PJC Staff 

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Administrative Team

Washington Burns, MD

Executive Director/Founding Board Member

Current and Former Positions

• Administrative Director, Northern California Breathmobile ®, 2007-Present

• Executive Director/Co-Founder, Prescott-Joseph Center for Community Enhancement, Appointed August, 1998-present (Volunteer)

• President, West Oakland Community Collaborative, August, 2004-present

• Program Director, West Oakland Asthma Coalition, July, 2001-present

• Medical Director (Retired), Clinical Laboratory, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, 34 years 

• Assistant Pathologist, Englewood Hospital, Englewood, New Jersey, 1966-1967

• Associate Pathologist and Chief of Clinical Laboratory and Vice-Chief of Department of Pathology, California Pacific Medical Center (formerly Presbyterian Medical Center), 1967-2000

Ouida Joi Cooper-Rodriguez, MA

Deputy Executive Director

Ouida Joi Cooper-Rodriguez joined PJC in April 2004 and currently serves as Deputy Executive Director. During her time at PJC, she has also served as Program Director, Operations Director, and Consultant. In her current role, she is part of the Executive Team and supports the delivery of a variety of programs that provide much needed services to adults, children, youth, and families in West Oakland, and the greater Bay Area. Ouida provides daily and long-term planning and management in the areas of finance, human resources, development, and compliance, as well as supports the Executive Director in community relations and Board administration. She has an MA in Management and a BA in Behavioral Science/Psychology (Magna Cum Laude). Ouida is a member of the Grant Professionals Association, Association of Fundraising Professionals, and is currently preparing to sit for the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) examination. Ouida is a veteran of the United States Air Force and the Army National Guard. 

Lorrie Williams

Development Manager

Lorrie has more than 20 years of experience in Silicon Valley and Bay Area private and nonprofit sectors, with a special focus on organizational and fund development. Her professional background includes previously serving as the Directory of Corporate Engagement for the Prescott-Joseph Center and Executive Director for Women’s Initiative for Self-Employment of the Silicon Valley leading operations that spanned over San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as holding project management positions in the high-tech sector. Lorrie has vast experience in fund development in all areas of giving, including but not limited to individual, corporate, government, foundation and legacy giving. She has successfully designed and implemented giving campaigns, as well as large scale fundraising events. Lorrie has a passion for creating economic opportunities that lead to self-sufficiency and a desire and dedication to work with organizations in transition from being good to great. Lorrie is excited to be back at the Prescott-Joseph Center.

Mari Larke, Bookeeper

BIO COMING SOON

Maria Reyes, Office Assistant/Receptionist

BIO COMING SOON

Jaelyn M. Cooper, Social Media Assistant 

Jaelyn is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Marketing with a Minor in Public Relations at Texas A&M University, Commerce. On campus, she currently serves as the Marketing Director and Panhellenic Delegate for Chi Omega Fraternity, the Public Relations Chair and Vice President of Senate Affairs for the Student Government Association, as well as a Freshman Orientation Leader. Jaelyn has a passion for using social media that can positively contribute to a company's growth, promotion, and expansion.

Program Teams

Father Charles D. Burns, SVD, Pre Preschool Program 

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Kristen Burmester, PhD

Co-Founder/Advisor

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Samantha Bier

Program Director

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Ouida Joi Cooper-Rodriguez, M.A.

Acting Lead Teacher 

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Gloria Gil

Pre-Pre School Advisor (Bilingual)

Shunnae Baker, M.S., CCC-SLP

Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist

Amy Morrison

Program Assistant/Food Preparer

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Chloe Chan

Assistant Teacher

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Miriam Gonzalez

Intern

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Michelle Jordan

Music Teacher

Rossana Alves

Movement Teacher

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Summer Youth Enrichment Program (SYEP) 

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Selena Ramirez

SYEP Coordinator

OPEN

Art Teacher

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Michelle Jordan

Music Teacher

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Fernando Garcia

Soccer Coach

Karenga Hart

Basketball Coach

Kenneth Reid

Assistant Basketball Coach

OPEN

Computer Teacher

OPEN

Computer Teacher

OPEN

Theater Teacher

Top: Rossana, Ouida, Shunnae

Middle: Gloria, Amy, Chloe

Bottom: Samantha, Miriam, Michelle 

Not pictured: Kristen

Taken July 28, 2020

Afterschool Soccer Program 

Fernando Garcia

U-14 Head Coach (pictured)

OPEN

U-14 Assistant Coach

OPEN

SYEP Soccer

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West Oakland Food Pantry 

Lamel Smith

West Oakland Food Pantry Manager

"Our motto is: "No one should go without food." We want to make sure no one is ever turned down when requesting something to eat or in need of food. I joined the Prescott-Joseph Center in 2008 as the Food Pantry Manager for the West Oakland Pantry. Our mission is to provide healthy alternative food options for this community. We currently have a crew of dedicated neighborhood volunteers that help us weekly to distribute and provide food to the community. They have been a tremendous support. Families have told me if it were not for our program, they would not have any food. Looking towards the future, the need continues to grow and we are always looking for more donors and support to fulfill the increasing needs of the residents we feed."

Northern California Breathmobile® Program

Washington Burns, MD

Breathmobile® Acting Medical Director/Administrative Director

Mary Frazier, RN (Retired)

Breathmobile® Project Advisor

Ouida Joi Cooper-Rodriguez, MA

Breathmobile® Acting Project Director 

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The Northern California® Program is staffed by a combined team of in-house staff and a team of medical providers ranging from licensed respiratory therapists, registered nurses, nurse practitioners and medical doctors.

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Prescott-Joseph también ofrece servicios en español

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Keiko Barfield

Program Specialist (Bilingual-Spanish)

Keiko Barfield has worked as the Bilingual Program Specialist for the Breathmobile® since 2010. As a person with asthma; Keiko understands first-hand the importance of access to quality asthma specialty care on a regular basis. As the Bilingual Program Specialist, Keiko coordinates the Breathmobile®’s visits to schools and community centers and spends much of her time speaking with families and scheduling appointments. She manages all coordination for the Northern California Breathmobile®’s 17 sites.

Keiko studied Spanish abroad at the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca A.C. in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico in 2004. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from California State University, Monterey Bay. From an early age, Keiko has been involved in her community. When she lived in Salinas, California she volunteered at Alisal Community Healthy Start, a bilingual family resource center. There she worked as a Spanish literacy tutor in the adult basic education class, Plaza Comunitaria; she also assisted the instructor in Parent/Infant Share, a parent education class for parents of infants 0-18 months old. In 2008, she was awarded, “Outstanding Adult Literacy Tutor” by the Literacy Campaign for Monterey County for her dedication and commitment to her learners.

James Acuña

Breathmobile® Patient Services Representative/Driver (Bilingual - Spanish)

James Acuña has worked for the Prescott-Joseph Center and the Northern California Breathmobile Program since 2009 as the Bilingual Patient Services Representative / Driver. He is a graduate from California State University, Long Beach with a BA Degree in Liberal Arts and is the recipient of the Every Breath Counts Service Award in 2013. James has had extensive training in disaster readiness through the Red Cross and Oakland’s C.O.R.E. Programs and has volunteered as a little league baseball coach for the past 7 years. In his spare time, James enjoys playing the guitar and collaborating with other musicians in the East Bay. James is also very committed to the East Bay communities by serving as a health educator and by providing health access to those who live in under-served areas

Leslie Leon

Van Coordinator/Breathmobile® Program Medical Assistant (Bilingual - Spanish)

Leslie Zeceña graduated from Contra Costa College in 2014 as a Medical Assistant (MA). She began working at PJC in 2014 as an Intern, then became a part time Medical Assistant. In March 2017, she joined our staff as a full time Medical Assistant for the Breathmobile. While on the Breathmobile, Leslie take the patients vitals, does a pulmonary function test, asthma education, as well as providing translation for patients. Leslie is bilingual in English and Spanish and also provides outreach for the Breathmobile. She visits schools, attends meetings and community festivals, and conducts asthma education classes for parents and children. Leslie also helps with the administrative work in the office, which includes scheduling appointments, making reminder calls to families, updating flyers, translating materials into Spanish, as well as help coordinating with Breathmobile partners and contacts. Leslie is also an Asthma Facilitator through the American Lung Association which allows her to teach a program called Open Airways For School. This program educates children on how to self-manage their asthma.

Elisa Allen

Breathmobile® Program Medical Assistant

Elisa graduated from Contra Costa College in 2016 with an AS degree in Medical Assisting. In June 2016, she began working with the Breathmobile (BMo) as an Intern and joined the team part time in September 2017. On the BMo she takes patient’s vital signs, performs pulmonary function tests, and conducts asthma education. She also participates in outreach and assists with contacting patients for scheduling and reminder calls, updating charts, as well as contacting schools and interpreters.

Chris Venenciano

Breathmobile® Program Van Coordinator 

Contra Costa County Team Lead

Chris joined the BreathMobile team in March of 2018. He is the Van Coordinator for PJC’s second BreathMobile located in East Contra Costa County. Chris provides asthma education to all the families who visit the East County BreathMobile to help them better manage their asthma. He also helps the community by giving Asthma Management classes to parents, faculty and staff, and community centers throughout the county. Besides helping the community youth breathe easier, he also helps them stay fit by running the youth martial arts program for the City of Pittsburg, Parks & Recreation Department on the weekends.

Francisco "Paco" Galvez

Breathmobile® Patient Services Representative/Driver - Contra Costa County

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Francisco “Paco” Galvez is from Riverbank, CA in the California Central Valley. He graduated from CSU Stanislaus with a BS Degree in Business Administration/Marketing. He also took extensive classes in Computer Graphics and Art Classes. Francisco has always had a passion art, music and gardening. In his spare time, he likes to work on various art projects, from comic-book art, computer graphics, and painting wall murals to airbrush art or painting on canvas. Francisco started at the Prescott-Joseph Center in August of 2018 as a Bilingual Patient Services Representative/Driver for the Breathmobile in Contra Costa County. He wants to make a positive impact for the community of Pittsburg CA, and the nearby areas in the region by providing asthma education and outreach to the parents of school children who have asthma.

JESSICA LOPEZ

Breathmobile® Program Medical Assistant (Bilingual-Spanish) - Contra Costa County

Jessica joined PJC in August 2019 as a Bilingual-Spanish Medical Assistant. She graduated from Mt. Diablo Adult Education as a Certified Medical Assistant in 2014. On the Breathmobile, she assists patients with taking their vitals, performing pulmonary function tests and helps to interpret. She also assists with scheduling appointments and reminder calls, as well as charting. Jessica enjoys going to local schools and community events to participate in outreach in the community to make people aware of our services.

West Oakland Community Collaborative (WOCC) 

KaSELAH CROCKETT

WOCC Coordinator

KaSelah is an Oakland native committed to her community. She is the Founder and Director of KaCierge, a networking and consulting business providing services to local community based organizations. KaSelah is best known from the West Oakland Pop-up Village. She writes, "The Pop-Up Village is a site activation tool that harnesses the power of design to catalyze the magic that emerges when people and programs come together in public space. The Pop-Up Village brings together a constellation of dynamic programming in customized buses, vans, pop-up shops, furniture, and other types of mobile architecture and nature. Place matters, and its power has been taken from those who stand to gain the most from its thoughtful creation. The Village seeks to bring regenerative design back into the hands of community."