Our People
Oakland Voices is powered by people who live, work, and learn in Oakland. Most of our journalism is produced by graduates of the Community Journalism Academy and other community contributors, working with editorial support from Oakland Voices.
Oakland Voices currently has one permanent staff member and is supported by Maynard Institute personnel, seasonal interns, and a network of alumni and contributors.
CONTRIBUTORS AND ACTIVE ALUMNI
These alumni and community contributors reported, photographed, produced or hosted work with Oakland Voices during 2026. Participation varies by project; inclusion here does not necessarily indicate employment.
Amelah El-Amin
Community
Deep East Oakland
Ayodele Nzinga
Arts & Culture
Poet Laureate, Oakland
Bill Joyce
Community
Dera R. Williams
Community
Author and Storyteller
Howard Dyckoff
Community
Photojournalist
Joy Quilatan
Arts & Culture + Resilience
Katharine Davies Samway
Community
Kristal Raheem
Community + Resilience
Health Journalist
Kwajo Opoku Ware
Community
Founder, The Black Male Journal
Saleem Gilmore
Democracy
Host, Real Talk About the Town
Sara Rowley
Arts & Culture
San Antonio
Oakland Voices
Rasheed Shabazz
Director
Oakland Voices
Maynard Institute Staff
As Oakland Voices’ nonprofit home, the Maynard Institute provides organizational leadership, financial administration, and operational support.
Evelyn Hsu
Co-Director, Maynard Institute
Programming and Operations
Martin Reynolds
Co-Director, Maynard Institute & Oakland Voices Founder
External Affairs and Revenue
Alida Birnam
Operations Manager, Maynard Institute
2026 Interns
These journalists joined Oakland Voices through summer 2026 internship and fellowship programs.
Aryan Mahyavanshi
Audience Intelligence
Global Internships, UC Berkeley
Ashley Dong
Audience Reporter
Dow Jones News Fund, Northwestern University
Bella Liu
Business Reporter
Dow Jones News Fund, UC Berkeley
Saida Nor
Investigative Journalist
Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting
Sathya Chaib
Digital Reporter
Dow Jones News Fund, Cal State Fullerton
Former Oakland Voices Staff
- Momo Chang: From 2019 to 2024, journalist and editor Momo Chang served as Alumni Coordinator and later Co-Director of Oakland Voices. She led the program’s alumni in their ongoing community reporting.
- Brenda Payton: Veteran journalist and longtime Oakland Tribune columnist Brenda Payton retired as Oakland Voices coordinator in 2019.
- Christopher Johnson served as the inaugural Oakland Voices coordinator.
- Kat Ferreira: As Marketing and Communications Director for the Maynard Institute, Oakland Voices alumnae Kat Ferreira led the rebranding and redesign of the Voices website.
Past Interns and Fellows
- Emewodesh Eshete interned as the Summer 2025 Audience Engagement Reporter.
- Ayah Ali-Ahmad interned as the Summer 2025 Business Reporter.
- Andrea Martinez interned as the Summer 2025 Community Engagement Coordinator.
Last updated August 15, 2026.