A promising future starts with a stable home.

"I believe the difference between poverty and a brighter future is usually dependent on the existence of opportunity. I joined Tipping Point Community, because I’m dedicated to helping create more opportunities for individuals in the Bay Area."

Prior to joining Tipping Point Community, Nick was an Orfalea Fellow at the William J. Clinton Foundation in Harlem, where he worked on domestic programs focused on entrepreneurship and helping individuals gain access to the financial mainstream. He earned his M.P.A. from the University of Southern California and his B.A. in Political Science from Sonoma State University. He has worked as an Analyst at Wildan Financial Services and a Project Coordinator at the Sonoma Economic Development Board. Born in El Salvador, his Latino heritage inspires his passion for life, dancing and spicy food.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly" - Martin Luther King Jr.

Julieta joined Tipping Point to continue building equitable, effective, and accountable systems to make lasting change. Julieta has over 10 years of experience in program development, implementation, and strategy in both the public and nonprofit sectors. For most of her career, she has been involved in the housing and homelessness ecosystem. Prior to joining Tipping Point, Julieta was responsible for designing and implementing homelessness prevention and diversion interventions at the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH). In this role, she built partnerships to overcome structural inefficiencies and inequities, increased system capacity and accountability, and built cross-sector collaborations. Julieta was born and raised in Mendoza, Argentina and has called the US home for the last 25 years. She holds master's degrees in Social Work and International Development and professional certificates in Change Management and Lean Six Sigma. When not in the office, Julieta is most likely enthusiastically making a list of some kind, planning her next trip or adventure, or trying out a new restaurant.

“'While the systemic conditions that create cycles of poverty in this country feel impossible and unwieldy, “we have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And [we] have to do it all the time.' –Angela Davis. This reminder refreshes my resolve every day to do this work and I am proud to join Tipping Point in the pursuit of equity and radical love in the Bay Area.”

Throughout her nonprofit career, Justine has worked with nonprofit direct service organizations and philanthropic networks to support community-based equity initiatives. This support provided needed services to marginalized communities in support of greater access to justice, economic security, joy, and prosperity.Justine has managed several community-based workforce development programs primarily in youth development organizations. She has also served as an independent consultant to nonprofits supporting program design, talent recruitment, event planning, and multi-stakeholder engagement projects since 2014.Justine earned her Master’s in Urban Policy and Management from the New School of Public Engagement and her Bachelor’s Degree from Smith College in Sociology & Spanish.Justine is a Nuyorican (a native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent) who loves to travel the world sharing culture and building bonds with others.

"Growing up in the Bay Area, I saw the barriers and challenges my peers and others have faced day-to-day, specifically homelessness and poverty. I am joining Tipping Point Community because I believe I am able to utilize my skills and knowledge in data analysis and evaluation to help end poverty in the Bay Area."

James first got into the nonprofit sector after the 2014 midterm election. He remembers feeling helpless and a little bit lost thinking about what to do next in his career/life. He spent months soul-searching and thinking about how he could ultimately make a difference in his community. He made a decision later that year to dedicate his life to making an impact in his community through his work.James earned his Master’s in Public Administration in 2017 from New York University – Wagner. Prior to joining Tipping Point Community, he was the School Support Data Manager at the Urban Assembly. In this role, he supported the program team through evaluating the impact of their programs through analysis and Tableau dashboards.In his spare time, James enjoys going to Broadway shows, live music shows, and sporting events (Go Lakers and 49ers!).

"Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life." - Nelson Mandela

Born in and raised just outside Boston, Ash Hyatt moved to the Bay in 2011 and has been fighting poverty by working to create economic opportunities for young people ever since. Prior to joining the team, they worked in youth development, launching the East Bay expansion of New Door Ventures' programming. After that, they managed the internship and career program at Downtown High School through Jewish Vocational Service, providing work training and opportunities to underserved youth. Ash earned a Masters Degree in Community Development and Planning from Clark University and holds a BA in International Development and Social Change. In their free time, they enjoy playing music and trying to pet every dog!

“We must take care of the most vulnerable among us to thrive as a community. So long as we are content to allow the suffering of others, we will never achieve true prosperity.”

Hunter Meyer is happiest when he’s helping people. He comes to Tipping Point from the food and events world, where he ran large-scale food truck events for Off the Grid. Originally from Maine, Hunter earned a B.A. in Economics from Bard College. Since moving to the Bay Area over a decade ago, he’s fallen in love with the region, and is committed to making it even better through his work at Tipping Point. Outside of the office, Hunter enjoys spending time in nature with his young daughter, wife, and dog, and he is always on the lookout for a great taco.

"We all have a responsibility to create a just society." - Bryan Stevenson

Rohit joined Tipping Point because it marries a moral imperative to serve the Bay Area community with a commitment to meaningful action. Prior to joining Tipping Point, Rohit worked at UC Berkeley's Possibility Lab on participatory, evidence-based policymaking. Earlier in his career, Rohit worked for ten years at MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab on impact evaluations around the world. In this role, he worked with a number of local and state governments in the U.S. on anti-poverty programs covering topics from homelessness to violence prevention to take-up of welfare benefits. Rohit graduated with an M.A. and B.A. from the University of Chicago. When he isn't trying to make research serve the public good, Rohit enjoys running with his speedier wife, working his way through a stack of books, and doting on his two dogs.

"I believe that to be truly compassionate, one must directly support their neighbors who are struggling with poverty and also work to change and improve the systems that have allowed that poverty to exist."

Ali joined Tipping Point to more directly serve her community while also continuing to work on the critical system changes necessary to ensure meaningful reductions in poverty. Prior to joining Tipping Point, Ali served as the State of California’s Deputy Secretary for Homelessness where she oversaw the state’s interagency council on homelessness and several large state homelessness grant programs. Earlier in her career Ali served as a Senior Advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, focusing on a range of anti-poverty programs within the Administration for Children and Families. Ali graduated with a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California – Berkeley, and received her B.A from the University of Iowa. When not working to alleviate poverty, Ali can be found hiking, backpacking or reading a good book…outdoors!

"Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth." -Shirley Chisholm

Lara comes to Tipping Point with extensive experience working to address and end homelessness in both the public and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining Tipping Point she was the Manager of Community Homelessness Services for the City of Oakland, where she played a leadership role in the city’s homelessness policy direction and funding, and implementation of homelessness programs. Lara has also held leadership roles in local homeless services agencies, serving as the Director of Client Services for the Berkeley Food and Housing Project and as a Division Director for Larkin Street Youth Services, a Tipping Point grantee. She started her career as a homeless outreach worker in the South Bronx.  Lara received a BA from Brown University and an MSW from UC Berkeley.  In her free time, Lara likes to be outside hiking and camping, or in the kitchen cooking for friends and family.

“As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality exist in our world, none of us can truly rest.” — Nelson Mandela

The fight to end poverty hits close to home for Sam. When he was 11 months old, his birth mother placed him on the steps of an orphanage in Vietnam and walked away. She simply could not afford to raise him. Sam was dealt an early lesson on the power of community — its capacity to open doors, to radically change lives, and to break the cycle of poverty. His origin has molded his self-concept and forged his desire to pursue a career that enables others to thrive no matter their background.Prior to Tipping Point, Sam helped bring books into the world in marketing and editorial roles at HarperCollins and Pearson. He attended The Paideia School in Atlanta, Georgia and Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. In his spare time, Sam can be found running and training for upcoming races on the track and the roads around Lake Merritt and the East Bay.

“Inequality and injustice are built into our systems and institutions. It is our duty to transform our systems until everyone, regardless of identity or background, has equal opportunity to thrive.”

Bing is honored and humbled to be able to apply her research, business intelligence, and data analytics experience in support of Tipping Point’s empathetic and multi-faceted approach to fighting poverty. Prior to joining Tipping Point, she supported economic research and Cash Services strategy and operations as an analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Her passion for public service motivated her to pursue an M.S. in data science at the University of San Francisco, to better serve her community in an analytic capacity. During her master’s program, she interned at Human Rights Data Analysis Group, where she contributed to statistical analyses that enable accountability for human rights violations. Bing also holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Chicago. Bing is a proud first-generation Chinese-American immigrant and a Bostonian, and she enjoys running, exploring cities through food, and listening to pop punk.