Andrea Olvera is an Indigenous Latina based in Memphis, Tennessee. She is a national technical assistance provider and independent consultant with extensive experience strengthening youth homelessness response systems, Youth Action Board (YAB) development, and youth leadership infrastructure. Andrea has led the design and implementation of YABs, mentorship cohorts, coordinated entry supports, and stakeholder engagement initiatives across multiple communities nationwide.

Currently, Andrea serves as a Technical Assistance Provider for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Sagrado Strategies, while also working independently with communities to assess gaps, improve performance, and implement practical, data-informed solutions across homelessness systems. She is bilingual and known for her collaborative approach, program design expertise, and ability to translate lived experience into effective system-level strategies.

Expertise: Youth Engagement • Systems Improvement • Program Design • Lived Expertise Integration • Bilingual Facilitation • Equity-Centered Systems Change • Community Collaboration

Anastasia experienced homelessness after aging out of residential care in 2018. Today, she channels those experiences into advocacy and systems change to prevent youth and young adult homelessness.

As a member of the Reach Youth Action Board in Cleveland, she uses her lived expertise to identify gaps, improve access, and shape more responsive housing pathways for young people.

Expertise: Youth Homelessness • Systems Improvement • Direct Service • Continuous Quality Improvement • Youth Action Board Infrastructure and Sustainability

A former foster youth and single mother, Jakiah’s experience with homelessness inspired her mission to end it. As a Foster Care Youth Navigator at A Place 4 Me, she works directly with youth to strengthen housing pathways and system responsiveness.

She serves on Cleveland’s Reach Youth Action Board and advocates nationally for authentic youth collaboration in homelessness system reform.

Jakiah is very proud of her resilience and overcoming domestic violence while pregnant. She uses her experience to empower youth in whatever journeys they are going through.

Expertise: Youth Homelessness • Foster Care • Systems Improvement • Direct Service • Continuous Quality Improvement • Lived Expertise Leadership

Mimi is a dynamic and systems-minded professional with expertise leading growing organizations through creating sustainable, equitable, and scalable operations that translate values into practice. She flourishes in spaces where detail and purpose intersect and is energized by innovative solutions that build sustainable, thriving communities.

Throughout her career, Mimi has played a key role in strengthening internal processes, supporting funder relationships, and ensuring that community-centered initiatives are implemented with care, clarity, and accountability. She is particularly skilled at translating complex workflows into clear, efficient systems that help teams work better together and stay focused on impact.

Grounded in a deep commitment to community building, Mimi approaches her work with empathy, attention to detail, and a belief that strong operations are essential to advancing equitable and effective social change.

Expertise: Business Development • Scalable Operations & Systems Design • Digital Marketing • Organizational Infrastructure • Process Improvement • Strategic Planning • Intermediary Funding • Culturally Responsive Program Design • Trust-based Philanthropy • Grassroots Organizing

As a nationally recognized youth advocate and emerging systems leader, Sofie has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between marginalized communities and institutions of power. With a strong foundation in advocacy, community organizing, and public service, she spent three years working with the State of Oregon to develop and implement equitable, youth-centered programs through innovative legislative pilot efforts. Her leadership and expertise have been showcased on national stages, where she has served as a lead speaker and trainer, equipping service providers with trauma-informed and empowering leadership strategies. Driven by a deep commitment to community upliftment, she also founded Stitch Closet, a nonprofit organization that expands access to essential resources for underserved youth and families. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of Western Oregon University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a minor in Organizational Leadership, Sofie continues to inspire systems change through courage, compassion, and a relentless dedication to youth empowerment.

Sofie brings experience in youth engagement, recruitment, and coalition building through her work with the State of Oregon, where she helped develop statewide recruitment strategies in partnership with Continuums of Care to ensure diverse youth representation. She co-authored a toolkit on building effective Youth Action Boards (YABs) and recently presented the Youth Compensation Legal Guide for YABs with the National Homelessness Law Center.

Expertise: Youth Engagement & Recruitment • Youth Action Boards (YABs) • Trauma-Informed Leadership • Coalition Building • Policy & Legislative Initiatives • Training & Facilitation • Youth Compensation & Equity Practices

Cole is a systems thinker and strategist passionate about ending youth and young adult homelessness and advancing equity across public systems. They are the Director of Cole Giannone Consulting LLC, partnering nationally to improve homelessness response systems.

Cole’s projects include leading Raleigh’s Bringing Neighbors Home pilot (with Sagrado), consulting with Contra Costa County (with Matt Aronson Consulting), and advising the NYC Fund to End Youth & Family Homelessness.

Formerly, Cole served as Senior Advisor for Youth Homelessness in the NYC Mayor’s Office, co-leading the city’s first comprehensive plan to prevent and end youth homelessness. They also bring years of experience from the Ali Forney Center, NYC’s leading LGBTQ youth provider.

Expertise: Systems Improvement • Project Management • Youth & Young Adult Homelessness • Evaluation & CQI • Cross-Sector Collaboration • Lived Expertise Engagement

With over 15 years of experience in housing, health, and systems transformation, Connor works to expand supportive housing and wellbeing for vulnerable populations nationwide.

Beginning as a Case Manager in Los Angeles’ Skid Row, Connor has since managed large outreach and housing programs, led system integration efforts for Los Angeles County, and consulted nationally on supportive housing expansion.

He holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA and brings lived experience as an LGBTQIA+ person in recovery.

Expertise: Systems Change • Program Design & Evaluation • Unsheltered Response • Strategic Planning • Continuous Quality Improvement • Lived Expertise Integration

Danielle Tobey (Mashpee Wampanoag/Cape Verdean) is an enrolled member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, Ms. Tobey previously served as Family & Children’s Services Coordinator for Torres Martinez Tribal TANF, California, advocating for families in accordance with the Indian Child Welfare Act, additionally leading homeless systems integration within the organization.
 With over 18 years of experience coordinating supportive services for people struggling with health, mental health, and developmental challenges, she operates from the premise that safe and adequate housing is a basic human right. Her present work focuses on removing systemic barriers to permanent housing and integrating culturally specific practices.

Expertise: Tribal Housing & ICWA • Systems Integration • Program Design & Evaluation • Supportive Services Coordination • Housing Stability & Permanency • Culturally Specific & Community-Led Practice • Equity-Centered Systems Change

With over a decade of national consulting experience, K.O. supports communities in building data-informed, equity-driven homelessness response systems.

As Lead Consultant of Number 11 LLC, K.O. partners with projects across California, Ohio, and North Carolina, translating strategic vision into measurable impact. Her background includes work with the Built for Zero team at Community Solutions and advanced training in improvement science and racial equity facilitation.

Expertise: Systems Transformation • Facilitation • Data & Evaluation • Racial Justice • Strategic Planning • Continuous Quality Improvement

Mateo Ortega-Hernandez (he/him/él) is a bilingual (English/Spanish) social worker with over 27 years of experience driving innovative youth and community programs across behavioral health, housing, LGBTQ+ services, child welfare, and youth justice systems. A person with lived expertise in system involvement and youth homelessness, Mateo brings authentic, community-centered approaches grounded in his Chicano culture and indigenous Piro Manso ancestry. As the proud father of his adopted son, Mateo successfully navigated complex child-serving systems firsthand, combining professional expertise with personal understanding of family resilience. He currently serves as Senior Director of Strategy at FYI+ (Families & Youth Innovations Plus), a $15M+ behavioral health organization, where he manages an $8M grants portfolio and has secured $6.25M+ in new funding within a single fiscal year. His consulting work spans 12 states, specializing in funding development, program design and implementation, grant writing, peer support, trauma-informed care, and culturally grounded frameworks for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. He has an unwavering commitment to building solutions alongside communities and the individuals most impacted by them.

Expertise: Funding Development & Sustainability • Grant Writing & Braided Funding Strategies • Community-Based Program Design • Continuum of Care Development • Youth & Young Adult Engagement • Restorative Justice • Peer Support & Lived Expertise Integration • Organizational Development & Leadership • Systems Change & Public Policy • Trauma-Informed & Culturally Grounded Practice

​​Slaynne De La Cruz is a nationally recognized leader in youth homelessness prevention with over 11 years of experience helping communities design equitable, trauma-informed housing systems that center youth dignity, autonomy, and belonging. A trusted technical assistance and training expert, she has guided dozens of communities nationwide—including New York, Los Angeles, Oregon, Detroit, Puerto Rico, and New Mexico—through HUD-funded initiatives such as YHDP and YHSI, building sustainable, data-driven programs that deliver real impact. Slaynne is especially known for co-creating authentic youth collaboration through the development of Youth Action Boards and elevating BIPOC and 2SLGBTQA+ youth voices from consultation to co-creation. With advanced degrees in Social Work and Forensic Psychology, she brings a rare blend of strategic insight, compassion, and evidence-based practice—driving systems change that empowers young people and strengthens communities nationwide.

Expertise: Youth Homelessness Prevention • HUD YHDP & YHSI Implementation • Youth Action Boards & Authentic Youth Engagement • Trauma-Informed Systems Design • Equity-Centered Housing Systems • Training & Technical Assistance • Data-Driven Program Development

Whitney Lawrence is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and leads Tribal Engagement for The Change Well Project, providing support to grantees of the California Department of Social Services. She previously served as the Director of Policy and Planning for the Los Angeles Department of Health Services (DHS), Housing for Health team where she managed several initiatives, including the nationally recognized Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool. Prior to her tenure at DHS, she led reentry initiatives within Los Angeles for CSH and evaluated program performance for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). Ms. Lawrence earned her Masters of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota.
With a natural ability to bring people together, she creates spaces where collaboration feels not only manageable but meaningful. Her facilitation style is grounded in empathy and clarity—gently easing anxieties while encouraging expansive, inclusive thinking. Deeply attuned to the dynamics of diverse groups, she listens actively, reflects thoughtfully, and navigates complexity with grace. Her approachable presence invites trust, and her skill in weaving varied perspectives into cohesive, actionable goals consistently moves teams toward shared purpose and progress.

Expertise: Tribal Engagement • Housing & Health Systems Integration • Policy & Strategic Planning • Facilitation & Convening • Cross-Sector Collaboration • Program Performance & Evaluation • Equity-Centered Systems Change

John Engstrom is a public interest attorney with an extensive background in public benefits, human services, health care, and data analysis. John designed, implemented, and managed Alameda County’s SSI Advocacy Trust growing it to 70 benefits advocates. During his time at Alameda County, John also managed innovative projects, supervised the Decision Support Team, and managed Quality Improvement for Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services.

Zane Hart is a copywriter, editor, and digital media producer with 15 years of experience writing for global brands. Since 2015, they’ve focused their work in the non-profit and public benefit sectors working to support projects and businesses that serve communities most vulnerable members. Specializing in communicating complex concepts using direct, accessible language mindfully tailored to reach the widest possible audience.