TransForm Staff Biographies

Ana Lua helps keep TransForm running by working behind the scenes in her role as administrative assistant.  Prior to TransForm she worked for environmental and advocacy nonprofits in the Bay Area and her native Massachusetts.  Ana Lua also has a passion for youth organizing and empowerment. Her favorite mode of transportation is her own two feet, and she loves living car-free.  You can find her exploring the Bay’s amazing arts and organizing scenes, hiking, and enjoying time with friends and family.

Camille supports the GreenTRIP program and as part of the Great Communities Collaborative runs site campaigns in eastern Contra Costa County to ensure equitable and sustainable development occurs around stations for the proposed eBART line. As an undergraduate, she interned at the non-profit EAH Housing, where her values of social equity intersected with her studies in planning. She received her B.A. in Urban Studies from the University of California at Berkeley. Inspired by her time volunteering in London for a summer, she is excited that her work at TransForm promotes more walkable, transit-rich communities in the Bay Area.

Jeff Hobson is Deputy Director for TransForm. By combining high-quality policy analysis with coalition building and strategic media efforts, TransForm has become a powerful voice for world class transit and walkable communities in the Bay Area and beyond. TransForm's campaigns have helped to raise over $6 billion for sustainable and socially-just transportation and to establish ground-breaking policies linking transportation and land use planning. Jeff leads TransForm's work at the regional and local scales. He has been involved in three previous Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs). He is now leading efforts to influence the current RTP and the region's Sustainable Communities Strategy called for by SB 375, California's ground-breaking climate change law. Jeff helped found and coordinated the Great Communities Collaborative, which brings together a wide variety of stakeholders to help communities plan for neighborhoods near transit. Jeff also helped shape and win voter approval of transportation funding measures in several Bay Area counties, led efforts to win transportation solutions for low-income residents, and authored seven TransForm reports, including the Access Now! guide to transportation decision-making. Before joining TransForm in 1998, Jeff worked on environmental justice and energy efficiency in the private, government, and non-profit sectors. He holds a Master's degree from the Energy and Resources Group at U.C. Berkeley and a Bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard University. Jeff and his partner Kim Seashore enjoy raising two young children and learning to see streets through the eyes of a 10-year-old bicyclist.

Laura oversees all operations functions, including finance, human resources, IT, contracts and risk management. She has more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including a long tenure with the American Lung Association in California, where she served as both Chief Operating Officer and Acting CEO. She has experience building systems and infrastructure for growing and changing organizations, and brings a background in organizational, staff and board development. Laura lives in Belmont with her husband and daughter, where they enjoy the many trails and parks. She received a Bachelor’s degree in English and Master’s degrees in Public Health and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley.

Aiyana is a Site Coordinator for the Safe Routes to Schools program in San Leandro, Hayward and the Unincorporated Areas Alameda County. Most recently, Aiyana worked for the Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs' Activities League as the Program Coordinator for their youth leadership program, serving middle and high school aged urban youth. She is excited to continue her work in community organizing at TransForm. Aiyana was born and raised in Hayward, and loves to use public transportation to explore the wonders of the Bay Area.  She also traveled the world for six years as a flight attendant, visiting 23 countries on five continents.  She received her B.A. in Liberal Studies with a focus in Recreation from California State University Hayward.

Alissa serves as High School Coordinator for our Safe Routes to School program in Alameda County.  She brings a great deal of experience engaging young people in planning and policymaking locally, regionally, and nationally.  In 2006, Alissa co-founded the Young Planners Network – a national network of youth and adults engaged in urban planning.  During this time, she also worked with the Center for Cities & Schools at UC Berkeley, assisting with the development of the Y-PLAN (Youth – Plan, Learn, Act, Now!) curriculum.  After graduate school, Alissa spent several years with the California Center for Civic Participation, serving as technical assistance for youth engagement with the Kellogg Food & Fitness Initiative. Originally from New York City, Alissa has been a proud Oakland resident for the last five years.  She is excited to work for TransForm, in the heart of the city she loves so much.  In 2008, Alissa received her Masters of City Planning degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

Chris is engaging community and business leaders, elected officials, and the broader community in shaping the planning of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service in Santa Clara County, where he has lived for over 20 years. Chris is also helping to connect Santa Clara County stakeholders to regional, state, and federal campaigns for public transit funding, and he's working to ensure that Santa Clara County's portion of the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) meets environmental, equity, and public health objectives. Chris has worked on environmental and social justice issues for over a decade through his work as an instructor at De Anza College and San Jose State University (SJSU) and as a community organizer in the South Bay. Chris' previous work with TransForm includes coordinating a community-based input process for the Mayfair neighborhood in San Jose (see the report) and organizing the campaign to stop VTA's proposed fare increases in 2003. Chris also translated TransForm's Access Now! guide from English to Spanish. Chris received his BA in Environmental Studies with a minor in Latin American/Latino Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz and his Masters in Urban Planning at San Jose State University.

Marta oversees TransForm's overall communications, marketing, and media efforts. Prior to TransForm, Marta worked for several environmental organizations and in politics. She has a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in environmental science and policy from Drake University. When she's not at the Inner Sunset farmer's market discovering new vegetables, riding the N-Judah downtown, or running in Golden Gate Park, Marta can often be found at Point Reyes National Seashore where she is a wildlife docent with her husband.

Sara oversees human resources, office technology, accounting, and other general office management duties. She previously worked with TransForm's TravelChoice program as a canvasser and Program Associate. Shortly before becoming involved with TransForm, she relocated to the Bay Area from North Carolina where she received her B.A. in Sociology and Political Science at Guilford College. She is an avid bicycle rider and advocate, participating in many grassroots efforts to increase bicycle and pedestrian access within her various communities.

Shannon coordinates the Transportation For America campaign's partner organizations in California.  These partners (including TransForm) are working together to win federal transportation policy that actively supports a nation of world-class public transportation and neighborhoods that require less driving - all while keeping our current transportation infrastructure in great shape.  Shannon has worked for nearly a decade in California as a community organizer on issues ranging from forest protection to economic democracy.  She has also served in communications, development, and management roles at various organizations in the Bay Area and Humboldt County. Shannon has never owned a car and enjoys her quick bike commute from Lake Merritt to TransForm's downtown Oakland office.  She participates in people-powered transportation on land and sea as a hiker, cyclist, swimmer, and rower.  Shannon is originally from the northeast and holds a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.S. in Environmental Education from Lesley University.