Team

Recognizing that financial inclusion and financial capability research and programs often overlooked the experiences of young people (15–25 years old), Margaret founded MyPath in 2007 in partnership with young people to engineer models promoting economic mobility and financial empowerment among working youth of color from communities historically excluded from financial access. Under her leadership, MyPath has expanded into a leading national nonprofit and launched the country’s first financial capability initiatives designed by and for youth. MyPath’s models integrate banking, saving and credit building into existing youth employment programs, transforming earnings into economic mobility. Leveraging Margaret’s ability to coalesce people in a shared vision, MyPath brings nonprofits, municipalities and financial institutions together to eliminate the racial wealth gap. MyPath also engages youth in policy advocacy to advance youth financial inclusion. Margaret has led MyPath through 15 years of tremendous growth, propelling both the organization and the youth financial capability field onto the national stage. Margaret has a BA from Brown University and an MSW from UC Berkeley.

Olamide Babatunde serves as MyPath’s Senior Director of Youth Leadership & Policy, where he leads the development and implementation of youth leadership initiatives and policy advocacy. With over a decade of experience in workforce development, Olamide previously founded and directed a pioneering workforce program at Noble Network of Charter Schools, significantly enhancing employment outcomes for thousands of low-income youth. In his role at MyPath, Olamide oversees key programs, including Guaranteed Income and Youth Leadership, and drives strategic partnerships to advance youth financial and economic inclusion. His expertise in strategic planning and stakeholder engagement is complemented by his consulting work with The Bridgespan Group. Olamide holds a B.A. in Clinical Psychology from Tufts University and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

As the Development & Communications Manager at MyPath, Alvaro manages the website, designs collateral material and multimedia graphics, and supplies creative solutions to the organization’s communications projects. Prior to joining MyPath in 2022, Alvaro worked in communications and information technology roles at a Los Angeles-based nonprofit dedicated to improving economic outcomes for underserved Los Angelenos. Earlier in his career, Alvaro worked as a small business lending officer for an economic development corporation. Alvaro graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

Ariana Arana is a junior at UC Berkeley, and following her interests in law and policy is completing a Legal Studies degree. Growing up in the Mission District of San Francisco, Ariana became involved in non-profit and community organizations at a young age. After serving two terms on the San Francisco Youth Commission, she solidified her passion for service and how to utilize law and policy to create change. Ariana is now the Youth Program Assistant for the Advocates New Era Program at MyPath and is looking forward to aid youth in their journeys on becoming financially capable advocates creating change in their communities.

Stephanie Bimar is the Director of Data and Evaluation at MyPath, responsible for the development, implementation, and ongoing improvement of MyPath’s data collection, interpretation, and dissemination to stakeholders. She works closely with program staff and research partners to measure the impact of MyPath programs on participants and support continuous quality program improvement. Prior to joining MyPath, she spent a decade as an evaluation consultant working with nonprofit and government agencies to support a wide variety of programs (youth development, education, leadership, behavioral health, and human services). Stephanie has an MA from Claremont Graduate University and a BA from University of the Pacific.

Catherine Dhongade, MyPath’s Director of Strategic Growth and Special Projects, works with national and municipal youth-serving organizations, financial institutions, and fincap intermediaries to forge strategic partnerships and bring financial capability models to youth and young adults to help them get banked, start saving, building credit and reaching their personal financial goals. Catherine has worked in the social sector for 20+ years and has a background in organizational strategy, nonprofit management, program design and evaluation, and direct services. In her previous role as Director of Strategic Partnerships with Goodwill Industries of San Antonio, she oversaw the organization’s financial and asset building programs, health and wellness initiatives, and the development and deployment of a resource and referral portal for a 23-county region in South Central Texas. She started her career as a case manager for newly resettled refugee families and later, a manager of programs for refugee youth. Catherine has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from Oglethorpe University and an MBA from Duke University.

As MyPath’s Senior Manager, Financial Mentoring, Alexandria is responsible for program development, design, administration, and training for the financial mentoring program. Alexandria brings 12+ years of experience and has a background in foster care, college-bound and justice-involved youth services. In previous roles, she has supported various services for youth and adults throughout the Bay Area. Since joining MyPath, she has facilitated national trainings on youth financial capability and has managed and trained national financial coaches. Alexandria is a certified Financial Fitness Coach and a certified Financial Social Worker Coach. She holds a BA from San Jose State University.

As Senior Manager, Guaranteed Income, MyPath, Itzel leads MyPath’s innovative Guaranteed Income programming – including the first in the nation for Black young adults in Oakland and San Francisco. She joins MyPath with over 8 years of experience in youth advocacy, community organizing, and policy development. Her love and dedication for young people and social justice catalyzed her time with the Youth Leadership Institute (YLI), where she worked on youth-led action research campaigns to drive policy change on racial, social, and environmental issues in San Francisco. Itzel is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Latinx Studies. She is a self-identified queer Latinx visionary who fights to amplify the voices of the communities that have historically been neglected.

Loraina began her career with MyPath at 17, initially as a youth participant and then as a staff member. Starting as a college intern, she has held numerous roles within the organization and currently serves as the Associate Director of Partnerships, collaborating directly with MyPath’s community, financial, and municipal partners. Previously, Loraina served as the Youth Engagement Manager, advising youth on economic justice projects recognized both locally and nationally. With extensive experience as a practitioner and technical assistance provider, Loraina is committed to being a valuable resource for the partners and communities MyPath serves in promoting youth financial capability. Her achievements include invitations to roundtables with government agencies such as the CFPB, FDIC, and the U.S. Department of Labor, as well as various metropolitan cities, emphasizing the importance of youth financial capability and government investment. Loraina has also been a plenary and panel speaker for organizations like the Aspen Institute and Cities for Financial Empowerment. As a dedicated advocate for over 10 years, she has highlighted the importance of youth financial capability from both policy and practitioner perspectives. Loraina supports partners in San Francisco and beyond to bank and educate youth, ensuring that their first payment is not just about income but creating a lasting legacy.

With more than two decades of experience in nonprofit administration and fundraising, Andrea leads MyPath’s development and communications team. Prior to joining MyPath in 2022, she spent 16 years overseeing early childhood education programming and fundraising at one Los Angeles’ largest nonprofit Community Development Corporations. Andrea has been awarded fellowships from the National Coalition of Asian Pacific American Community Development in Washington, DC (2017) and the Southern California Leadership Network in Los Angeles, CA (2018). Since 2019, she has served as a Commissioner for the City of Alhambra’s Housing and Community Development Commission. Andrea has a BA from Brown University and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Lori Jones has over 20 years of experience in business management, including finance, human resources and operations, for organizations up to $30MM and staff sizes from 10 to 750 employees. Lori has worked in philanthropy, philanthropic consulting, higher education, and nonprofits, and draws from previous experience as a legal assistant case manager in business and litigation matters. As Finance Manager for MyPath, Lori works closely with the Chief Financial Officer on regular accounting responsibilities, audits, budgeting, and reporting. Lori is an Advanced Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional through nationally-recognized Fiscal Management Associates, and holds BA and MS degrees.

Stephanie Lopez began her financial development at age 16 when she joined MyPath’s Youth Trainers for Economic Power (YTEP) program. As part of this experience, she had the opportunity to present youth-focused financial solutions to San Francisco Federal Credit Union’s Board of Directors. Later, she was hired on by the credit union, where she managed their Youth Credit Union Program (YCUP) and continued to provide administration and leadership with a youth perspective to support their organizational strategy. In 2018, Stephanie joined the MyPath staff and, as Program Associate, she currently provides administrative support to the Programs team. Prior to this, Stephanie served as MyPath’s Youth Engagement and Program Associate, where she managed the organization’s leadership and advocacy programming for Bay Area high school students. Stephanie is a graduate of San Francisco State University.

Angely Miranda has 20+ years of youth development experience, having spent her entire career in the nonprofit sector providing a wide variety of services (education, employment, coaching/mentoring, case management, foster care services, etc.) to community members. An immigrant born in El Salvador and raised in the Bay Area, she was the first in her family to graduate from high school and college. She is committed to working with BIPOC youth and young adults from diverse socio-economic backgrounds to help them to meet their fullest potential. She believes that everyone, especially underserved and marginalized young people, have a right to access information and resources (access to post-secondary education options and college admissions information, financial aid opportunities, career and employment opportunities, opportunities to build their financial capability, etc.) that will help set them up for success in their lives . She is a huge proponent of change and fully supports positive systems and policy changes to create a more equitable and just world for youth and young adults.

As the Youth Leadership and Engagement Manager at MyPath, Alex leads the youth leadership programs Advocates for a New ERA, MyPath Leaders, and Youth POWER. In this role, Alex works with youth participants to engage them in financial capability workshops and develop youth-led initiatives that address barriers to accessing wealth and financial resources in their communities. Alex is an Oakland native and has over a decade of experience in youth programming and nonprofit leadership both locally in the Bay Area and nationally. Alex has developed and launched workforce development programs for youth from underserved communities, providing internships and career development opportunities for thousands across the Bay Area and the U.S. Before joining MyPath, Alex led youth engagement and career development programs designed to help youth from educationally disadvantaged communities develop digital making and coding skills and become more competitive as job seekers. In these capacities, Alex collaborated with major tech companies and service providers, engaging thousands of youth in skills development programs and placing some participants in paid apprenticeships where they could apply the skills learned. Alex believes that upward economic mobility of vulnerable and underserved communities requires collaborative efforts among diverse service providers with a shared mission. Alex holds a BA in Political Science with a focus on American Politics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Leslie Prado, Senior Director of Programs, is well-versed in financial literacy and cost saving strategies for low-income families and individuals. Her strong analytical and quantitative skills, combined with her ability to simultaneously manage several programs, have resulted in proven success in program development and implementation. Leslie is bilingual (English and Spanish) and her perspective as a Latina raised by immigrants in Orange County facilitates meaningful connections and communication with clients and financial coaches. Leslie has a BS from California State University, Long Beach, and an MBA from Concordia University.

Orange Richardson serves as the BEEM Project Associate with MyPath. As a marketing graduate from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Orange has a deep passion for youth program development and advocacy. He has 5 years of experience in the nonprofit finance sector, specifically in program development and marketing.

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Claudia Stillwell has over 20 years experience in nonprofit management and has spent the last 5 years in Executive management. She has overseen finance, accounting and operations for organizations up to $5MM and staff sizes ranging from 12 to 250 employees. As Chief Financial Officer at MyPath, Claudia is a member of the Executive team, supervises the Finance Manager, and is responsible for fiscal management, risk management, audits, budgeting, and the Board Finance Committee. Claudia is a member of the Financial Professionals Network of CompassPoint, holds a BA from Wesleyan University and an MBA from Golden Gate University.

Marcela Ticas is a seasoned Financial Mentor with over 14 years of dedicated experience in the non-profit, financial capability sector. Her professional journey began with a focus on debt consolidation, where she honed her skills behind the scenes before transitioning into a pivotal role of empowering low-income families and individuals throughout Orange County, CA, providing tailored solutions while guiding them towards financial stability. Her progression into program management and development led to her successful tenure in implementing growth-oriented strategies that have significantly impacted the communities she serves. Marcela’s extensive knowledge of financial empowerment paired with her keen insight into program implementation equips her with a unique skill set to mentor young adults, guiding them on the path to a prosperous financial future.

Claudia Villicaña joins MyPath with over 15 years of experience working with young people in both the nonprofit and higher education sectors. She is passionate about creating social change and breaking down systemic barriers using quality programming and public policy advocacy. She most recently comes from UC Berkeley where she focused on building financial literacy programs and elevating the field of higher education financial wellness at the institutional, state, and national levels. Her expertise is in program development, implementation, and evaluation. Claudia has a BA from the University of California, Irvine and an MPP from Arizona State University.

Abiud is the system administrator at MyPath in charge of Salesforce, GSuite, teamwork, Zoom, DocuSign, and all cloud-based software. He is a Salesforce Certified Salesforce Administrator and a Salesforce Double Ranger. Abiud has worked for governmental and nonprofit organizations throughout his career. Past roles include working as the President and Executive Director of various nonprofits, and at the U.S. House of Representatives where he lent his expertise to investigations of international banking. Throughout his career, he has emphasized improving performance through analysis and working as a strategic partner to address the knowledge and data needs of internal and external clients. Abiud has an MS in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie-Mellon University and a BA in Government from The University of Notre Dame with a minor in Computer Applications.

Meet Our Team

Margaret Libby

Olamide Babatunde

Alvaro Bermudez

Ariana Bermudez

Stephanie Bimar

Catherine Dhongade

Alexandria Downing

Itzel Estrada

Loraina Flores-Martinez

Andrea Giese

Lori Jones

Stephanie Lopez

Angely (Angie) Miranda

Alex Mora

Leslie Prado

Orange Richardson

Claudia Stillwell

Marcela Ticas

Claudia Villicaña

Abiud (AJ) Amaro Diaz