“Having personally viewed Streetside in the classroom, I believe it is a wonderful program that brings not only knowledge, but joy and deep levels of engagement.”

— Susan Stauter, Artistic Director, San Francisco Unified School District

STREETSIDE STORIES STAFF

Noelle de la Paz, Afterschool Teaching Artist
Noelle was born and raised in San Francisco, and holds a degree in American Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she was involved in student-initiated outreach and multicultural theater. She has worked in a variety of settings with students from elementary to high school, facilitating creative workshops, providing academic advising and tutoring, working as a residential advisor, and developing enrichment programming.

Tara Dorabji, Community Programs Manager
Tara Dorabji came to Streetside Stories in 2005. She brings with her several years of grassroots organizing experience with Tri-Valley Cares in Livermore. Tara graduated with honors in Environmental Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz. She is a dedicated social justice activist who works on peace, disarmament, environmental and education issues. Tara is a spoken word poet. She’s also worked with youth teaching organic gardening and developed youth programs and curriculum.

Diana Gutierrez, Storytelling Exchange Facilitator
Diana is thrilled to be part of Streetside this year. She is an alumni of Northwestern University. As a 2003 Teach for America corp member, she taught high school English and dance in East Side San Jose. A professional actress, singer and dancer, Diana has appeared on numerous Bay Area stages with Teatro Vision, Renegade Theatre Experiment, Shotgun Players and done several commercial and independent films. She has worked as an arts educator in the San Francisco Unified School District and continues to be an advocate for creative expression as a vehicle for transformation and inspiration.

Linda Johnson, Executive Director
Linda Johnson has been involved with agencies that serve youth for over fifteen years. Prior to beginning her work as Executive Director of Streetside Stories in 2001, Linda worked with at-risk youth in a youth crisis shelter and a drop-in community center. As a program director for Mercy Housing California, she developed and oversaw programs for youth and families before moving into fund development. She holds a BA in English from Ohio State University and an MSW from the University of Iowa.

Cecilia Ottinger Long, Storytelling Exchange Facilitator
Cecilia has an extensive background in education, ranging from policy research and lobbying to teaching and tutoring. Cecilia is also an academic coach with the East Bay Center for Performing Arts. Cecilia's passion is singing jazz and acting. She has produced two CDs and performs regularly at several clubs in the Bay area. She has also performed at clubs and jazz festivals internationally. Cecilia is also an inspirational vocalist and performs at several Unity and Religious Science churches in the Bay Area. She is currently working on a one-woman show and CD, and conducts jazz performance workshops. As an actress, Cecilia has performed with George Coates Theater Works and the Ross Valley Players. She holds a Master's in Public Administration from George Washington University and a Bachelors' in Social Welfare from the University of DC.

Helen McGrath, Outreach Coordinator
Helen was raised on a farm in Oxnard, CA, and moved to East Coast before landing here in San Francisco in 2004. She holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, and is a graduate of the International Honors Program (IHP). She began doing community work in New York City through the Public Allies Apprenticeship program, and has now worked in the Mission District with youth and arts programming for 4 years. She shares her time between Streetside Stories and CELLspace, where she supports an urban arts program for immigrant youth (Mission Urban Arts) and the events program for the performance space. Helen also serves on the Board of the Global Lives Project, and personally loves to write and tell stories.

Erika Padilla-Morales, Digital Teachers Coach/In-School Program Director
Erika is a blatina boricua with a passion for music, the arts, and their ability to galvanize communities. She's been involved in Bay Area CBOs since 1998, starting with Destiny Arts Center. In 2000, she was introduced to Web development as a student at the Bay Area Video Coalition's MediaLink, and a year later she was hired by MediaLink to provide technology training to low-income adults in transition, preparing them to work in the technology sector. From 2002 - 2006, she worked with San Francisco's young women with GirlSource as a Technology Educator and Technology director through the Technology & Leadership Program, serving as program facilitator, youth mentor, web developer, and media producer. During the past two years she also volunteered with Streetside’s Tech Tales program. Erika considers it a dream come true to continue to work in the digital inclusion movement as Streetside staff with the Digital Teachers program, as well as through her continued involvement with the Full Circle Fund Technology Circle, and Oakland H.E.R.O.E.S Read-Aloud Day. When she's not working with youth she loves to explore people's stories in audio form, plunge down rapids river rafting, and dance barefoot to salsa.

Jennifer Nette, Development Manager
Jennifer has a passion for education and youth empowerment.  She holds a BA in Sociology from University of Michigan and an Ed.M from the Harvard School of Education with specialization in Adolescent Risk and Prevention. As part of her graduate program, she taught a social justice class at a Boston middle school, engaging youth in thoughtful discourse about peace, justice, and equality.  Before graduate school, Jennifer worked in fundraising and program development at WAVE, a national youth development organization headquartered in Washington, DC. 

Pedro Reyes, Afterschool Teaching Artist
Pedro recently graduated from New College of California, where he earned his teaching credential with a BCLAD in Spanish and is an alumni of San Francisco State University . He has worked with organizations such as CARE, Barrios Unidos, HOMEY, New College Of California, East Oakland Community High School, and FLASHPOINTS, as well as radio shows like La Onda Bajita on KPFA and Free Radio Santa Cruz 101.1FM.

Ashley Simmons, Afterschool Teaching Artist
Ashley is ecstatic to join Streetside Stories this year. Previously she has worked as a teaching artist at the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, the Carmel Ballet Academy, and The Unusual Suspects with incarcerated youth in Fresno. She received a BA in Theater as Social Action from California State University Monterey Bay and is a passionate director and actor. Ashley has been an activist for five years on women’s rights, anti-war, and immigrant’s rights struggles.

Vanessa Tom, Program Assistant
Vanessa is currently a Senior attending San Francisco State University, working towards a BA in Psychology. Last year Vanessa was an intern for Streetside Stories in the Digital Teachers Project where she mastered the ‘Mac’ by helping students create short films with iMovie and assisted with the KIPP Film Awards, a year-end extravaganza of extraordinary student films.

Melissa Wong Renati, Administrative Coordinator
Melissa Wong Renati is a native San Franciscan and graduate of Lowell High School and U.C. Berkeley. Melissa began working with arts nonprofits when she joined Opera Piccola, an Oakland-based theater and arts education nonprofit, as a performer and teacher. She also taught Theater Arts/Creative Movement for Performing Arts Workshop’s (PAW) and Richmond District After School Collaborative’s (RDASC). A singer/actor, she has performed with TheatreWorks, George Coates Performance Works, Asian American Theater Company’s New Works Incubator Program, and Word for Word Performing Arts Company. She has sung at the Classical Music Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, at the Summer Arts Festival in Fairbanks, Alaska, and at the Bracebridge Dinner pageants at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park. Melissa is currently a cantor at Saints Peter and Paul Church and at Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco.

Check out our staff blog, Street Blog, to hear
what we have to say about what's going on
right now at Streetside Stories.

top