Board of Directors
Bio coming soon!
Michael, for the past 28 years, has been a mediator for Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services ("JAMS"), the world's largest provider of alternative dispute resolution services. He is one of the Founders of JAMS. Prior to his work as a mediator, Michael was a trial attorney for 12 years at Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, based in the firm's San Francisco office. Michael holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Miami, and a JD from Hastings College of the Law (Univ. of California, SF Law).
Michael's primary sports back in the day were baseball and basketball but he was introduced into the world of soccer when his two kids, Madison and Max, started playing soccer for the Rockridge Soccer Club and later for the Bay Oaks Soccer Club. Both Madison and Max played for Bay Oaks from U-10 through their high school years, with Max joining the DeAnza Academy as a U-18. Max went on to play for Santa Clara University, and then professionally for the Portland Timbers 2, and for the last 2 years, the Oakland Roots.
Curiously, while never having played soccer whatsoever, Michael ended up coaching various boys and girls soccer teams for Bay Oaks for 16 years, primarily as an assistant or co-coach. He coached the younger brother of OGSC co-founder Cody Pillon, as well as one of OGSC's coaches, Dylan Autran. Both Cody's brother and Dylan knew more about soccer as U-10s than their coach. He also was a licensed soccer referee for 16 years. Michael served on the Bay Oaks Board of Directors, and also served a term as the President of Bay Oaks.
As an Oakland resident for 37 years, and having had a long-term relationship with the East Bay soccer community, Michael is aware of the diverse nature of the community and some of the challenges that families face in navigating participation in youth soccer. After hearing what Cody and Matt were doing with OGSC, Michael was eager to get involved in an organization that is filling a major void in youth soccer. Lifting barriers to play competitive soccer, while providing life, soccer and scholastic training is a cause Michael wholly embraces and is anxious to assist.
Clement ‘Nana’ Attakora is currently a Professional Soccer player with Oakland Roots SC. He is a 15 year veteran of professional soccer and has played in leagues across North America, including MLS, NASL, USL and NISA. He has a long history of living and playing in the Bay Area with the San Jose Earthquakes, San Francisco Deltas and in his current home with the Oakland Roots. He also sits on the Board Of Directors for the United Soccer League Players Association (USLPA) where he serves as the Director Of Career Development, a role where he is trusted to develop pathways and opportunities for players throughout the league both during and after their careers.
Nana was born in Toronto, Canada, one of the most multicultural cities in the world. He was raised in an area that is predominantly African American and oftentimes overlooked when it comes to allocating resources for supporting youth. Nana is excited about helping to bring increased opportunity to the Oakland communities that remind him of the neighborhood that shaped the man he is today.
Nana is passionate about OGSC because he sees himself in the youth the program aims to empower. Knowing how difficult it is for large parts of today's youth to access competitive soccer programs, Nana believes that a program like OGSC, which combines access to competitive soccer with free transportation, academic support, and college counseling, can make a big impact in the lives of youth from Oakland’s underserved communities.
Rodriguez’s involvement in the game of soccer is deep. He represented his country, Peru, in the first Youth World Cup in Argentina in 1981. He played under the Peruvian National Development Youth program, CEDENA, until he came to the United States in 1987 when he decided to focus his career on coaching and the development of talented youth. He earned his USSF “A” license in 1998, the NSCAA “Premier License” in 2003, and the USYSA Youth National License shortly after. Internationally, he has earned the CBF “B” license from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the “Director Tecnico” license from the Peruvian Football Federation. He also holds a Masters of Science in Kinesiology and Sport Science from California State University East Bay.
Ramiro Rodriguez now begins his eighteenth season with Cal North and USSF Coaching Education as a State Olympic Development coach and as a State Coaching Instructor respectively. Rodriguez has been involved with the State ODP Olympic Development Program since 2001 helping both the boys’ and girls’ side. As the boys’ head coach of the 1990, 1994, 2003 and 2005 age groups, he has been crowned Regional Champions in 2009, 2010, 2016 and 2019 respectively. He has coached at the club soccer level for over 20 years with multiple clubs in the Bay Area and he has been a mentor to youth throughout his career, always encouraging involvement in the community, academic engagement and college education.
As an Oakland Unified School District educator and professional coach I have noticed the lack of participation from our underprivileged youth within the main US soccer stream. Private soccer clubs are too expensive for our Oakland families and the “pay to play” system doesn’t help young athletes have the chance to train and develop with highly qualified coaches. When I met Cody and Matt and they explained the OGSC mission, it totally got my attention. To have the chance to be a part of something totally new with core family values and educational support, it only reminds me of how much help we can provide throughout sports to keep our communities engaged in a positive way.
Tim is currently a Growth Equity Investor with TPG Global. In his role at TPG, Tim works with innovative management teams at early-stage internet and digital media businesses to help unlock their next stage of growth. Prior to TPG, he worked in New York with PJT Partners. Tim has an M. Phil. in Latin American Studies from the University of Cambridge and a B.S. in Commerce and Spanish from UVA. His current non-profit board service includes the McIntire Young Alumni Committee, America SCORES Bay Area Leadership Council, and the Highwind Impact Fund. When he’s not out for a run or trying to get through the NYT crossword, Tim can be found in search of the Bay area’s best diner.
Tim’s passion for OGSC stems from a lifelong love for soccer and excitement about the crossover between sport and youth development. Growing up playing and coaching soccer, Tim made his first foray into the “business world” with a coaching and tutoring company – Sportsitters – he started in high school. At the University of Virginia, Tim led student volunteers coaching in local athletics programs, reaching over 1,500 youth in the Charlottesville community. Originally from the East Coast, Tim worked with organizations such as South Bronx United and America SCORES NYC to help increase access to soccer and academic coaching in New York City. Over the course of a single practice, a season, or multiple years, seeing young soccer players grow as teammates, student athletes, and people is what motivates Tim to work with OGSC to break down barriers to access to this opportunity in Oakland.
Mario Holten is the Vice President of Social Impact for Wells Fargo based out of Los Angeles, California. He helps oversee the companies philanthropical efforts as well as the community relations/public affairs duties as well. He was honored by The City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles NAACP for his work in the community, and has partnered up with many of the community organizations in Los Angeles, Watts, Compton, Orange County and Long Beach to help serve LMI communities and ensure that underserved communities have access to the resources that they need.
In his previous role with Wells Fargo he was a Senior Growth and Strategy Consultant, and his job was to work with the District Managers and the Regional Bank Presidents in a consultant capacity to help them maximize the efficiency of the territories that they were responsible for.
Mario is originally from Oakland, California and holds a degree in Economics from San Diego State University as well as a master’s degree in business administration from Ashford University.
Bob is a Co-Founder and Director of Shoreline Venture Management and a General Partner in all Shoreline Venture Partner Funds. He formerly held senior executive marketing positions at General Mills, The Clorox Company and The RAM Group, a consumer products consulting firm. Bob has been on numerous boards and has served as acting CEO for two Shoreline portfolio companies. He holds an AB from Stanford and MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth.Bob allocates time for not-for-profits and squeezes in travel and an occasional round of golf when time permits.
Hailai is a first generation Afghan-American from Alameda, California. She grew up playing with local recreational teams then made her transition to the ECNL league and finally reached the collegiate level. Hailai’s drive for success and relentless pursuit of growth allowed her to earn a scholarship from one of the best soccer programs in the country while also pursuing a Marketing and Entrepreneurship degree from Santa Clara University. Alongside captaining the Santa Clara Women’s soccer team, Hailai was also a member of the Afghanistan National Team, helping build the foundation for future generations of Afghan girls.
Hailai then made her life-long dream of playing professional soccer internationally into a reality, becoming the first Afghan Woman to play in both Italy’s Seria A and Germany’s Bundesliga. After retiring last year, Hailai has pivoted her career and is now working at Nike HQ.
Through her journey, Hailai has experienced the various systems that players have to go through to play the sport they love, from the lowest levels to the highest. This experience is intersectional as a person growing up in a minority community, as a young girl, and as a Bay Area native. She is a product of incredible culture that has molded her passion to create impact within the sports world.
Soccer has shaped her into who she is today. It has taught her what leadership is and the impact it can have on people beyond the sport world. Sport is one of the most incredible mediums to impact and enact change. Once an athlete, always an athlete. Despite not playing anymore, Hailai seeks to be a part of organizations that strive to get the youth involved with the sport of soccer. Her personal values align deeply with the OGSC mission, especially the holistic approach with coaching young players from home, to school, and the pitch. The ability to serve the community that raised her and to work with the younger versions of herself is an opportunity and responsibility she is eternally grateful for.
Dan Chamberlain is currently the Director of Competitions and Club Services for NorCal Premier Soccer, the governing body of youth soccer in Northern California. Prior to NorCal, Dan was the General Manager at COPA Soccer Training Facility, the Executive Director at San Ramon FC, and the Director of Youth Soccer Operations for the San Jose Earthquakes. Spending the last 20 in soccer at every level, from youth to professional, Dan brings extensive knowledge of the youth sports landscape as well as hands on operational experience running youth sports organizations and businesses.
As a youth coach and leader for his entire career, Dan has seen first hand the power of sport and its ability to change the world. As a soccer leader in Northern California, Dan has sought out opportunities to change the game and give back to a community that has provided him with so much. He was drawn to Oakland Genesis, an organization that seeks to demonstrate a new model for youth sports so that he may contribute to the mission of using sport as a tool to empower, educate and inspire our leaders of tomorrow.
Kady has spent the last 18 years as a coach, business executive, professional athlete, and entrepreneur. She is an Account Director for software company Juniper Square, and founder of Overtime Coaching (pro-athlete transition support.) Kady is a well-known expert in Silicon Valley for go-to-market strategy and launching sales teams for early stage tech companies. She previously was the first sales hire and built the sales team for Motive (now a $3Bn company) and helped to lead sales efforts for ZenDrive.
Prior to her career in tech, Kady was a professional tennis player- winning 4 doubles titles and being ranked top 450 in the world. She graduated from Arizona State University with a double major in Marketing and Management, where she brought the school their first individual tennis national championship title. Kady states she wouldn't be where she is today or the person she is without athletics. The discipline, life lessons, and people she has met has put her in position to be the first college graduate in her family history on both sides, and a driven, succesful businesswoman. This is why the OGSC mission resonates with her. As an Oakland resident and mother, she deeply believes that every child should have the opportunity to play sports, have access to educational assistance, and be granted the same life lessons and experiences as their peers, no matter their zipcode.
Dave was born and raised in the East Bay, playing youth soccer in Oakland before taking his talents to UC Berkeley and Saint Mary’s College where he played on the varsity teams. In 2011, Dave founded Project Vega, a 501(c)(3) organization that established the first free-to-play competitive soccer club in San Francisco. Project Vega went on to serve over 750 youth with a combined soccer, vocabulary enrichment, conflict resolution, and healthy habits curriculum.
Dave is passionate about the Oakland Genesis mission and is excited to tackle some of the same barriers to access that he began removing with Project Vega. He is especially excited about the academic program having seen the literacy benefits of combining soccer and academics from his time with Project Vega. Dave is an incredibly important source of advice and counsel for Oakland Genesis, also bringing experience from his role on the Bay Area Development Council for the US Soccer Federation.
Sarah Wachs brings two decades of non-profit fundraising, communications and advocacy experience to Oakland Genesis. An educator by training and lifelong athlete, Sarah has seen the power of learning and sports to transform communities and help young people fulfill their potential as leaders. Sarah joins the board with a shared passion for removing the “pay-to-play” barriers in youth sports, while ensuring that all children, regardless of race or socio-economic status, have access to academic support systems.
She is honored to join the Oakland Genesis Board to work with change makers to dismantle systems of inequity and oppression. She finds joy personally and professionally in facilitating meaning in people’s lives and looks forward to supporting Oakland Genesis in their fundraising efforts.
Michael is a retired CPA who has lived and worked in the Bay Area since 1988. He graduated with a BA (Hons) in Business Administration from the University of the West of England in the UK in 1986. In addition to a variety of positions in the Bay Area, he was the volunteer Controller at the Bay Oaks Soccer Club for two years. Both of his children, Nik and Antonia, played competitive soccer locally with Nik going on to play at Santa Barbara City College, Gonzaga and the Oakland Roots.
Michael is a passionate believer that there shouldn’t be financial barriers to playing competitive soccer and wholeheartedly endorses the mission of Oakland Genesis.