Program Staff

Michael McAfee, Director, Promise Neighborhoods Institute, oversees the Institute’s community outreach and technical assistance efforts. Before coming to PolicyLink, McAfee served as Senior Community Planning and Development Representative in the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). McAfee also served as director of community leadership for The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and president of YouthNet of Greater Kansas City. A U.S. Army veteran, McAfee earned his Doctor of Education in Human and Organizational Learning from The George Washington University. He is currently an Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family Fellow.

Cynthia Bazan, Senior Program Assistant, coordinates the offices of the president and chief finance officer and provides administrative, research, and program support for the Convergence Partnership. Previously, Bazan worked as a biologics data steward for a birth defects research organization in Berkeley, California where she acted as a liaison between health study participants, researchers, and funders.   

Danielle Bergstrom, Research Associate, for the Center for Infrastructure Equity, conducts research on best practices in community engagement and governance, and on land use, housing, and transportation policies that result in equitable outcomes. She also works on the Sustainable Communities initiative to provide technical assistance and capacity building for local practitioners and community advocates in regions that have received grants. Prior to joining PolicyLink, Danielle researched demographic changes in neighborhoods facing light rail transit expansion. She has also worked as a city planner, leading community engagement initiatives. Danielle has a Masters in Regional Planning from Cornell University and a BS in Biology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. 

Erika Bernabei, Program Associate, researches and writes on interagency, collaborative, and equity-focused policy change. She works on the Promise Neighborhoods Institute, which is a resource for communities that are working to advance opportunity and academic achievement for children and their families. Prior to joining PolicyLink, she worked on youth justice issues at the Vera Institute of Justice and in the housing division at Legal Aid in Oakland, CA. Bernabei holds a BA in political science theory and pan-African studies from Barnard College, an MA in politics and education from Teachers College, and is currently working on her PhD in education leadership at New York University.

Kisasi Brooks, Senior Program Associate, leads Demand Equity Now, which serves as the advocacy arm of PolicyLink, connecting the power and voice of local and state advocates to policy impact at the state and federal levels. Brooks is a native of Oakland California and comes from a strong background of working on progressive policy and social equity issues both in the Bay Area and in New York City. Some of his past work includes serving as Field Representative for former Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, advocating to restore, reform, and revitalize park and recreation services in underserved areas of New York City, and working to bring necessary services and programs to the West Oakland community. 

Christopher M. Brown, Director for Legislative Affairs, oversees all federal policy and legislative initiatives for PolicyLink and its national partners, by formulating and ensuring that key priorities for distressed communities are articulated to Members of Congress and the Administration. Based in Washington, DC, Brown has been an advocate on the unemployment crisis in America, particularly with chronically unemployed and underemployed workers, in addition he has advocated on healthcare inequities, financial services, and federal appropriations issues. Brown previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives as Legislative Director for Rep. Bobby Rush (IL-01), and as Labor Counsel and Policy Advisor for the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor, where he specialized in wage and hour issues, employment discrimination, trade, and labor rights. Brown holds a B.A. from the University of Georgia, and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, IL.

Cara Carrillo, Program Coordinator, works for the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink. Carrillo manages operations for the Institute through research, administrative, and program support – working to fulfill the vision of all children living in communities of opportunity that enable them to reach their full potential. She has spent the past three years providing administrative, research, and program support to teams working on equitable infrastructure investment and federal policy advocacy. Prior to joining PolicyLink, Carrillo worked to promote educational equity at Marin Education Fund in San Rafael, CA. Carrillo holds a BA in Sociology/Anthropology from Mills College. 

Chione L. Flegal, Associate Director, works to ensure that infrastructure policy promotes social, economic, and environmental equity. She leads PolicyLink efforts to address infrastructure disparities in low-income unincorporated communities in California’s San Joaquin Valley and to promote equitable solutions to climate change. Prior to joining PolicyLink, Flegal managed Latino Issues Forum’s Sustainable Development program and directed the organization’s environmental health and justice work. Flegal advises the California Air Resources Board on the implementation of climate policy by serving on the AB 32 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. She holds a Masters in City Planning and a BS in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley. (full bio)

Kay Fernandez Smith, Deputy Director, Promise Neighborhood Institute, helps to lead our Promise Neighborhoods efforts in partnership with local communities, national organizations, philanthropy, and government agencies. Through her work she contributes to the organization’s policy analysis, capacity-building, movement building, and advocacy efforts related to strengthen and grow the Promise Neighborhoods program. She also serves on the infrastructure team. Prior to the Promise Neighborhoods work, she led our transportation equity team and staffed PolicyLink programs on leadership and civic engagement for regional equity, housing, and community development. She has provided technical assistance, training, and research to grassroots organizations and public agencies interested in equitable development. She helped to seed our work in the Gulf Coast recovery and developed and managed "Regional Equity ’08: The Third National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth," held in New Orleans in March 2008. Previously, Fernandez Smith served as program fellow of the FAITHS Initiative at the San Francisco Foundation, overseeing grantmaking in social justice and coordinating youth leadership training. She was also a Fulbright Hayes Scholar to the Philippines. Fernandez Smith holds a BA in social welfare from the University of California--Berkeley and an MPP from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. (full bio)

Jennifer Gaynor, Senior Development Assistant, provides administrative, research, and development support to the director of Development and Planning. She coordinates fundraising correspondence, grant reporting, and foundation and individual donor cultivation.  Gaynor also manages and leads staff trainings on the organization’s fundraising database.  Prior to joining PolicyLink, she worked in marketing and event planning for Wind River, a software company based in Alameda, California.

Erin Hagan, Senior Program Associate, is a member of the health team working to advance health equity by improving access to healthy living opportunities in low-income communities and communities of color. Erin’s content expertise is childhood obesity prevention, community engagement, cultural competence, and measurement and evaluation.  She holds a B.S. in nutrition and fitness from the University of Missouri, an MBA from Seton Hall University, and a PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Connecticut.

Allison Hagey, Program Associate, is a member of the health team and food access team, where she works to advance policy promoting health, social, and economic equity. She focuses on promoting strategies to improve health and counteract obesity, including improving access to healthy food and advancing policies promoting healthy neighborhood environments. Hagey holds a MPH from the University of California, Berkeley and a JD from the University of Texas at Austin.

Anita Hairston, Senior Associate, based in Washington DC, works on transportation policy. She advances PolicyLink priorities that relate to promoting equitable and fair infrastructure investments, with a particular focus on surface transportation. Prior to joining PolicyLink, Anita spent six years with the Washington, DC Office of Planning, where she served first as a Community Planner, working on neighborhood and citywide plans and ultimately as the Chief of Staff, providing leadership to the agency’s media activities, legislative initiatives, and several of its major projects. She has also worked as a planning consultant on several projects, including a regional smart growth plan for the San Francisco Bay Area. Anita holds a Masters Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Jamahn Lee, Program Assistant,provides program and administrative support to the Vice President of Research and is part of the Boys and Men of Color and Workforce Development and Equitable Infrastructure teams. Previously, Lee worked as a Program Specialist for Fred Finch Youth Center where he provided administrative support and managed client records. Lee holds a BA in Spanish from Tulane University and an MA in Latin American Studies with an emphasis on the African Diaspora in Latin America from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mary Lee, Deputy Director, helps guide the PolicyLink Center for Health and Place, providing research, technical assistance, and training to public and private agencies collaborating to build healthy communities. She has co-authored reports and journal articles on access to healthy food, the built environment, and the impact of place and race on health. Lee is a practicing attorney with more than 25 years of experience working on civil rights, land use, and economic development strategies to revitalize neighborhoods and enhance public participation in the policy arena. In her law practice, she worked extensively with non-profit organizations, particularly in South Los Angeles to revitalize neighborhoods and enhance public participation in the public policy arena. Her expertise includes affordable housing, job creation, and redevelopment law. She has been an adjunct professor of law and teaches public policy and civil rights courses at the college level. She has also served on boards of several community organizations, as a Transportation Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles, as a consultant to the commission elected to reform the Los Angeles City Charter, and as a campaign manager for a successful candidate for the Los Angeles City Council. Lee now serves as a member of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council. She is a graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law, U. C. Berkeley.

Rubén Lizardo, Deputy Director, leads equitable public investment efforts to ensure public investments in infrastructure generate community benefits. His work includes research and public education, training and technical assistance to strengthen community and civic participation in decision-making, and working with public officials to develop investment strategies and policies that further equity and economic vitality.  Prior to joining PolicyLink, he was the capacity-building director of California Tomorrow, where he led advocacy, training, and technical assistance efforts to address diversity and equity issues. He also served as director of the Community Planning and Economic Development Program at Los Angeles Trade Technical College.  He is a former president of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission and was awarded The California Wellness Foundation’s California Peace Prize for his work to address root causes of youth violence.  He currently serves on the boards of Californians for Justice and Justice Matters. (full bio)

Shireen Malekafzali, Associate Director, is a member of the health team working to create environmental and policy changes aimed at addressing health disparities.  She provides research, technical assistance, and training to collaborative efforts intended to create health-enabling environments for all. Prior to joining PolicyLink, Malekafzali worked with the San Francisco Department of Public Health on a land use and health team, developing area-based methodology to measure the impacts of land use projects and policies on health. She also analyzed urban planning policies and conducted a community health impact assessment.  She taught environmental health and research methods at San Francisco State University and holds a BS in environmental studies from University of California--Santa Barbara and an MPH from San Francisco State University. (full bio)

Jme McLean, Senior Program Associate, aims to advance collaborative, multi-field strategies to improve community environments for health.  Focusing on land use, transportation, and community development approaches to build healthy communities for all, her work involves program development and implementation, policy analysis, research, writing, technical assistance, and training.  McLean brings expertise in health impact assessment, community indicators development, disparities prevention research, and programming from years working in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.  She holds masters degrees in city planning and public health from UC Berkeley, where she was a foreign language area studies fellow in Mandarin Chinese, and earned her BA from Middlebury College. 

Amanda M. Navarro, Associate Director, works with regional and national partners to build healthy communities through environmental and policy change. She provides research, technical assistance, and training on collaborative, multi-field strategies to improve community environments particularly in low income communities and communities of color. Before joining PolicyLink, she worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention coordinating several programmatic and research activities related to health disparities, social determinants of health, community health promotion, and the impact of acculturation and mental health on chronic disease. She holds a BA from Vassar College, a MPH from Boston University, and a DrPH from the University of Texas School of Public Health-Houston. (full bio)

Marc Philpart, Senior Program Associate, a member of the health and federal policy teams working closely with partners to highlight policy opportunities to advance equity. On the health team, Philpart is actively engaged in an initiative that addresses the multi-faceted challenges facing men and boys of color. With the federal policy team, Philpart conducts research and policy analysis for the equitable implementation of federal policies and resources at state and local levels. Prior to joining PolicyLink, Philpart worked in the president’s office at PATH, a non-profit global health organization. He holds masters degrees in public affairs and public health from the University of Washington in Seattle and earned his BA in History from Xavier University of Louisiana.

Solana Rice, Senior Program Associate, researches the implementation of federal policies related to building and sustaining healthy communities and also contributes to data and mapping analysis for many PolicyLink issue areas. She has a background in planning, community development, and asset-building strategies. Prior to PolicyLink, Rice worked as a comprehensive planner with the St. Louis County Department of Planning where she helped develop the County’s strategic plan, facilitated interdepartmental County policies, and coordinated community-level organizing. Rice holds an MCP in city planning from MIT and a BA in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis.

Kalima Rose, Senior Director and Director of the PolicyLink Center for Infrastructure Equity, works with the infrastructure team to steer resources for transportation, housing, and key amenities to communities of opportunity. Rose helps local and statewide groups implement economic stimulus funds for greater workforce participation and new investments in underserved communities. Since 2005, Rose has led the organization’s Gulf Coast recovery work, collaborating with community organizations to shape the equitable rebuilding of New Orleans and Louisiana. With a decade of housing and land use policy expertise, Rose created the PolicyLink Equitable Development Toolkit, an online resource that highlights best social equity practices. Rose has a degree in narratives and culture from the University of California, Berkeley, and serves on the boards of many organizations, including Housing California and First Peoples Fund. (full bio) 

Melissa Saavedra, Program Associate, researches and writes on a broad array of issues in support of CEO and founder Angela Glover Blackwell. In addition to developing material for Blackwell’s speaking engagements, Saavedra also acts as a liaison between Blackwell and national and community partner organizations.  Previously, Saavedra served as a program fellow on the community health team at The San Francisco Foundation – overseeing grant-making for community health organizations and coordinating training for the FAITHS Youth Leadership Program. 

Emma Sarnat, Program Assistant, works directly with the vice president for civic engagement at PolicyLink, providing research, administrative, and program support on projects such as The Black Latino Summit, Civic Engagement Learning Year, and Men and Boys of Color. Additionally, she supports the health team’s focus on building healthy communities. Sarnat has a BA in law and society with a minor in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Kay Fernandez Smith, Deputy Director, Promise Neighborhood Institute, helps to lead our Promise Neighborhoods efforts in partnership with local communities, national organizations, philanthropy, and government agencies. Through her work she contributes to the organization’s policy analysis, capacity-building, movement building, and advocacy efforts related to strengthen and grow the Promise Neighborhoods program. She also serves on the infrastructure team. Prior to the Promise Neighborhoods work, she led our transportation equity team and staffed PolicyLink programs on leadership and civic engagement for regional equity, housing, and community development. She has provided technical assistance, training, and research to grassroots organizations and public agencies interested in equitable development. She helped to seed our work in the Gulf Coast recovery and developed and managed "Regional Equity ’08: The Third National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth," held in New Orleans in March 2008. Previously, Fernandez Smith served as program fellow of the FAITHS Initiative at the San Francisco Foundation, overseeing grantmaking in social justice and coordinating youth leadership training. She was also a Fulbright Hayes Scholar to the Philippines. Fernandez Smith holds a BA in social welfare from the University of California--Berkeley and an MPP from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. (full bio)

Mildred Thompson, Senior Director and Director of the PolicyLink Center for Health and Place, leads the organization's health team. As part of her work, her conducts research focused on understanding community factors that impact health disparities, and identifies practice and policy changes needed to improve individual, family, and community health. She has authored several reports and journal articles focused on reducing health disparities, increasing awareness about social determinants of health, and effective ways to impact policy change. Prior to joining PolicyLink, she was director of Community Health Services for the Alameda County Public Health Department; director for Healthy Start, a federal infant mortality reduction program; and director of San Antonio Neighborhood Health Center. Thompson has degrees in nursing and psychology and an MS in social work from New York University. She has also taught at Mills College and San Francisco State University, and has worked as an organizational development consultant. Thompson speaks frequently on health and place issues and serves on several boards and commissions including The Zellerbach Family Foundation and The Institute of Medicine’s Health Disparities Roundtable. (full bio)

Jennifer Tran, Program Associate, focuses on Equitable Economic Growth, conducting research, data analysis, and GIS mapping. She also provides data and mapping support across the organization on a range of issues and topics. Prior to joining PolicyLink, Jennifer worked as a data analyst at the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity and the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration analyzing issues of environmental justice, immigrant integration, and regional equity. She holds a BA in Sociology and an MA in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Sarah Treuhaft, Associate Director, manages research and action projects to advance equitable policy change, provides technical assistance to community coalitions, and authors reports and policy briefs on topics including equitable economic growth, regional equity, neighborhood stabilization, transit-oriented development, community mapping, and access to healthy food. She is currently coordinating a new research partnership between PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at the University of Southern California that will provide relevant framing, information, and data about the role that equity needs to play in securing a prosperous economic future. Treuhaft holds a master's degree in city planning from the University of California, Berkeley
                               

Enrique Velasquez, Program Associate, has worked as a consultant on planning issues related to transportation and the built environment, applying participatory research to identify physical improvements in neighborhoods without adding to gentrification. Before working as a consultant, and for the last 20 years, Velasquez worked as a community organizer in the Los Angeles area with non-profit organizations on issues that effect the quality of life of low-income families.  His expertise ranges from work on the preservation and production of affordable housing, transportation, economic development, living wage, and the creation of jobs for low-income families. He possesses a master's degree in urban planning from the University of California, UCLA with a concentration in the built environment, economic development, and housing..                                

Amber Washington, Senior Program Assistant, assisted with the development and management of a major health disparities convening in 2007 and served as a event coordinator for Regional Equity 08. Washington has a background in production coordination with media outlets in Los Angeles and has also planned recruitment and retention events for African American students at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a BA in American studies.