2015 Key Partners + Funders

The 2015 CIWI Team included the following Sponsor Partners: Cahill Contractors, Nibbi Brothers, Tishman Speyer, Related CA, Roberts-Obayashi, Turner Construction Co., Strada Investment Group, Urban Design Consulting Engineers, and Interstice Architects.

CIWI 2015 was a remarkable year for the program - take a moment to check out our recent Accomplishments:

  • CIWI Impact Video, 2015
  • CIWI Impact Report, 2012-2015


Here are some highlights:


  1. Number of Internship Positions.  CIWI delivered 16 internship positions, representing a 60 percent increase from our 2014 program (10 internships).
  2. Professional Development/Career Development.  In total, our interns earned over $70,000 and gained almost 4,000 hours in technical training/civic engagement experience.
  3. Targeted SF District 10 Commitment.  All of our SF interns were from District 10, a 2014 program goal.
  4. Number of Sponsors. CIWI 2015 included nine sponsors, our largest number to date, as well as participation by two A&E firms.
  5. Civic Engagement Series.  Interns participated in several local government, key partner, and community engagement meetings (such as SF HAC, SPUR, and AIA-SF), two Meet and Greets, including one with Lynette Gibson McElhaney (Oakland City Council President, District 3 Representative), Lane Partners, and Gensler and one with Tiffany Bohee Director, Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII).
  6. Key Community Based Organizations. To date, we have three key CBO partners, including Juma Ventures, College Track, and East Bay College Funds. With proximity to key development opportunity sites, our partners are strategically located to maximize our outreach efforts and also create community and economic development opportunities within these areas. Our partners provide a key and critical role in the program, including outreach, engagement and recruitment with interns, and provide centrally located meeting space for workshop and meet and greets.

John Stewart Company

Lane Partners

WESTATES Mechanical

Karwanna Dyson
Big Mouth Productions

Big Mouth Production is a small, woman owned business owned and operated by Karwanna Dyson. Our motto is “Bringing Ideas To Life” through high quality video production & Photography services. We pride ourselves in providing the right solutions to our clients. Service includes Video Production, Editing, Photography, Web Development, Marketing Campaigns & more for various mediums.

Karwanna Dyson is a long time Bayview Resident who has a strong background in video & photo with over 10+yrs of experience & expertise in the business. She has a Bachelor Degree in Mass Communications, Master of Science in Business.  Karwanna provides specialty services in construction progress and pre-construction photography as well as event photography, short documentary & informational videos, safety & training videos and more.  Karwanna is a member of Professional Photographers of America and the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC). Big Mouth Productions is a certified DBE, LBE, MBE, SBE, & WBE firm.

Montez Group Incorporated (MGI) is a construction consulting company established in 2011.  in 2015, Oscar is assisting the CIWI team with quality management and contract management services, QC/QA/CM: Civil, Geotechnical, Structural, Rail Systems, Airports, and Transit. 

Our principal has over 20 years of extensive experience in some of the largest construction projects in the Bay Area and Los Angeles Area.    Currently we have contracts with Transbay Terminal, San Francisco Department of Public Works, and City of Fairfield. MGI  is a certified DBE, SBE, & SF-LBE (MBE).
Oscar Zavaleta
Montez Group Inc.

Passionate about delighting customers and reinvigorating their experience with brands,  Julian is a researcher at heart, who loves the "ah-ha" moments attached to gleaning insights from a mountain of data. Branding building (from the inside-out) and helping firms deliver on their brand promise is Julian’s specialty. He’s also a ninja in Adobe suite and our graphic guru.


Most of his experience is in B2B and marketing/branding professional services. He’s also passionate about economic development - business and community working together to create value. Julian has experience working with Fortune 500 clients and small non-profits, servicing risk management, technology and education industries. He’s a 3-time University of San Francisco graduate with a B.A in Psychology, M.A in Education, and M.B.A (Marketing focus).

Julian Lute
malts | bee | loot creative

Golden Gate Lumber

ALCAL Speciality Contracting, Inc.

Decker Electric

For over 80 years, James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corporation has consistently delivered high-quality, award-winning construction services in the Bay Area and Northern California. Our work focuses on

projects under negotiated contract in a variety of sectors including affordable and market-rate rental and for-sale housing; senior independent and assisted living facilities; commercial and adaptive-

reuse projects; and mixed-use developments. We are dedicated experts in the rehabilitation and new construction of all building types including wood frame, metal frame, and concrete structures.

 

Founded in 1932 in San Francisco, Moore & Roberts was formed during the depths of the Great Depression by Gene Moore and Jim Roberts. The company built a reputation for constructing landmark structures throughout the Bay Area and Northern California.

Tishman Speyer is one of the leading developers, owners, operators, and asset managers of first class real estate worldwide. Active across North America, Europe, South America and Asia. Tishman Speyer is relied upon by many of the world's most prestigious corporations to meet their office space needs. As of March 31, 2014, the firm had acquired, developed and/or managed a portfolio of approximately 130 million sq. ft. with a total value of approximately USD $66.9 billion since its founding in 1978. Signature assets include New York's Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler Center, São Paulo's Torre Norte, Ventura Corporate Towers in Rio de Janeiro, and OpernTurm in Frankfurt. Tishman Speyer also has projects at different stages of development currently in Brasília, Chengdu, Frankfurt, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, Suzhou and Tianjin.

Turner is a North America-based, international construction services company and is a leading builder in diverse and numerous market segments. The company has earned recognition for undertaking large, complex projects, fostering innovation, embracing emerging technologies, and making a difference for their clients, employees and community.  With a staff of 5,200 employees who work on more than 1,500 projects each year, we offer clients the accessibility and support of a local firm with the stability and resources of a multi-national organization.  Our vision is to be the highest value provider of global construction services and technical expertise. 

RFJ Meiswinkel Company

Rob and Emily Rich Family Fund

2015 Funders and Subcontractor Partners

Strada Investment Group is a real estate investment and development firm focused on high-barrier-to-entry urban markets. Headquartered in San Francisco, the firm unites under one roof a team of executives with senior level government experience in public finance and development with leading real estate private equity professionals.

Strada’s proven track-record incorporates a wide spectrum of real estate investing, which includes improving existing assets, distressed note acquisitions, entitlements and development, and public-private partnerships. As evidence of Strada’s capabilities, Forest City Enterprises partnered with Strada on its 5th & Mission and Pier 70 projects in San Francisco, and the Golden State Warriors engaged Strada to manage the development of its proposed San Francisco arena.

INTERSTICE was born as a multidisciplinary firm of architects, landscape architects, urban designers and visual artists.  Over the past fifteen years, this critical practice has grown designing public and private spaces on projects of multiple scales, focused on the broadest possible interpretation of the constructed realm.  As an integrated practice, IA combines professional services concentrating the experience of these shared disciplines to create a civic minded practice, where all staff are active citizens and advocates for better designed places.  

From conceptual design to successful closeout, UDCE provides creative, one-stop Urban Civil Engineering solutions for utility, streetscape, site development, joint trench and stormwater needs. Our goal is to use our civil engineering expertise and diligence to improve the performance of the whole project. To achieve this, we are meticulous when it comes to existing site conditions, well thought-out design solutions, and document control and coordination. Our focus on predictable construction saves our clients’ projects money.

College Track is a national college completion nonprofit that empowers students from under-served communities to reach their dream of a college degree. 
Our mission is to empower students from under-served communities to graduate from college. We actively engage students over the course of ten years, from the summer before 9th grade through college graduation and beyond. Our students join College Track with limitless aspirations. We provide them with a comprehensive program and an encouraging learning environment that gives them the tools to succeed.

College Track

John R. Cahill

Related California is a fully-integrated real estate firm with a 25-year track record delivering top-quality, mixed-income housing and mixed-use developments across California. The company has completed more than 9,800 residences and has a track record of consistently developing communities that set new industry benchmarks in design, construction, sustainability and property management.  Related California takes pride in creating premier multifamily and mixed-use development communities backed by the nation's most prominent privately held real estate firm.  With our expertise in financing, construction and sustainability, we are building neighborhoods for California's future.

Nibbi has been constructing technically complex, iconic structures in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1950. 
Nibbi Brothers has enjoyed more than a half century of success, constructing great urban projects and building strong, long-term relationships along the way. Our approach to the building experience is a disciplined focus on getting things right the first time.


Nibbi is a dedicated team of construction professionals providing an unsurpassed level of integrity, innovation, and quality. Nibbi's seasoned construction professionals are supported by a young and motivated staff that brings new ideas and skills to the company.

2015 Achievements

John R. Cahill Fund
The JR Cahill Fund (Fund) is a Bay Area-based family fund seeking to assist and advance vocational education programs for at-risk youth and young adults.  The Fund is a Founding Funder to CIWI and provides oversight, guidance, and funding to assist CIWI in expanding its program and number of internship positions.
Founded in 2011, Monica Wilson/Community + Real Estate Development (San Francisco-based certified Local Business Enterprise (LBE/WBE)) provides consulting services to urban real estate development and general contracting firms, local government agencies, community groups, small businesses,  private foundations and financial institutions seeking to expand, enhance and maximize opportunities and resources targeted to economic development, community development, workforce and housing development initiatives. Ms. Wilson has over 20 years of direct housing and economic development experience throughout the greater Bay Area.

Ms. Wilson specializes in designing and implementing community benefits and economic development strategic plans with an emphasis on SBE/LBE Outreach (Professional Services and Construction) and Workforce Development/Community Engagement initiatives.

Cahill Contractors, Inc. is a local Bay Area firm with experience across many markets and types of construction, from the city of San Francisco to all sides of the Bay. We build with a focus on quality, collaboration, and value. Our projects are tightly controlled and well managed, providing clients with the lowest overall project cost. We work openly and in concert with clients, architects, and subcontractors to complete projects on time, under budget, and to the client’s utmost satisfaction.


As a family owned business, integrity is at the heart of everything we do. We recognize that people are our greatest asset. Whether in the field or the office, our employees at every level take tremendous pride in their work.

Monica Wilson/Community + Real Estate Development

leadership + mentorship partners

young adult outreach partners

program management

fiscal sponsor

Juma Ventures is an innovative and award-winning youth development program that combines employment in social enterprises, college preparation, and financial asset building to create a safe, supportive community where under-resourced youth can achieve their dreams of a college education.


Juma helps break the cycle of poverty by ensuring that young people complete a four-year college degree.

Juma Ventures

East Bay College Fund

East Bay College Fund helps resilient public school students, under-represented in higher education, access and succeed in college, expanding their life opportunities.


East Bay College Fund aspires to involve the whole community in providing college access services, scholarships, mentoring, and support networks to assist these young people in realizing their full potential.



Community Initiatives

We support, champion, and provide services to unincorporated nonprofit projects in California that benefit the community. Fiscal sponsorship allows our projects to concentrate on their charitable purposes while we handle “back-office” services and provide a secure, reliable mechanism for donors. Our current fiscally sponsored projects benefit arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services, and public affairs. Community Initiatives enables individuals and groups, working together, to create and invest in projects that benefit the public. We do this by providing fiscal sponsorship and financial, human resources, and grants management services.

Lynette McElhaney is the daughter of union parents – a machinist and a telecommunications worker - hard-working folks from the South who labored to provide a better life for their kids. Lynette has served as the Executive Director of a multi-million dollar non-profit,working hard to develop affordable housing, expand economic opportunity and curb violence in low-income communities. She knows how to balance real budgets and make a payroll. In her present capacity as City of Oakland City Councilmember, District 3 (including West Oakland/Downtown Oakland), Lynette was a CIWI 2013 guest speaker inviting the interns into her office for a small group meeting and to share with the interns the importance of active civic engagement on matters ranging from economic equality to giving back to their community.

Lynette Gibson McElhaney
Oakland Council District 3
San Francisco Housing Action Coalition

The San Francisco Housing Action Coalition (SFHAC) was founded in 1999 and has become a reliable voice supporting smart growth, transit-oriented development and, especially, more solutions for housing affordability, in a city known for its rough-and-tumble political climate.  Through our committees, the SFHAC endorses projects that meet these goals as well as helps to develop and implement policies that will allow for the right kind of housing to be built in the future.  We have found that by balancing competing factions and searching for middle ground, we can make significant impacts on land use decisions.  In 2013, SFHAC joined the CIWI team and invited CIWI interns to attend and participate at its regular meetings as well as assist SFHAC and volunteer at annual membership fundraising events.

Founding funder + Partner