of Development and Executive Director. In those roles, she gained invaluable experience in nonprofit leadership, Board relations, strategic planning, fundraising, advocacy and program development. Jennifer has served on national, statewide and local committees and is a former Fire Commissioner for the Alameda County Fire Department.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from University of California, San Diego and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing and Management from Loyola Marymount University.

Jennifer was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and is a proud graduate of a Headstart preschool program. She now lives in the Bay Area with her family and two Boston Terriers, and enjoys hosting themed-birthday parties and trying out new recipes and food hot spots. Jennifer believes that representation matters and throughout her career has centered the most vulnerable communities, including children, people of different abilities and people of color, in critical decision-making and program development.

Mary Beth Whyel joined Community Action Marin as Interim Chief of Staff in July 2024, bringing over 14 years of experience in strategic planning, organizational change management, project management, and executive coaching in the non-profit and education sectors. 

She previously served as a Chief of Staff consultant supporting several non-profits and education entities, Senior Director of Special Projects and Chief of Staff, Academics at Breakthrough Public Schools, Executive Director of Strategic Projects, Finance at Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and Vice President for Operations and Strategic Initiatives at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

Mary Beth began her career as a Research Assistant at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Throughout her career, she has gained invaluable experience supporting executives, developing and implementing strategic initiatives, leading cross-functional teams, and navigating complex organizational changes.  

Mary Beth was raised on a farm in Pennsylvania and is the oldest of three children. She has a passion for working with interesting people and organizations to have a positive impact on the world. She holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from The Broad Residency in Urban Education and a Master’s Degree in International Affairs and Organizational Management from American University. Mary Beth now lives in Oakland, CA, and enjoys cooking, traveling, hiking, and exploring new places. 

Shana Hewitt joined CAM as the Vice President of Early Education in May 2023, bringing 20 years of experience in Early Childhood Education. Shana has had oversight over large networks of early childhood programs at University Settlement and Sheltering Arms, among other organizations in New York City. 

Shana first began a career in early childhood education as an infant/toddler teacher.  In that role, she gained invaluable experience and a love for working with families and communities. Over the years, her work included rebuilding programs after the devastation of Super Storm Sandy and spearheading the growth and expansion of many city funded early childhood centers in low-income communities under NYC’s birth to five system.  

Shana was raised in Queens, NY as the youngest child in her family. She has a passion for helping families with young children achieve their highest goals and supporting early childhood teachers to reach their highest potential. 

Shana holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from The City University of New York at Brooklyn College.  She now lives in Petaluma with her senior dog, and enjoys knitting, spending time with friends and family, and has a newfound appreciation for the outdoors. 

Erin Hawkins joined Community Action Marin as Vice President, Whole Family & Community Services in April 2023. Erin brings 15 years of experience working in non-profits and local government designing, building, and sustaining programs and services with community. Deeply committed to shifting power and breaking down systems that oppress, marginalize and stigmatize, Erin works in close collaboration with advocates, organizers, and researchers to reconceive program design approaches to uplift community assets and strengths.  

In addition to her programmatic experience, Erin is a skilled trainer and facilitator. She is member of the national Complex Trauma Training Consortium and leads workshops and conferences across California to build individual and organizational capacity to implement trauma-responsive and healing centered practices in order to improve health outcomes for people and communities. Erin is also a proud and active member of the COTS Board of Directors and has been deeply involved in outreach and advocacy for and with the North Bay’s unhoused community for nearly a decade. 

Erin received her Bachelor of Arts in International Development from UC Berkeley and her Master of Science in Community Develop from UC Davis. Raised in southern California, Erin now resides in Sonoma County with her husband and two sons. Music, sports, and advocacy keep her family busy. On any given weekend, they can be found attending a Little League game, performing with one of their bands, or attending a rally or demonstration to support their community.  

Michelle Fountain joined Community Action Marin as Vice President, Behavioral Health & Training in May 2023, bringing 18 years of experience in mental health and organizational leadership. 

Michelle served previously as the Executive Director at LifeWorks of Sonoma County, a non-profit providing outpatient trauma-informed, bilingual mental health services to children and families. During her leadership, the organization doubled in staff and service impact.   

Michelle began a career in behavioral health as a Program Manager for R House Inc., a residential treatment program for teens and then as a Community Based Clinical Case Manager for Marin County Behavioral Health. In those roles, she gained invaluable experience in behavioral health, recovery, and program development. Over the years, Michelle’s work has focused on culturally responsive treatment, workforce professional development and team building, documentation and program compliance, and organizational strategy and growth. Michelle also had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica to work in a social services organization for two months, assisting in the development of tools and procedures for mental health risk assessment. This experience further developed her skills in cross cultural social work.  

Michelle holds a Master of Social Work from San Francisco State University and is licensed in California as a Clinical Social Worker. She has a private therapy practice and is passionate about working with young people, social justice advocacy, and systemic approaches to mental health support.   

Michelle was raised in Mendocino County as one of five children.  She now lives in Santa Rosa with her husband, two children, and two dogs. She enjoys being outdoors, gardening and swimming.  

Michelle Fox is Community Action Marin’s Assistant Vice President, Early Education. In her role, Michelle leads and works with the leadership team to elevate our early education initiatives. Michelle joined Community Action Marin as the Director of Early Education in February 2022, bringing 25 years of experience in early education, coaching, training, and management of early education and learning programming. 

Michelle has served previously as the Program Director with the Waugh Elementary School District, Bilingual Provider Support Specialist with the Marin Child Care Council, Site Supervisor, Center Director, and Mentor-Coach for local Head Start grantees as well as early education and learning non-profit agencies. 

Michelle holds a Program Director Permit granted by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. In her work in Title 5 programs, Michelle’s teams earned Tier 5, the highest rating a preschool program can achieve through the Quality Rating and Improvement Systems program. 

Michelle first began a career in early education as a Head Teacher with the Institute for Human and Social Development, a Head Start grantee, in 1994.  In this role, Michelle gained invaluable experience in planning and implementing curriculum, family engagement, and working within the Head Start comprehensive service models.  Work included classroom teaching, facilitation of parent meetings and training, participation in mentor teacher programs, and the agency’s Anti-Bias committee. 

Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development from Humboldt State University and has a passion for family, relationships, and early education access for children. She now lives in Petaluma with her family. Michelle is proud of her adult children and their spouses and is the proud grandma to her beautiful granddaughter. 

Heather Bettini grew up in Marin County and is passionate about advancing social justice and equity so everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Heather is the Assistant Vice President of Programs, and in this capacity, she shapes and oversees implementation of impactful programs aimed at ending poverty in Marin County. Heather supports the success of several departments, including Economic Justice, Housing Justice, and Food and Climate Justice. She contributes to improvements across Programs to achieve high-quality services that meet community needs ands support advocacy efforts to create meaningful systems-level change. 

Prior to working at Community Action Marin, Heather led a national pilot project administered by the Center for Law and Social Policy and the American Association of Community Colleges, which demonstrated that when low-income students accessed additional financial support services, they realized greater success in school and in their careers. Heather earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences with a focus in Cross-Cultural Studies, and minors in International Relations and French. 

Heather has worked with the United Nations Environment Program in several capacities in Kenya, Germany, and South Korea. Heather was a Peace Corps Master’s International student at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, where she earned a Master of Public Administration in International Management degree while serving as a Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize City, Belize.  

Heather enjoys spending time in nature and travel with her partner and three young children.  

Christina (she/her) joined Community Action Marin as the Senior Director, Site Support in April 2023, bringing over a decade of experience in Public Health and Leadership.  

Most recently, Christina was the Manager for the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Programs at Contra Costa County Public Health Department and served on the county’s Child Death Review Team. She is a volunteer moderator and educator with the non-profit organization Safe Infant Sleep.  

Christina’s first job after finishing her undergraduate degree was coordinating a bilingual (Spanish/English) theatre-based teen peer health education program for migrant farmworker communities in rural Oceana County, Michigan (an area known for asparagus production!)  The job only lasted from asparagus to apple season, but really set the stage for her career in community-based Public Health. Christina is passionate about health equity, reproductive justice, racial justice, and LGBTQ rights.    

Christina was born and raised in Michigan, the eldest of three children. California has been home since 2009. Christina has a Bachelor of Arts in Music (voice performance) and Latin American and Caribbean Studies from the University of Michigan and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Washington. When she isn’t at work or spending time outside with her family, she can be seen performing in musical theatre around the bay area in productions like Spamalot, Into the Woods, Company, and She Loves Me!

Kristopher Budi is a dedicated advocate for financial inclusion, serving as the Director of Economic Justice at Community Action Marin since March 2024. In this capacity, he oversees the implementation of Financial & Credit Coaching and Workforce Development programs, striving to uplift and empower individuals and communities to reach financial prosperity. 

Before joining the agency, Kristopher was a Financial Wellbeing Design Team member at Capital One. In this role, he collaborated closely with executive leadership teams at non-profit organizations, ensuring the successful execution of signature programs including a national credit building program that connected local non-profits to product solutions. He also managed a $14 million credit counseling grant portfolio that supported organizational growth and innovation within the credit counseling sector. 

Prior to Capital One, Kristopher worked at Catalyst Miami as the Director of Financial Products and Accion East as the Manager of Lending. At Catalyst Miami, he was responsible for identifying innovative products and cultivating strategic partnerships to increase the financial products offered there. He was also responsible for leading a design team to develop and implement a Children’s Savings Account program in Miami-Dade County, bringing together public, private, and foundation stakeholders. At Accion, he was responsible for leading the Florida lending team. Kristopher has extensive experience in guiding entrepreneurs as they realize their dreams through financial education and by connecting these individuals with the resources needed to grow their small business.  

Kristopher graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida Hough Graduate School of Business. He is originally from Miami, Florida and currently lives in San Francisco. He enjoys exploring new restaurants, cooking, and practicing yoga. 

 Jennifer Bell is the Director of Inclusion and Disabilities for Children and Family Services (CFS) at Community Action Marin. With 25 years of experience as an educator, she has worked in various roles, including as a Disability and Inclusion Manager at Community Action Marin, working in a neonatal intensive care follow-up program in San Francisco, leading a therapeutic preschool program in Richmond, teaching children with communication disorders and autism spectrum disorders with the Marin County Office of Education, and serving as a high school learning specialist in Marin.  

Jennifer has also been an adjunct faculty member at Santa Rosa Junior College, Dominican University, and Sonoma State University. She holds multiple teaching credentials with expertise in disability law, special education best practices, and the intersection of trauma and learning in adolescence.  

Personally, Jennifer is an optimistic believer in the rights of every child to learn in a positive and nurturing environment. She values the role of educators in children’s lives, seeing it as a privilege and honor, and her early career experience at Stanford University’s laboratory school shaped her understanding of how young children learn through active discovery and play. She is deeply committed to helping children transcend adversity through compassion and expertise. 

Maureen de Nieva-Marsh, or “Mo”, recently joined Community Action Marin as the Director of Community School Partnerships. In this role, Mo helps connect Marin families to resources to help move them from crisis to thriving. 

Mo is an award-winning fervent proponent of civic engagement among underrepresented groups and communities, believes Filipin(o/a/x) representation matters, and has had a personal goal of diversifying the leadership landscape throughout her career, with over 20 years of experience working with government agencies and non-profits. Her works has included fulfilling the following missions with an equity and accessibility (A11y) lens: public health policy, community messaging, crisis communications, inclusive group facilitation, impactful social media strategy, sustainable grant project management, advocacy, effective public speaking, employee recognition and engagement, and youth empowerment. 

She previously served as a Deputy Public Information Officer for the County of Marin during emergency response and was the strategist and advisor for the launch of the Marin County Office of Equity, award-winning RxSafe Marin (now OD Free Marin), and youth-empowered Marin 9 to 25 initiative. At the County of Marin, her primary duties included contract/policy management, community engagement, and health equity work in both Public and Behavioral Health and Substance Use Services at Marin Health and Human Services while serving as the Co-President of the employee-driven Marin Asian Public Local Employees (MAPLE) affinity and resource group. 

Currently Mo is also a passionate non-profit board member of Asian American Alliance of Marin and YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley and an active community volunteer with Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco – Young Professionals. She was also the past President and Charter Member of the Rotary Club of San Rafael Evening, and a proud alumnus of Dominican University of California with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science as well as a Master of Business Administration.  

Mo lives in San Rafael with her husband Donald, dog Trigger, and cat Harley. When not volunteering or practicing Spanish, Mo and Donald can be found playing co-ed softball or singing karaoke duets together in Marin. 

Melissa Cunningham joined Community Action Marin as Director, Family Well-being in March 2023. With over 14 years of experience in early childhood and elementary education, she has worked as a teacher, coach, curriculum designer, and program manager. Melissa previously served as the Early Childhood Education Program Officer with First 5 Contra Costa and held roles such as Director, Elementary with Teach For America. She is passionate about the transformative power of early childhood education and has supported numerous educators and families in achieving quality outcomes. 

Melissa holds a Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California, where her dissertation focused on teacher diversity training.  

Originally from Larkspur, Melissa returned to Marin in 2019 after living around the Bay Area, the country, and abroad. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and going to the beach with her family. 

Rob Palmer is the agency’s Learning and Evaluation Advisor. He joined Community Action Marin as an Encore Fellow, Director of Learning and Evaluation, in August 2022, bringing 32 years of corporate experience and four years of non-profit experience.

Rob served as Product Engineering and Technical Services Manager at Chevron, supporting their fuels, biofuels, and lubricants businesses, as well as various other roles in fuels manufacturing, supply chain logistics, process improvement & optimization, certification, and compliance.  He had the opportunity to work with a wide array of people at Chevron, including lab technicians, plant operators, engineers, data analysts, environmental scientists, and senior managers, gaining technical and interpersonal insights from each person. Rob was known for driving cross-functional collaboration & continuous improvement and bringing out the best in each member of the team.

Prior to working at Chevron, Rob volunteered for two years as a high school teacher in the pacific islands of Micronesia with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC), then served two years in non-profit program support and fundraising for JVC in Washington, D.C. These experiences planted a seed of service and social justice that Rob cultivated through volunteer work while working and raising a family, with a goal of returning to the non-profit sector after retiring from Chevron.

Rob was born in Syracuse, New York and raised in the Bay Area as the oldest in a family of four children.  He has a passion for the outdoors, education, and volunteering, including making learning accessible to everyone. Rob feels privileged to join the talented Community Action Marin family and is excited to use his experience to contribute to CAM’s mission.

Rob holds a B.S. in Chemistry and an M.S. in Environmental Science from Loyola Marymount University. He lived in Los Angeles for 25 years and returned to the Bay Area in 2015. He has two sons (31 & 28) and a daughter (25) who are scattered across the west coast. Rob lives in Concord and enjoys hiking, observing wildlife, gardening, travel, and spending time with family and close friends.

Alex Tolkach joined Community Action Marin’s Operations team in February 2024 and brings over 25 years of business operations experience to leverage in his role. 

Previously, Alex helped lead a community-based organization specializing in mental health and addiction recovery services in the Bay Area. He also spent a number or years with land conservation organizations where he managed administrative and financial aspects of those companies.  During that tenure, Alex also had occasion to connect directly with the land – most notably by managing a small nature preserve in West Marin. 

Alex is passionate about environmental justice and conservation and considers access to nature as vital to the health and well-being of all individuals.  

Alex is lucky to have lived in central Marin County for the last twenty years, where he can practice his passion for bicycling (road and mountain), as well as partake in community-oriented activities. 

Shuddha is the Director of the Executive Office and Administration. She joined Community Action Marin in February 2019 as Executive Assistant to the CEO. In addition to supporting the CEO’s strategic work, she has oversight of the agency’s office management procedures. 

Shuddha previously worked at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa for 12 years, in a variety of roles with progressive responsibilities, advancing from Administrative Assistant to Accountant to Community Benefits Coordinator.  She brings exceptional organizational and time management skills to her role. Passionate about the agency’s mission, Shuddha enjoys being part of something larger that serves those in need.  Shuddha holds a B.S. in Business Management with an Accounting concentration.  She lives in Napa and enjoys traveling, yoga, reading, meditation, hiking, and trips to the beach. 

Laurel Hill, Director of Safety Net Services, is an experienced executive with a long history in civic and social services.  She has worked at Community Action Marin for over 30 years in various roles across programs and administration.    

In her present role, Laurel oversees all of the agency’s Safety Net Services, programs which were designed to help individuals and families with their emergency financial needs. Programs include utility assistance, rental assistance, and food security.

Laurel has deep experience managing State- and Federally-funded programs, and is particularly skilled at results-oriented outcome management, budget development and management, and outcome data collection and analysis.  

Born and raised in Marin County, Laurel has a passion for galvanizing the community to engineer local solutions to local conditions of poverty, and promoting maximum participation in civic life for those with low incomes.   

She earned her Bachelor of Arts from San Francisco State University with a focus in English Language and Literature/Letters.  She now lives in Petaluma and enjoys gardening, the beach, and time with family.