Board of Directors

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Tracey was born and raised in the Bay Area. The daughter of an incredibly gifted educator and business builder mother, she was exposed to the differences and disparities of people in her community early. From her view, she had the benefit of her parents and front row seat of watching her grandmother actively lead local civil rights activities and serve as a change agent for good. 

Over the years Tracey has built a strong reputation as a dynamic leader and strategist. After five years of practicing law in Los Angeles, she moved to New Jersey where she taught legal research at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and several other law schools throughout the Mid-Atlantic. In 2010, she returned to the Bay Area and was tapped by Bloomberg Law to craft the vision, strategy, systems, and processes to create a national law school program, resulting in a $10M revenue stream. Tracey also has an extensive development skill set. In March 2021, she successfully completed a $40M capital campaign as the Capital Campaign Director at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland. Tracey recently served as the Executive Director of the One Love Foundation, leading initiatives to increase educational programming and partnerships and empowering communities to end relationship violence through education and awareness. She is currently the Executive Director of the California Minority Counsel Program, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit foundation dedicated to promoting diversity in the legal profession by providing attorneys of color with access and opportunity for business and professional development.

Tracey lives in Oakland with her husband Darin, and is the proud mother of three college-age sons -- Brandon (Loyola Marymount University), Harrison (University of California at Berkeley) and Dylan (University of Miami). She is an active member of the Oakland Bay Area Chapter of The Links Incorporated, and is an engaged volunteer with Boy Scouts of America, Bishop O’Dowd High School, and Physicians Medical Forum. 

Tracey holds a BA from the University of California at Los Angeles, a JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and is an active member of the State Bar of California.

Dianne originated from Jamaica and graduated high school in Pennsylvania. She moved to San Francisco

while serving in the U.S. Army. After the Army she move to the East Bay, eventually earning a BA and an

MBA for Holy Names University, and a JD from Golden Gate University.

Ms. Dobbs practiced employment law for a short time in Oakland before moving to Sacramento to

represent foster children. She has worked for a non-profit, private firms, in her own private practice,

and for the last 17 years for the State of California. Along the way she taught in the undergraduate and

graduate business programs at the University of Phoenix.

Helping others see their full potential has always been a motivator for Dianne. This was neutered when

she taught in the original Project Transition in Oakland.

Since 2017, Dianne has worked as one of 21 Governor-appointed Commissioners on the California Board

of Parole. In this role she presides over parole hearings for incarcerated people serving life with a

possibility parole. Of this position Ms. Dobbs says, “This has been the most difficult work in terms of the

weight of the decisions made and the potential impact on others, yet at the same time this has been the

most rewarding work that I have ever done. It allows me to see every day that we all have the potential

to fail, excel, learn, and grow.

Ms. Dobbs resides in Sacramento.

Dr. La Chanda Davis, born and raised in Richmond, California by her Grandmother, developed a passion for education, sports, and dance. She graduated from El Cerrito High School and went on to attend the University of California, Davis, where she received a degree in Speech Communications and Rhetoric, and a second Bachelor's in Black Studies. Later, she earned a Master’s Degree and a PhD in Philosophy from Loyola University of Chicago.

Dr. Davis worked as a Project Manager at Kaiser Permanente and other organizations, focusing on introducing Ethics and Reasoning to students and disenfranchised individuals. She is dedicated to providing young people with a curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking skills and incorporates math, science, and history to help learners think conceptually.

Her model and strategy for a child's intellectual growth, student care, and parent involvement have proven successful in student success. Dr. Davis is married to her husband, Wayne, and has a son named Shaft who is working and taking college courses.

With extensive experience in various fields of Philosophy, including Ancient Greek Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, and Ethics, Dr. Davis has held teaching and research positions at universities such as Loyola University Chicago, Notre Dame de Namur University, and San Francisco State University. She has also served as a lecturer at various universities and organizations, focusing on topics like Ancient Greek Ethics and Medical Ethics.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Dr. Davis has been involved in community organizations such as Health Education & Suicide Prevention, Project Transition, and the American Civil Liberties Union. She has also been a faculty member at organizations like the American Philosophical Association and the American Society for Bioethics + Humanities. Dr. Davis continues to be actively engaged in professional development, serving as a lecturer at various universities and organizations.

Jamelle Wallace is a proud product of Richmond California and graduate of Spelman College.

A proud Bay Area resident, wife to Dr. Joaquin Wallace and mother of 3 daughters, (Jameelah, Sasha and Kendall) and grandmother to Quinn Glover. Jamelle has spent the last 30 years managing and directing both Human Resources and Business Development in various industries to include Banking, Consumer Products, Entertainment, Education, Publishing and Technology.

For the last 15 years as an entrepreneur, she’s focused on building successful community services to support the autistic, developmentally disabled, and medically fragile. As a vendor of both State and Federal contracts, Jamelle has committed to mentoring both business and career exposure for those individuals who are less likely to have opportunity to build or boost their individual careers.

As the partner/owner of JSK Management & Media Services, and Co-Owner of BIM Supportive Living, Jamelle has demonstrated her commitment and ability to build best practice organizations which are able to compete in today’s ever-changing marketplace.

Jamelle is excited about the opportunity to be part of the relaunch of Project Transition in 2024. Many of her most gratifying moments have been watching past Project Transition graduates distinguish themselves professionally, lead community projects and see the positive impact of their children grow up and graduate high school and college, which ultimately changes the trajectory our community.

Jamelle also serves as an Executive Committee for the Richmond NAACP, Regional Advisory Board for the One Love Foundation and Advisory Board for My Sister’s Keeper.

Dr. Kim Thomas was born in Newport News, Virginia, and raised in Oakland, California. Her father served in the military, which meant that she moved around during her childhood. After graduating from high school in Vallejo, Dr. Thomas attended Howard University in Washington, DC, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree. She went on to receive a Master’s degree from George Washington University and a Doctorate of Education in Instructional Technology and Distance Education from Nova Southeastern University.

Throughout her career, Dr. Thomas has been deeply committed to public education. She has worked as a Teacher, Department Chair, Assistant Principal, Principal, and Instructional Supervisor, and has had key contributions in grant writing, student learning, professional development, program development, and procurement. Dr. Thomas has served with two school districts managing thousands of students and teachers.

In 2011, Dr. Thomas began working as a federal contractor, taking on projects with the Department of Defense, Department of Veteran Affairs, and Health and Human Services. She has worked as an IT consultant, providing full capability in testing, documentation, requirements, training, and program management. In 2013, Dr. Thomas started her own company, which specializes in IT development, Administrative & Clinical Support, Technical Services, and Instructional Delivery. Dr. Thomas is effective in assessing the need to improve processes and build relationships. She provides strength in directing and implementing programs on time and within budget, while fully possessing an ability to engage partners across disciplines and inside of organizations.

Dr. Thomas is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and is dedicated to community service and increasing the number of youth who have access to a digital world. Dr. Thomas is committed to building more participation in education and technology careers in communities of color across the United States.

Dr. Thomas currently resides in the Washington DC area with her daughter, who holds an undergraduate degree from George Mason University and a graduate degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

Dr. Thomas is eternally committed to her values of supporting Education through lifelong learning and serving our Military and Government.

A man of many talents, Dr. Joaquin Wallace was born and raised in inner-city Oakland, CA. Dr. Wallace had very few role models as he was growing up and said, "You only aspire to be what you are." And what he saw was athletes -- baseball, basketball, and football players. San Francisco State University recognized his athletic talent and awarded him a baseball scholarship. Although his dream of playing in the major league did not come to fruition, he was quickly offered a front office position with the San Francisco Giants. This position was noteworthy as he was the first African-American hired to work in the front office of a Major League baseball team. After completing his BA in Economics, he decided to pursue a MBA from Golden Gate University, where marketing became his passion. The competitive nature of marketing and athletics came together to build the foundation for what was to come. After completing his MBA, he went on to pursue a Ph.D. from Golden Gate University. As the only African-American Ph.D. candidate in his class, Dr. Wallace learned the importance of representation and how critical it is to see people who look like you in a number of roles in the community. Over the years, Dr. Wallace has served as a Lecturer and Adjunct Professor of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Diversity at both the community college and four-year university level, including his own alma mater San Francisco State University.

During the 1990s, while teaching at local colleges, Dr. Wallace was saddened by the true gap of skills amongst people of color who were consistently shut out of entry-level positions that offered both benefits and access to on-the-job training programs. Along with his wife Jamelle, a human resources professional, he created an innovative solution to the problem. Project Transition Incorporated, a four-month program that modeled the corporate environment, was developed to teach both soft and hard skills. The training ensured that participants strengthened their communication skills, efficacy, and gained a technological foundation to compete for jobs with strong technical skills. This training program was completed by hundreds of men and women in the East Bay and propelled them to attain positions at AC Transit, BART, City of Oakland, and other local organizations. These positions were developed by partnering with local organizations and entities interested in hiring a new workforce that was ready and able to do the job. In addition to both training and job development, the organization also provided a number of retention efforts to support both short and long-term milestones of the job. After 15 years, the data has shown that graduates of this program were actually able to change the trajectory of their lives by committing to both the training and discipline needed to obtain employment, but more importantly sustain employment and continue to look for opportunities to grow and challenge themselves. With both graduation rates and job placement rates of over 90%, the program also enjoyed retention rates hovering over at 80% after the first year of employment. This program went on to gain both local and national recognition as a best practice organization that served its constituents well. The program closed its doors when both county and state entities required Project Transition Incorporated provide the same training for double the number of participants at a reduced rate per trainee.

Dr. Wallace went on to enhance his curriculum vitae by becoming a licensed insurance broker for both Property and Casualty/Life/Health, and a financial advisor with Series 6, 63, and 65 security licenses. In his spare time, Dr. Wallace has built an extremely successful business as a voice-over artist, sports analyst, and commentator for Stanford University, Golden State Warriors’ G-League, the CCAA, and local community college teams for baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, and football.

Dr. Wallace has been married for over 30 years to his wife and business partner, Jamelle. They have three daughters, Jameelah (beauty industry entrepreneur), Sasha (professional track athlete, phlebotomist, and HRIS Director), and Kendall (full-time college student studying film & production at San Jose State University))

Dr. Wallace looks forward to the relaunch of Project Transition Incorporated in both Contra Costa and Alameda County to support the challenges identified in two of California's most diverse counties. With an effort to focus on these two underserved communities and surrounding areas, he and his team look to make an immediate impact on the disparities in both education, training, and financial wellness. Dr. Wallace can't wait to hit the ground running!