Staff

  • An Oakland native who graduated from Fremont High, Alejandra and is currently taking Business Administration classes at the College of Alameda while also studying to become a certified personal trainer.  When she's not "gymming" to relieve stress, she enjoys going on hikes and reading at the top of the trail.  She loves the community and diversity of Oakland and is excited to experience both more fully at Harbor House while working with our 4th and 5th graders.  

  • 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.

  • 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 working with our kindergarten and 1st graders and is also continuing her studies at Laney College.  

  • Danny Fitelson | DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

    Danny was born in Oakland and went to school at Thornhill, Montera and Skyline. His Christian faith developed after a friend invited him to the youth group at First Covenant Church, where he later served as a pastor for 20 years. Danny loves to work with teens and young adults to put on programs that help kids feel valued. In his spare time, Danny likes to hang out with his wife and two daughters, watch movies that have something to say, and coach volleyball.  

  • 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.  

  • 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.

  • A former elementary and middle school speech-language pathologist, Kacie is passionate about developing leaders in underresourced communities.  She has a strong vision for coming alongside whole families and assisting them to achieve their full potential.  Before coming to Harbor House, she was the founder of The GreenHouse, a nonprofit organization in Sacramento where she served as Executive Director for ten years.  She and her husband Steve have three teenage sons who keep them busy with soccer games, baseball games, and concerts. 

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Noah has lived in Oakland for most of his life and can't imagine calling any other place home! He recently graduated from UC Riverside with a degree in Business Administration and hopes to one day travel to London and Paris. Before coming to Harbor House, Noah worked as a camp counselor and Sunday school teacher and is excited to be working with our 2nd and 3rd graders.  In his free time, he enjoys hiking, going to the beach, building with LEGO, anything involving trains, and keeping up with his favorite TV shows.   

Board of Directors

The Harbor House Board of Directors is entrusted with the advocacy, governance, and sustainability of the organization.  The Board meets monthly to pray, hear from the Executive Director, review financial statements, and attend to other tasks related to the health of the organization.  Here are the current members of our board:

  • Mike Bandrowski (Chair), Retired from Environmental Protection Agency
  • Tina Igbinakenua, Health care, Harbor House parent
  • Esther Li-Bland, Family Physician at Asian Health Services
  • Karen Parnell, Retired CPA and Attorney
  • Mitali Perkins (Secretary),  Children's Book Author
  • Tracey Saephan (Treasurer), Realtor at EXP Realty, Harbor House alumni
  • Perry Sakai, Pastor at First Covenant Church of Oakland's Cambodian Ministry
  • Ryan Trammell, VP of Finance at Kinder's