Douglas Styles, PsyD
Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer
Born and raised in San Francisco, Doug graduated from Lowell High School. He earned a BA in Theater Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz, an MA in Drama Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and a Doctorate in Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology (Alliant International University). Doug, a licensed Psychologist, trained at the National Centers for PTSD in Connecticut and Hawaii and at River Oak Center for Children in Sacramento. For the past ten years, he served as the Clinical Director and Associate Director for StarVista, a multiservice non-profit in San Mateo County. He brings over 20 years of experience in the non-profit social services sector. Doug has developed transitional housing programs for youth, increased mental health services for parents of young children, expanded professional training programs for counselors, and improved outcome reporting systems. Doug believes every person has the potential to change the world.
Bio
Priscilla Miranda
Director of Marin Programs
Priscilla is a Southern California native, where she worked in after-school programs with ESL students, and as a professional tutor. She transplanted to the Bay Area eight years ago, graduating from Pacific Union College with a degree in Psychological Science and a Master’s in Developmental Psychology from San Francisco State University. Before Huckleberry, Priscilla had been teaching as an adjunct professor at Pacific Union College, teaching courses in race and ethnicity, sociology, different areas of psychology, advising students navigating higher education, and supporting the unofficial gay/straight alliance, GASP (Gay and Straight People). When not at Huckleberry you can find her cycling and getting lost all over the Bay, trail running somewhere on Mt. Tamalpais, searching for yogurt shops, or creating gourmet sandwiches from scratch.” In 2015, Priscilla won Huckleberry’s Audrey Chickering Leadership Award for her dedication and commitment to the development of Huckleberry Youth Programs.
Bio
Kisai Henriquez
Director of Youth Justice
Kisai is a second generation Puerto Rican & Dominican, born and raised in San Francisco and continues to call Frisco home. She is an active participant in community efforts to bring social change within the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. She strives to be a Social Worker that empowers and fosters hope within individuals, groups and communities. She believes that each one of us holds the power and resources to live a healthy and fulfilling life. She specializes working with youth and families who are or have been system involved. She holds a Masters of Social Work from San Jose State University.
Bio
Katie Reisinger
Director of Health & Safety
Katie was born in Philadelphia, PA and in her formative years lived in various locales including: Rochester NY, Nashville TN, Atlanta GA, Mexico City Mexico, and Madrid Spain. Before joining HYP, Katie was a high school special education teacher in the San Francisco Unified School District. Prior to moving to San Francisco, she was a special education teacher at the therapeutic day treatment program, Logos School, in Saint Louis, Missouri. Her background in the schools totaled twelve years and included school administration at Logos School. Katie also served youth and families as a substance abuse counselor at Bridgeway Counseling Services in Saint Charles, Missouri and as a residential counselor at Marian Hall Emergency Shelter in Saint Louis, Missouri. Katie won Huckleberry’s Audrey Chickering Leadership Award in 2012, for her dedication and commitment to the development of Huckleberry Youth Programs.
BioDevelopment Department
Amy McConnell
Director of Development
Amy received her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and her B.A. in Philosophy from Colgate University. Prior to Huckleberry, Amy worked at the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and as a staff attorney to the judges of the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco for several years in the law and motion, appellate, and criminal law departments. Amy has also spent time as a freelance writer. At Huckleberry, Amy writes grants, manages the agency’s grant proposals and reports process, and assists with development and advancement strategy. During her free time, Amy likes being outdoors with her children and her Labrador Retriever.
Bio
Heather Mathews
Director of Marketing & Events
Originally from Atlanta, GA, Heather moved to San Francisco in 1999. She worked for three years as a Marketing Copy Writer for Shorenstein Hays Nederlander Theatres in San Francisco. She moved to Los Angeles in 2002 and worked as the Development Associate for Starbright Starlight Children’s Foundation, before joining Huckleberry in 2005. She has a BA in Journalism with a Minor in English from the University of Georgia. In 2013, Heather won Huckleberry’s Audrey Chickering Leadership Award for her dedication and commitment to the development of Huckleberry Youth Programs.
Bio
Brooke Tao
Director of Fundraising
Brooke Tao is a graduate of Smith College, where she earned her BA in political science. Brooke has over 20 years of youth development experience both at home and abroad. After having taught English in Japan, and working with Street Children in Africa, Brooke began employment with Huckleberry Youth Programs in 1995. In 1998, Brooke won Huckleberry’s Danny Keenan Award for her dedication to serving at-risk and runaway youth in San Francisco. Brooke coordinated the HUD funded Homeless Youth 101 Project – a nine county, ten agency youth collaborative designed to help runaway and homeless youth crossing county lines. Brooke went on to create and manage the Mentor Program at HYP’s Community Assessment and Resource Center (CARC). In 2001, Brooke won the Audrey Chickering Leadership Award for her dedication and commitment to the development of Huckleberry Youth Programs. In 2001, Brooke left Huckleberry and was hired as the Executive Director of Seven Tepees Youth Program in San Francisco. Seven Tepees is a non-profit organization dedicated to impacting the lives of promising inner city youth through building social competency, self-esteem, improving academics and providing exposure to the natural environment. In 2006, Brooke returned to Huckleberry Youth Programs, and has served the agency in multiple capacities. Brooke currently serves as the Development Chair of the Montessori Children’s House Board of Directors. Brooke is an avid hula dancer and enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and three children.
Bio
Gina Pan
Development Officer
Gina Pan was born and raised in San Francisco. She received her Master’s in Social Work-Non-Profit Management from Columbia University and her BA in Political Science (and minor in Classics) from the University of Southern California. Gina always knew she wanted to support youth in reaching their full potential, and has devoted her career to organizations that serve at-risk youth and promote social justice. Prior to joining Huckleberry, Gina worked in the Development department at Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC, provided counseling for youth at Bronx Lighthouse College Preparatory Academy in the and was the Class Director of street art gallery First Amendment. She has also volunteered as a tutor at First Graduate. During her free time, Gina likes to go on food adventures, travel all around the world, get lost in nature, go to concerts and dance.
BioHuckleberry Advocacy & Response Team
Kailey Norris
Program Director, HART
Huckleberry Youth Health Center
Jackson Bowman
Director of Health Services
Originally from Wisconsin, Jackson has been living and working in San Francisco since 2004. His passion for supporting the lives of transitional age youth has guided his work, especially in the areas of reproductive and sexual health, HIV care and prevention, behavioral health and social/emotional wellness. Jackson has been a member of the HIV Community Planning Council (formally the HIV Prevention Planning Council and the HIV Health Services Planning Council) since 2006, working to impact the HIV prevention, treatment and care continuum in San Francisco. He joined Huckleberry in 2016 and is excited to continue to work at the intersection of health, social justice and direct service.
BioHuckleberry House
Ricardo Alvarez
Residential Coordinator
Ricardo was born in Mexico. At age 9, he moved with his family to the United States. During college at San Francisco State, Ricardo volunteered at Clinica Martin-Baro, a student run clinic in the Mission District. He was also a teacher assistant at Mission Education Center, a newcomer elementary in San Francisco. Ricardo graduated from San Francisco State in 2010 with a BS in Criminal Justice/Raza Studies. After residing some time in New York City, Ricardo moved back to the Bay in 2015, and began working at Huckleberry House as a Bilingual Residential Counselor. Ricardo is very passionate in supporting youth to reach their full potential. Some of Ricardo's hobbies include futbol, baseball and hiking.
BioHuckleberry Counseling Services
Margo Levi
Senior Clinical Advisor
Following eight years of clinical consultation to Huckleberry Youth Programs, Margo Levi, LCSW joined the staff as Clinical Director in 2010. With two decades of experience with youth and families, Margo specializes in adolescent mental health, parent education and therapist training. She worked for seven years as a staff clinician at Kaiser Permanente in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (South San Francisco) where she was also the director of social work training. She continues to teach behavioral health classes for Kaiser and sees teens, families and adults in her private psychotherapy practice (www.margolevi.com). She has provided clinical consultation and supervision as a consultant to Third Street Youth Clinic and Women’s Recovery Association. Her additional community based mental health experience includes work at Family Services Agency of San Francisco, Larkin Street Youth Services and West Coast Children’s Center. She earned her MSW from UC Berkeley.
Bio
Heidi Wells
Clinical Director
Heidi came to the Bay Area in 2000 after working as an Executive Assistant to CEO’s for over 8 years in the Los Angeles area. Heidi received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees with honors in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University in 2007 with an emphasis on Transpersonal Psychology while interning at The Women’s Therapy Center in Berkeley, a community based non-profit that offers affordable therapy for a diverse population of women. She also held a private practice in Oakland, primarily focused on Victims of Crime, complex trauma, LGBTQ couples and women of color. Heidi returned to Southern California in 2013 and brought her expertise in the areas of trauma to the substance abuse community working as Clinical Director in both residential and outpatient settings and responsible for the development, implementation and management of a mental health program at a substance abuse and dual-diagnosis facility in Orange County. Heidi has worked extensively with the LGBTQ community creating a self-acceptance program that fosters healing and acceptance while maintaining sobriety. Heidi brings a holistic and mindfulness approach to her practice while using a variety of therapeutic modalities, including cognitive-based therapy, dialectical-behavioral therapy, psychodynamic and relational therapy. Heidi is also certified in Expressive Art Therapy providing effective and unique non-verbal ways for clients to process underlying core issues and trauma. For the past 20 years Heidi has been a freelance painter and artist holding exhibitions in both San Francisco and Oakland. She is also a passionate writer and author of hundreds of articles focusing on issues related to positive mental health and relationships. Heidi believes we all have the capacity to heal and grow no matter what the circumstances are, and views healing as an integrated journey. Edit biography
BioHuckleberry ACE (Access to College Equity) Academy
Armando Franco
Coordinator, Huckleberry ACE Academy
Armando was born and raised in the mean streets of Southeast LA, Huntington Park to be exact. In 2005, he completed his BS in Environmental Economics and Policy at UC Berkeley (Go Bears!). After graduating college, he discovered his passion for teaching math to high school youth, working as a Tutor, Teacher and Program Coordinator at Making Waves Education Program in Richmond, CA. Armando’s interests include, sarcasm, celebrating Pi Day, hiking, netflixing, chicanismo and roaming around the cities of El Cerrito, Albany and SF.
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