Because Keeping Oakland Beautiful is Everyone's Business
Keep Oakland Beautiful is run and managed by a board of volunteers who contribute their time and expertise to keeping Oakland beautiful. Keep Oakland Beautiful is also a Keep America Beautiful (KAB) affiliate and is part of the KAB President's Circle 2018, 2019 and 2020.

​Meet our Board of Directors​

Camyle Allen
Camyle has served as the Board Chair since 2021.​
Camyle is an environmental consultant who brings her passion and advocacy for environmental sustainability to the KOB board. She has a Masters degree in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School and a Bachelors degree in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan. Camyle has volunteered throughout Oakland with various organizations that focus on applying the core concepts of environmental sustainability to community revitalization projects, community development, education, public health etc. She hails from Michigan and moved to California in 2017; currently, she lives in Oakland where she can be found enjoying the many bars and restaurants the area has to offer or hiking with her Shiloh Shepherd.

Debbie Lei
Debbie serves as the 2022 Board Vice Chair.
Debbie is a health insurance analyst with a passion for sustainability. Debbie strives to make health insurance more transparent and equitable and carries those values to the KOB board – an Oakland community that is safe, equitable, and beautiful for all. She has contributed to cleanup efforts around her block but is excited to further her impact and reach with the KOB organization. Debbie went to UC Berkeley and has a Masters in Health Informatics and Analytics from George Washington University. She has been living in Oakland since 2018 and spends many weekends around Lake Merritt. Prior to moving back to the Bay, she spent five years in Washington D.C. working in healthcare policy. She enjoys biking, baking, hiking, nurturing her house plants, and spending time with her Vive Church community.

​Adriana Lewis
Adriana has served as the Board Secretary since 2021.
Adriana is a Bay Area property manager who initiated her career in real estate in 2016. Before joining the industry, she took advantage of developing her skills and professional experience by accumulating over 8 years of work in customer service and volunteerism while also being a full-time student. Adriana has earned a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California – Berkeley, a California Real Estate Broker License, and a California Certified Residential Manager (CCRM) certification from CAA University. Throughout her career, Adriana has made community safety, environmental awareness, and curb appeal a top priority. She has lived in Oakland with her husband for 5 years and hopes her contribution to the Keep Oakland Beautiful mission will assist in her efforts of helping the community feel a strong sense of comfort, safety and security.

Katie Boyer
Katie serves as the 2022 Board Treasurer.
Katie is an East Bay native who has lived near Lake Merritt in Oakland since 2011. She studied journalism and Spanish in college and has volunteered for a wide variety of organizations like the Red Cross and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Her favorite volunteer experience was with Mundo Ceiba in Oaxaca, Mexico where she helped with environmental education, planting trees, and community bike rides. Now Katie works in marketing and hopes to use her communication and project management skills to support the mission of KOB and give back to the community. In her spare time she can be found reading, baking, or enjoying the outdoors and hiking with her boyfriend and two dogs.

Aby Castro
Aby grew up in San Francisco and remembers running all over the Bay Area for cross country meets. After high school she moved east for college, then law school and eventually ended up living on the East Coast for a total of 12 years. Aby decided to return to the Bay Area for good and settled in Oakland in 2015. She enjoys early morning runs around Lake Merritt, hikes in Redwood Regional and strolling Oakland’s various farmers markets.  Aby has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from Columbia Law School.

Christina Porter
​Christina is an Oakland native and a super proud product of our public schools. Her passion for keeping Oakland beautiful frequently translates into working hard to maintain her yard and garden as well as the Adopt-A-Spot median she manages in Oakland's first historic district on 10th Avenue. A Silicon Valley engineer turned Customer Success leader, she's worked in the high tech industry since before the internet. You may see Christina and her husband walking the city in preparation for their 500-mile trek across Europe.

Diane Palmer
Diane is an Atlanta native and newer resident of Oakland, officially joining the Oakland community in 2021. As a resident of the Bay Area for more than 6 years, Diane was like many who came before her: seeking new adventures and wanting to experience the wonders of California. She fell in love with the Bay Area, and a desire grew to give back in a meaningful way to the people and the environment around her. Diane brings 15+ years of professional experience with fast growing tech companies and has specializations in operations, project management, and leading teams in complex, matrixed environments. Diane lives in West Oakland with her partner Brian and their fur baby Leo, a chihuahua rescue and pandemic puppy. During her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and listening to music.
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Erin Pressman
Erin originally hails from Southern California, but after living in the Bay Area since 2008, she calls NorCal home. Erin is excited to combine her experience fundraising, grant writing, and marketing with her passion for a cleaner, more beautiful Oakland. A lawyer by training, Erin works for the University of California, Office of the President. In her free time, Erin enjoys exploring the East Bay Regional Park system and Oakland’s dog-friendly beer gardens with her fiancé and two rescue dogs, Valentine and Stella.

FranCine Gadsden
A native of Brooklyn, NY, FranCine relocated to Northern California to work for the San Francisco based fashion designer Jessica McClintock/Gunne Sax before starting her own children’s line FranCine’s Fashions 4 Children, which was a way for children to take pride in their heritage while making a fashion statement. She designed the collection by using Asian, African, Latino and American Indian inspired prints.  The collection was featured and sold in Northern Californian Nordstrom and Macy’s stores during Black History Month and nationwide in several children specialty stores year round. FranCine is now focused on a new business, Sticks and Stones, a collection of wearable words and thought provoking images printed on tees and sweatshirts allowing both the wearer and the viewer to be empowered.  Over the last few years Sticks and Stones Tees & More has grown its collection of wearable art expanding to light housewares, party accessories, tote bags, and stationary,  her collection is gaining traction on the “socio-fashion” scene day by day.

​Grant Chen​
Grant was born and raised in San Francisco and has been living in Oakland since 2017. He currently works in health insurance as an actuarial analyst and previously was a high school math teacher in New York City.  He has also helped develop waste reduction curriculum for Alameda County. He currently lives in the Hoover Foster neighborhood of West Oakland and serves as the secretary for the Hoover Foster Resident Action Council.  He lives with his husband Benedict and tiny, senior chihuahua Mambo. He enjoys cooking, gardening, woodworking, and running. ​

Matthew Iden
​Matthew was born in Southern California and moved to Colorado and Tennessee with his family. He moved to the Bay Area to work at Apple Inc. in 2016 and now calls this beautiful place home. He currently lives in the Ralph Bunche neighborhood of West Oakland. As a part of the Ice House Community, he serves on the Social Committee where he plans and organizes community events. He and his husband V.J. have two small chihuahuas and enjoy cooking, baking, hosting dinner parties, caring for house plants, and biking.

Palak Kamdar
​Palak is originally from the Bay Area and has been proud to call Oakland home for the past 5 years. Palak brings over 10+ years of professional experience as a structural engineer, working on a range of projects from clean energy builds to marine structures. She is excited to join the board of KOB to help keep Oakland streets clean, beautiful, and blooming. In her free time, Palak spends her time with her husband, Neil, and two small children, exploring Oakland and our beautiful natural world. 

Ricquel Lewis Jackson
Ricquel is an Oakland native who moved out of state for school, graduated, got married, had a baby and returned to her Oakland roots. She has spent most of her career working in health communications, using storytelling to educate others on healthy behaviors that increase longevity. She has great childhood memories of hiking the many trails and creeks in Oakland and spending her summers at Dimond Park. She currently resides in East Oakland with her husband and daughter. In her spare time, she enjoys fellowshipping with friends and family, reading, traveling and visiting Oakland parks with her mini-me.  ​

Sakiya Gallon
​Sakiya is a proud Philly native with deep roots in the Bay Area. She relocated from Philadelphia to California in July for a new career opportunity and currently resides in West Oakland. Sakiya currently serves as a University academic counselor; before  relocating to California she was a proud member of The Holly Street Neighbors community garden in West Philadelphia. Sakiya is passionate about education, community engagement, environmental justice, growing and caring for plants and maintaining the beauty of Mother Earth.

Sarah LaRock
With a long-standing passion for resource recovery, Sarah joins KOB offering her expertise in fundraising, outreach and education, program development, and civic engagement. Sarah is driven to fight pollution by making waste diversion practices such as recycling and composting accessible to everyone and by leading a team of educators who work to inspire participation in these closed loop circular economies. While she appreciates all aspects of her work, Ms. LaRock most values building relationships with individuals and communities to make a positive impact on our shared environment.

Keep Oakland Beautiful 2021–2022 Interns

Mary Lee
Mary Lee is a senior at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland. She is very passionate about the environment and is the founder of ImpactZ, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating youth and community members about environmental injustice through educational sessions and volunteer initiatives. Through her organization, she has led countless activities on eco-friendly habits, creek & beach restoration, and hosting donation drives. Mary also works in the City of Oakland Mayor's Office within the Community Engagement department to work with the city on public policy, youth engagement, and the environment. She is very excited to serve as an intern and contribute to making Oakland beautiful

Ava Stern
​Ava is currently a junior at Oakland Technical High School. She is passionate about combating climate change and helping Oakland's local environment. Ava has experience in environmental activism as a member of 350 Bay Area's Mobilizing Team. Additionally, she is a leader of a restorative ecology club at her school and volunteers to take care of trees throughout Oakland. Ava is excited to intern at KOB to make a direct environmental impact in Oakland.

Header Photo credit: Leonard Van Boven