LaTonya Comier
Elsie Dunn Center Manager

La Tonya has been employed at VOABA for 14 years. During her time here, she has held several different positions. Starting at the Boot Camp Program in 1993 as a Monitor, Team Leader, and Lead Monitor. In 1997 she work for the West House and then received a promotion as the Case Work Supervisor at the West House of February 2006. She currently works as Center Manager at Volunteers of America Bay Area Elsie A. Dunn Center in Oakland.

Bobbie Johnson
MOMS Program Manager
(510) 520-4481

Bobbie has recently been promoted to this position - having left her mark in organization and program development with Volunteers of America's prisoner re-entry services for over twenty-two years. Prior to her promotion, she had been the Center Manager for VOABA's West House (Since 1998) - a 72-bed facility for parolees in Oakland. As a Center Manager, she oversaw the entire facility, the case manager supervisor, the job developer, the records clerk and 12 monitors.

Her amazing dedication, knowledge and skills has enabled her to rise rapidly from a monitor at West house to Job Developer/Case Manager and Facility Manager at VOABA's East House and the Booth Family Mother-Infant Community Correctional Reentry Centers.

Bobbie's experience in the correctional environment coupled with her continuing education endeavors makes her the perfect choice for the MOMS Program Manager.

Robyne Morgan
Case Manager Supervisor
Disaster Relief & Recovery

Robyne has worked as the Case Manager Supervisor for the Katrina Aid Today program since its inception. She is responsible for overseeing the program, training and mentoring the case managers that work directly with the Katrina Evacuees who have relocated to Northern California.

Robyne received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Pacific Union College, Angwin California in Communications. Directly after college and many years thereafter Robyne worked in the Pharmaceutical sales field.

She is an active volunteer with the American Red Cross Bay Area where she holds the position of Partner Services Manager, and was deployed to Mississippi directly after hurricane Katrina. Robyne is a member of the American Cancer Society East Bay Metro Unit. She was the Team Captain for 2006 Skyline Relay for Life, this year she will Chair the Team Development/Retention Committee. Robyne continues to participate as a Mediator for Contra Costa Superior Courts through the Congress of Neutrals, a not for profit corporation.

Olugbemiga Oluwole, Sr.
Program Manager
Corrections/Rehabilitation Division
Re-Entry Programs/Parolee Service Centers

Olugbemiga Oluwole Sr. joined the Volunteers Of America Bay Area in June 2006. Olu holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government, concentrating on International Relations, a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and has six years experience in the administration of Community Correctional Re-entry Centers. Olu's experience started with working for Cornell Corrections of San Francisco, Ca., as a Facility Director, but now oversees the management/administration of multiple VOABA's Correctional Re-entry Programs, the supervision of their center managers, supervisors, and staff at large.

Olu is very active in the Oakland community where he represents District 3 on the Oakland Community Policing Advisory Board, which provides oversight to the Oakland Police Department's Community Policing component. Olu was appointed to this Board by Ms. Nancy Nadel, the Council Member for District 3. Olu is also on the Board of Directors of Oakland Community Organizations, a grass root empowerment non-profit organization, dedicated to social justice and the upliftment of family lives.

Olu's passion as a criminal justice practitioner is the rehabilitation and redemption of ex-offenders back into the good grace of society, as each ex-offender is somebody's family member.

Emilia Otero
Day Labor Center Manager
(510) 436-6970

Ms. Otero is currently the Program Manager for the Day Labor Program in Oakland. She is working with local companies to provide full or part time employment for each day laborer on a regular basis. The program currently has 200 participants. Her goal is to strengthen the Latino community in the City of Oakland.

Emilia Otero came to Oakland in 1994 quickly she realized that there were very few cultural activities for young kids in the City of Oakland. Ms. Otero formed the New Generation Ballet Folklorico Group. The group consisted of seventy-five kindergarten thru 8th grade low-income children. As the director she taught the children traditional cultural dances, leadership and drama; these classes were provided free of charge.

Ms. Emilia Otero has been an active participant in Local and State Political elections since 1994. Her goal is to help the low -income minorities understand the importance of casting their vote and having representation in all areas of Government.

Ms. Otero is the spokesperson for the ACPO. She has organized many community events for the merchants since 1998. One of her last cultural events; Cinco de Mayo Parade & Festival 2002 brought up to 70,000 people to the Fruitvale Community from all over the Bay area.

In 1998, Ms. Otero organized the street vendor association. A.C.A.F. is the first Mobile Fruit Vender cooperative in the United States. The 25 members are well organized and a strong voice in the Fruitvale community and the City of Oakland.

Bill Ritchie
Crew Supervisor

Tammy Siu
HIV Services Program Manager
(510) 473-0500 x225

Tammy Siu is the Program Manager for the HIV Services Program at Volunteers of America Bay Area. Tammy holds a Master of Education and Master of Arts in Psychological Counseling with a concentration in Multicultural Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. Tammy's professional experience has focused on counseling LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and intersex) populations, specializing in domestic violence, HIV/AIDS and substance abuse issues.

Tammy's work has included hospital- and community-based mental health counseling and crisis intervention; day treatment program development and implementation; political advocacy and teaching on sexual discrimination; consultations on federal and state policies regarding domestic violence issues; and research on Asian American mental health issues and people living with cancer.

Tammy's work is informed by her training in multicultural competence as she strives to be an advocate for ethnic minority populations, people living with HIV/AIDS and underserved communities.

Elbert L. Stewart
Director of Auto Donation Enterprise
(510) 567-1114

Elbert L. Stewart is Director of Auto Donation Enterprise for Volunteers of America Bay Area. He has worked for the agency thirteen years. He holds Certificates of training from Sequoia Automotive Institute in diagnostics, electronics, repair, maintenance and upgrading of Automobiles Trucks, and Motorcycles. Elbert Stewart has over 20 years supervising rehabilitative training and employment of justice system offenders and the inner city disadvantaged.

Daionne Washington
West House Center Manager
(510) 419-0360

Daionne Washington is the Center Manager of Volunteers of America Bay Area West-House CCRC/ Parolee Service Center. This program is design to assist paroles re-enter the community as a productive citizen.

Daionne started working for Volunteers of America Bay Area 14 years ago as a childcare provider for the Mother Infant Re-entry programs and then at the Men Work Furlough program as a Monitor. She then was a Case Work Supervisor, the Center Manager at Elsie A. Dunn Work Furlough, and was recently promoted to Center Manager at West-House CCRC/Parolee Service Center.

Daionne holds a certification in Substance Abuse Counseling and Community Social Service/AA Certificate of completion basic core training for Batterers Intervention Program.