J. Manuel Herrera, Board Chair
Manuel, an ele
cted official in San Jose/Silicon Valley, envisions the transformation of the public square in our communities and an emerging 21st Century politics that is whole, generative, and personally transformative. His career is in public policy and administration, working with city managers, elected officials, and nonprofit agencies. Currently, Manuel is writing a book entitled The Reconciliation of Love & Power, which is about integrating principles of the spiritual quest with public leadership, politics, and the public process. “I’m excited to serve on the YES! board because it partners with young changemakers in a global network that is ever vibrant and emergent. YES! makes a difference by the way it brings heart and soul wisdom into its creative connections with young leaders.”
Alia Lahlou
Alia grew up in Morocco and is constantly moving through different spaces looking to learn andunlearn, to grow, and to love. She has a master’s degree in international relations but has learnedeverything she knows outside the classroom. She is based in New York City and works as a freelance facilitator and consultant engaging individuals and groups around the world to achieve more connection, honesty, and depth. Alia is passionate about conflict transformation, freedom and identity, honesty, and joy. “At my first Jam, the Middle East Jam 2010, I was in awe at the power of simple things: true listening, being present, sharing from the heart, and uncompromised truth. I saw how these elements built a loving community able to support its members through difficult moments and deep transformations. I have since tried to bring a piece of the Jam to everything I do in life, and I am serving on the YES! Board to keep nurturing these precious spaces.”
Austin Willacy, Secretary
Austin is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter who has toured extensively throughout the U.S and Europe as a member of The House Jacks, a multi-award winning a cappella rock band currently featured on The Sing Off on NBC and on Monday Night Football on ESPN. He is the director of ‘Til Dawn, Youth in Arts’ award-winning teen a cappella group and has facilitated over 35 youth retreats, as well as four Leveraging Privilege for Social Change Jams for YES!. He donates his musical talent to a wide range of educational, social and environmental organizations. “As we get busier and busier, ever briefer exchanges pass for communication. Given the extent to which we are adept at not fully listening to one another, YES!’s work is more vital now than ever. I am thrilled to be able to support an organization that exists to host and create spaces wherein people communicate truthfully, deeply and fearlessly, because it will take nothing short of that to reshape the world we are living in into the world we want it, and need it, to be.”
Angela Sevin
Angela is a white, cis female, rural educated, middle class raised educational consultant, facilitator and visual artist. Passionate about racial equity and stewarding the world we inhabit, she works holistically in collaboration with cutting edge leaders, developing solutions with and for resilient communities. After earning a graduate degree in Experiential Education, she helped start and run several small democratic schools, co-designed the groundbreaking Pathways to Resilience re-entry project and directs the Green Life environmental literacy and self-sufficiency peer education program at San Quentin. She co-designs and leads white affinity workshops with her colleagues at Beyond Separation to address social and racial equity using systems and design thinking and experiential modalities. “The commitment that YES! has to personal and collective transformation through awareness and relational skill building is undeniable and so needed in our world today! I am happy to support and join with the work of YES! to nurture resilient changemakers who will powerfully address the social and environmental issues of our time and help to bring restorative practices to our communities.”
Joyous Dawn
Joyous is a singer-songwriter, budding herbalist, circle facilitator, and youth educator. A founding member of Thrive Choir in Oakland, CA, Joyous delights in vocal harmonies that uplift spirits, and ignite social movements. Joyous completed a B.A. in American Studies with an emphasis on Race and Ethnic Studies from Wesleyan University, and went on to work in youth development and restorative justice in middle and elementary schools for many years. Ever-pursuing dreams and a multitude of passions, Joyous is now working on her debut musical album, and thrilled to share her nature and heart inspired melodies with the world soon. “I am so thrilled to deepen with the YES! Jam community by being a part of the YES! board. At my first jam, theArts for Social Change Jam, I made friends that I believe will last a lifetime. The community connections built during Jams are so deeply impactful, and tap into a core intention I hold for my life– to co-create spaces for authentic sharing, deep listening, mutual growth, support, and upliftment. I’m honored to build with this organization and all the humans and hearts involved.”
Vincent Felice
Vincent is a small farmer and entrepreneur dedicated to connecting values, action and fun in the field. He has run a successful vegetable farm in Seattle, started an all-organic, all-local soup business, become a night sky tour guide, sailed thousands of miles on a classic wooden boat, and most recently, grown heirloom grain in California. When Vincent is not growing and processing heirloom grain, he can be found building high-tech boats dedicated to climate change research.
Phoenix Michele Bissonnette Robbins, Treasurer
Phoenix is excited to be serving on the Board of YES!. She is a mother, singer/songwriter and transformational healing facilitator. As a teenager, Phoenix Michele volunteered for peace in Russia, and studied ecological and spiritual communities around the globe. In 1994, at age 18, she joined “YES!”, with which she toured the United States speaking to more than 50,000 students in high school assemblies. In 1998, she became a founding partner in YES!’s birth as an independent non-profit organization and co-directed the organization with her beloved, Ocean, until 2006, when she left to give her time more fully to homeschooling/unschooling her twins with autism, exploring her musical path, growing her family’s garden and to the deep reflection and inner work that were calling to her. In 2010, as Ocean stepped back from YES!, Phoenix stepped forward as Managing Director. Now, she is honored to be serving in this role with the YES! community.
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Development Catalyst Advisor
Tracy Gary
Tracy is joining the YES! team as our Development Advisor. Tracy is a nonprofit serial entrepreneur who has started and worked with others to build over 18 non-profits and multiple foundations. She is a donor activist and legacy advisor to many older and next generation family members, through her work with Inspired Legacies. Tracy is a long time fan and supporter of YES!, and aims to raise with others over a billion dollars for social justice during her lifetime. “Standing shoulder to shoulder with YES! Jam members and leaders is always an honor. We have a world to reboot. I cannot think of a better organization and team to partner with to make change happen intergenerationally. Count me in!”
In Memoriam:
aManda Greene (August 28, 1981 — February 12, 2019) served on the YES! Board for 1.5 years. She was raised between the Bay Area and Rio de Janeiro Brazil. Her bi-cultural upbringing had a strong influence in her beliefs and values and how those manifested through her work in the world. She had been engaging with young leaders to address the problems in their own communities by supporting the development of youth-led social enterprises through the Youth Impact Hub in Oakland. She served on the Board of The Hood Incubator and was a Steering Committee member of Oakland’s Youth Ally Alliance. aManda once said, “In a time of highlighted separation, I am grateful to serve for an organization that is about identifying, nurturing and celebrating the connections and differences between and within us. YES! is the nourishment and connections the world needs more of.” Her strong spirit and passionate legacy lives on in YES!’s work and she will be deeply missed by us all.
Cesar Chavez (March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993), founder of United Farm Workers and a leading voice for the rights of farm workers in the United States and the rights of migrant workers worldwide, learned of YES!’s vision in 1990 and was inspired enough by our vision to lend his name on our board of advisors and to offer his love and blessing. His life and legacy are a source of profound inspiration to YES!, and we are deeply grateful to honor his memory through our work.
David Brower (July 1, 1912 – November 5, 2000), founder of Earth Island Institute, Friends of the Earth, League of Conversation Voters, and The Sierra Club Foundation, led the campaign to save the Grand Canyon and helped to establish the national wilderness preservation system. He was a supporter of YES! from our beginnings in 1990, participating in multiple board meetings, and speaking at our five YES! events and press conferences. At the 1996 World Youth Leadership Jam, guest presenter David Brower was asked what gave him hope for our planet’s future, and he responded: “This Jam and the young leaders here are what give me hope for our future. To overcome the challenges facing our world today, young people must take the future into their own hands. What inspires me most about this camp is that these young people are not working with false idealism. They are organized and practical in implementing positive programs that are really making a difference. And as of this Jam, they are working together.”
River Phoenix (August 23, 1970 — October 31, 1993), an Oscar award-winning actor whose performances touched hearts and inspired imaginations, River also had a deep commitment to animal rights and sustainability. Indeed, he looked at his career as having value insofar as he could leverage it to make a difference in the world. His family was among the first major financial supporters of YES!’s work, and his siblings and mother have continued to support YES! in the years since his passing. River’s life and work were among the many inspirations for YES!’s Leveraging Privilege for Social Change program.