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Welcome to Year Up, San Francisco Bay Area.


INTERESTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YEAR UP SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA?
ATTEND AN OPEN HOUSE:
Year Up San Francisco Bay Area holds Open Houses for prospective students and community members who want to learn more about the program. To speak with an admissions representative about coming to an Open House please call (415) 512-7588 x3506. Our location is 210 Spear Street in San Francisco.

Upcoming Open House: Wednesday at 4pm. Please call 415-512-7588 ext.3506 for more information

OR CONTACT US: Please reach out to us for any questions you have, or to set-up a visit to our site.

WHAT'S NEW

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE SEPTEMBER 2010 CLASS!
Year Up Bay Area is now accepting applications for our next class that begins September 2010 and graduates July 2011. To begin the application process, please fill out an interest form or contact Trevor, Manager of Outreach and Admissions, at 415-512-7588 ext. 3506. You can also email us at sfbayadmissions@yearup.org.

 

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF AUGUST 2010
On August 3, 2010, Year Up Bay Area celebrated the graduation of the Class of July 2010.  Held a the beautiful Julia Morgan Ballroom in the historic Merchants Exchange Building, the 25 graduates were joined by more than 250 guests.  


YEAR UP SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
WELCOMES class 4!

class 4 photo
Year Up Bay Area Class 4 pictured with staff and Scott Donohue, Chair, Bay Area Advisory Board.

On March 9, 2010, Year Up Bay Area proudly kicked off Orientation Week for its fourth class. We are so proud to work with such a bright and talented group of young adults from all over the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE FEATURES YEAR UP:
The article debuted on the Sunday, March 29, 2009 issue. Click here to read the article.


ABC 7 NEWS HIGHLIGHTS YEAR UP:
Year Up and our local funder, Tipping Point Community, were featured on a local news broadcast on February 27, 2009. Click here to watch the video.

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WHO WE SERVE
Year Up is a FREE, 12-month, full-time professional technology program for 18-24 year olds with a high school diploma or a GED who live in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Year Up strives to close the opportunity divide by providing young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower participants to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. 

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EVENTS
OPEN HOUSE FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS
To find out more about the Year Up program, meet current students and pick up materials, come to an upcoming Year Up Open House Every Wednesday at 4:00pm, at our site in San Francisco’s Financial District at 210 Spear Street at Howard (near Embarcadero Muni/BART):


View Larger Map

Class 3 Group Photo
YEAR UP BAY AREA,
class of JULY 2010 graduation
For more information, click here

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REGIONAL PARTNERS
  • Alibris
  • California Pacific Medical Center
  • Computer Associates
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • Mozilla
  • Responsys
  • SalesForce.com
  • Wells Fargo

If you are interested in becoming an internship, community, private or corporate partner please contact Daniel Hayes, at dhayes@yearup.org or 415-512-7588 ext. 3515.

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BOARD MEMBERS  
San Francisco Local Board
  • Scott Donohue
    Owner
    Coloma Broadcasting
  • Mike Ghaffary
    Director of Business Development
    TrialPay
  • Dr. Don Griffin
    Chancellor
    City College of San Francisco
  • Travis Nelson
    Managing Director
    TowerBrook Capital Partners
  • Kirsten Wolberg
    CIO
    Salesforce.com


National Board of Directors


national Technical Local Board

 

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CONTACT US
Address:
Year Up San Francisco Bay Area
210 Spear Street
San Francisco, CA 94105

Phone and Fax Information:
Phone:415-512-7588
Admissions: 415-512-7588 ext. 3506
Fax:415-512-7950

For driving directions:
View our location on Google Maps

For general questions, contact:
Phil Robinson
415-512-7588 ext. 0

For questions about becoming a Year Up student, contact:
Trevor Hooper
Year Up San Francisco Bay Area Admissions Team
sfbayadmissions@yearup.org
415-512-7588 ext. 3506

To hire a Year Up intern, contact:
Daniel Hayes
dhayes@yearup.org
415-512-7588 ext. 3515

Volunteer Opportunities
We are fortunate to have a strong community of caring, committed volunteers. There are many ways to volunteer with us:

Tutor
We’re always looking for people who are interested in supporting our students by providing them with one-on-one or small group tutoring on topics in writing or technology.
  • Time commitment: Monday, Tuesday or Thursday 3:30-4:30pm or Wednesday 11:30-1:00pm. Ideally, tutors could be available on a regular basis over the course of three months.
  • Topics: business communications – professional emails, cover letters, resumes, PowerPoint presentations. Technology: Microsoft Office applications, concepts in hardware and networking.

Mentor
Mentors are paired up with students to provide support throughout the Year Up program. Our Year Up mentors are professionals who can commit to meeting with their mentees once a month and communicate via email /phone more frequently. The site also sponsors a number of events for mentors and mentees during the eight month commitment. Mentors should have at least two years of work experience. To apply to be a Year Up mentor, please complete the following application.

Guest Speaker
Every Friday afternoon, Year Up hosts a guest speaker who shares his or her story with the young adults in our program. Generally, the speaker discusses his career path by touching upon themes that might resonate with our young adults (importance of persistence, finding good mentors, etc.). There is a standing time slot for guest speakers on Friday afternoons 12:30-1:45pm, but other guest speaking arrangements can be made.

Guest Lecturer
Have expertise in Excel? Public speaking? Interviewing? Networking? We're always happy to work with folks who are interested in coming in to lecture or lead a workshop on a topic with our current students or apprentices. For times, dates and topics, please contact Jessica Cogan at jcogan@yearup.org.

If you have any questions or if you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, please complete our volunteer interest form. We are very fortunate to have a strong community of committed, caring volunteers, and we hope to add you to that list.

Year Up “Champion.”
Have an interest or area of expertise that falls outside tutoring and mentoring? Champions have helped us with our clothing drives, marketing/ PR, real estate analysis, event planning and other efforts. Let us know how you would like to help, and we’ll match your interests with our needs.

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To invest in or donate to Year Up, contact:
Johnetta Stevens
jstevens@yearup.org
415-512-7588 ext. 3518

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OUR TEAm, SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA



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Jay Banfield
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Jessica Cogan
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Marcus Colina
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Raphael Crawford-Marks
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Michael Harris
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Daniel Hayes
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Trevor Hooper
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Tameko Jones
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Lori Quinn
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Sahaar Rezaie
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Phil Robinson
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Johnetta Stevens
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Sherry Suisman
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Jay Banfield
Executive Director
Jay Banfield was raised in Somerville, Massachusetts. Jay moved to California in 1986 to attend Stanford University, where he met his wife Kate. They have two daughters, Grace and Dray, and a son, Aidan.

After playing baseball in Europe, Jay began his career as a business development manager at Oracle Corporation in Washington, DC. While at Oracle, he built corporate volunteer programs and participated in the launch of the Clinton Administration's AmeriCorps program, thereby prompting a return to the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned a Master in Public Policy (MPP) degree.

Jay has worked on local, state and national political campaigns and has served in both the legislative and executive branches of government. Jay was appointed the Assistant Treasurer for the City and County of San Francisco in 1999 where he spearheaded a national award-winning e-government initiative. He was awarded the city's Public Managerial Leadership Award in 2001 and later was appointed an Assistant General Manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. For several years Jay served as an adjunct faculty member at the Edward S. Ageno School of Business at Golden Gate University.

In the fall of 2005, Jay moved to the non-profit sector when he became the Executive Director of the San Francisco Parks Trust. Now serving on the board of the San Francisco Parks Trust, he moved on to launch the San Francisco Bay Area office of Year Up. In addition to his work as Executive Director at Year Up, Jay remains an active member of the community. Trained as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Jay has been on the board of San Francisco CASA for five years, serving one term as co-chair of the board. Jay also serves as a trustee at the San Francisco Friends School and coach of numerous youth athletic teams.

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JESSICA COGAN
Director of Program Growth and Quality
Jessica Cogan grew up in the Midwest and Southern California where she attended UC San Diego and earned a degree in English Literature. Jessica moved to Maryland and completed a Master’s of English Literature at the University of Maryland; during her time there, she taught in the university’s Freshman Writing Program. After graduate school, Jessica returned to San Diego where she taught grammar, composition and literature at several area colleges and universities including Palomar Community College and UC San Diego. She also coached the women’s lacrosse team at the University of San Diego from 1998-2000 and ran San Diego’s women’s club lacrosse league. Jessica joined Towers Perrin as a communications consultant in 2000. Clients included leading technology, automotive, publishing and professional services firms. Jessica moved to New York City in 2002 and taught high school English in the Bronx for a year before rejoining Towers Perrin in New York City. In 2005, Jessica left Towers Perrin to work as a freelance writer full time serving clients all over the country. A year later, Jessica joined the founding team of Year Up’s New York City site first as a Business Communications instructor and then as the Director of Academics. Jessica joins Year Up’s first West Coast site as the Director of Program Growth and Quality, helping the site grow and serve young adults from across the Bay Area.

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marcus colina
IT Instructor
Marcus Colina joins the San Francisco staff after serving as an IT Instructor at Year Up NYC. He brings a wealth of knowledge about Year Up students, staff, and culture, and looks forward to building out the first Year Up San Francisco class. Prior to teaching at Year Up, Marcus worked as a corporate trainer at EnCana and New Horizons and held network administration positions for MAC Cosmetics and Sperry Van Ness. He holds a BA in Anthropology from Rollins College.

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Raphael Crawford-Marks
VISTA Program Associate
Raphael grew up in San Francisco, attending public schools and City College of San Francisco before transferring to Hampshire College in Massachusetts. He graduated with a BA in Cognitive Science and wrote his senior thesis on Artificial Intelligence. Raphael has worked a variety of jobs that reflect his diverse interests, including software engineer, circus performer, Spanish translator, and whitewater river guide. Before joining Year Up, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras, where he developed education and training programs for people living with HIV.

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Michael Harris
Business Communications Instructor
Michael (Mike) Harris was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. He completed his undergraduate degree in Humanities at the University of Johannesburg. In 2000, he accepted a teaching position at a government high school in his home town and simultaneously began studying toward his Post Graduate Certificate in Education at the University of South Africa. In 2003, Mike applied for and was accepted into the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. He lived in southern Japan and taught English as an Assistant Language Teacher for three years. While in Japan, Mike met his now wife and upon returning to South Africa to begin the process of applying for his Green Card, he worked at a remedial High School in Johannesburg teaching English, Economic Management Sciences, and Travel and Tourism. Mike has lived in San Francisco since July 2008 and is also currently working as an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor at a private language school. Mike joins Year Up San Francisco Bay Area as a part-time Business Communications instructor. He is grateful to play a role in the development of Year Up's participants and sees this opportunity as a gateway to a career of mentoring and instruction in a fruitful environment.

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Daniel Hayes
Special Projects Associate
Daniel joins Year Up from Thomas Weisel Partners where he worked in several departments. Most recently he was a member of the Special Situations Trading group. Prior to that he was an associate in the firm's equity research division, focusing on specialty and consumer finance. Daniel earned a B.A. in Economics and Spanish from Bowdoin College.

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TREVOR HOOPER
Outreach and Admissions Specialist
A long time resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, Trevor Hooper grew up in Mountain View, CA and attended Mountain View High School, where he was awarded a football scholarship to Stanford University. While at Stanford, Trevor was a four-year starter and Team Captain for the Cardinal and wrote a column for the Palo Alto Daily during his senior year. Trevor graduated in 2006 with a B.A. in Urban Studies with a focus in Community Organization. His interests and experience serve him well at Year Up as he plays a vital role in outreach, admissions, internships, and operations at the San Francisco site. He strongly believes in both the mission of the organization and in the talents of urban young adults.

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Tameko Jones
Manager of Student Services
Tameko was born and raised in San Francisco and has a wealth of professional knowledge providing academic, career and personal counseling for students of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Tameko received her B.A. in Psychology from California State University Hayward and her M.S. in Social Work from San Jose State University. She is a dedicated Social Worker with a strong commitment to providing comprehensive therapeutic, academic and supportive services to young adults. Tameko began her career as an educational advocate nearly twenty years ago when she worked as a peer advisor for the Equal Opportunity Programs and Services Department for City College of San Francisco. In 2003, Tameko implemented a mental health and academic support program for "at risk" students while employed for the City of Berkeley School Based Services Program. While in this role, Tameko provided clinical supervision for Master's level social work interns and case managers. Tameko also worked for the San Francisco City and County Human Services Agency where she assisted foster youth in addressing mental health and academic needs. Tameko is thrilled about the opportunity work with Year Up students and staff.

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Lori Quinn
Development Manager
Lori is a fifth generation Northern Californian, born in San Francisco and raised on the Peninsula. After working for two years as a corporate litigation paralegal at Latham & Watkins LLP, Lori decided to return to non-profit work and pursue a career where her work could have an impact on the communities in the Bay Area. She brings over 12 years of fundraising experience to the organization having worked at diverse non-profits such as the VNA and Hospice Foundation, the San Francisco Zoological Society, San Francisco Parks Trust and now Year Up San Francisco Bay Area. Lori earned a B.A. in Art History from Lake Forest College in Illinois and has a paralegal certificate from San Francisco State University.

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Sahaar Rezaie
Internship and Alumni Services Manager
Born in Berkeley, California Sahaar grew up in the East Bay. In 2004, she received her B.A. in Global and International Studies from UC Santa Barbara. Sahaar brings to Year Up five years of experience in strategic account management and new business development. After college, Sahaar moved back to the Bay Area and launched her professional career as an Account Executive for CBS Television. While working for CBS, Sahaar managed and produced countless Bay Area television and online marketing campaigns. Prior to joining Year Up, Sahaar worked as the Northern California Client Development Manager for Spot Runner Ad Agency. While working for Spot Runner, Sahaar successfully negotiated and helped launch their first ever political and multi-lingual television advertising campaign. Sahaar began her time with Year Up as a guest lecturer and a volunteer. She looks forward to supporting young urban adults in reaching their full potential.

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Phil Robinson
Site Leader
Phil Robinson graduated from Occidental College in 2007 where he majored in Gender Studies and Critical Theory Social Justice. While working as a faculty assistant in Oxy's American Studies department Phil helped develop media literacy curricula which is currently offered at USC, UCLA and Occidental College along with a reading list which focused on the critical theory scripts embedded in the comedy of Aaron McGruder's "Boondocks" and the work of Dave Chappelle. While at Oxy Phil also participated in the recovery of a nineteenth century civil rights group from Baltimore called "The Brotherhood of Liberty." This group of pastors, lay women and lay men leveled what is considered to be the first legal assault on institutional racism in America almost a century before the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's took up law in that struggle. Phil has also been active in education reform facilitating an exchange between the Bay Area's Marin Academy and Paul Robeson High School in Chicago. In addition Phil has facilitated for the National Association of Independent School's annual Peoples of Color Conference.

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Johnetta Stevens
Director of Development
Johnetta Stevens comes to Year Up with over two decades of development experience in leadership positions primarily in higher education: the University of Illinois, University of Chicago, San Jose State University and Stanford University. Prior to joining the Year Up Bay Area team she held the position of Chief Development Officer at Planned Parenthood Golden Gate. Johnetta has a Master’s Degree in Public Service Administration from DePaul University.

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Sherry Suisman
Business Writing and Communications Instructor
Sherry Suisman brings to Year Up a decade's worth of experience teaching writing and reading at San Francisco State University (SFSU), with a focus on working with under-prepared students in courses that integrate reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. She has also taught ESL classes to working adults on several campuses and has worked as a tutor and a faculty coordinator at SFSU's Learning Assistance Center, a skills-based multi-disciplinary campus tutoring center, helping train and support tutors and working with students in need. As a long-time volunteer mentor in the I Have a Dream San Francisco program and a former teacher with The Princeton Review, Sherry has additional experience helping younger students move toward their goals of high school graduation and higher education. Prior to working in the field of education, Sherry worked for several non-profit organizations, including the National Abortion Federation in Washington, D.C., and served as the San Francisco Logistics Director for California AIDS Ride from 1994 to 1996. Sherry earned an M.A. in English (with a concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and certificates in Teaching Composition and Post-Secondary Reading at San Francisco State University and holds a B.A. in English Literature from Washington University.

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"Year Up provides young adults with the skills to succeed in business and the confidence to succeed at life."

Steve Ellis
Executive Vice President, Wells Fargo
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