OUR MISSION IS SIMPLE

To create a culture
of empowerment.

Our organization was founded out of a need to address the systemic and structural challenges that exist for youth of color.

Mental Health professionals, Educators, and Oakland youth collaborated to create empowered work-based learning and youth engagement programs that positively impact young people’s experiences and social emotional well-being.

Together we have created sustainable dynamic programming within the school system and the East Oakland community that is now being replicated and grown in schools and communities throughout California and beyond. Yup!

MEET THE TEAM

Our original founders identify as female Californians with mixed heritage. They built their bond through collaborating and supporting young people at a school in Deep East Oakland. They each came to a school setting after time spent supporting folks impacted by incarceration and systemic injustice. They knew that one of the most effective ways to address the incarceration of Black and Brown individuals is to have employment for them and have money in their pockets.

All of the Ocelotl team supports the community and each other by curating strategies that work.

  • Robin Noel Morales, is trained as a psychotherapist and a licensed LMFT operating a private practice as The Light Inside. She continues her learning in other traditional holistic healing modalities.

    Robin began her work in public service with underserved and vulnerable populations, incarcerated and sexually exploited minors, foster care youth and youth in transition. She has developed and supportive systems for them and assisted them in navigating institutions with more awareness and choice. She has provided clinical services and advocacy in and out of detention settings and supervised a clinical team. She developed an expanded advocacy model for system involved youth in San Francisco with the Youth Justice Institute. She is rooted in strong social justice values and also demonstrates the ability to hold a holistic perspective towards health and action.

    Before devoting most of her time to Ocelotl, Robin worked with Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, Center for Healthy School and Communities coordinating the mental health services at Madison Park Academy Middle and High School in East Oakland. She previously helped to implement and support the health and wellness model of the REACH Ashland Youth Center. She also provides clinical consultation for other origanizations, including leading support services for the employees of Urban Alchemy in both San Francisco and Los Angeles.

    She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Justice from New College and a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the Wright Institute and is a certified yoga instructor through the Niroga Institute.

OUR BOARD MEMBERS

  • My name is Julia Carreño, and I am the Ocelotl Program Coordinator at Madison Park Academy, where I work directly with students and support the Ocelotl programs. I am also currently a fourth-year student at San José State University, majoring in Justice Studies with a concentration in Criminology. My education and work with Ocelotl have strengthened my passion for advocacy, community work, and supporting young people.

    My journey with Ocelotl began when I was a student at Madison Park Academy. I started as a Language Navigator and mentor. Through that experience, I developed skills and a passion for youth advocacy, mentorship, and creating spaces where young people feel supported and empowered. Today, I have the opportunity to give back to the same community that supported me as a student. In my role, I help coordinate and support programs that center young people as leaders and recognize them as experts of their own experiences. I am passionate about helping students build confidence, develop leadership skills, and know that their voices and experiences matter.

  • Sarah Brody-Kaplan is a healthcare advocate and Bay Area transplant, originally from the East Coast. She currently works in the biotech industry and holds a Master of Public Health from Boston University. Driven by a commitment to expanding healthcare access for underserved communities, Sarah has hands-on experience in community service, including work with Boston-based community health centers and HIV/AIDS service organizations. Now living in Oakland, she is deeply inspired by Ocelotl’s youth-led philosophy and is honored to serve on the board to support and advance its mission.

  • Jamal Tiller began his career mentoring youth in group-home settings before moving into project management for men's rehabilitation homes, supporting community members as they restructured their lives and worked toward greater independence. His commitment to personal growth led him into coaching and youth development, eventually taking him to California, where he continued serving young people through the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco while building experience in nonprofit operations and financial management.

    While in California, Jamal discovered Ocelotl through its work in his neighborhood and began volunteering as a bookkeeper. His involvement grew from volunteering into a deeper commitment to the organization's mission, and he was ultimately invited to join Ocelotl's Board of Directors as Treasurer. Today, Jamal serves as Resource Development Manager for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake & Johnston Counties, continuing to bring together his experience in youth development, community engagement, donor relations, and grant writing in service of stronger communities.