OSF Staff
Dan Quigley, Executive Director
Dan Quigley has most recently been the Director of Charitable Contributions at PG&E, where since 1995 he managed the company’s charitable, volunteerism, and workplace-giving programs. Mr. Quigley has also done policy and program development at PG&E, as well as at the U.S Department of Energy and the International Energy Agency. As a member of the Teacher Corps for two years in the 1970s, he taught second grade in inner-city Louisville and earned an M.A. in Education from the University of Kentucky. He has a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University, and is both a native of Oakland and a graduate of the Oakland public school system.
Precious Stroud, Director of Operations and Development
Precious Stroud has served as a marketing strategist, project manager, and training facilitator to several Bay Area businesses and educational institutions. She began her career as a Grants Administrative Specialist with Chabot College of Hayward, California in the Las Positas Community College District. Following her tenure there, Ms. Stroud has made valuable contributions to both for-profit and not-for-profit educational institutions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area including Kaplan K-12 Learning Services and the Art Institute of California. Ms. Stroud is a proven student advocate who holds a B.S. in Business Administration from California State University, East Bay.
Julie Besaha, Director of Finance and Administration
Julie Besaha comes to OSF with ten years of professional and volunteer experience in nonprofit management in the Washington DC area. Her diverse background includes fiscal management, fund development, human resource management/recruiting, quality assurance, information technology integration, contract negotiations/management, conflict resolution/mediation, training workshop facilitation, board/volunteer management, program development/administration, and communications planning/media strategy. Additionally, Ms. Besaha gained valuable professional experience in the corporate sector, not the least of which was the deep understanding that her true calling is in service to the greater good.
Cathy Barragan, Marketing Coordinator
Cathy Barragan’s commitment to art and education began in college while working with Barrios Unidos, an after school program. After graduating, she worked for the Pinnacle Newspaper in Hollister, California as an Art Director. Prior to joining OSF, Ms. Barragan was the Graphic Designer for Crisis Clinic, a non-profit organization in Seattle. Outside of work, Ms. Barragan enjoys volunteering. Her experiences include serving as Treasurer to the Board of a non-profit housing cooperative in Seattle, tutoring children in an orphanage in Mexico, and building artist residences in Southern Italy. As the first to graduate college in her family, she received a B.A. in Art and a minor in Education from UC Santa Cruz.
Eva Flores, School Campaigns Coordinator
Eva Flores comes to OSF with a passion for education and parent and youth services. During her more than 10 years of customer service experience, Ms. Flores has worked in the County of San Diego’s Assessor’s Office and for a prestigious Executive Search and Labor Relations consulting firm. Her passion for education stems from her experience volunteering as a literacy mentor for elementary-school students in San Diego, her hometown. Ms. Flores earned her Associate of Art degree with Honors in Sociology from Southwestern College and her Bachelor of Art in Communication from the University of California, San Diego. She is currently a Master of Science candidate in Mass Communications at San Jose State University, and will be the first person in her family to receive a graduate degree.
Joanna Kaplan Rasheed, Grants and Program Coordinator
As a native of Oakland, Joanna Kaplan Rasheed has a long history with Oakland public schools – as a student and later as a teacher in the district. Ms. Kaplan Rasheed has worked in journalism, in publishing as a children’s literary agent, and in the non-profit world, serving as a researcher, writer, and editor. She began writing grants for the Institute for Teaching, a non-profit arm of the California Teacher’s Association, helping to fund the planning stages of a state-wide high school reform movement. Since then she has worked with several Bay Area non-profit organizations, raising close to $2 million over the past few years for children and youth, schools, and healthcare programs for underserved families. Ms. Kaplan Rasheed earned her Bachelors degree at San Francisco State University.
Natasha Tractenberg, Finance and Administration Associate
Natasha Tractenberg is in the "4+1 track" program at Mills College, recently receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics with a minor in Psychology. Ms. Tractenberg will earn her Master of Business Administration in January 2011. Ms. Tractenberg offers OSF a well-rounded scope of administrative competencies with an extensive background in bookkeeping and accounting.
Amber Valdez, School Resources Coordinator
Amber Valdez comes to OSF with a commitment to social justice and extensive volunteer and work experience in the non-profit sector. Ms. Valdez has worked with numerous non-profit organizations, including the Women of Color Resource Center in Oakland, Medical Students for Choice, WEAVE, and BRAVE People. She has served as a board member and political action committee member, and has worked in finance, administration, program coordination, and community organizing. Ms. Valdez is the first person in her family to graduate from college. She earned three Associate degrees in Women's Studies, Social Science, and Liberal Arts from Sierra College before earning her B.A. in Women's Studies with a minor in Ethnic Studies from Mills College.
Benj Vardigan, Communications Coordinator
A former managing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, Benj Vardigan has been freelancing for Oakland schools and media organizations since 2005. Mr. Vardigan has written investigative pieces on health topics from hypochondria to the effects of illiteracy on health care. In 2001, the northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists named him an Outstanding Young Journalist for his series on the hazards of ephedra supplements. Mr. Vardigan is also a published poet. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor – his hometown.