You are joining a Community of Values
We invite the whole person into the space
and create a container for authenticity to emerge.
We believe in order to create a thriving and resilient community,
all voices and perspectives must be invited to join the conversation.
We thrive because we are diverse and multicultural.
Our meme is innovation through collaboration.
We embody the African proverb:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
We believe a spark of inspiration has the ability to change the world.
We consciously create an atmosphere of inspiration.
We honor each other’s special gifts and differences
and keep sacred our physical environment.
We value the opportunity to give to our
community and receive from it.
We leverage each other’s strengths and resources
and gain the knowledge we need to effectively
contribute to making a better world.
Meet our Founders
Konda Mason
Co-Director/CEO
Konda Mason is the Co-Founder and CEO of Impact Hub Oakland, a beautiful inspiring co-working space that supports and connect…
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Konda Mason
Co-Director/CEO
Konda Mason is the Co-Founder and CEO of Impact Hub Oakland, a beautiful inspiring co-working space that supports and connects socially engaged change makers and social entrepreneurs in creating community and acquiring the skills they need to bring their projects to life as they create a better world. She is a co-creator and co-facilitator of The Well Being In Business Lab – Oakland, a project of business leaders deepening their commitment to inner transformation and using their business for more positive impact.
A die-hard activist and change maker, Konda has helped to stop a coal-fired power plant from being constructed in Borneo’s Coral Triangle. Through her former company Yoganics, she was the first to bring organic produce into mainstream supermarkets in Los Angeles. Konda also leads eco-tourism journeys into the world’s most pristine ecosystem, the rainforest of Ecuador, to wake people up to a more regenerative and conscious way to live on the planet.
Konda is a certified Kripalu yoga teacher and teaches retreats and daylongs at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She is presently in the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader program with Jack Kornfield and Sylvia Boorstein as her mentors.
She is a Certified Permaculture Designer, was an online host for a Thought Leader speaker series for the Pachamama Alliance, and has spoken on many panels and/or keynotes for Wisdom 2.0, SOCAP, Social Venture Network, Bioneers, Permaculture Convergence Conference, SF Green Festival, Living The New Economy conference and many more. She is also an accomplished filmmaker with an Academy Award nomination.
Konda sits on the Board of Directors of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and Oakland Public Conservatory Academy of Music.
A human equity and sustainable ecology advocate and social entrepreneur, Konda’s work is driven by the vision of realizing in her lifetime a genuine just, regenerative and sustainable world.
Lisa Chacón, PhD, MS
Co-Director/COO
Lisa is the co-founder, co-director and COO of Impact Hub Oakland. She brings a wealth of experience to her role gained from …
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Lisa Chacón, PhD, MS
Co-Director/COO
Lisa is the co-founder, co-director and COO of Impact Hub Oakland. She brings a wealth of experience to her role gained from her career as an inventor, manager and new business strategist in a corporate research lab, and an innovation, sustainability and transformational change consultant. She holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, and a master’s degree in sustainability. She has a passion for system and culture change, and working with teams to unleash their genius and achieve extraordinary results.
Ashara Ekundayo
Chief Creative Officer & Omi Gallery Director
Ashara is a cultural worker of the urban landscape and brings her whole self and more than 20 years of professional experienc…
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Ashara Ekundayo
Chief Creative Officer & Omi Gallery Director
Ashara is a cultural worker of the urban landscape and brings her whole self and more than 20 years of professional experience into the social entrepreneurial movement. Through her company BluBlak Media Consulting, she has worked with local and national organizations to build capacity for increased community engagement through the uses of creative practice, exhibition, strategic communications design and project management. She is a non-profit professional, serial entrepreneur, and activist committed to social change, and has supported individuals and grassroots companies in the redesign of their brand strategy through permaculture principles and is an expert at negotiating collaborative space within the intersections of the public and private sector.
In 2009, Ashara was selected by the Ashoka Foundation and the City of Denver in the U.S. launch of the “Change Your City” Campaign as a Social Innovator “stimulating the green economy.” She has worked with indie media outlets such as FreeSpeech TV, GritTv KGNU radio, and Just Media, and has presented at international conferences including the World Social Forum, the Biennial of The Americas and SXSW.
She has held Fellowship positions with the U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs and Green For All, and is currently a member of the “Future Soul Think Tank” at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Her passions for social media, technology, and civic hacking also find her writing STEAM Curriculum for BlackGirlsCode.com, and hosting a food Tumblr blog and in-person series called “Grits & Greens.”
Ashara is also the Curator for Omi Arts Gallery – a contemporary art space located inside Hub Oakland featuring one-person exhibitions, performances and lectures.
Edward West
Business & Finance Team
Edward is an entrepreneur and educator. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University, and an MBA from Presidi…
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Edward West
Business & Finance Team
Edward is an entrepreneur and educator. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University, and an MBA from Presidio Graduate School. In 2006, Edward co-founded Mission Motors, manufacturer of advanced electric powertrains for vehicle manufacturers and high performance electric motorcycles. In the four years after the founding of the company while he served as President, Mission grew to a staff of 35, raised two VC funding rounds and a PE round, and created multiple contracts with major vehicle manufacturers. He is currently teaching the Integrative Capstone class at Presidio Graduate School’s sustainability-focused MBA program where he brings broad and holistic perspectives to creating business ventures with the goal of large scale social, cultural, environmental and systemic change.
Kristin Hull
Business Development & Strategic Curator
Kristin is an educator, activist, entrepreneur and conscious investor. She began her career as a bilingual elementary school…
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Kristin Hull
Business Development & Strategic Curator
Kristin is an educator, activist, entrepreneur and conscious investor. She began her career as a bilingual elementary school teacher, and then co-founded a Charter school in Oakland (North Oakland Community Charter School) and served on the founding board of George Mark Children’s House, the first free-standing children’s hospice in the United States.
Interested in innovative solutions to leverage resources for social change, Kristin entered the space of impact investing while serving as a board member for various not-for-profit organizations and foundations. She serves on the board of directors for theMosaic Project, the Nicholson Foundation, Playworks and CAFWA.
Later, when her family sold their investing business, and started a foundation, she helped move the foundation assets to being 100% mission aligned. Since then, Kristin started the Nia Community Fund concentrating on conscious investing in Oakland. She is also a co-founder of Hub Oakland and serves as a peer coach urging friends and colleagues to investigate their holdings to ensure their investments are aligned with their personal and organizational values.
Kristin attended Tufts University where she earned her BA and teaching credentials. She holds an MA in Research in Bilingual Education from Stanford University and a PhD in Urban Education from UC Berkeley. She lives in Piedmont with her 2 boys and 4 chickens.
Zakiya Harris
Programming Consultant
Zakiya is is a California native, who has been working as an artist, educator and activist for the past 10 years. She receive…
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Zakiya Harris
Programming Consultant
Zakiya is is a California native, who has been working as an artist, educator and activist for the past 10 years. She received her B.A. in Political Science and History from Rutgers University and attended New College of Law in San Francisco before leaving to pursue her life long passion of teaching. She has taught elementary through collegiate level in a variety of public and private settings.
In 2003, she became the lead trainer at the DJ Project where she facilitated job training and entrepreneurship modules using the medium of hip-hop culture. In 2007, she Co-Founded Grind for the Green, an organization committed to moving young people of color from the margins to the epicenter of the environmental movement using hip-hop, art and culture. In 2008, she became the first African-American Regional Director of the San Francisco Green Festival, the largest sustainability event on the planet, where she served for two years.
Named one to watch by Grist.org, some of her achievements include receiving the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights Future Leaders award, serving as a Fellow for Green For All under the direction of Van Jones and becoming a Bold Food Fellow. An accomplished public speaker, she has presented at Green Festivals, TEDx Denver, Toyota Motors Inc and the NAACP national Convention. Her work was recently featured in the October 2011 edition of Readers Digest. She is also an accomplished dancer, vocalist, actor and member of the west coast based neo folkloric ensemble Ase Dance Theater Collective.
Her highest honor in life is being a mother to her beautiful 6 year old daughter.
Ahmed Rahim
Business & Finance Team
Ahmed, Business & Finance Team is the CEO, co- founder and master blender behind Numi Organic Tea. Before starting the Nu…
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Ahmed Rahim
Business & Finance Team
Ahmed, Business & Finance Team is the CEO, co- founder and master blender behind Numi Organic Tea. Before starting the Numi business in 1999 with his sister, Reem, Ahmed spent a decade living, working and traveling throughout Europe as a professional film maker and photographer. Calling home to Paris, London, the German Alps and eventually Prague, Ahmed helped create several teahouses in Prague in the mid-nineties. He became a partner in this enterprise while pursuing his artistic career and building his farm outside of Prague.
Ahmed is fluent in English, Arabic, French, German and Czech. He holds a B.A. in Psychology and Theatre from New York University, and has studied film and photography at various universities in New York, Paris and Prague. Ahmed currently sits on seven non-profit boards of directors and consults with more than a dozen for profit companies. He is currently studying architecture to create a sustainable future.
Meet our Team
David Jackson
Managing Director
David Jackson is an Oakland native with a passion for social entrepreneurship and social justice. David has been a lifelong e…
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David Jackson
Managing Director
David Jackson is an Oakland native with a passion for social entrepreneurship and social justice. David has been a lifelong entrepreneur, starting his first business at age nine (a lucrative lemonade stand), and ultimately owning and managing a group of seven independent bookstores for a decade.
He transitioned into nonprofit management after acting as a business development consultant for faith-based nonprofits, to serve as the Director of City Team, a long-standing Oakland nonprofit. There he focused on helping the local community facing homelessness, food insecurity, and drug and alcohol addiction. His early commitment to overcoming challenges led him to believe that although times may be tough, there is always an opportunity to bear fruit.
In his work, Jackson has always maintained a bird’s eye view of the negative social and economic impacts facing children, families and the displaced. “I sought vigorously to implement programs with youth, the homeless, and marginalized groups in Oakland. My goal was to take the big picture and shift these folks away from the systematic downward spiral.”
With over twenty years of experience in entrepreneurship, business development, fundraising, management, and nonprofits, David is excited to serve as the Managing Director of Impact Hub Oakland, to continue the advancement of an entrepreneurial community and co-working space that creates solutions that work for all.
Sameer Bhasin
Director of Marketing
Sameer is a marketing and branding strategist with focus on social impact since he moved to the Bay Area in 2013. The one thi…
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Sameer Bhasin
Director of Marketing
Sameer is a marketing and branding strategist with focus on social impact since he moved to the Bay Area in 2013. The one thing that draws him about Marketing is helping answer the following question from a customer perspective – “What’s In It For Me (WIIFM)”. The basis of any product or service being successful is answering this simple question.
He has led cross-functional teams and help build consensus amongst departments, with expertise in Branding, Marketing and Project Management. His multi-faceted experience and skills in building strategic partnerships and alliances have benefited many organizations and businesses in USA, Europe and Asia.
He has led projects that are outside the scope and realm of what his past experiences have been and has won a Best Design Award at a Hackathon for Food and Technology enthusiasts.
Sameer is actively involved with the community and is a Board Member at Abode Services, that is an organization fighting the homelessness issue in Northern California using the "Home First"model.
Specialties: Social media planning and implementation, Strategic Planning, Brand Strategy, Marketing Automation, Content Marketing, Marketing Communications, Corporate Relations, Strategic Partnerships & Alliances, Social Impact, Event Management.
Precious Green
Head Host
Precious Green is the Head Host at Impact Hub Oakland.
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Precious Green
Head Host
Precious Green is the Head Host at Impact Hub Oakland.
Adam Stiles
Operations Manager
Adam is the Hub’s Operations Manager, aka building whisperer. He oversees the space and its various systems that allow our …
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Adam Stiles
Operations Manager
Adam is the Hub’s Operations Manager, aka building whisperer. He oversees the space and its various systems that allow our community to come together to do our best work and play. His pursuits over the last two decades have been dedicated to building community through volunteering, spaces, and events. This focus began while helping run a youth media space in Chicago where he started as a volunteer. He has since worked as a project manager, builder, publicist, and civic technologist.
As a builder, Adam works with reclaimed and natural materials that balance beauty, sustainability, and economy. Adam has managed communications for the David Brower Center, Eat Real Festival and People’s Community Market. As part of OpenOakland, Adam is a co-creator and leader of openbudgetoakland.org, a project to make Oakland’s budget more accessible and participatory. Adam served on the City of Oakland’s Budget Advisory Committee where he led efforts to improve transparency in Oakland’s budget process. Adam has also volunteered for Oakland's Public Ethics Commission, City Slicker Farms, Ella Baker Center, Hack the Hood and his son’s outdoor co-op preschool.
When he’s not “working” he may be running trails in training for the Oakland marathon. Adam grew up in rural Oregon and has lived in London, Portland, Chicago, Paris, and Brooklyn. He has concluded that Oakland is the best.
Zochi Young
Events Production Coordinator
Zochi is our master of time and space. As the Impact Hub Oakland’s Event Production Manager, he is responsible for supporti…
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Zochi Young
Events Production Coordinator
Zochi is our master of time and space. As the Impact Hub Oakland’s Event Production Manager, he is responsible for supporting event rentals, the coordination of time and space, managing logistics, and helping clients with strategic planning of resources for each new and unique events.
Offering you suggestion of best practices, individualizes solutions, safe space, and world class customer service. It is his goal to “surprise and delight” the customer and their guests with an insanely great and seamless experience at Impact Hub Oakland.
This role of Event Production Coordinator ties in perfectly with Zochi's prior experience as project manager, teacher, mentor, Taiji & Zen practitioner, and Founder of njialife (the Way of Life). Who after a career of 20 years working in various international tech corporations and non-profit organizations. 40 years of dedicated study, exploration, and teaching mindfulness and healing movement traditions throughout the Pacific Rim, Asia, Africa, and the U.S. developed njialife – a restorative and regenerative life practice designed to help individuals to discover their untapped potential. Njia is a collective of evidence-based body-mind processes experienced through an easy and unique blend of somatic Taiji movements, partner dyads and activities to induces a neurological and physical a shift in how we move through our life. These activities serve practitioners both as an embodied metaphor and as a vehicle for the individual’s self-exploration and rediscovery of their authentic genius.
Zochi is a certified teacher/facilitator in Conflict Resolution, Non-Violent Communications, Mindfulness, Leadership Embodiment, Aikido and Wellness/Taiji Qigong. He is also a NADA certified Acu Detox Specialist.
An Ambassador and Executive Board member of Pushing for Peace (pushingfor-peace.org)- an international organization centered on teaching the embodiment of peace through the introduction of "Peace Game" movements and activities. He offers classes to teachers and organizations in Asia, Africa and Europe.
Tatiana Vekovishcheva
Member Information & Impact Manager
Tatiana is our rock star Head Host and Co-Working Lead. She joined HUB Oakland team in November 2012 and was the first staff …
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Tatiana Vekovishcheva
Member Information & Impact Manager
Tatiana is our rock star Head Host and Co-Working Lead. She joined HUB Oakland team in November 2012 and was the first staff member we hired. Since we opened our doors on July 1st, Tati has been the one who takes care of our co-working space. If you have visited us at 1423 Broadway, Tati most likely was the first staff member you saw on the spot, and she is the one who can answer all your questions about co-working – in English, Russian, or Mandarin. Besides hosting our physical space, she leads Hub Oakland's sustainability efforts as the Chair of our Sustainability Committee, helps members make meaningful connections through Hubnet, and has recently extended her care to our Kickstarter backers.
Before Hub Oakland Tatiana built robust communities for the Institute of Asian and African Studies and the Center for Intercultural Communication, and provided recommendations to leading Russian organizations on culture-sensitive communication strategies. She holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Asian and African Studies from Russia's prestigious Moscow State University and is now developing her skills as a host and facilitator.
IMPACT HUB GLOBAL LOCATIONS
What started in 2005 as a gathering place for Impact pioneers in London has grown into a community of more than 7,000 professional members in 50+ Impact Hub locations worldwide. As an Impact Hub member, you gain access to each and every location worldwide. This growing community utilizes the power of entrepreneurship and collaboration to generate and advance innovative approaches social and environmental challenges at both local and global levels. The Impact Hub network is a global force for the new economy. We invite you to explore our network, from San Francisco to Singapore, Johannesburg to Madrid, and dozens of other cities across the globe.
Youth Hub Oakland
Impact Hub Berkeley
Impact Hub San Francisco
Impact Hub Los Angeles
Impact Hub London
Impact Hub Johannesburg
Impact Hub Singapore
