About | East Contra Costa Community Alliance (ECCCA)

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Our Founding

In 2016, a number of local foundations established the East Contra Costa STRONG Nonprofits Fund, a pooled fund at the East Bay Community Foundation, with the long-term goal of strengthening the ecosystem of organizations addressing poverty in the region through the provision of direct services, community organizing, and advocacy for systems change.

The Fund provided a grant to CompassPoint Nonprofit Services to convene a cohort of small- to mid-sized nonprofit organizations to participate in a series of group learning sessions and individual coaching focused on sustainability planning. This cohort operated in parallel with the Contra Costa Leadership Institute (CCLI), a leadership development cohort led by LeaderSpring with principal funding from the Thomas J. Long Foundation. A total of 16 organizations participated in and completed these two cohorts. Many of these groups have come together over the past year to consider opportunities for further collaboration.

About: About Us

Steering Committee and At-Large Members

Alissa Friedman, Senior Advisor, Opportunity Junction

Ann Wrixon, Executive Director, CASA of Contra Costa County

Barbara Bunn McCullough, Transition Consultant to Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Brighter Beginnings

Brianna Robinson, President and CEO, Opportunity Junction

Betty A. Geishirt-Cantrell, Senior Director, SparkPoint Contra Costa

Caitlin Sly, Executive Director, Meals on Wheels, Diablo Region

Cathy Botello, Executive Director, C.O.P.E. Family Support Center

Claudia Karell, Chief Operations Officer, Brighter Beginnings

Claudia Ramirez, Executive Director, St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa

Connie Russell, Executive Director, People Who Care

"DC" Carole Dorham-Kelly, President and CEO, Rubicon Programs

Deana Balinton, Civic Partnerships Manager, El Timpano

Eve Birge, Executive Director, White Pony Express

Judith Ortiz, Executive Director, Monument Impact

Kirsten Rigsby, Executive Director, Village Community Resource Center

Loren Dalbert, Program Manager, Mobility LABs

Natasha Paddock, Board Chair, C.O.P.E. Family Support Center

Ruth Fernandez, Executive Director, First 5 Contra Costa

Roxanne Carrillo Garza, Senior Director, Healthy Contra Costa

Sandra Naughton, Director of Policy, Strategy & Evaluation, First 5 Contra Costa

Shannon Starzyk, East Center Director, Family Justice Center

Sheila Aceves, Executive Director, Loaves and Fishes

Tom Tamura, Executive Director, Contra Costa Crisis Center

Solomon Belette, MBA, Coordinator

ECCCA FISCAL SPONSOR

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