Ng’ethe Maina worked for AGENDA, a grassroots community-based organization in Los Angeles, from its inception in early 1993, helping to develop it into a leading voice for poor people in struggles for social and economic justice.  As a Senior Organizer with AGENDA he helped lead successful economic justice campaigns to win jobs and training for poor people; he also helped pioneer cutting edge organizing tools and technologies that AGENDA has used in its efforts.  In 2000, he became the Organizing Director for AGENDA’s work in South Los Angeles, and the work of AGENDA’s county-wide formation, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Alliance.  In the fall of 2003, Ng’ethe moved to New York City, where he became the Training Director for New York Jobs with Justice, and launched the Social Justice Leadership Collaborative with Simon Greer.  He is currently the Executive Director of SJL.  Ng’ethe brings to this position more than a decade of social justice organizing, and several years of transformative organizational change work.  He is has participated in extensive leadership trainings with the Rockwood Leadership Program, and completed an executive coaching program with the Strozzi Institute.

Clay Smith has over 12 years of community and labor organizing experience.  He worked for 10 years at the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, first as an organizer, then as its Staff Director.  During this time he oversaw several major school reform campaigns, developed and oversaw training programs, coordinated strategic planning, supervised a large organizing staff, and played a key role in developing numerous city-wide coalitions and organizing support initiatives.  He also worked as a housing organizer with the Stamford Organizing Project, an innovative project through which four labor unions coordinated workplace and non-workplace organizing campaigns.  He spent a year conducting research on the role of ideology, identity, and movement building in community organizing in India.  Clay has a Masters Degree in Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.

Rusia N. Mohiuddin has been organizing in New York City for ten years. During these years, she has served as a Lead Organizer in four membership-led and run grassroots organizations in neighborhoods across three boroughs. These organizations include the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition, Community Voices Heard and Central Brooklyn Partnership. Rusia most recently  served as the Co-Director of Families United for Racial & Economic Equality.  In addition, Rusia has worked at the New York City Organizing Support Center as a consultant in providing trainings and workshops to dozens of organizing and advocacy initiatives across the City.

Ralph R. Castro has 12 years of employment and volunteer experience in various aspects of the struggle for social, economic and racial justice in New York City.

Ralph has worked extensively in the private sector mainly in administration and has a background as a community and religious leader and activist. Ralph was formerly the Director of Administration for Community Voices Heard, a position he accepted after being hired as Office Manager in 2000.  He served as the recording secretary for the Board of Deacons at his parish in the Bronx for 10 years, where he was a Deacon, Sunday school teacher, and youth coordinator.

Ralph, a product of the New York City welfare system, struggled most of his life to succeed, but his struggle intensified when he had to drop out of high school in 1978 because his mother could no longer support him.  He was resolved to obtain his Equivalency Diploma, which he did soon after and ventured into the work force. In order to support himself and his family, he had to work full time and regrets not attending college.  His goal is to eventually acquire that college degree that has been so elusive all his life. 

Ralph is the proud father of a daughter, who is a college graduate and accountant, and a proud husband.  His interests are education, computers, communication and children’s issues. His work, both professional and volunteer is informed by his personal experiences as a former welfare recipient.