2017 HandsOn Leadership San Francisco Team

Jenna Casey

Jenna Casey is the Community Engagement Manager for Mission Graduates, a nonprofit making college the expectation for Mission District youth and families.  With over five years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Jenna has focused on connecting communities through story-telling.  Through her involvement with Girls on the Run Bay Area as a volunteer running coach for 3-5 grade girls, she has recently joined the Associate Board, increasing community involvement and fundraising. With a bachelors in Women's Studies from the University of Michigan, Jenna continued on to receive a Masters in Social Work with a focus on Community Organizing from the University of Michigan School of Social Work.

Melissa Chan

Originally from Boston, Melissa has been living and working in the Bay Area for the last eight years. She has worked in different non-profits, including the domestic violence field and recently for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area. Melissa currently works for the City and County of San Francisco in Family and Children Services. She enjoys empowering youth, working in community engagement and child welfare. Melissa received her undergraduate degree from University of Massachusetts Amherst and her Master's in Public Administration from San Jose State University. As a fellow with HandsOn Leadership, she hopes to learn more about the operations of non-profits and to use her skills in enhancing community organizations.

Jarlene Choy

Jarlene is a firm believer in the power of individuals collaborating across cultures to deepen mutual understanding and advance social change. Towards this belief, she loves connecting people to each other and to causes promoting greater diversity and social equity.  She spent two years in rural China teaching middle schoolers, which deepened her belief in the power of education and mentorship to empower young people. She is particularly passionate about expanding opportunities for girls and connecting with individuals interested in elevating women’s voices and leadership, especially on issues such as gender-based violence and workplace equity. She currently works as a legislative aide for Supervisor Norman Yee on the City and County of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, helping to improve services to seniors and adults with disabilities. Jarlene enjoys listening to people’s stories, exploring new hiking trails, running, and salsa dancing. As part of the HandsOn Leadership team, she is excited to learn how to address organizational and systemic challenges facing nonprofits, while partnering with the communities they serve to develop creative, community-based solutions.

Brian Edwards

As a Bay Area native and San Francisco resident, Brian is excited to strengthen his local community through the HandsOn Leadership program. He sees the program as an opportunity to broaden his service beyond the work he has done as an analyst and writer in public education. He earned a B.A. in political science from UC Santa Cruz and a M.A. in public policy from UC Berkeley. In his spare time, Brian likes to read, hike, take classes, and see indie films and comedy shows.

Bettie Lim

Betty Lim has been involved with volunteering throughout her life and has developed a passion for helping others. It wasn’t until she joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Greater San Francisco Bay Area Team in Training (TNT) in 2009 that she was encouraged to develop her nonprofit leadership skills, as a mentor and team captain. Using her organizational skills and experience as an executive assistant for various companies and industries in San Francisco, she has assisted TNT in fundraising and raising awareness of blood cancers and much needed research for blood cancers. Most recently, Betty has participated in the 2016 AIDS LifeCycle, raising over $5,000 and cycling from San Francisco to Los Angeles (550 miles in 6 days). She continues to use her skills to volunteer and raise awareness with all types of non-profits in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a new member of the 2017 HandsOn Leadership team, Betty is excited to continue to develop her skill sets in the non-profit sector, make new connections with others that also want to engage in the community to promote lasting change, and become a leader in the community. In her spare time, she continues to train for endurance events, with cycling as her favorite sport!

Darshika Patel

Darshika received her B.A. in Consumer and Family Sciences and ABA approved Paralegal Certification from San Francisco State University. She currently works as a Trademark Paralegal at Fenwick & West. She was born and raised in the Bay area and has been volunteering with the community and building her leadership skills, since she was in kindergarten! Over the years, she has worked with non-profits all around the bay area, such as Ronald McDonald house, Glide Memorial, Second Harvest and more! Darshika earned the Presidential Community Service Award in 2006 and 2009.  Her longer volunteering experiences were with the Girl Scouts of America, Alpha Phi Omega and Jumpstart. She most recently volunteered as a Child Advocate with Child Advocates of Silicon Valley. She is also currently the co-lead of the Fenwick & West LLP Community Impact Committee. Her passions, skills and experience range from teaching and education, working with youth, organizing volunteer events, running multiple committees, holding multiple leadership positions, scheduling, planning and networking with other organizations to assist with event planning. Darshika is constantly looking for new opportunities and experiences to cultivate her leadership skills in order to continue making a positive change in the community.

Luella Sequeira​

Luella comes with extensive experience in Market Analysis and Strategy within the biopharmaceutical industry. In addition to impact on patient lives, Luella has always been passionate about outreach and making a difference in the community through volunteering. Through Luella’s formative years in India, her family often visited senior homes and homes for children with special needs, which is how her parents engrained the importance of being there for others and spending time with those in her community that need additional support. Luella has been a volunteer and supporter at HandsOn Bay Area for over 3 years and is very excited about this leadership program because of the potential to learn about leadership in the non-profit sector, to leverage her skills and to work with her teammates to have a positive impact in 2017!  In her free time, Luella enjoys taking dance classes, hiking with her dog Boris, cooking and spending time with family and friends.