Both Sides of the Conversation
Meet the Team
Board of Directors
Teuna Gremillion
President
Teuna Gremillion was born and raised in San Francisco until she moved to Daly City during her teenage years. Teuna initially started volunteering as a “Candy Striper” at Seton Hospital during high school and continued to do so as a peer mentor in college and in various capacities as an adult. She is an alumna of Omega Boys Club/Alive & Free. She graduated from Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Sociology.
Teuna has worked for multiple group homes, non- profit organizations and county government agencies throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for the past thirty years in different capacities including Senior Probation Officer, Eligibility Worker, Social Services Program Assistant, Social Worker, and Supervisor. She also managed tax preparation offices for seven years and was the Operations Manager for a niche real estate company. Teuna has been on advisory boards for the Department of Justice and the Workforce Investment Board. Teuna’s love for music created an opportunity for her to work with artists, book shows, promote concerts and produce events. She enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. She believes in the bible verse: To whom much is given; much will be required. If we have been blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge and time then it is expected that we benefit others. Teuna is excited to assist Both Sides of The Conversation as the Board President.
Denise Alexander
Vice President
Denise Alexander is a native of San Francisco where she has resided in Bayview Hunters Point all her life. Denise comes with many years of experience in management which includes managing a large staff and being heavily involved in the care of the geriatric and sick populations. Denise also has extensive HR experience, including recruiting, payroll, accounting, and finance. She is a seasoned manager that has brought positive and profitable change to her company.
Denise’s simple pleasures in life include volunteering at her church and local food bank, shopping, and spending time with family.
Denise comes with a tireless work ethic, excellent communication skills with a no-nonsense go-getter attitude that will get the job done.
Executive Team
Jon Henry
Executive Director
Jon Henry was raised in San Francisco’s District 10 in Bayview Hunters Point. He attended SF Public schools (McAteer High School) and became a Journeymen Heating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Service Mechanic through City College of San Francisco and Local 38’s apprenticeship program.
Growing up, Jon watched the neighborhood he was raised endure a number of social challenges as a result of limited resources available to his community. At just eighteen years old, he made a conscious decision to help by joining Alive and Free Omega Boys Club and became a mentor and community activist. For the last twenty-four years, Jon has committed himself to inspiring change in his community by mentoring young people that are locked up in the San Francisco’s Youth Guidance Center (YGC), feeding the homeless and assisting in distributing resources to San Francisco communities.
His continued efforts inspired him to form Both Sides of the Conversation as he saw a need to provide a platform that addresses the issues that are negatively impacting the Black and Brown communities with a focus on changing the narrative.
Angelique Shivers
Director of Programs/Interim Deputy of Director
Angelique Shivers was born and raised in Oakland, CA. She is driven by an unwavering desire to assist in leading the direction of her community’s academic, economic, and educational success. She knows there is no greater cause than someone that genuinely desires to lighten the burdens of others.
She works as an elementary school educator with the Lodi Unified School District. Before that, from 2015 to 2021, she taught in the Oakland Unified School District. She has found joy in her calling as a teacher, relishing her students’ development and personal growth.
In addition to her career as an Educator, Angelique served as a Project Manager and Administrative Assistant for a religious non-profit organization for 12 years. Her remarkable leadership, organization, and communication skills blend with her compassion and willingness to understand our community’s daily challenges.
Angelique joined Both Sides of the Conversation because of its unique opportunity as an open and safe space for people of color to unite, inspire, and share culturally relevant information. A self-described “problem solver and solution-maker,” she knows her resourcefulness, facilitation, and planning skills will serve her well in her role at Both Sides of the Conversation.
Angelique graduated from The University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies with an emphasis on Education and Ethnic Studies. When she isn’t hard at work as an Educator, she enjoys traveling, listening to music, engaging in “do-it-yourself” projects, hiking, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Asante Morton
Executive Assistant
Asante Morton was born and raised in the Bay View Hunters Point District and now resides in Houston, TX. Growing up in a single-parent home centered around faith, her mother instilled in her to always be thankful and be a blessing to others. Along side her mother she began making an impact in the community as a youth leader at UJAMMA and various youth development programs such as; Young Community Developers, Prevention Leadership Alternatives for Youth, Youthline, and later a respite provider and foster parent for Alternative Family Services.
She is an alumni of Omega Boys Club/Alive & Free. She graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and Accounting.
Asante worked for the Walnut Creek school district and several corporations throughout the Bay Area for the past sixteen years in various capacities including Payroll Coordinator, Accounting Consultant, Accounts Receivable Specialist, Accounting Clerk and Administrative Assistant.
Asante is excited to be a volunteer with Both Sides of the Conversation because she strongly believes in the organization’s mission to empower the Black and Brown Communities to become economically self-sufficient with the three pillars.
Raquila Levels
Executive Administrator
Raquila Level better known as “Q” was born in Atlanta, GA. but raised in Spartanburg.
During her civilian service career, she had the opportunity to work with Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Okinawa, Japan (2007-2011), US Air Force Reserved Command in Robins AFB, GA (2011-2017), and currently with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (2017-Present) as the Administrative Support Assistant for the Southern Service Center in Atlanta, GA.
Raquila is the mom of 2 boys (Boy mom). In her free time, she enjoys gardening, reading, decorating, and volunteering, but mostly an advocate for Sarcoma Cancer as a bone cancer survivor.
Production Team
Ayana Matthews
Director of Un-housed Programs / Production Manager / Co-Host
Ayana Matthews is a native of San Francisco, CA. Growing up in the Bay View Hunters Point District, she witnessed both the good and bad of the beautiful city that she loved. With gun violence, homelessness and a lack of resources plaguing her community, she always had a drive and passion to make a positive change by giving back. Under her Mother’s leadership, as Vice President of UJAMAA, Ayana started early as a youth leader in the beautification project; which beautified neglected areas within the Bay View. Ayana went on to graduate from S.R. Martin College Preparatory School and later received her Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications from Clark Atlanta University.
Ayana continued to be an asset to her community by working for various non-profits within the Bay Area and Atlanta, GA. She worked with Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Program for 10 years, educating and providing resources to underserved communities throughout Northern California. She recently became the owner and director of Beautiful Flower Academy, which is a child care center for young minds to grow and blossom. Ayana is honored to be a volunteer with Both Sides of the Conversation.
Colise Hollins
Production Director
Colise Hollins was raised in Stockton California. She benefited from being reared in a household by her grandmother with her sister and cousins. As Colise entered young adulthood, she found herself frequenting her paternal Grandmother’s Barber Shop in West Oakland’s “Lower Bottoms.” Colise took pleasure in obtaining her Grandmother’s wisdom as they engaged in conversations with elderly customers from the neighborhood.
Colise wanted to beat the odds, so at an early age, she started working full-time and became the first college graduate in her family. Earning an associate’s degree with honors, and furthering the completion of a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. She utilizes her training to be of service in the Healthcare Industry.
As a child, Colise always, “talked back,” or at least that’s what she was told, although she was simply just trying to have a conversation. Colise is extremely excited to volunteer with Both Sides of the Conversation because she has a heart filled with compassion, is of service to the community, and will always have something to say. Colise enjoys cooking, cleaning, listening to music, traveling, and hosting family and friends in her leisure time.
Toni Rochelle
Production Lead & Co-Host
Toni Rochelle was born in Oklahoma City OK. She started her career in 2005.
When she relocated to the Bay Area she worked at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco for two years, later transferred to Oakland Kaiser for 14 years. In Oakland California, she immediately started working as a Model and Actor. Soon after, she started landing roles in independent films and commercials and many magazines and music videos. Her biggest accomplishment to date was landing a part in A Honda Accords national ad campaign and acting on stage at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.
Toni has established herself as a talk show host for the entertainment series, Off Tha Hook T.V., on channel 78. She has interviewed entertainers such as Bobby Brown, Blair Underwood, and Smokey Robinson just to name a few. Toni has appeared on Red Carpets at the Bet awards and ASCAP awards. Toni has appeared in many stage plays throughout the Bay area. You can find her gracing the modeling scene as one of the signature models for Spoiled Boutique located in Oakland Ca and Emeryville Ca. Toni has hosted red carpet events working with The Oakland Chambers of commerce. Toni is also A writer for The Oakland Voices and a independent speaker.
Not only would you say she is the face of the entertainment of beauty but she is also a champion for community activism. Toni stands as Non profit Family Liaison manager /Coach as well as a parent power leader for quality education for Black and Brown families and the founder of her own platform called Keep Ascending to help individuals overcome life struggles through creating content and inspirational messages. This came alone after her divorce and she asked God how can I heal and he told her that she was a star. Toni is the CEO of pretty perfect cleaning company.
Toni grew up in the foster care system as a ward of the state and aged out of the system when she turned 18 years old. So she knows a lot about being the underdog. From that day forward she felt free and was determined to ascend through anything that life threw at her.
Toni is one of the co-host for Both sides of the conversation, a show that is based on community work. Toni is a Doula/Birth worker. Toni holds a lot of these titles but her favorite title is being called Mommy by her two beautiful talented smart babies 1 girl and 1 boy and that is why she stays lit for herself God, her babies family & friends and her community.
She is here to break generational curse and let people know that you can heal and you can be successful no matter what.
Jocelyn Chretien
Co-host
Jocelyn Chretien began her career working in the non-profit sector for over 15 years, gaining unparalleled experience in the community space developing programs and facilitating events. She is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Mental Health Coach, and Xtreme Hip Hop Aerobics Instructor. She obtained a Master’s in Divinity and Bachelor’s in Business and Kinesiology. Jocelyn used her schooling and experience to establish a non-profit, Single Moms Excel, Inc. whose mission is to provide a one-stop shop for the single mom so that she can strengthen and transform her mind, body, and soul by offering a safe and focused space for weekly classes, integrative health coaching, and social activities which improves balance in her life so she can discover her purpose and monetize her passion.
Marketing Team
Aisha Johnson
Marketing Director
Aisha was born in Dayton, Ohio, and raised in Oakland, Ca, for most of her life. She grew up in a home with two loving parents who surrounded her with structure and love. While attending high school, she wanted to do more as she watched her mom care for many others. When her mom became a foster parent, Aisha got involved and became a respite provider for Alameda County, taking care of drug-exposed infants for over nine years. After graduating High School, her love for animals inspired her to attend Western Career College to become a Vet Technician. She later became employed at UC Berkeley in Information Systems while yet holding her titles as a respite care provider and working at vet clinics. Over the years, she has cared for others, volunteering to help wherever possible.
Aisha has a background in HR; in 2021, she became an influencer for Amazon and other brands, as well as a content creator on multiple social media platforms; with her talent, she realized how much she could reach the youth in her community and use her platforms to do so. Aisha is excited to be a volunteer with Both Sides of the Conversation because she strongly believes in the organization’s mission to empower the Black and Brown Communities to become economically self-sufficient with the three pillars.
Ronda Metcalf
Marketing
Ronda L. Metcalf is a San Francisco native, and has been a professional at UCSF since 2004. UCSF Facilities is currently her third career, and she has more than 37 years of work experience. Currently, she works as an Analyst in the field of Pest Control where her duties include conducting monthly building inspections, generating purchase orders and mini form contracts, and a host of Administrative responsibilities for her team.
Her territory coverage encompasses all of the UCSF Parnassus/Mission Bay and Outlying Area Campuses. In addition, she generates all service order/handles inquiries, resolves escalated complaints, and handles client-relations with outside vendors within the San Francisco region.
Ronda has received many certificates for outstanding Customer Service and for additional administrative trainings. She has Associate Degrees in Social Behavior Sciences and in the Arts and Humanities. Ronda’s most self-rewarding accomplishment is her only son, Aaryn Anthony, who is 29 and a graduate from St. Johns University, New York.
Marco Williams
Videographer and Photographer
Marco Williams is a native of San Francisco California. Born the youngest of four, and raised by his single mother Frances definitely contributed to his upbringing of being determined and forever learning.
Growing up he has always had an interest in music. All throughout grade school he was a member of the school band. That love for music continued on as he would go on to study music at City College of San Francisco. Soon after that, he would find himself learning Multimedia at Expression a Digital Arts College in Eastbay. Joined with his brother Richard upon attending they would both go on to graduate and pursue a career with the knowledge obtained.
The skill set that he acquired along this long road has landed him where he is today. Mr. Williams has been running his own Multimedia business since 2010. Wearing multiple hats most of the time makes him a one-man show. This man can help you write your song, get you through the entire songwriting process (recording, mixing, and mastering), shoot your photoshoot and music video, and then turn around and help you market/promote it. There isn’t much that he doesn’t do, as well as a solid person to get advice from you will know that you came to the right place once you are in his presence.
Youth Team Members
Devin Ward
Marketing and Production
Kendall Jackson
Marketing and Production
Dejia Ward
Marketing and Production
Brandi Gray
Production
Saanaiya Lee
Production
