Who We Are - Student Leaders and Board of Directors

We have a core group of ten student leaders – five in Marin County, five in Los Angeles County. Our leadership group has devised the Five 4 Five Student Speaker’s Bureau which will reach over 800 students this year. We plan to run workshops and peer counseling sessions that will help students plan their future as citizens and active participants in their communities.

We meet our students through educational programs. They have big dreams and we are supporting them in every way we can. Here are descriptions of what they are up to and how Five 4 Five is able to help:

• One budding journalist just got into a prestigious university with a scholarship. She is planning on becoming a broadcast journalist and she is working on a series of articles to help end toxic dumping in her community.

• Our group's computer expert is doing analysis for one national financial services company while serving as our presentation designer as well. He wants to be an executive in an innovative company and we are doing all we can to see he meets the right people to make the best choices.

• Accounting isn’t for everybody, but one of our students cannot get enough of those numbers. We helped him find a job with a socially-responsible accounting firm and he is doing splendidly, taking a leadership role in school and supporting his family.

• Our prize winning California Art Scholar has purchased her own camera and is deep into visual arts studies at an excellent college. Her work will go up shortly in a special exhibit space we have found for her. We see many gallery openings in her future.
  

• Our talented graphic design student wants to create a clothing production house that will bring dignity to artists and workers. He has joined with a partner to set up a business. And we are going to help him bring it to fruition.
  

These are just five of our Five 4 Five-ers. When you help Five 4 Five you help these young people and many others like them.

The Five 4 Five Board of Directors – Five 4 Five

Mary Ann Maggiore, President & Executive Director
Co-founder of Five 4 Five, Mary Ann has been actively involved in educational issues for over 20 years. Mary Ann is the former Mayor of Fairfax, CA and the founding Director of Girl Scouts Save the Bay, now serving 55,000 girls. She was also the founding Director of Dominican University's Service Learning Department.

Mary Ann received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College outside of Philadelphia, where she worked with teens for many years. Mary Ann became even more interested in inner city youth while studying for the ministry at Starr King School for Unitarian Ministry at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.
Rev. Maggiore has counseled young people both in the Northern California area and in Los Angeles. The mother of two former teenagers, Mary Ann has done extensive studies on school-to-career models. Her blog on "Raising a Sane & Successful Teen" is at www.maryannmaggiore1.blogspot.com

Gina Brownstein, Vice President & Education Director
Co-Founder of Five 4 Five, Gina Brownstein has been working with youth in Marin City and South Central Los Angeles for over ten years. A photographer and a sculptor who works in clay, Gina graduated with honors in both Art and Community Service from Scripps College in 1990. She has since then also become an art teacher, heading up photography and visual art departments in public high schools. Awarded California’s highest art prize for teens when she was a high school student, Gina has since helped ten of her students to achieve the same goal. A brilliant and inspiring mentor, Gina has guided many of her students to succeed in college and go on to successful careers in business, technology, education and art. Gina is the originator of the Five 4 Five project, Shoot! Photo Essays to End Violence by California Youth. This documentary art exhibition and book have reached thousands of young people and their families in both Northern and Southern California. Shoot! has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Marin Independent Journal, and many other news media. Gina continues to receive acclaim for her own art as well. Named as “a young artists to watch out for” Gina’s photography was recently featured on MSNBC TV. Gina is fluent in Spanish.

Gina recently was honored with the Scripps College for Women's highest alumnae prize. See this link for more about her commendation.

Kellie Owen, Logistics
A graduate of Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington, Kellie took several months to visit a variety of educational communities and mentoring models around the world. Today, she is a landscape gardener and business manager for a successful Marin County landscape design firm.

Eno Attah, Board Member
Eno Attah has a BA in Literature from University of Southern California, a teaching credential and a Librarian’s certification as well. With all her skills and experience, she has been able to guide both student academic and cultural life.  Her grant writing as reaped funds to help at-risk students attend plays, concerts and conferences to give them a broader view of the world. Eno is currently the Head of the Resource Center at Morningside High School in Inglewood, CA.

Hope Fastman, Board Member
As special education teacher for 25 years, Hope received he Bachelor of Arts from Penn State University and her Masters in Education from George Washington University. Known for her innovative curriculum development, she has had great success bringing students to grade level competency levels.  Hope’s specialty is engaging parents in the academic achievement process.