Nicole has called Oakland home for the last 18 years.  She loves being a part of First Covenant Church of Oakland where her husband is the lead pastor.  Prior to joining the Harbor House team, Nicole spent time working in both higher education and early education.  More recently, she spent four years in elementary education as a homeschooling parent to her 2 kids. Nicole's desire to see Oakland's students succeed and Oakland's families thrive fuels her work at Harbor House.  In her free time, she can be found enjoying the beautiful Bay Area trails and scenery with her family.

Jenay grew up in Oakland and first came to Harbor House as a high school summer intern in 2017. She became passionate about education reform and uplifting disenfranchised youth due to her experiences with Oakland schools. She feels blessed to be leading the same program she was once a part of herself. Jenay graduated from Howard University with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor Psychology. In her free time, Jenay enjoys taking hikes, exploring new places, trying new foods, and going to artistic events. Jenay learned how to cook from watching the Food Network and Tik Tok, and is a self proclaimed professional chef to her friends and family.

Dee was once a youth at Harbor House so she rivals Maria for being involved in our ministry the longest.  Dee's roots in our community run deep.  In fact, her fourth grade teacher at Lazear Elementary was Olive Freeman, the founder of Harbor House!  Dee has many fond memories of coming to Harbor House as a youth for Bible Clubs and after-school programs.  As a teen in the 80s, she helped answer phones at Harbor House and now she gets to do that again a few decades later as our Director of Administration.  

Maria, who was once a youth in the afterschool program herself, has been on staff at Harbor House longer than any other staff member.  She attended Laney College and would like to see all of the Harbor House youth get a college education. Maria and her husband have four children: one college graduate, two currently in college, and one in high school.  Maria also likes to volunteer with her church and her son's school to help the kids of Oakland flourish.

Asolia was born and raised cross culturally. She loves to connect with young people who share in that experience at Harbor House. As a musician, she believes that engaging in the arts echoes our spiritual formation through an uncovering and discovering of the soul.  She hopes that more people realize their potential as creative beings. In her free time, she enjoys listening to all kinds of music, trying out new recipes, and traveling.

Audrey is a 3rd generation Japanese American who was born and raised in the SF Bay Area.  She spent all of her adult life in cross cultural settings and eventually ended up living and working in Southeast Asia for 13 years.  She has been around Harbor House since 1986 when she did her student teaching in ESL. She is thrilled to be back again teaching English as a Second Language to immigrant parents of students at Franklin.  Audrey and her husband Perry have two married adult children and 2 beautiful granddaughters.  She loves spending time in her garden and retreating to the Monterey beaches to hear God’s voice in the ocean waves.

Bethany first came to Harbor House as a summer intern and stayed on for the academic year working with our fourth and fifth grade students.  After graduating from Oakland High, Bethany started classes at Laney College.  All the while, she participated in opportunities at Harbor House to grow in her relationship with Jesus, including The Mix Youth Group and Ladies Summer Soul Care.  Bethany now serves on our staff and is also continuing her studies in Business Administration at Laney College.  

Linh grew up in the neighborhood near Harbor House and went to Franklin Elementary as a kid.  In college, she discovered her love for children while working as a tutor, camp counselor, and a research intern for the MIND Institute.  She even found time to volunteer at Harbor House as a virtual tutor.  Linh recently graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior.  In addition to leading our 4th/5th grade classroom this year, Linh is studying for the MCAT so she can fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor in underserved communities.  During her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and binge-watching TV shows.