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EMPLOYMENT

A thriving career gives families the opportunity to flourish.

Increasing Stable Careers Through Job Training

We live in a region that has become impossible for everyone to call home. Today, it takes four minimum wage jobs to make ends meet in the Bay Area. Tipping Point is working toward a Bay Area where quality, career-oriented jobs are within reach.

Our Impact in Employment

75%

rate of completion

for grantee clients enrolled in skills-training programs.

81%

of grantee clients

who completed skills-training programs landed jobs with starting hourly wages of $20+ and 88% landed full-time jobs.

754

graduates

of programs supported by Tipping Point that serve predominantly people of color secured jobs.

EMPLOYMENT Spotlight

A Roadmap to Securing Career-Track Jobs

A stable job is a critical foothold on the path towards economic security. Tipping Point grantees like JVS provide the support and training needed to assist on that journey. 80% of JVS skills-training program graduates land a job paying an average of $30 an hour, and are on track to increase their earnings by 91% on average within two years. For Jamice Jones, a graduate of JVS’ automotive training program and the first female apprentice automotive machinist employed by the city of San Francisco, this investment means she can afford to stay in her hometown and raise her two children in safety and with financial security.

Our Employment Strategy

OUR GOAL

Expanding Access to Jobs with Strong Earning Potential

We invest in solutions that support unemployed and underemployed workers to acquire the skills, credentials, and work experience  to progress in their careers and achieve wages that support their families over time.

Our Approach

FIND + FUND

Re-Entering Community, Protecting California, and Building a Future

In 2021, The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program joined Tipping Point’s portfolio. This breakthrough program hits the trifecta, providing three much-needed services: employment opportunities for individuals who have exited the criminal justice system and have the skills to help address California’s wildfires, additional job training, and feeds the essential firefighting workforce in our state.

PARTNER + STRENGHTEN

Unlocking Employment Data to Refine Services

Tipping Point developed a relationship with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) to provide our grantees access to wage trends for their clients. This partnership allowed Tipping Point employment grantees to understand what was working best, and then tailor their programs to increase client success.

Investigate + Change

Research to Target Training for the Most In-Demand Jobs

Tipping Point funded the analysis of local labor market data at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic had transformed the labor market. The research gave our grantees critical information to refine their offerings so they could provide training towards the most promising, in-demand Bay Area jobs.

Grant Seekers

We fund direct service organizations that provide occupational skills training for career-track, in-demand quality jobs.

Our Team of Employment Experts

  • Leslie
    Eme

    Capacity Building Manager
    Read Leslie Eme bio

    Leslie Eme

    Capacity Building Manager

    Pronouns: she/her

    "I believe that meaningful collaboration across sectors and boundaries is essential if we are going to make real progress towards a more equitable Bay Area. I am proud to be a part of an organization that values collaboration and puts community-building front and center in its mission."

    Prior to joining Tipping Point, Leslie spent 10 years leading programs and strategic operations in the nonprofit and education sectors. Most recently she served as the Growth Operations Lead for the Summit Learning Program, an educator-powered nonprofit organization that partners with diverse schools and districts throughout the United States to support equitable classroom redesign. Leslie was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois and received her BA in International Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Drawn to California for its natural majesty, Leslie loves spending time outdoors, backpacking in the Sierras, soaking in hot springs, and enjoying ocean sunsets.

  • Julie
    Lo

    Sr. Director, Grantmaking + Capacity Building
    Read Julie Lo bio

    Julie Lo

    Sr. Director, Grantmaking + Capacity Building

    Pronouns: she/her

    “I'm grateful for the opportunity to join a community of people invested in both the idealism of pursuing an end to poverty in the Bay Area, and are also committed to the necessary actions to achieve it.”

    Julie joined Tipping Point because of her belief that the right continuum of person-centered, trauma-informed services to address multiple domains of a person’s life can disrupt the harmful impacts of poverty that too many people continue to grapple with. Most recently, Julie was the Executive Director of California’s Interagency Council on Homelessness, where she served as a policy advisor and led a statewide entity responsible for significant homelessness initiatives and funding programs. Prior, Julie worked for Bay Area nonprofits (including Larkin Street Youth Services!) and as a consultant specializing in planning and evaluation. Julie earned a Master of Public Affairs from the University of California, Berkeley, and received her B.A. from Holy Names University. Julie is an avid learner and always reads the appendices first when reading reports, because that’s where all the good stuff lives.

  • Talia
    Nagar

    Senior Program Officer; Employment
    Read Talia Nagar bio

    Talia Nagar

    Senior Program Officer; Employment

    Pronouns: she/her

    “We must address all the inequities that persist and the devastating impacts they have on communities.”

    Talia comes to Tipping Point Community with a wealth of non-profit program development and management experience. Most recently, she was Managing Director of Programs at Coaching Corps where she oversaw the program operations that led to its national expansion. Talia’s non-profit career began in youth entrepreneurship education at Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, and she also created a comprehensive after-school program for a settlement house on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Talia eventually served as Assistant Executive Director at a large community organization in New York City, where she gained experience with employment, supportive housing, adult education, reentry and college access programs. Talia received her BS from Cornell University and a Master’s in Education from Harvard. Since relocating to the Bay Area, Talia has enjoyed spending time outdoors with her family.

  • Rohit
    Naimpally

    Senior Director of Impact
    Read Rohit Naimpally bio
    Staff member Rohit Naimpally wearing a grey shirt posing on a San Francisco street.

    Rohit Naimpally

    Senior Director of Impact

    Pronouns: He/Him/His

    "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.

    Staff member Rohit Naimpally wearing a grey shirt posing on a San Francisco street.
  • Ali
    Sutton

    Chief Program Officer
    Read Ali Sutton bio

    Ali Sutton

    Chief Program Officer

    Pronouns: she/her

    "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!

  • Meg
    Thomas

    Learning + Evaluation Manager
    Read Meg Thomas bio

    Meg Thomas

    Learning + Evaluation Manager

    Pronouns: she/her

    I am passionate about ensuring excellent outcomes for all and recognize the deep partnership, trust, and collaboration needed to boldly create a better future.

    Meg is a mission-driven leader with experience in amplifying impact through partnerships and collaboration. She brings deep expertise in leading programming and learning cycles across the social sector, particularly in early childhood. Prior to joining Tipping Point, Meg guided learning and innovation efforts at The Primary School to improve outcomes for children and families. Her work catalyzed external partnerships and enabled internal teams to measure and strengthen impact. Meg started her career in education as a teacher in Washington, D.C. She also brings experience as a consultant, partnering with social sector nonprofits and foundations. Meg earned an MPH with a focus on Maternal and Child Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MAT in Elementary Education from American University, and holds degrees in Psychology and History from the University of Arizona. On the weekends you can find her biking in Half Moon Bay, sharing her love of literacy with her two young children, or discovering bakeries and farmers markets.

  • Bing
    Wang

    Data Analytics Manager
    Read Bing Wang bio

    Bing Wang

    Data Analytics Manager

    Pronouns: she/her

    “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.

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