History

The Koshland Excelsior Fellows are the founding members of Excelsior Works! Photographed Front Row Left to Right: Nicole Agbayani, Joni Tam Chu, Tiffani Johnson, Rachel Ebora, Rene Luna, Terry Valen. Back Row Left to Right: Paulo Acosta Cabezas, Alex Tom, Jacquie Chavez, Beth Rubenstein, Charlie Sciammas, Carlton Eichelberger.

 

Each fall, the Koshland Civic Unity Program of The San Francisco Foundation seeks out underserved neighborhoods in its five Bay Area counties of focus in which to invest by identifying community leaders of bold spirit who accept the most stubborn neighborhood issues as a personal challenge, and who work collaboratively to overcome them.

The Foundation provides these community leaders (Koshland Fellows) with resources for five years that allows them to develop strong relationships, build trust, establish a shared leadership framework and decision making process, and challenges them to identify a community issue they want to address

 

In 2013, the Koshland Program selected the Excelsior neighborhood. Through this process, the Excelsior Koshland Fellows agreed to launch a neighborhood workforce hub that will bring together at one convenient site community based organizations already providing job development programs, and services for low-income youth, adults, seniors, and immigrants. The result will be self-sufficiency of individuals and families, and a healthier more visibly vibrant Excelsior community.