EBALDC Memories Oakland, CA 2014-2020
Best wishes in your next steps! I have taken for granted our time together and will miss you! --Liz
...thanks for all the wonderful lunches and dinners. You sure did feed the NC team well! --Anita
My favorite memories of Romi are sharing great meals and dishing on career and life advice! So excited to know you'll be bringing your focus and leadership to further the vision of community health on an even bigger scale! --Capri
From the first moment I met you, Romi, I was struck with your intelligence and commitment to community. Your experience and confidence was reassuring. Our neighborhood has many challenges, but not once did you say waver from an absolute faith that together we can make it better. I wish that your next chapter is filled with dreams fulfilled. - Blessings, Janny
Romi's brilliant mind and warmth have been a highlight of my time with EBALDC. I will miss our grant writing sprees (sort of), ramen lunches, and dreaming of future travels together. You are going to do amazing things for NeighborWorks America! I'm really so proud of you, but I will miss having you around! --Jill
First memory: Infectious smile and boundless energy! Even though I was pitching myself and my former firm to work with EBALDC as a client, she made me feel immediately at ease and comfortable. --Castle
I guess we made a switch I just came from NeighborWorks and now your going to be working there. I know you will have a great experience there and I’m glad you will still be in the NW family. It has been great meeting you for the short time I was around you always had great energy and enjoyed talking to you. --Paul Shabsis
I just remember out chats in the kitchen about Philadelphia and Las Vegas. You always have an upbeat spirit and are very dedicated to your work. Best of luck in your new position. NeighborWorks is a great organization. Don't forget about us here at EBALDC. --Judy Graboyes
I'll remember all the lunch time catch-up and the fun conversations that were made during those times, like exchanging recipe ideas or sharing our fruit for the day. I wish you all the best in this new role. I know you'll be beyond amazing with this new adventure and I'm glad I've been able to work with you and got to know you more during these past few years. Thank you for everything you do and bring to EBALDC. --Mai Vang
Romi, I so appreciated having you as an office wing neighbor! Thank you for all the little moments when you took the time to really, authentically connect with me. I admire your perspective and big hearted realness! Well you'll be totally used to working from home now!! You got this - it's going to be awesome, and I'm excited for all of the other connections and influences you'll get to make in this new role. Cheers!! --Marie Maniscalco
Romi, I’ll never forget the orchid you gave me when I returned to work after medical leave. I felt your love, compassion and support when I needed it most. Thank you so much for your friendship. Romi, best of luck at Neighborworks America. I know you’ll be successful, with your amazing energy and spirit. --Darin Lounds
"Welcoming" is the first word that pops to mind with Romi. There's something wonderful about walking into a room and instantly feeling welcomed and comfortable, and Romi has a way of creating that feeling in every room she's in.
Romi, I'm so happy for you starting this new chapter, and so glad that you won't have to travel far from the community that you've done so much to support! --Eric Simundza
The first time I encountered Romi is when she came and spoke in a UC Berkeley City Planning course I was taking. She was so enthusiastic and introduced me to the concept of community development. I was always looking for my place in the world of work and when I heard Romi talk about EBALDC and the innovative work she was doing I knew that was where I needed to be. I had the opportunity to work closely with Romi when I got to EBALDC and she was a mentor me. I will so miss working alongside Romi and really value her friendship You got this, Romi! --Emily Busch .
Romi’s presence in my life seems to have continually grown over the years since I met her. Her untiring efforts on behalf of all the residents, especially those most in need, of the various communities she worked in have become more apparent to and appreciated by me as the time has passed. Her combination of patience, skill, and unfailing good humor, despite what I am sure were regular frustrations, could not help but impress anyone who was paying attention. In the meetings she called that I attended I would often take mental notes of how a skilled facilitator would handle difficult situations and multiple points of view. And I never had the impression that she was coming from the outside, but that she approached her missions as a participant with the others, but who had skills and resources to help bring together existing resources in the community. She had some daunting tasks working in our gentrifying community, but in the end I am personally more optimistic now than I was at the beginning of the process about the situation of San Pablo, about its current condition of what has happened, especially considering the possibilities of what could have happened, and, about its prospects for the future. It’s something to be proud of and I hope she takes that pride into her next phase. She’s a lovely person who’s a joy be around and EBALDC made a wise choice when it engaged her services and it will not be easy to replace her, and I look forward to continuing to encounter her in her new role well into the future. --Ray Kidd
So many memories over the last six years! A favorite memory is the first Healthy Neighborhoods Regional Convening and our first experience with Picha Kuchas. Bringing together our partners across Oakland and the East Bay to share their visions of healthy neighborhoods, and to do it at high speed with the crowd cheering! Not your usual conference experience. Keep doing what you always do - bring people together, help them move ideas to action. I know you will shake things up at Neighborworks and bring the Healthy Neighborhoods vision to a national level! -- Charise
From 34SP ;) to being nearby office mates, I'm so glad for the time we had together. Romi, thank you for all of our check ins and chats - you've truly helped me feel more comfortable in my skin here at EBALDC. You are beacon of joy and your spirit is truly infectious! Not to mention with a fabulous sense of fashion! I can't wait to see what you continue to do for the communities we serve. We are going to miss you! <3 --Andrew
Your energy and smile are infectious! Since my first day at EBALDC, each time we cross paths I am invigorated. You have such a capacity to be fully in the moment yet forward driven at the same time. I will miss our impromptu talks about our children and our breakroom confidences. Go forth and conquer! I know that you will do well in whatever you set your mind to -Elizabeth
I remember during one of the first interviews we had with Romi, she came in with so much energy bursting with ideas. I feel like we knew right away that she was a perfect fit to lead the Healthy Neighborhoods work, and we were right. I know Romi is going to bring so much to NeighborWorks. I hope they value what they are getting with her, and are able to expand her horizons so that she can shine at her brightest! --Tejal Shah
Even in just the 1.5 years I've known Romi, there are too many! Let it be memorialized that Romi is one of my style icons & I find comfort knowing there is another fellow Las Vegas enthusiast <3 Romi, you will be missed tremendously! I look forward to seeing what amazing things you'll be doing at NWA! I wish you and your family nothing but the best! Sincerely, Allyson
Will miss talking fashion and baby topics. So happy for you and wish you the best --Erika Wong
Such a classy and beautiful soul, for me Romi is a shining star and the room dims when she leaves. I will miss that the most, especially when I walk by where she used to be. You go girl! I've always known that you're going places. I hope NWA knows how lucky they are! --Anne Robertson
It's been a real treat to work with you Romi! I've also watch you grow into a wonderful mom. I'll miss you and your infamous rum cake! :) I'm sure that NWA knows that you with beauty, wit, and smarts they couldn't go wrong. In other words YOU KNOW YOUR Sh**! Congratulations, prayers up for your continued success --Felicia
Romi took our department down to Half Moon Bay on a team retreat to pick out some pumpkins to decorate the SPARC-it-Place. Romi’s childcare fell through at the last minute, so baby Gideon ended up tagging along. I remember a scramble of text messages from Romi that morning as we adjusted our plans, but by the time we all met up to carpool down Romi was already cool and collected, ready to lead us with baby G in tow. Romi wore both her “Team Leader” and “Mom” hat’s that day and made it look so easy! Romi! I’m so sad to see you go, yet extremely glad I had the opportunity to have worked with you. Your energy, experience, and enthusiasm for our work really made it easy to be part of your team and make a positive impact in the San Pablo Corridor. It makes me happy to know that your work and impact will go even farther at your new position at NeighborWorks America. Best of luck! --Kurtis
When I first started and we had our "get to know each other" meeting, Romi mentioned that her husband is really smart. I love being around smart people and smart people (Romi) who like smart people. I could tell you were a Rockstar from the our first meeting! You are going to do great things at NW and beyond! --Vicki Shu
Romi has awesome glasses. Romi has the best earrings. Romi is my hair sister (She always greets me with, "Girl, your hair is getting so LONG!" even if I've just had a haircut :):) ! Ok, but *also* I remember that at my first meeting with Romi (and many others!) I was impressed because she is a skilled, charming, and patient facilitator, which is an under-rated but really important skill. She welcomes people into the room, creates a fun atmosphere, and makes everyone feel like their opinion matters. Well, I am still hoping I will see Romi all the time in our corner of Oakland! But I know she will bring her keen analysis, her get-it-done competence, and her love of justice and healthy communities to the work and I am excited to see what happens! --Gloria Bruce
I Love Romi... she has such a passion for her work and has managed somehow to show us how to have a loving marriage and family in the process of all of this community stuff we absorb in our daily lives. Of course, finding out her bday and mines are a day apart (though I'm much older) showed me why she is someone who I will always consider a friend and a sister in community. She understanding the #1 thing about living in a community...Commune( the French word appearing in the 12th century from Medieval Latin communia, meaning a large gathering of people sharing a common life; from Latin communis, things held in common) is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, often having common values and beliefs, as well as shared property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work, income or assets. While we won't need to get granular here, I think the summation of this is that she is like me...she cares, she shares values, beliefs and she understands resources are finite where we are, so her creativity is what helps folks see...you don't need money as much as you need love and compassion; you don't need genius-level smarts, but if you have a will and a desire to see something improve for the better, you step in and you take action, while coordinating like minded people, but most importantly, you understand that how YOU SEE may not be what OTHERS SEE..and WHAT IMPACTS YOU POSITIVELY, may NEGATIVELY IMPACT SOMEONE ELSE. She's thoughtful and caring and that is the combination with other characters called GRACE. I will also miss her even when I see her. I know you're going to be as amazing at Neighborworks America as you are at EBALDC. Please don't be a stranger and know that I wish you all the support I can muster. -- Carol Wyatt
I'll always have a ton of fun and great memories. But what will stand out the most for me is how hard you were on me! And for that I'll always be grateful because it meant you believed in me, that you knew I had the skills and ability to do this work, despite all the ups and downs. Thanks for pushing me and always believing in me! I'm so happy and excited for you. This is what you've always wanted - to elevate the Healthy Neighborhoods vision to a national platform, and I can't wait to see all the incredible work that will emerge under your direction. Best of luck! --Anita
Thank you for walking alongside and helping me navigate this complicated, beautiful, evolving thing that is community development. Thank you for giving me grace as I grew, support and space to dream big, test together, and try again. Thank you for living a way of leading that is absolutely authentic to yourself, smart, powerful, fun, and soft around the edges in all the best ways... all without sacrificing the best things in life. Though itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to see you go, it was such a privilage to spend these years in Oakland with you. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to see what your next adventure brings! Annie
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to thank Romi for sharing her family with us and becoming family with us! --Lanetha