Greenlining Staff

Orson Aguilar is only the second Executive Director in the 15-year history of the Greenlining Institute, a multi-ethnic coalition - originally founded to combat "redlining" by banks and create reinvestment into low-income communities - of nearly forty community-based, faith-based, and civil rights/immigrants rights groups.  He is an expert in banking and housing policy, economic development, youth leadership training, and other social justice policy issues.

Orson's first-hand, personal experience of poverty predates his professional pursuit of its alleviation.  He grew up in the largest apartment complex in Boyle Heights (East Los Angeles) where he attended public schools and experienced not only material poverty, but also its corollary realities of environmental injustice and gang violence.

Today, in his role at the helm of the Greenlining Institute, Orson focuses on private and public policies that promote investments and equity in low-income and minority communities like East Los Angeles.  He has played key organizing and advocacy roles in corporate mergers and acquisitions that have resulted in billions of dollars in investments for the poor.  Orson has also been instrumental in developing Greenlining's Fair Growth and Sustainable Development Program that seeks to ensure that our poorest citizens also benefit from the nation's desire to "go green".

Orson was recently named upcoming Latino leader by the nation's largest Hispanic newspaper, La Opinion.  He is a past Commissioner for the City of Oakland's Budget Advisory Committee, chairs the Board of Directors of the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), and is a member of the University of California's Santa Cruz's Alumni Association Board.

Prior to the Greenlining Institute, he was a fellow with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.  Orson received his Masters in Public Affairs at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Psychology.  He currently lives in Oakland with his wife, Dr. Claudia Canizales Aguilar.

Tara has long been committed to creating sustainable communities. Recognizing the challenge we face in our environment and our communities, Tara sees her work in the Green Asset Program as a clear way to facilitate change. A graduate of Yale University provided her with active analysis when approaching problems. As a delegate to the California Democratic Party, she is active in local and state politics, recognizing grassroots effectiveness. Her professional coaching expertise naturally empowers others to lead. Additionally, she is working on a documentary – A film on the dismantling of the American Dream the Current Economic Crisis through deregulation.

Preeti Vissa manages our Community Reinvestment program at Greenlining.   Ms. Vissa was summer associate at Greenlining last year, where she successfully initiated a research report on equity in philanthropic giving to minority-led organizations in New York.  Ms. Vissa graduated from UCLA in 2005 with a bachelors in psychology and a minor in South Asian studies.  She recently received her Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Policy Practice and a Law Minor from Columbia University.   Ms. Vissa has had the opportunity to work on various issues affecting communities of color and low-income communities, both at the direct practice and systemic policy levels.   These issues include substance abuse and incarceration, involvement in the adoption and child-welfare systems, and social capacity building with at-risk youth.  Ms. Vissa will play a major role in Greenlining's community reinvestment initiatives aimed at building wealth, assets, and financial sustainability in communities of color.

Adam Briones is the Community Reinvestment Program Coordinator for the Greenlining Institute. Originally from Oakland, CA, Adam is a UC Santa Cruz graduate and has been with Greenlining for the past three years. During his time at Greenlining Adam has worked extensively on issues around affordable housing, renewable energy, non-profit empowerment and asset building strategies for underserved communities. Adam plans on returning to school in the near future to pursue a graduate degree in urban planning.

Milicent Johnson is from Queens, New York and is a graduate of Gettysburg College where she earned a BA in Social Studies with a minor in Political Science. While at Gettysburg, Milicent participated in American University’s Washington Semester Program and received the Margaret A. Weeks Award for academic excellence and leadership. After graduating from college, Milicent worked as a Program Coordinator for the Organization for a New Equality and as a Legislative Aide for the Massachusetts House of Representatives in Boston.  Milicent is committed to empowering communities through financial literacy education and community economic development.

Danielle is the Academy Director and manages Greenlining’s multi-ethnic public policy and leadership training program for high school, college and graduate students. Her responsibilities include developing and implementing programs/curricula to train multi-ethnic leaders in low-income and minority advocacy, public policy research and analysis, coalition building and community economic development. Danielle is passionate about empowering young people to realize their full potential and has eight years of experience in the fields of education and leadership development as a teacher, program architect and manager.

Danielle has also worked as a policy analyst and researcher for the Center for the Strategic and International Studies, the Corporate Council on Africa, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and EnterpriseWorks Worldwide. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science cum laude from Spelman College and a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University in New York. Danielle is married and lives in San Francisco with her husband, Jason.

Claudia is the Program Coordinator for the Academy at Greenlining. She is a native Peruvian who has called the Bay Area home since she arrived in the United States with her family in 1986. Prior to joining the Greenlining Institute, Claudia worked as a Research Associate with UCSF's Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy. She holds a BA degree in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters of Public Policy degree from Pepperdine University where she specialized in social policy and economics. Claudia is dedicated to contributing to the empowerment and advancement of disadvantaged communities across social, academic, economic and political lines.

Chris Vaeth, Legislative Director, provides strategic direction and support for all of Greenlining’s policy and advocacy campaigns.  His current areas of focus are re-regulation of the financial sector, diversity in philanthropy, and college access; he also supports Greenlining’s efforts to bring low-income community voices to the table in telecommunications, energy, and health reform debates.  Chris has opened Greenlining’s Washington DC office, drafted bills that are now California state law (including those to prevent predatory credit card and textbook pricing on college campuses), and launched and managed Tuition Relief Now, a statewide ballot initiative effort involving 3000 volunteers.  Prior to Greenlining, Chris organized young people in the South Bronx at the faith-based Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, interned at the White House with President Clinton's Liaison to the Gay and Lesbian Community, and studied nonviolence at the King Center in Atlanta and the Gandhi Peace Foundation in New Delhi.  He has also worked at the Open Society Institute, Democracy Matters, and NYS Tenants & Neighbors.  Chris holds degrees from Cornell University (Urban Studies, Race and Policy) and Harvard Divinity School (Religion and Social Change), where he studied under Dr. Cornel West.

Héctor Javier Preciado is the Health Policy Director and manages Greenlining’s Bridges to Health Program that aims to increase access to care and develop regional, state and federal initiatives to increase diversity in the health workforce. A product of Greenlining’s Leadership Development Academy, Héctor is a graduate of Pomona College in Claremont, CA and an MBA candidate at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

Rosa María Martinez is from Zacatecas, México. She is a Program Manager with the Bridges to Health Team managing the Diversity in the Health Workforce initiative looking at current representation of people of color at all levels within the health field. Through this project she coordinates the Bay Area Coalition to Increase Diversity in the Heath Workforce in which she has been able to bring people together to discuss and address issues of education, research and policy that affect low income and communities of color in the health sector. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature with a minor in Business Administration from The University of California, Berkeley.

Carla Saporta is the health program coordinator for the Bridges to Health team at Greenlining, focusing on developing public/private partnerships as a means to mitigate health disparities.  Carla graduated from Occidental College with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Environmental Policy and recently finished her Masters in Public Health, with an emphasis in Health Policy and Management, through the Oregon Masters in Public Health Program at Portland State University.  Her work at Greenlining is informed by the understanding that every policy is health policy.

Janine Macbeth comes to Greenlining with a background promoting racial justice through print media.  She has worked for the Applied Research Center / ColorLines Magazine, and Children’s Book Press, a first voice multicultural and bilingual children’s publisher in San Francisco.  Janine received Bachelors of Arts degrees from UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) in Ethnic Studies (via American Studies) and Cultural Anthropology, where she graduated with honors.  At UCSC, Janine’s extra curricular work centered around promoting the recruitment and retention of students of color on college campuses.  Born and raised in Oakland, California, Janine is also a working artist.

Sam oversees all of Greenlining’s legal advocacy, directs the organization’s consumer protection program and helps direct Greenlining’s Legal Academy. He advocates on a wide range of issues impacting underserved consumers and small businesses at the California Public Utilities Commission and California Department of Insurance. In addition to his responsibilities at Greenlining, Sam was appointed by Supervisor Keith Carson to serve on the Alameda County Parks, Recreation & Historical Commission. He has previously worked at Public Advocates, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the United Nations. Sam graduated cum laude from Occidental College where he was recognized as the Campus Leader of the Year. He received his juris doctor from the University of San Francisco where he was awarded for his work in predatory lending law. Prior to law school, Sam was a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs in New York City. Sam is the proud son of Korean immigrant entrepreneurs.

Stephanie works on consumer protection issues, focusing on bringing diversity, community investment, and more equitable treatment of low-income consumers to the energy and telecommunications industries.  In this capacity she appears regularly before the California Public Utilities Commission, and engages with the rest of the Consumer Protection team in advocacy efforts outside of formal proceedings.  She is also involved in Greenlining's work to improve diversity in the legal profession.  Outside of Greenlining, Stephanie sits on the Board of Directors for the Rising Sun Energy Center.  Stephanie received a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Dartmouth College, where her studies focused on Political Theory and American Government.  She received a Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where her focus was on constitutional law and civil rights.  She also served as a Case Counsel and as Advocacy Director in the law school's student-run Moot Court Program.

Jean Chung is a graduate of Reed College in Portland, Oregon and the Santa Clara University School of Law where she received her JD in May 2009.  Jean is already an accomplished advocate having worked as a law clerk at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Office of County Counsel in Santa Clara.  During law school, Jean externed for the Honorable Mary Jo Levinger.  Prior to law school, Jean was a paralegal for Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP and Lead Paralegal for Weil Gotshal & Manges, LLP.  While working as a paralegal, she gained great insight into the corporate legal profession but ultimately decided to pursue a career in public interest law.  Jean hopes to make sustainable, systemic change in the areas of consumer protection and worker’s rights.

Colin Miller is from Eugene, Oregon and graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Urban Studies and a concentration in Race, Poverty, and the Environment. Colin was a recipient of Stanford’s Haas Public Service Fellowship and held a number of positions promoting sustainability within the campus community including Leader/Organizer of Students for a Sustainable Stanford.  For the past two years, Colin taught middle school children at the Coliseum College Prep Academy while working on his teaching credential at San Francisco State University. Colin is very passionate about giving disadvantaged communities the tools they need to thrive and empower themselves.

Christian manages Greenlining’s research activities, and has published studies on minority homelending, small business lending, medical school student diversity, and diversity in philanthropy.  He is a graduate of Columbia University, from where he holds a degree in urban studies, and where he was involved in LGBT rights activism.  His work at Greenlining is informed by his fascination for understanding how the policies of key institutions such as banks, foundations, and city planning departments can have widely differing effects along socioeconomic and cultural strata.  He spends many of his free weekends hiking and camping all over the Western United States with his partner Aleks, with whom he resides in Oakland.

Braelan Murray is from San Francisco, CA. He is a graduate of The University of California at Santa Cruz where he received his BFA in Film and Video Production. Braelan is committed to finding ways to advocate for social justice by means of new forms of technology and communication.  With nearly a decade of experience using media as a tool for creating social change, his portfolio includes work for local unions, progressive non-profits and cutting-edge design firms. In addition, he has extensive experience producing independent documentaries.

Belen Mendoza is from Southern California. In 2008 she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Through a combination of upbringing and involvement in Ethnic Studies-related organizations throughout her undergraduate career, Belen has developed a strong sense of commitment to issues of social justice, especially those involving under-served individuals and communities at large. As Policy Coordinator at The Greenlining Institute, Belen works closely with the Community Reinvestment team and Consumer Protection team. Her motivation is largely driven by the Ethnic Studies-instilled sense that each individual is an active agent of social change. Belen has a love for writing, research, and work dedicated to bringing voice to systemic injustice that silenced individuals face day to day.

Originally from Merced, California, Dyana Delfin-Polk is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, earning a Bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Chicano Studies. Currently, Dyana is the executive assistant to Robert Gnaizda, co-founder and current consultant of the Greenlining Institute. Her future plans include continuing her education as well as working in the realm of political and social justice.