FRIDAY - Key Persons
Anthony Rodriguez (he/él/they) is a cross-sector collaborator, published researcher, and data-driven leader. He is passionate about harnessing partnerships, research, and stakeholder engagements to catalyze change, create effective decisions, and guide strategic planning to scale programmatic delivery and social impact.
Prior to joining Friday, Anthony was a Program Analyst for the California Community Foundation, where he advised philanthropic, evaluation, data, communications, government, and community partners on strategies for targeting outreach and education efforts towards hard-to-count populations in LA County for the 2020 Census. He has served in leadership positions for Juma Ventures and Minds Matter San Francisco, and enjoys mentoring, volunteering, staying fit, and curating music playlists.
Austin is an educator and strategist. For more than a decade, he has been a trusted advisor to mission-driven companies, nonprofits, philanthropies, and education organizations on areas ranging from organizational strategy and communications to growth and innovation. A good friend once said, "If I could give Austin a superpower, I think it's that he sees the world as it could be, especially by bringing together seemingly disparate ideas, principles and industries." He's always trying to live up to those words.
Prior to founding Friday, Austin held multiple roles spanning consulting, policy and advocacy, non-profit management, community organizing, teaching, and coaching - always with a focus on improving education systems, expanding opportunity, and improving communities.
A native Texan, Austin graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin. He serves on the advisory board for PelotonU and has taught college prep English at San Quentin with the Prison University Project. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife Maggie and their black lab Tim Riggins, where outside of work he's trying to break 80 and smoke the perfect brisket.
Job Titles:
- Operations Coordinator
- Project Manager
Christina is an operations coordinator and project manager based in New Jersey. She has over 12 years of experience across various industries including healthcare where she enjoyed working directly with patients, then made a career pivot and began spearheading marketing and partnership initiatives for a nonprofit. Her transition from a clinical setting to the nonprofit sector led her to Friday, and her passion for supporting and helping people continues to guide her journey towards achieving a certification in project management.
Education
Certificate in Project Management | Coursera (currently pursuing)
Job Titles:
- Senior Strategist & Lead Copywriter
Dominique is a social worker, educator and scholar. She spent a decade in schools serving the social-emotional needs of students, providing consultations with teachers and administrators as well assisting families with the the required resources to support their children's educational and social well-being. She is also a licensed clinical social worker, providing therapeutic services to both adults and teens.
Dominique is currently a Ph.D. student at Washington University in St. Louis where her research interests center the impact of racism on the education, well-being, and social mobility of Black children and their families. She primarily examines these issues through the lens of K-12 education.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Senior Advisor
- Teacher
Jeff is a teacher, leader, speaker, and coach. He's spent 20 years helping schools find more effective ways to serve students, particularly student populations who have been historically underserved. Jeff facilitates leadership coaching, workshops, and data analysis to help educators improve school performance, identify inequities, and promote the professional development of their staff.
Jeff has worked in and around Fresno for 20 years developing curriculum and trainings on topics which include: instructional strategies for diverse student populations, student leadership and advocacy skill development, trauma-informed practices, LCAP development, equity-driven instruction and leadership, WASC process development, and most recently identifying and addressing achievement and conditions gaps.
Education
EdD Educational Leadership | University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
EdS Teacher Leadership | Walden University, Minneapolis
MA Educational Leadership (Administration and Supervision) | Fresno State University
Through her work managing technology products at Pearson Education and shepherding client relationships and brand and innovation projects at creative agencies, Elizabeth has over 7 years of experience leading diverse teams and bringing stakeholder groups together to work toward common goals. She excels at seeing the big picture, defining the steps and strategy needed to get there, and bringing others along to get it done.
After moving home to rural Humboldt County, California, she's developed a renewed passion for helping people to both see the beauty in where they live and take action to shape their community's future. She is a CASA advocate and serves as a member of the Headwaters Fund Board, a local economic development fund.
Emily is a passionate organizer and process-oriented team leader. At Friday she keeps client projects on track, leads primary and secondary research, and oversees the company's operations. Emily's multi-disciplinary background gives her a unique perspective on driving successful collaboration. She's spent over 7 years in various roles at a creative agency-managing branding, marketing campaigns, speaker series events and website development projects. Prior to joining the agency world, Emily honed her research and communications skills working at a nonprofit in her hometown, building regional collaboration among public and private stakeholders to improve quality of life in the Sacramento area.
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing & Sales Operations
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
Kate is a seasoned storyteller and communications strategist. She has extensive experience creating successful campaigns and high-quality content. Working in local television news for nearly a decade, Kate honed her storytelling abilities as a reporter and weekend anchor in the Indianapolis market. She approaches all projects with a laser focus on developing clear, compelling narratives that inform and inspire.
Prior to joining the Friday team, Kate led communications strategy at nonprofit organizations in the education and healthcare sectors. She produced videos, reports, and websites that received national attention. A native Hoosier, Kate lives in Indianapolis with her husband and two children. She is a travel enthusiast, pop culture aficionado, and Peloton fanatic.
Education
BA Telecommunications | Ball State University
Job Titles:
- Senior Strategist & Fellow '22
Job Titles:
- Project & Operations Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Freelance Graphic Designer
Job Titles:
- Freelance UX / UI Designer
Job Titles:
- Director, Digital Projects
Neva's core belief is that all people are capable of greatness when their needs are met and they are set up for success. This was her guiding principle as a teacher in Memphis, where she taught over 1,000 students over an eight-year teaching career. Alongside teaching, she coached novice teachers and ran an overnight camp for children affected by domestic violence. Through these roles, she discovered a passion for organizational strategy - creating environments that enabled individuals and teams to perform at their best. Now, she is pursuing her MBA at UC Berkeley to bring that mindset to large organizations and increase her impact.