Executive Announcement:
City of Dreams is pleased to announce the addition of four newly appointed board members, Nasira Spells, T.J. Gustafson, Mark Dondero, and Mini Patti.
The Board vetted and selected the four who would compliment the strength of the existing board. The newest member's three-year appointed term commenced on March 16th, 2021.
Nasira Spells, Digital Marketing Manager for an arts center based in San Francisco, oversees digital marketing from website integration, email campaigns, content development, leveraging new automation tools to optimize the organization. Nasira is a Social Impact specialist with a passion for health and wellness and creating healing spaces for others. Through social impact, her goal is to inspire people to make their health of paramount importance in their lives and gain a stronger understanding of how interconnected social impact is to health outcomes. She started at City of Dreams as a Garden Volunteer and through her evident commitment to the Bayview community, was recruited by our executive team to join our board. Nasira hopes to bring the City of Dreams a renewed sense of unity in a time when we can't be as close physically to our community as once before. She also hopes to provide experiences for our youth that will ignite their inner spark and push them through any adversity.
T.J. Gustafson, Managing Director for Unum, leads a team of Sales and Client Management in Northern California. Unum works with employers of all sizes to help with benefits packages and provide a financial safety net for millions of Americans. T.J. has supported Unum’s mission for over 20 years and hopes to bring his dedication to City of Dreams to make a difference in the San Francisco Bay Area. With his years of experience, Gustafson looks to contribute towards fundraising, mentoring, and recruiting volunteers. “I'm looking forward to being a part of a dynamic and energetic board committed to bringing positive long-term change to the Bay Area.”
Mark Dondero, Vice President, Renewable Energy Investment Banking at Fifth Third Securities, the investment banking division of Fifth Third Bank, a commercial and retail bank headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mark advises solar, wind, and energy storage companies on mergers, acquisitions, and capital-raising transactions. Before this role, Mark held positions at MVP Capital as a Vice President, and Deloitte & Touche as a CPA focused on serving clients in the venture capital and private equity industries. During his free time, Mark enjoys the outdoors — running, mountain biking, and surfing.
Mini Patti is a non-profit fundraising consultant. She works with education non-profit organizations on their fundraising programs to improve education outcomes for brown and black children in the Bay Area and beyond. Mini is the granddaughter of two public school teachers and is a lifelong learner. She is passionate about working within the education industry and with organizations serving children and young people. Born and raised in San Francisco, she has worked throughout the Bay Area with independent schools, non-profits, and individual fundraising offices to strategize, develop, and execute winning campaigns. Mini hopes to bring fundraising strategy and expertise to help City of Dreams grow to reach more young people. Mini received her B.A. from Barnard College in New York, and in 2017, earned a Pastry and Baking Arts degree from the San Francisco Cooking School. In Mini's spare time she enjoys cooking, crafting, painting, being active in nature, and making jam.
