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Our Team Our Staff Directors The people leading the everyday operations of Our Time To Act. Nicole Lillie Executive Director Sparky Mitra Senior Director of Special Projects Pashe Crisp Director of Engagement Rachel Choy Associate Executive Director Aarohan Hariharan Housing Justice Director Austin Tran Director of Finance and Budgeting Howard Truei Chief of Staff Ellie Wang CYAN Lead Organizer Masaki Mendoza Housing Justice Director Grayson Sciacqua Director of Operations and People Our Staff The people handling the everyday operations of Our Time To Act. Andrew Park Core Staff Arianna Alvarado Housing Justice Organizer Jasmine Truong CYAN Community Building Amaya Lin Community Builder Irene Wu Social Media Coordinator Vedant Patel CYAN Communications Chair Karis Lin People Specialist Kathleen Hoang Graphic Design Intern Aathmika Radhachandran Marketing & Event Specialist Fiona Tang UI/UX Designer Ashley Cha Graphic Design Intern Nicholas Tappin Policy & Coalition Representative Board of Directors The governing body responsible for Our Time To Act's mission, priorities, long-term development, and finances. Aidan Lin-Tostado President Janice Park Board Director Gabrielle Darisme Ethics & Policy Chair Abbey Reuter Vice President Ray Lin Board Director Holly Harwood Board Member Ken Fesler Secretary Marina Tostado Board Director Oliver Lin Board Director Anna Pierce Strategy & Risk Chair Learn More About Us Explore our mission, strategy, and values. Our story is one of purpose, passion, and a collective commitment to making a difference. ABOUT US OUR WORK

< Back Janice Park Board Director Janice is a current student at the University of California, Irvine studying Public Health Policy. Her primary mission in life is to fight for equity, particularly in the field of health and wellness. Janice initially became involved with Our Time To Act's pandemic response as the Student Response Initiative Regional Director of Health. As the former Executive Director for Students Against Period Poverty, she now works as a Senior Advisor for the nonprofit she co-founded, partnering with schools and shelters to make menstrual products accessible. She also works to educate people at community health fairs, reaching underserved populations through a combination of activism and volunteerism. janice.park@ourtimetoact.org

< Back Mario Varo Board Director Mario is a Junior transfer at UC Berkeley studying political science. He brings non-profit experience from the Prison Library Project, and works to empower the community around him. Living in the Inland Empire, Mario has seen how a lack of resources that foster a sustainable future can have an effect on our youth. He one day hopes to be a Professor of Political Science and pay forward the mentorship he received in community college, so that the next generation has to tools to succeed. mario.varo@ourtimetoact.org

< Back Ken Fesler Secretary Ken (he/him/his) is an Economics and Political Science student at the University of California, Davis. He officially joined Our Time To Act in June 2020 and became Associate Executive Director in January 2021. As Associate Executive Director, Ken takes the lead on systems management and employee development, including interdepartmental policies, employee one-on-ones, and performance reviews. Prior to joining OTTA and while still in high school, Ken was a Shift Lead at a local tea shop, the most senior staff member on site trusted with running the store efficiently and without waste. Throughout this, he maintains his driven dedication to scholastic success - he was a high school valedictorian and is now a Regent Scholar and university honors student. After graduating, Ken seeks to find further employment close to his loving family in the San Francisco Bay Area. ken.fesler@ourtimetoact.org

< Back Howard Truei Chief of Staff Howard Truei (he/him) is a responsible and engaging member of the San Diegan community with capacious aspirations. Howard serves underrepresented communities by fighting San Diego’s housing crisis in his role as Director of Development for Our Time To Act, a youth-led, youth-founded not-for-profit organization striving for an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future. His role in OTTA entails working alongside City Council members, providing representation for low-income students and families. He plans on pursuing a career in biomedical research, and has shadowed under lab researchers in Taipei Veterans General Hospital. He is currently part of an active research group targeted towards eliminating disengagement in high school students. Overall, Howard is an active member of his community, aspiring for positive change through discipline and dedication. howard.truei@ourtimetoact.org

< Back Aashika Srinivas Director of Advocacy & Research ​ aashika.srinivas@ourtimetoact.org

< Back to Open Positions Housing Justice Director Volunteer Position On-Site (San Diego) APPLY Rolling application. Priority given to applications submitted before June 20th. ABOUT THE ROLE Contextual Note: Under Our Time To Act’s commitment to housing justice there are three teams: Eliminating Exclusionary Zoning, Enacting Social Housing, and Ending Youth Homelessness. Elimination of Exclusionary Zoning and Enacting Social Housing teams must utilize grassroots organizing to achieve their goals, and the staff on these teams will be primarily focused on building skills in organizing. Ending Youth Homelessness team members will primarily utilize skills in research and advocacy to achieve their goals, but may also be expected to learn a more diverse skill set to assist other teams. For more information about the responsibilities of each of the Housing Justice Teams, please see this chart . In your application, please rank the different projects in the final response box before your signature and submission. Through your application and interview process, you will be selected to direct one of these teams. Job Summary: Housing Justice Directors will build and practice skills related to organizing, mobilizing, and advocating for housing justice at the grassroots level and leading their teams in strategizing for and executing these efforts. This will be achieved with peer-to-peer learning and leadership opportunities. Housing Justice Directors will lead their teams in strategizing weekly, monthly, and yearly goals for their focus area, planning events, campaigns, and actions, and delegating necessary tasks to their direct reports. Additionally, they will communicate frequently with the other Housing Justice Directors, the full OTTA Director team, and the Executive Director. You will be primarily responsible for managing your direct team members and your focus area. Job Details: Plan, attend, and lead weekly working and check-in meetings with the Housing Justice Team Members on your project team. Attend monthly full-team meetings with all Housing Justice Teams. Attend all additional meetings and events determined mandatory by your project team. Attend all relevant meetings and events for Our Time To Act as determined by the Office of the Executive Director. Be prepared to research and become familiar with topics related to housing, transportation, and land-use policy. Be prepared to learn, grow, and practice skills of grassroots organizing. Strategize for and co-create educational materials, campaigns, direct actions, etc. Lead in planning, preparation, and execution of community events, tabling, and other direct actions. Practice successful active communication with colleagues, direct reports, and supervisors and timely completion of assigned tasks and expectations. Communicate our mission, and project focus area effectively and professionally with community members and the press. Participate in grant-writing for project or focus area related proposals. Manage direct reports through consistent and regular communication, providing feedback utilizing radical candor, and proper task delegation. Provide other assistance as needed. Bring your full self and your passion to your work, and actively contribute to the Housing Justice and Our Time To Act team with authentic leadership. Hours Per Week: Approximately 15-25 hours per week. These hours are mostly flexible except for required weekly meetings. During specific campaigns or running up to events, hours may increase and become less flexible. You are not expected to work late hours, and some weekends may be required, especially for some events. A director position does require additional capacity and comes with an expectation of greater consistency in organizational activities internally and externally. Pay Rate: No Pay Rate, Volunteer Position Benefits: This position is on a volunteer basis. There is no monetary compensation for this position at this time. Our Time To Act deeply values the potential for personal and career development and strives to uplift its team members to best position them for their bright futures. Non-monetary benefits include: Tailored work experience and growth to fit your desired career path Informal and formal training and mentorship Letters of recommendation Certified Volunteer Hours, if requested A tight-knit team and community of fellow change-makers Desired Start Date: As soon as possible. Priority is given to applicants who can start before July 1st, 2024. REQUIREMENTS Required Qualifications: Youth, 15 - 24 years old Existing knowledge of how to use Google Drive applications (Gmail, Docs, Forms, Calendar, Slides, Sheets, etc.). Google Drive applications are used frequently. Basic knowledge of Slack, the communications platform. Attention to detail and deadlines. Ability to communicate well with others, including fellow team members and the public. Ability to work successfully with a team. Ability to communicate feedback effectively and with care. Ability to be flexible and adaptable to evolving situations. Ability to maintain confidentiality. Ability to problem-solve quickly when issues arise. Ability to attend in-person events when necessary, weekly meetings may be attended via Zoom if necessary but most work may be required on-site. Preferred Qualifications: Please note that these are not required, but would be helpful for this role. Grassroots organizing experience. Research experience. Lobbying and advocacy experience. Existing policy knowledge related to housing, transportation, and land use. Experience with coalition building and spaces. Experience giving public comments. Experience with different writing styles (i.e. press releases, opinion pieces, policy memos, FAQ’s, etc.) Experience communicating with the press. Experience working with volunteers. Experience with giving detailed feedback on proposals. Lived experience with housing insecurity. Experience on the Housing Justice Team. Prior volunteer leadership or management experience. ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION WORK MODALITY & LOCATION The work modality of this role is in-person, and occasionally hybrid. Events, actions, and meetings will occur throughout the San Diego area. Our Time To Act is a youth-founded, youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission to organize powerful youth for an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future. Our Time To Act values authenticity and passion. We play the role of coalition builders and mentors within our communities, sharing knowledge, resources, credit, and impact. And as a justice-oriented, impact-driven, and people-centered organization, our perspective grounds us with who we serve and the work we do while advancing our mission. Applications are a two-way street. We make our values as an organization clear to you to make sure our team is the right fit—and we hope we are! Here are some things to keep in mind: Our team values flexibility and taking initiative over structure and top-down delegation. This philosophy is not a good fit for all, so we want to be clear upfront. If you thrive in dynamic, open environments, this is the place for you. We value meaningful impact and support. We seek to authentically serve both our audience and our team members alike. We are committed to being an inclusive and diverse group of people. These values are reflected in our hiring practices, decision-making, and programs. Our team and organization are growth-minded and development-focused. We always have room to improve, at all levels of our organization! Our organization promotes honesty, communication, and integrity. These values allow us to be an effective team. We praise creativity and ingenuity. Nothing is more exciting than thinking outside of the box or challenging the status quo. We prefer personability over professionalism, at least in internal settings. APPLY

Our team is crucial to the work we do. Scroll down to see where you can join in. Open Positions Open Positons On-Site (San Diego) Housing Justice Team Member Volunteer Position View Position San Diego and/or Remote Co-Director of Engagement Staff Director (Volunteer) View Position San Diego and/or Remote Financial Analyst Volunteer View Position 1 1 ... 1 ... 1

Application Thank you for your interest in joining our team. We are excited to review your application! If you have questions, please reach out to the point of contact below. Point of Contact Ken Fesler, Associate Executive Director ken.fesler@ottaunited.org Social Media First Name Last Name Email Phone Number Which position are you applying for? Basic Information Education Level Preferred Work Medium Upload Resume/CV Select File Portfolio Link (optional) Application Questions Tell us why you are passionate about our mission. Answer the prompt here (150 words max). Describe how you fit the role you are applying to. Answer the prompt here (150 words max). Discuss goals you have for yourself and the position. Answer the prompt here (150 words max). Submit Application Is there anything you would like to add to your application? (Include any questions you may have) Your Signature Clear By signing, you affirm the accuracy of all information within this application to the best of your knowledge and authorize Our Time to Act United to use your information to contact you. SUBMIT An error occurred. Please try again Your application has been submitted!

< Back Anna Pierce Strategy & Risk Chair Anna Pierce is currently on the Strategy and Risk Committee of Our Time To Act. She was the Assistant Director of External Operations with Bayreach, Student Leader, and Woodwind Captain with her school’s marching band. In workspaces, she values collaboration and a shared desire for success. Outside of school and Our Time To Act, Anna loves to figure skate, horseback ride, and travel. She is also fluent in French and hopes to major in Sports Management. anna.pierce@ourtimetoact.org

< Back Aidan Lin, Executive Director, awarded "Bridge Builder of the Year" for API Heritage Month Thursday, May 19, 2022 Our Time to Act United On May 19th, 2022, Aidan Lin was awarded the "2022 Bridge Builder of the Year Award" at the Asian Pacific Islander Leaders of the Year Awards hosted by the San Diego Business Journal and Asian Business Association San Diego . Aidan was recognized for his work with Our Time to Act (OTTA) United in his capacity as Executive Director for his leadership during the City of San Diego's 2020-21 redistricting process, during which OTTA United partnered with dozens of community-based organizations to push for equitable representation for the Asian, Latine, Black, and youth communities of San Diego. OTTA United is honored to have its principal leader recognized for his work in the community—particularly as a force for coalition-building and intersectional collaboration. As we celebrate Asian Heritage Month, we are proud of Aidan's accomplishments and the invaluable relationships we have built with San Diego's API community. Next Previous

< Back OTTA United holds multi-day, organization-wide retreat in San Diego Saturday, December 10, 2022 Benjamin Wang, Staff Our Time to Act (OTTA) United is all about organizing, community, and consensus-building. These values are embodied in the work that OTTA United does for our communities. Twice a year, OTTA United reaffirms its commitment to these principles by holding an organization-wide retreat. These retreats allow OTTA United staff and board to come together as an OTTA United family and strengthen our personal and professional relationships. On December 9th and 10th, 2022, OTTA United held its second retreat in California and its first in San Diego. OTTA United members flew into San Diego from as far away as New York to make the most of this staff bonding and professional development opportunity. OTTA United’s winter retreat struck a perfect balance between work and play, with visits to the Cabrillo National Monument and Liberty Station in between trainings led by OTTA United leaders. Workshops on topics such as Community Organizing, led by Director of Services Apurv Gupta, and Event Programming, led by Director of Communications Isaac Lara, allowed us to sharpen our skills in a welcoming space surrounded by the people that make OTTA United special. Let’s hear from our Director of Services, Apurv Gupta, about the retreat. Hey Apurv! It’s so nice to see you again. Could you introduce yourself and your role within OTTA United? What does your role entail? My name is Apurv Gupta and I’m the Director of Services here at OTTA United. My role usually involves designing and producing services for the organization; these would be internal or external programs that can empower youth directly. My work tends to be a mix of research, advocacy, event-planning, and managing logistics. On day 1 of the retreat, you facilitated a workshop on Community Organizing. Could you talk a little bit about your workshop? Of course! OTTA United recently decided to shift our organizational focus into Community Organizing, a practice that empowers youth through a development of their capacity. Prior to this shift, I did a lot of research in organizing, and worked with Aidan – our wonderful Executive Director – to plan out some potential programs and applications of the approach. Not everyone on the team, however, had as comprehensive of an understanding, and my workshop aimed to build upon that so everyone was in the loop. In the workshop, I talked about the 3 types of changemaking - lone wolf, mobilizing, and organizing - and how each was significant in their own way. The training also had a lot of activities that gave OTTA United members a lens into organizing and how that could look for the organization or for themselves. Overall, I was pretty happy with how it turned out, and I’m excited to see how OTTA United embraces organizing in the future! Last but not least, I wanted to ask about what this retreat meant to you. Do you have any memories or takeaways from the retreat that you can share with us? This retreat was, by far, my most memorable professional experience. The majority of our staff population lives in San Diego, and I live all the way up in the Bay Area; the physical distance often means I feel more disconnected from the team than I’d like. But the retreat brought me closer to every single person in OTTA United. I underestimated how fun we can be, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be myself around them. The list of memories is extremely long but I’ll go through a few, hopefully keeping things brief. I could talk about bonding over Korean Chicken Wings and Frank Sinatra with Tommy; spending 4 hours working with Ben and Ken on a speech while also guessing Ken’s middle name (we still don’t know); laughing with Isaac and Leana while sharing our mutual love for Keshi; playing Super Smash Ultimate with Donovan and Ken and getting absolutely demolished; flying out with Rachel, Andrew, and Ken in an absurd amount of giddiness; and having intimate, personal conversations with everyone on the team, especially Aidan. I’ve left out about a hundred significant moments, but I’m so grateful for OTTA United and for our team. I’ve never been in a community so diverse yet so powerful, and I’m always going to cherish that. In the end, the success of OTTA United’s winter retreat can be attributed to the perfect balance of work and play as well as the meticulous and careful planning of Rachel Choy, OTTA United’s Assistant Director of Communications. Alongside the efforts of Isaac Lara, OTTA United’s Director of Communications, Rachel’s diligent work and attention to detail made the event possible in the first place. This retreat was a wonderful way to renew our commitment to OTTA United’s values and principles while also fostering deeper connections among the OTTA United staff and board. We look forward to many more awesome retreats in the months and years ahead! Next Previous