Gillian is a small person with a big personality. She brings a strategy-oriented mindset and diverse fundraising experience to the role, from grassroots fundraising to event planning and securing multi-million dollar government grants. Born and raised in the East Bay, she helps run her dad’s dance and yoga business and supports many local fundraising efforts including Community Women’s Orchestra, Grown Women Dance Collective, and Oakland Animal Services.

A mixed-race, queer, first-generation immigrant and college graduate, Gillian’s desire for abolition comes from, among other deeply held beliefs, a zealous hatred of capitalism and an embodied experience of the power of generational trauma. Her mother’s encounters with foster care, transnational and transracial adoption, and the juvenile justice system played a significant role in her upbringing. 

Gillian loves to read and write, both at home and at work, and relishes a beautifully crafted sentence. Some of her many pursuits include work-life balance, dancing, cooking, gardening, doing Pilates, organizing by color, sewing, fostering cats, and reading memoirs. She is especially passionate about gender equity and all things carbs.