At the Table: Building Relationships in Local Government

Build a deeper understanding of how to engage local elected officials and government staff effectively. This training will break down navigating relationship-building within legal parameters, securing key votes, and understanding when to meet with elected officials and government staff.

Through real-life examples and practice, you will strengthen your ability to advance your organization or coalition's policy priorities and advocacy campaign goals.

This workshop is the third workshop in the Nonprofit Advocacy Series 201—brought to you by Thrive Alliance and Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, thanks to a grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Guest Speaker:

Laura Parmer-Lohan: Laura Parmer-Lohan, CEO of NAMI San Mateo County, leads at the intersection of mental health, public affairs, and community impact. A UC Berkeley MBA graduate, Laura enjoys a career spanning corporate leadership at Amgen, founding her own health tech consultancy, and serving as the first out lesbian mayor in Silicon Valley. Recognized by the San Francisco Business Times as one of its Most Influential Women in 2023, she is a passionate advocate for mental health equity and community connection.

Learn more about the facilitators:

Ana Angel Avendaño: Ana Angel Avendaño is the Executive Director of El Concilio of San Mateo County, where she works alongside historically disinvested communities to advance more thriving, equitable neighborhoods. She brings over 20 years of experience supporting youth and families through community development, cultivating leadership, advocacy, and cultural resilience.

Raised in a multigenerational, mixed-status household and across borders—including formative years in Michoacán, Mexico—Ana is deeply called to advocate for her community, where needs are intersectional and rooted in longstanding environmental inequities.

Ana was recently accepted into the Women Leaders of the World Latina Leaders Cohort. She is also a graduate of the San Mateo County Leadership Program and the Green Foothills Leadership Program. Her leadership includes organizing an annual Latinx Youth Conference and serving on the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women.

She holds a Doctorate in Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco and is an adjunct faculty member in the Ethnic Studies Department at California State University, East Bay.

Andrea Gil: Andrea is a Program Manager for Healthy Online Platform for Everyone (H.O.P.E.) Coalition, organizing to hold social media accountable for the messages we receive online. Andrea has supported over 60 HOPE youth leaders in advancing health policy, including speaking before the California State Assembly and the White House Task Force on Protecting Kids Online. As part of YLI’s K-12 Youth Advocacy Campaign, Andrea is tasked with leading the Bay Area Regional Cohort to amplify youth voices in the public health system. Andrea graduated from San Francisco State University, receiving a bachelor's in Latino/a Studies and Race and Resistance under the Ethnic Studies Department, and participated in Urban Habitat’s Boards and Commission Leadership Institute. She hopes to create a healthy community space rich in history and resources to support today's activists.

Jeremy Levine: Jeremy serves as the Executive Director of Palo Alto Forward and the Policy Manager of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County, both organizations dedicated to creating affordable, sustainable housing options. He has worked with dozens of city councils across the Bay Area to shape housing and land use, leveraging strong relationships with elected officials to reform the policies at the root of our state's housing shortage.

JoAnn Sandoval: JoAnn serves as the Community Organizer at Puente de La Costa Sur. Her work centers on building community capacity and increasing civic engagement to drive local policy change in unincorporated areas of the San Mateo County South Coast. Her work at Puente has fueled her commitment to housing justice and created a deep interest in equitable community planning. To continue developing her skills and knowledge, JoAnn is pursuing a master's degree in Urban Planning and Development.

Pricing

$40 - Thrive/SVCN Member

$75 - Non-Member

We are deeply grateful to for their generous support, which enables us to keep this training affordable and accessible to our community. Their grant helps ensure that more organizations can participate and benefit from this program.

Thrive Alliance is committed to making our nonprofit training programs accessible to underrepresented nonprofit employees in leadership and management roles at no cost. For fee-based programs, Thrive Alliance has established a training scholarship program for events open to under-resourced nonprofits in San Mateo County. Thrive Alliance's scholarship is available thanks to our donors and a generous matching donation from our funding community.

Thrive Alliance strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request accommodations or for inquiries about accessibility, please email Nicole Nash. Requests for interpretation and/or translation services need to be submitted no later than Friday, April 10.

• You will receive a confirmation email with logistics prior to the event.
• Check if your organization is a current Thrive member or visit our website to join or renew. For membership inquiries, please email Nicole Nash at [email protected].
• Check whether your organization is a current SVCN member or visit their website to join or renew. For membership inquiries, email Danna Elneil at [email protected].

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