our coalition

Outline drawing of an oak leaf

our leadership structure

The Richmond Outdoors Coalition is guided by the resilience and wisdom of a redwood tree ecosystem. Each partner plays a vital role in sustaining the health and longevity of the coalition—like roots, branches, and canopy in a thriving forest. Together, we sustain growth, share resources, and nurture lasting connections for youth, families, and the community.

Diagram of a Redwood tree ecosystem showing the different layers and their roles, including the bark as fiscal sponsor, cambium and sapwood for outdoor consultants, the heartwood for planning teams, the canopy for youth and families, branches for organizations supporting the ecosystem, needles and cones as funders, roots for program partners and collaborators, and elements like fog, mist, and water. Each part has a description of roles and functions in the ecosystem.
Download Leadership Structure
Diagram of a tree illustrating an organizational structure of the Richmond Outdoors coalition, with labeled elements describing roles and functions within the ecosystem of drylands.
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funders

Like the needles, cones and seeds of a redwood forest, our funders bring vital resources that sustain growth, spark regeneration, and plant seeds for new possibilities. Their support fuels the coalition’s ongoing cycles of renewal, ensuring that fresh opportunities continue to take root.

We are deeply grateful to the following partners whose generous funding and support make this work possible:

  • Riddell Family Foundation

  • Richmond Fund for Children and Youth

  • West Contra Costa Unified School District

We also thank our ROC program partners for their vital matching funds and in-kind contributions that help our programs thrive:

Steering Committee

  • A close-up portrait of an older man with gray beard and glasses, wearing a black cap and black turtleneck sweater with a 'This is Ohlone Land' pin, outdoors with a blurred green background.

    Andre Shumake

    NYSTROM SCHOOL COMMUNITY OUTREACH WORKER

  • Person smiling outdoors wearing glasses, a black hoodie, and a baseball cap with an orange logo, standing under a large leafy tree.

    Danelia (D-Lo) Lopez Casco

    COMMUNITY MEMBER

  • A young girl with dark hair smiling outdoors in front of a blurred background of green trees and colorful flowers.

    Genesis

    STUDENT

  • A woman with long black hair wearing a blue shirt smiling against a blurred green outdoor background.

    Gloria López

    VERDE TEACHER AND PARENT

  • A middle-aged Asian man with glasses, a beard, and a shaved head standing outdoors near a tree, smiling, with a blurred background of greenery and flowers.

    John Iwawaki

    WCCUSD SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING; ESCAPE Club

  • Close-up of smiling young boy with dark brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a navy blue sweater, standing outdoors with blurred green foliage background.

    Lucas

    STUDENT

  • A person smiling outdoors beneath a tree, wearing sunglasses, a black shirt, and a colorful medal ribbon.

    Maria Weatherborne

    COMMUNITY ADVOCATE

  • A smiling woman wearing glasses, a large sunhat, and a black jacket standing outdoors in front of green foliage and flowering bushes.

    Maria Cristina Newton

    WCCUSD TRANSLATOR

  • A woman with short dark hair and hoop earrings, smiling, wearing a pink top and a beige blazer, outdoors under a tree with green leaves, with a name tag that reads Marlène and indicates she is a community leader. There are trees and plants in the background.

    Marlene Contreras

    VERDE COMMUNITY LEADER AND PARENT

  • A woman outdoors smiling, with green leaves overhead and colorful flowers and trees in the background.

    Martha Nieto-Serrano

    VERDE SCHOOL COMMUNITY OUTREACH WORKER

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with shoulder-length wavy hair, wearing a beige button-up shirt, standing outdoors under a large leafy tree with bright green leaves, with a blurred background of colorful plants and outdoor furniture.

    Stephanie Romano

    THE WATERSHED PROJECT

  • A young woman with long dark hair, wearing earrings, a pink blazer, and a black top, standing outdoors with a blurred green background.

    Yvette Diaz Samayoa

    KIDS FOR THE BAY

Planning and Facilitation Team

  • A man with a shaved head and beard smiling outdoors, wearing multiple necklaces made of shells or beads, in front of green leafy trees.

    Andre Humphrey

    ROC COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CONSULTANT; Founder and Executive Director, Inner City Bliss

    Andre Humphrey founded Inner City Bliss (ICB), a nonprofit organization established in 2018 to provide mindfulness, movement and nature based programs to BIPOC youth and adults. Andre is deeply committed to creating opportunities for people from marginalized communities to experience the healing power of nature. With his extensive experience in mindfulness, movement, and outdoor education, Andre is on a mission to make a positive impact on communities and individuals

  • A woman with glasses smiling outdoors, with green leaves and a tree in the background.

    Angela Myers

    ROC PLANNING AND FACILITATION CONSULTANT
    Inclusion Outdoors

    Angela’s work centers on deepening human relationships with the natural world through collective impact and equitable outdoor access. She directed and evaluated Nature Kids/Jóvenes de la Naturaleza for five years and now lives in the San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado, building an off-grid earthship and fostering a deep connection to place. Angela is the author of SPIRIT: A Dance of Poetry, an initiated ceremonial arts teacher with The Heart of The Healer Mystery School, fully fluent in Spanish, and shares her life with her career-changed guide dog, Wyclef.

  • A woman with curly hair smiling in a garden with blurred green and pink foliage in the background, wearing a floral shirt.

    Aujanée Young

    ROC EVALUATION CONSULTANT
    Inclusion Outdoors

    Aujanée works in the colonized ancestral lands of the Mascogee peoples. She is dedicated to supporting people to achieve their best self and lives through liberatory research, education and connections to nature. She has over 11 years of experience working in non-profit and public sectors. In both leadership and support roles, she has worked to center and uplift the perspectives of individuals and communities who have been perpetually marginalized in education spaces, formal, informal, and non-formal. Her value and perspectives on life-long learning models are evident in her endeavors such as curriculum development and design, education research, evaluation and instruction.

  • A smiling man with dark hair and a beard standing outdoors with colorful trees and flowers in the background.

    Eric Aaholm

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YES Nature to Neighborhoods

    Eric Aaholm (he/him/his), Executive Director since 2007, has a Masters in Social Welfare, Management and Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. He is fluent in Spanish and started with YES Family Camps as a volunteer in 2004. Eric has experience working as a Project Manager at Health Research for Action, at the School of Public Health at Berkeley; as a Diversity Coordinator for a youth mentoring program; and a Spanish and ESL teacher. Eric was honored as a Man of Merit for Contra Costa County in 2011 and is a graduate of LeaderSpring’s 2014 cohort for East Bay executive directors.

  • A woman with long brown hair smiling outdoors in a wooded area with tall trees and green foliage.

    Jenny Mulholland-Beahrs

    ROC PLANNING AND FACILITATION CONSULTANT
    Inclusion Outdoors

    Jenny co-founded the Richmond Outdoors Coalition in 2017 and now supports the ROC through Inclusion Outdoors. Jenny is a certified Awake in the Wild nature meditation teacher and convenes, facilitates and supports partners, often across multiple sectors. In her free time, Jenny enjoys meditating in nature and exploring the outdoors with her husband and their two children. She has a deep-seated commitment to social and environmental justice and active engagement in anti-racist and pro-justice practices. 


  • A woman with brown hair, green eyes, and light skin standing outdoors under a tree with large green leaves, smiling, wearing a denim jacket and a striped shirt.

    Merrill Pierce

    ROC COORDINATOR
    WCCUSD

    Merrill Pierce is an educator passionate about creating curiosity and outdoor learning. She taught 4th and 5th grade at Verde K-8 School for ten years, organizing outdoor experiences like Lake Tahoe snow trips and partnering with community organizations. As Coordinator of the Richmond Outdoors Coalition (ROC), Merrill connects teachers, program providers, and the district to make outdoor access a core part of the school experience in WCCUSD. She holds a Bachelor’s from the University of Denver and a Master’s in Urban Education Policy from Loyola Marymount University and loves adventure on foot, wheels, or water.

  • A woman outdoors standing next to a tree with green leaves, smiling, wearing a striped shirt, gold hoop earrings, and a name badge.

    Xiomara Batin

    ROC PRO-JUSTICE CONSULTANT
    Inclusion Outdoors

    Xiomara joined Inclusion Outdoors to support authentic engagement across communities and ensure the healing power of nature is accessible to all. She lives on the unceded ancestral lands of the Lisjan and Muwekma Ohlone tribes in Berkeley, CA, where growing up inspired her commitment to equitable access to outdoor experiences. Xiomara holds a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and a Master’s in SocioCultural Anthropology with a focus on social justice and education, and she continues to deepen her expertise through trainings and workshops on equity in the outdoors. Her work spans educational institutions and nonprofits, consistently centering families, students, and communities in equity-driven programming.

our program partners

In a redwood forest, the roots anchor the tree, weave together with others, and draw nourishment from the land. Our program partners are the roots of the coalition—grounding the work in community, collaboration, and the outdoors, and connecting people, programs, and nature to sustain collective growth.

A black background with a red footprint and a fist in the center, along with the words 'Music Saves Lives' in bold yellow font.
Logo for the Environmental Science Conservation and Photographic Excursions, featuring stylized trees, an airplane, a person hiking, and a river, with the word 'escape'.
Logo of The Watershed Project with blue dots arranged in a grid to the left of the text.
Colorful circular logo with a tree in the center, surrounded by a border of orange, purple, and blue, and the words 'Omega Apple' written next to it.
YES logo with three stylized human figures holding hands inside green leaves, and the text 'Nature to Neighborhoods' below.
Illustration of a mountain lake landscape with snow-capped peaks, green hills, and a calm blue water body surrounded by lush greenery.
Black and white logo with the text 'ICB Inner City Bliss' above a skyline silhouette of city skyscrapers and landmarks, all inside a circular design.
Program Pathways
A circular logo with a bird flying over water and land in the background, with the text 'Golden Gate Bird Alliance' around the circle.
Logo with three tan hands reaching over blue waves and the text "KIDS for the BAY" in blue.

our collaborators

In a redwood ecosystem, branches reach outward—creating space for growth, adapting to change, and holding endless possibilities. Our collaborators are the branches of the coalition, offering support, flexibility, and connection that allow new ideas, partnerships, and opportunities to grow and evolve.

Seal of the West Contra Costa Unified School District, with a book, paddle, and a small red house at the top.
Colorful 3D text spelling 'VOTES' with black arrows on the left and right sides.
Children and adults painting face designs outdoors, with face paint supplies on a wooden table.

join us

Interested in learning more about the Richmond Outdoors Coalition or joining or efforts?

Connect with us