Executive Director Marcy Straw has over twenty years of experience in the corporate and not-for-profit sector in a variety of executive and management roles, and ten years’ experience as a successful entrepreneur. She comes to BALF from Pacific Environment, a San Francisco-based environmental justice not-for-profit, where she served as Deputy Director for Development and Operations. Marcy has held executive director roles for Bay Area arts icons Teatro ZinZanni and the Midsummer Mozart Festival, among others. For six years, she led marketing, sales, and sponsorship at California Shakespeare Theater. Marcy also served as the Marketing & Communications Director for the modern dance company ODC San Francisco.
She spent over ten years in the music business, as the owner of a consulting and management firm serving international recording artists, civic agencies, and organizations. Marcy began her career in consumer product sales, holding a variety of sales management positions for companies such as Revlon, Shiseido, Calvin Klein, and Minnetonka. She also volunteers as a pro bono consultant for the Taproot Foundation.
An East Bay Area resident since 1971, Marcy holds a degree in Business from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, and is currently completing her MBA.
Business Manager Kim Glosson has over twenty years of progressive responsibilities in administration, management, training, and client relations. While pursing an undergraduate degree, Kim was a cooperative education student at IBM. After obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Kim began working in the financial industry.
During Kim's professional career, she has successfully managed the development and rollout of training programs, policies, and procedures for financial products and services. As an administration manager, Kim was responsible for the daily operations of eight marketing units. In addition, Kim created, designed, implemented, and facilitated two Welfare-to-Work training programs, resulting in 100% job placement for the program participants.
Kim has a passion for teaching, coaching and developing staff and students. For seven years, Kim taught classes as a volunteer at the West County Detention Center. During the past three years, Kim taught core curriculum to elementary students with behavioral and learning disabilities and served as a mentor for high-risk middle and high school students. Currently, Kim teaches business and management courses at Laney College.
Kim is a graduate of California State University, East Bay who holds an MBA in Management from John F. Kennedy University. In addition, Kim is certified to administer and interpret the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indication (MBTI).
Academic Mentor Jacqueline Ng is a high school history teacher with over eight years of experience in the education field. She is a graduate from the University of California at Berkeley and holds a B.A. in History with a minor in Ethnic Studies and Women's Studies. She earned her teaching credential and M. Ed from Saint Mary's College in Moraga, focusing her graduate work on creating high school history curriculum that improves accessibility and increases interest for urban youth.
Over the years as an educator, Jacqueline has worked in a variety of settings helping students who are socio-economically disadvantaged. She has successfully worked with youth who are recent immigrants, youth who are first generation college-bound, and youth who have been identified by the state as habitually truant and have recently been released from juvenile hall.
As a history teacher, Jacqueline is passionate about instilling the values of social and civic responsibility in her students. She encourages students to be critically conscious and socially aware and engages students in community activism.
She was recently recognized by the East Side Union High School District and Latino Parent Coalition as an educator who is committed to academic enrichment for her work in achieving an 80+ % student pass rate. She was also awarded the Community Educator Award in May 2008 by San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed for her work with the” Stories of Service” program, a nationally recognized program that is in partnership with the History Channel, National Archives, and Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute.
Academic Mentor Will Dunford is the BALF Academic Mentor at Pittsburg High School. Mr. Dunford has been a teacher at Pittsburg High School for 10 years for a variety of subjects including: algebra, CAHSEE prep, art, and digital photography. He has been an assistant coach of both JV baseball and basketball. Currently, he is the advisor for the Black Student Union at PHS. Will earned his Bachelor of Arts in Arts Education from Central State University in Ohio and is currently pursuing his masters in administration with plans to become a high school principal.
