Lauren Hauser
Manager of Youth Programs, Link Media, Inc.

Lauren has six years experience working in the youth, media, and educational fields, developing engaging on and offline initiatives focused on social justice and building more equitable communities. Her work philosophy centers around the idea that young people, and all people for that matter, are valuable and important. In her current role as Manager of Youth Programs at Link TV, she works on building cause based initiatives, acquiring content and stories for Link TV’s national television network, developing outreach strategies for Link content and securing funding sources for key youth-based initiatives. For more information about Link Media, Inc. please visit us at www.linktv.org.

Megan Emme
New Media Coordinator, Mobilize.org

A California girl to the core, Megan was born in Los Angeles and raised in Sacramento. Now a sophomore majoring in Social Work at San Francisco State, Megan is loving the city while continuing to work as a Youth Activist.

Megan’s passion for youth involvement began when she started working as a Crisis Counselor for The California Youth Crisis Line her senior year of high school. Within her first week at San Francisco State University, Megan was already looking for internship/volunteer opportunities. Amongst her search, she discovered the Community Involvement Center and started working as a volunteer intern for YouthNoise, a social networking website that encourages youth activism and community based initiatives.

Megan later joined the YouthNoise team as the New Media Coordinator and manages a team of YouthNoise Bloggers who write about important issues that effect the Millenial Generation. Now that YouthNoise has joined Mobilize.org, Megan continues to engage Youth bloggers in making a change in their communities and helping them make sure their voices are heard. In the future, Megan hopes to eventually get her Masters in Non-Profit Management or Public Policy and direct her own non-profit benefiting homeless and runaway youth.

Cleavon Smith
Faculty Member, Berkeley City College
Network Coordinator, California Community Colleges’ Success Network

Cleavon Smith teaches English composition and creative writing at Berkeley City College and for the past two years has served as a Network Coordinator for the California Community Colleges’ Success Network, a professional development organization funded by the state chancellor’s office. His social networking tools of choice are Twitter and YouTube! His account in both venues is 3csnBayArea.

Kevin Adler
Founder and CEO, Alumn.us

KevinF. Adler is the founder and CEO of Alumn.us, an online fundraising and mentoring platform for under-served schools, and BetterGrads, an online mentoring nonprofit.

Kevin has served as an AmbassadorofGoodwill for Rotary International in Mexico, a founding trustee for the AwesomeFoundation - SF, and a co-organizer of the first Startup Weekend - Education, a ground-breaking event for which he has subsequently returned to serve as a mentor and a team leader (winner, Alumn.us).

Kevin completed his graduate studies at the University of Cambridge, where he researched the impact of natural disasters on social capital, and was the Culley Award recipient as the top graduate at Occidental College. @kfadler

Hope Wood
NOU Director, New Organizing Institute

Hope Wood is currently a Project Director with New Organizing Institute, currently developing NOI University, our distance learning program focused on engagement organizing. Born and raised in sunny, suburban Southern California, on the back of Harley Davidson motorcycles, in Catholic mass, and on the dance floor of the local dance studio, Hope has devoted the last twelve years of her life to community organizing. She began first as elementary school teacher and then a dance arts educator in inner city Los Angeles, and then found her political voice in the Obama campaign where she volunteered as the Obama Team Coordinator for Congressional District 33 during the Primary election, and then was hired on as the California Battleground States Coordinator for during the General Election.

During the summer of 2009, as a participant in the pilot of Leadership, Organizing, Action: Leading Change course, the Harvard Executive online learning course taught by Professor Marshall Ganz, Hope co-developed the Courage Campaign Deputy Field Organizer program, which trained and supported volunteer organizers who helped develop over 40 Equality Teams, grassroots organizing groups mobilized in 23 California counties to build local progressive coalition around LGBT equality. Over the past two years, Hope has worked with Professor Ganz as a Teaching Fellow now coordinating and teaching in the distance learning course she piloted as a student, and helping to connect 190 change makers in over 20 countries across the globe.

Prior to her work as an organizer, Hope accomplished one of her childhood dreams of being a Los Angeles LakerGirl, dancing and representing the organization in various community events and military welfare tours across the globe. In addition to her current work with NOI, Hope volunteers on the core committee for Sistahs Steppin’ In Pride, the East Bay dyke march and festival that seeks to empower the diverse, East Bay lesbian and queer women’s community to reclaim their lives from fear and celebrate their community and spirituality.

VaShone Huff
NOU Development and Programming Director, New Organizing Institute

VaShone Huff, a California Native, born in San Diego and raised in Oakland. The eldest of four, VaShone developed her organizing and leadership skills in the Baptist church and participating in student government.

She began her professional career working in education serving as tutor in afterschool academic enrichment program and preschool teacher. As a College Counselor and Recruiter at California State Monterey Bay where, VaShone directed the Pre-Collegiate Academic Development Program. She later taught first, second and third grade after returning to Oakland. Her passion for quality education and empowering communities led her to her service in government including work with Oakland Mayor Ronald V. Dellums, California State Senate, Port of Oakland, California and the Democratic Party. Most recently,VaShone worked with Foundation California Community Colleges to mobilize Northern California Community College students and supporters for Hands Across California, a historic statewide mobilization to raise awareness and funding for California Community College scholarships.

VaShoneis currently a Fellow with the NOI’s New Organizing University where she directs the Millennial Project program, a student outreach enrichment and retention program that aims to increase civic engagement and leadership development at the Community College level.

VaShone serves on several boards and Advisory Councils including Black Women Organized for Political Action State Board, Get Screened Oakland, the Terrance Kelly Youth Foundation and Clear Channel Communications – San Francisco.  She leads Covenant Worship Center’s HIV/AIDS ministry and also serves as a part of her church’s Community Action Team.VaShone loves music, cooking, dancing, travelling, sunsets, beaches and being and Auntie.