Jennifer joined the Rubicon team in 2019. She brings curiosity, passion, and a collaborative spirit to her role as Director of Development. She is excited about the opportunity to build Rubicon’s philanthropic network in support of the organization’s role as an anti-racist anchor institution in the East Bay. Prior to joining Rubicon, Jennifer served as the Vice President of Program Services at Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco (BGCSF). Throughout her 12-year tenure at BGCSF, she mentored and led teams of youth development professionals to develop innovative programs and deepen their impact. Jennifer brings 15 years of nonprofit leadership, strategic partnership development, and a systems-based approach.

Jennifer began her nonprofit career facilitating programs for low-income youth in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Supporting young people to grow their voices while developing their educational and leadership skills fueled Jennifer’s work. During her first 7 years in the Bay Area, Jennifer worked at the International Institute of San Francisco, where she developed, led, and managed youth workforce development programs for immigrant teens. Partnership, equity, and relationship development have always been at the heart of Jennifer’s work. Jennifer graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and English.

Michael Brito has been with Rubicon since 2020 as the Deputy Director of Finance before transitioning to the Director of Administration for Rubicon Landscape Group. Michael is a U.S. Army veteran with over 15 years of non-profit leadership experience.

Michael holds a Bachelor's in Business Management and an M.B.A. in Finance from Grand Canyon University, and certificates from U.C. Berkeley in Fundraising and Volunteer Management. Prior to Rubicon, Michael worked as a Director of Operations for The Salvation Army Suisun City Kroc Center, leading a $22M center in Solano County initiatives and emergency disasters and has led the organization in obtaining the Best Business award by the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce twice and obtaining a Guinness World Record.

Michael has held the position on Suisun City E.P.I.C. Committee, the City of Fairfield Budget Committee and is Board Chair for the Advisory Board of The Salvation Army of Solano County.

Jen Freitas joined as the Director of Human Resources for Rubicon Programs in April 2022, bringing over fifteen years of HR experience. Jen is passionate about supporting people holistically and helping them be their best selves at work and beyond. She believes we do our best work when aligned to a strong organizational purpose and is thrilled to contribute to Rubicon’s mission.

Jen holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California at Santa Cruz and earned her master’s degree in holistic health education from John F. Kennedy University. Before her time in human resources, Jen owned a wellness and fitness consulting and apparel company. Earlier in her career, she worked in health care administration and local politics.

Jen volunteers on the board of her neighborhood group, West Oakland Neighbors, working to improve her immediate community. She’s also a proud CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for foster youth. During her free time, she enjoys dancing, reading (especially Sci-Fi), gardening, and hiking with her dog.

Mike Gillett has worked in the landscape industry for 26 years, starting from a laborer and moving up through every position in the landscape trade. Previously he managed a landscape maintenance business in Southern California producing more than $17 million in annual revenue. He has a BS in Business Management and an MBA with an emphasis in Finance and Global Sustainability. He holds several major landscape industry certifications and is certified DiSC as a facilitator. In his free time, Mike wrote a book about business management and general well-being as a guide to help individuals wanting to go into management or in management to help them find a better balance in life. He also regularly speaks to groups about mental health and mental illness and volunteers helping people find resources for help. Mike has three children and loves to hit farmers' markets, cook, and generally experiment with food.

Rhody has been with Rubicon Programs Inc. since March 2010, where he started as Reentry Program Manager. Currently he is responsible for program management and development, including evaluating existing programs, creating new initiatives to increase opportunities for underserved populations, compliance, safety and risk mitigation, management and achievement of contract goals and objectives.

Prior to Rubicon, Rhody worked with The National Trust, where he facilitated transformational health and wellness programs in San Quentin Prison. Prior to working with The National Trust, Rhody worked in San Francisco with both The Private Industry Council as a Contracts Specialist and Asian Neighborhood Design as the Manager of their Employment Training Program. Additionally Rhody has over 15 years in real estate development, and project management experience. Rhody attended the University of San Francisco, majoring in Biology. and studied Urban Planning at San Francisco State University.

Rhody’s other passions and interests are spending time with his family, children and grandchildren, playing tennis, and exploring nature, and he is actively involved with his support group, Positive Directions Equals Change, that has helped people transition from institutions to healthy and sober lives.

Pat is committed to helping people actuate their potential so that their success and joy ripples into the evolution of our community. Pat is a long-time resident of Contra Costa County. He returned to the community after serving over 20 years in prison. He leverages his lived experience to cast light on the power of responsibility, healing, and vulnerability.

Specifically, he is instrumental in developing actionable and seamless opportunities for people who were formerly incarcerated, their families, and the communities they return into with a desire to contribute and thrive. He balances his work at the systems level with individualized coaching and meeting people where they are. 

His work in the community has earned him numerous accolades and recognition by entities, including: the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award, the District Attorney of Alameda County, Nancy O’Malley’s My Hero Award, Freedom House’s Stewardship Award, and the California Association of Black Lawyers Community Leadership Award. In 2016, Pat was acknowledged in a ceremony at the White House by President Barack Obama as an alumnus of the Prison University Project and staunch advocate for higher education in the prison system. He is passionate about Restorative Practices and the healing of harms committed against others. 

Pat is the father of two children and enjoys family time as an opportunity to be a kid again.

Stacey joined Rubicon in 2022 as the Director of Finance. A Certified Public Accountant, she has over 25 years in financial leadership roles, including 10 most recent years in the nonprofit sector. She is the former Director of Finance at the Center for Domestic Peace, the former Director of Finance/Chief Operating Officer of Side by Side (formerly Sunny Hills Services), and the former Director of Finance and Operations at Marin Agricultural Land Trust. She loves numbers and spreadsheets and all of her non-profit experience has been in organizations with complex funding environments involving government contracts for services. Stacey is excited to contribute to Rubicon’s work using her financial management, data, and analysis skills.

Stacey is from New York and earned her Bachelor’s in Accounting from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She has called the Bay Area her home since 1992 and enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, and standup paddling.

Vi joined Rubicon Programs in 2011. Prior to her role as the Director of Workforce Services, she oversaw the operations of the Eden Area America’s Job Center of California (AJCC) career center in Hayward, CA and Alameda County public grants initiatives. Her work experience includes more than a decade working in a number of employment and workforce programs, including developing community partnerships, project management, employer engagement, and direct client services. Vi double majored in Psychology and Business Administration at University of California Riverside and earned her M.A. in Public Administration at California State University, East Bay. She also holds a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) credential.

Rick Wood, Director of Organizational Impact, applied for a Job Developer position at Rubicon in 1994 and was rejected. Several months later, noting some baking and teaching experience on his resume, Rubicon Bakery called him back about a temporary position which has now outlasted the sale of Rubicon Bakery as well as big organizational shifts and leadership changes. Starting as a Job Training Supervisor (1994-95), he became Bakery Manager (1995-96), Employment and Training Program Manager (1996-98), Program Evaluator (1998-2006) and Director of Management Information Systems (2006-2009). From 1998-2016 he managed Rubicon’s proprietary data system CICERO. In 2010 he assumed his current title, overseeing participant data collection systems and procedures, outcomes measurement and program performance plans. With the implementation of our 2016 strategic plan, he transitioned programs from CICERO to ECM, an externally managed Salesforce.com application, and assumed leadership of our Quality Assurance Team. In addition to routine performance planning, reporting, data quality and systems roles, he is most energized by opportunities to look at impact in new ways such as matching our participants to longer-term state earnings data, and in 2021 he launched a new permanent effort to measure and analyze equity across Rubicon’s services and outcomes. He usually brings beets to all staff potluck events.

Rick received his BA from Dartmouth College and his MA in Slavic Languages/Linguistics from the University of California at Berkeley. He has received additional training from the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare.