Speaker Bios

Elizabeth Maggio brings over two decades of experience in strategic planning, organizational development, and cross-sector partnership. Her career spans international commercial lending, university-based business incubation, and nonprofit leadership, advancing economic mobility and stronger community systems.

 

She joined SparkPoint in 2016 as a financial coach in Oakland and later became Associate Director of Economic Opportunities, overseeing SparkPoint and Free Tax Help (VITA). Today, she leads the UWBA SparkPoint program, aligning strategy across 20+ partner-operated sites.

 

Her leadership emphasizes collaboration, equity-centered design, and uplifting the strengths of Bay Area residents while integrating SparkPoint with UWBA’s broader mission, including 211, Youth Opportunity Pathways, and the Emergency Assistance Network.

 

Elizabeth holds a BA in Economics and Management from Rice University and an MA in Organizational Psychology and believes collective action drives lasting financial stability and opportunity.

Dr. Nate Carter is the President of Skyline College, part of the San Mateo County Community College District. A proud product of the California community college system, he is committed to expanding access to higher education and helping students complete their education and achieve social and economic mobility.

 

Before joining Skyline, Dr. Carter served as Chief Institutional Effectiveness and Inclusion Officer at Northern Virginia Community College, one of the largest community colleges in the United States. His career spans leadership roles in higher education, public policy, and teaching.

 

Dr. Carter holds degrees from the University of the Pacific, California State University Northridge, and Howard University, and is a graduate of the American Council on Education Fellows Program.

Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll is a nationally recognized financial literacy advocate, justice reform speaker, and the founder of the F.E.E.L. (Financial Empowerment Emotional Literacy) Program. After transforming his life through the disciplined study of the stock market and investment strategy while within the California prison system, Curtis has dedicated his career to teaching financial education.

 

Over the past decade, he has educated thousands of incarcerated individuals and underserved communities on investing fundamentals, wealth-building principles, and the psychology behind financial decision-making. His groundbreaking approach, which merges emotional intelligence with financial empowerment, has been featured in several major publications.

 

Curtis is a frequent speaker at universities, reentry programs, corporate conferences, and justice reform summits nationwide. His presentations focus on:

 

• Ownership over victimhood
• Economic literacy as liberation
• Emotional intelligence in financial decisions
• Long-term investing mindsets

His mission-driven sessions provide audiences with practical, transformative tools for immediate implementation. Through F.E.E.L. Inc., Curtis continues to expand financial literacy education across the country, bridging the gap between justice reform and economic empowerment.

Shekinah was raised in Minnesota, where her foundational values of social justice, equity, diversity, and community service were shaped. She pursued a liberal arts education, grounding herself in a broad humanistic framework and a commitment to fostering a more compassionate and inclusive society.

 

As a young adult, she relocated to Oakland, California, where she continues to reside. There, she furthered her education and later entered public service within the adult learner education system.

 

Her personal housing journey, from experiencing homelessness to ultimately becoming a homeowner through the Oakland Community Land Trust alongside her husband, Chris, has deeply shaped her commitment to community-centered solutions and economic resilience. Her professional and personal interests span a wide range of areas, including personal development, public policy for the common good, equitable access to health care, and financial literacy that supports long-term stability and quality of life.

 

Shekinah became an ambassador with United Way Bay Area in 2023 and is connected to SparkPoint Oakland. She has been an asset in advancing efforts to dismantle poverty and has emerged as a strong advocate for herself and for others in her community. She currently serves as an Ambassador Leader for the Ambassador Council.

 

Outside of her professional and volunteer commitments, Shekinah enjoys spending time at Disney theme parks and resorts, engaging in “Disney bounding,” and embracing the joy and creativity of these experiences whenever possible.

Akeisha is a Bay Area native, born and raised in Oakland, California, where she continues to reside in Alameda County. Above all else, her life is rooted in God and family. Her faith guides her purpose, and her family is the foundation that grounds everything she does.

 

As a first-generation college student pursuing dual Associate degrees in Sociology and Social & Behavioral Sciences, she is working toward earning a doctorate and establishing a community-centered therapy and life-coaching practice devoted to healing and generational growth.

 

Her journey through housing insecurity, public assistance, and systemic barriers is not just part of her story, it is the foundation of her advocacy. In August 2024, she became a United Way Bay Area Ambassador, expanding her leadership and commitment to equity. She is also affiliated with SparkPoint Downtown Oakland, where she continues to engage in financial empowerment and resource navigation.

 

Through her work with United Way Bay Area, Merritt College’s Basic Needs Center, SparkPoint Downtown Oakland, and youth-focused initiatives, she is committed to creating sustainable pathways to stability and opportunity for herself and for those in her community, recognizing that growth is a journey walked together.

Ryland was a student at Skyline College, where he first connected with the SparkPoint Center in 2021, and he has been a United Way Bay Area Ambassador for five years. He is a first-generation Chinese American and the first in his family to graduate from college.

 

He enjoys sports such as basketball and baseball, all things nerdy including video games and movies, and he considers cooking and food to be a form of art.

 

Ryland’s professional experience spans public speaking, law, politics, and education. He is currently working toward a career in product management and is committed to becoming more involved in his communities.

Born and raised in Alameda County, Apollonia Williams, also known as Apple, aspires to be a well-known inspirational speaker. Her passion for speaking began in 2021 when she accepted the Ambassador role for United Way Bay Area after her husband received services from SparkPoint West Oakland Job Resource Center.

 

As an ambassador, she learned that her voice helps facilitate change through encouragement, support, personal development, and reflection. In 2022, she received the UWBA Ambassador Storyteller Award, where her acceptance speech catapulted her to speak louder and bolder.

 

As of August 2025, she is positioned as Ambassador Leader for UWBA, where she assists with the development and implementation of governance and structure for the Ambassadors Council. She also provides feedback on UWBA initiatives, including programming, and makes suggestions on needed shifts to better serve the community.

 

She currently resides in Contra Costa County with her husband and two children, ages 19 and 7.

Keisha Browder oversees UWBA’s staff, resource development, programmatic, and financial operations while leading strategic partnerships in the community and execution of UWBA’s strategic plan. A courageous leader who adeptly navigates challenges while seeking out opportunities to pave the way for marginalized communities, Keisha is the first Black chief executive for the organization since its founding more than a century ago.

 

Prior to joining UWBA, Keisha served in various roles at United Way of Santa Cruz County, including CEO, Director of Development and Marketing, and Associate Executive Director. She also served as the Resource Development Director for Trident United Way in Charleston, South Carolina, and led Development and Marketing for various Girl Scouts Councils in Georgia, Illinois, and South Carolina.

 

Her 25-year nonprofit experience includes leading initiatives ranging from youth wellbeing to the Community Assessment Project that have earned national recognition for their equity-centered approach to creating a culture of health.

 

She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and is a graduate of the University of Washington and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business Nonprofit Management Institute. Keisha and her family are proud to call the Bay Area home, where they enjoy the great outdoors, innovation, and the serenity of peace.

With over 22 years of experience in higher education, Adolfo Leiva serves as the Director of SparkPoint at Cañada College where he oversees Cañada College’s Financial Literacy Center, Basic Needs Center, Undocumented Community Center and the Veterans Resource and Opportunity Center. As a first-generation college student and son of immigrants, Adolfo understands the challenges facing our communities and is committed to advancing student equity and success.

 

Prior to working at Cañada College, Adolfo served as a Program Services Coordinator at Skyline College’s Center for Workforce Development where, in the wake of 9/11, he coordinated a biotechnology rapid response training program that transitioned 93% of dislocated workers from the airline industry into biotechnology careers. In his spare time, Adolfo enjoys traveling with his family and spending time watching his 12-year-old daughter play soccer.

Erica Kisch joined Compass Family Services in 1994 as Program Director of Compass Family Shelter. She assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer in 2002.

 

Previously, she founded the Homeless Children’s Network, and before that, worked with teenagers in residential treatment.

 

Erica holds a BA in Psychology from Tufts University and an MSW from UC Berkeley and has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 1993.

Lifecoach. Trainer. Public Speaker. Marlin is the Director of the Opportunity Build job training program at Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, whose mission is building career pathways for economic equity and climate resilience.

 

Marlin is an alumni and member of the Land Together Program Board of Directors, on the Board of Directors for Next Steps Liaison Project, and a member of Green Life Returning To Community group. Marlin supported Land Together’s CalEPA Environmental Justice grant to support the environmental stewardship of people who are formerly incarcerated and was a presenter with IGP at the CalEPA grantee meeting in 2017.

 

Marlin also was a former laborer in Local 304, the Laborers’ International Union of North America, one of the most diverse and effective unions representing public service employees and construction workers.

 

Marlin has a decorated history working in workforce development, renewables, and the environment industry. He is skilled in nonprofit organizations, strategic planning, public speaking, management, community engagement, and leadership. He has strong program and project management skills and an Associate degree focused in Social Science from Lassen Community College.

 

Marlin has lived experiences. He is a social and environmental justice activist who supports Black Lives Matter, solutions to climate change, prison reform, higher learning, and living- and family-sustaining wage career opportunities.

 

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Air is a proud bi-racial Chicana who has focused her career on promoting diversity, equity, and social justice. She is an organizational leader, strategic planner, and facilitator, and has coached, trained, and mentored educators and nonprofit leaders across the U.S.

 

Over the last decade, she has helped build nonprofits in the Bay Area, based on the belief that the key to social transformation lies at the intersection of education, healing, and justice.

 

For the last six years, Air has served as the Director of Economic Mobility at Canal Alliance, a multiservice immigration nonprofit.

Dr. Dalenna Ruelas Hughes (PsyD) is both a clinical psychologist and passionate servant leader who prioritizes creating a more just and caring world for all. Her professional career has been focused on achieving racial and economic equity for all, from providing, building, and enhancing programs that aim at eliminating poverty in executive leadership roles to building collaboration and engaging county, city, and community nonprofit networks for success.

 

Before joining Sacred Heart Community Service, Dalenna served as the Director of Early Learning Initiatives for FIRST 5 Santa Clara County and Clinical Psychologist with the Center for Children and Youth at Jewish Families and Children Services.

 

She has many years of nonprofit experience through her time at the Institute for Human and Social Development (Head Start/Early Head Start of San Mateo County), where she developed her skills in organizational effectiveness, strengthening, resiliency, and governance. These skills served her well as she co-led Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors’ Universal Access Pilot initiative, a three-year effort committed to providing a collaborative, culturally responsive, person-centered approach to navigating families and children to services across systems in order to meet their essential needs.

 

Dalenna is a graduate of Holy Names University, California Institute for Integral Studies, and the UCLA Anderson/Johnson & Johnson Head Start Management Fellow program. She lives in Santa Clara County with her two outstanding daughters.

Kelly Batson oversees all community impact work at United Way, guiding and supporting senior management under four main pillars of impact: Housing Justice, Meeting Basic Needs, Employment & Career Opportunities, and Financial Stability.

 

Kelly is deeply inspired by people from all walks of life who come together to solve our region’s biggest challenges. She’s also a firm believer in righting the wrongs of racist and inequitable systems by providing opportunities for all.

 

Kelly has robust experience on the ground, having steadily worked her way through the ranks at United Way since 2006. Prior to this role, Kelly led Program Operations for UWBA, as well as the AmeriCorps VISTA program, 211, and Free Tax Help.

 

Kelly has a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management.