Angela is an educator for the Parolee Education Program of Contra Costa County Office of Education, she prepares parolee students to achieve their GED, college enrollment or employment . 

Her past experience includes her role as supervisor of the Achieve 180 case management team, a Second Chance Act re-entry program designed to reduce recidivism by working with high risk offenders at the San Mateo County jail. Additionally, she was a volunteer Rape Crisis Counselor, for SFWAR (San Francisco Women Against Rape, a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) mentor who worked with juvenile offenders. As Chairwoman of Open Gate Inc., she will continue to help foster the path of progress and advancement through teaching and promoting the significance of education.

Fred Rutledge currently serves as the coordinator of Adult Programs for the Tri-Valley Regional Occupational Program in Livermore.  He has been with the ROP since June 2000 and was responsible to the Correctional Education program at the Alameda county Jails from 2000 to 2016.  He now coordinates and develops new programs with the tri-valley adult schools in Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton.

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Fred is a UC Berkeley graduate (History); earned a Secondary Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University and a Master in Education Leadership at Saint Mary’s College, Moraga, California.  Fred started out as a World History and Geography teacher and entered adult education in the mid-1980s.

Jim is a Senior Vice President with Strategic Project Solutions Inc., a San Francisco based firm providing specialized software for major capital projects.

Prior to joining SPS he spent 23 years at Chevron in various international and domestic management roles. Jim served as a member of Board of the Exploratorium in San Francisco from 2004 to 2010. He has been active in supporting the transition needs of the parolees through volunteer activities since 2011.

Born and raised in Oakland, Abdul got involved in street organizations early had many run-ins with the system as a teenager and as an adult was paroled after serving 8yrs of a 11.5 yr sentence. He then became involved in higher education in prison and connected with Open Gate immediately after release. Has been working in the community in the role of coordinator and activist, lobbying for civil rights legislation at a state level. Abdul is a peer advisor with Operation Dignity in Oakland.

Marguerite is a non-profit executive with over 20 years of experience creating new programs and leading organizations through periods of change and growth.  She developed a program for economically disadvantaged students at the University of California Office of the President that she implemented at multiple campuses, and has more recently worked in global development for an organization that removes land mines and works with farmers on sustainable farming practices in Afghanistan and Vietnam.  She has dedicated her career to promoting equity and empowerment by working to broaden access to education, healthy environments, and economic opportunity for all individuals. Marguerite joined Operation Dignity in January 2017.

Clyde is an attorney who has practiced in the East Bay for over 30 years. His law practice includes dispute resolution, litigation, and business counseling. He is also President of a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Lafayette Improvement Association.

Debbie is an Academic Counselor primarily working with students with disabilities for the past 20 years and, additionally, is the Program Coordinator for the Student Success Learning Communities at College of Alameda. She is also a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist working primarily with clients of color and/or disabilities. Her passions are collaborating and motivating her students to succeed. Open Gate, Inc. has allowed her to combine her passions with her career goals. She looks forward to the many student successes to come!

Rachel is an LA native who is now a Graduate student at Cal State, Stanislaus. She worked as a College Readiness Counsellor for Open Gate Inc. for two years starting in 2017, where she also had the responsibility of leading our classes within Santa Rita Jail. In her free time, Rachel can be found in the outdoors. 

Rodney received his B.A. in Sociology from Cal State Easy Bay. He connected with Open Gate Inc. upon his release from San Quinten State Prison and he currently he works as the sober living counsellor at that institution.

Ann retired as the Family Literacy Coordinator at the Oakland Public Library's Second Start Adult Literacy Program, where she taught adult and family literacy for over a dozen years. A New Yorker for the first half of her life, Ann has also practiced law and run a political and educational advocacy nonprofit, so she believes that it is possible to reinvent yourself if you have the will, the opportunity, and the support of your community. 

Jennifer Sanoh currently serves as the College to Career (C2C) Coordinator at the College of Alameda. Under her leadership, she assists students with Intellectual Disabilities and/or autism with post-secondary education. Prior to College of Alameda, Jennifer served as an AmeriCorps Director at Groundwork Inc. located in Brooklyn, New York. During her tenure at Groundwork Inc., she expanded supportive services for economically challenged and underserved youth in public housing. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from State University of New York - Purchase College, a Masters in Social Work (MSW) from Indiana University, and a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law - Indianapolis. 

Camila is a graduate of UC Davis in History with a Minor in Hemispheric and Latin American Studies and has a certificate in Paralegal Studies from the same University. She has since worked in the Bay Area as an Executive Assistant for a political consulting firm, providing sustainable solutions for underserved communities in Oakland, California. She serves Open Gate Inc. as an advisor and as a Spanish translator. In addition, Camila also works as an assistant teacher, recruiting new students for Open Gate Inc. from Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.