Board Members
Jaciento Cox
Executive Director
Jaciento Cox is an Oakland native with a B.A. degree from Howard University. He previously worked as a media instructor at Life Academy High School in East Oakland and Mcclymonds High School in West Oakland, Ca. Jaciento Cox is well rounded in youth engagement with youth all over Oakland. His goal was to design a program that would expand possibilities of youth engagement with cognitive learning modules that integrate media & art into high schools as well as everyday life. Jaciento is continuously driven to implement obsolete modules that bring fun and excitement back to our communities and high schools by giving the youth a chance to learn/create while working as a team. He also wants to give back to the community by honoring his father Bruce Cox, who was a co-founder and Executive Director of the Alliance for West Oakland Development. Bruce Cox dedicated his time and efforts into reforming and restructuring the narrative for at risk youth. In 2006 he started the Alliance Construction Training Program through AWOD to give locals in the community a chance to work on new project developments in West Oakland. He sacrificed a lot to see change. Sadly Bruce Cox passed away in 2018, and his son Jaciento Cox was voted in as the Executive Director to continue the legacy that Bruce Cox built, by keeping AWOD going strong in years to come.
Brian McGhee is a Oakland native and has been working with youth and young adults over the past 25 years. He graduated from McClymonds High School in West Oakland and later received his Bachelor's Degree from UC Berkeley and Master's Degree from San Francisco State University. He is a first generation college graduate and has been committed in serving the African American community in West Oakland. Over the past five years he has been working with Oakland Unified School District's Office of Equity & the African American Achievement Program. Brian's purpose is rooted in giving back to his community in West Oakland through education, collaboration, partnership, mentoring, authenticity, economic development, fundraising and celebrations.
Brian Mcghee
President
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Rochelle Bryant Miller is a Senior Managing Developmental Chemist in the Applications Development Group within the aerospace adhesives industry. At Henkel, Miller has been a part of the research and development group since 2006 and has led the analytical lab since 2008. Her primary expertise lies within method development and optimization in the evaluation of High-Performance Epoxy and Benzoxazine based adhesives. This work is detailed within the fields of rheology, calorimetry, thermal mechanical analysis, chromatography, titrimetric determinations, as well as ultrasonic evaluations. Rochelle has presented on these subjects across sectors at conferences from Girl Scouts of America, Inc. to the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE). Rochelle is past-Chair of the American Society of Non-Destructive Testing Golden Gate Section and enjoys judging county and state science fairs, where she has served as Chief Judge. Rochelle also sits on the Executive Board of the West Oakland Development (AWOD) and the McClymonds High School STEAM Program. Miller holds a B.S. in Chemical Physics from Spelman College and a Post-Bac from University of California Berkeley Extension in Finance. Rochelle will be pursuing a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University this fall.
Rochelle Bryant Miller
Secretary
Amber Cox is an Oakland native and has deep roots within the Oakland community. She has worked and volunteered her time tutoring students with learning disabilities throughout the past decade. She received her B.A. degree from California State University, Northridge with honors, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Pan-African Studies. Amber is the daughter of Bruce Cox who was a co-founder and Executive Director of the Alliance for West Oakland Development (AWOD) until his passing in December 2018. She joined the board in February 2019 in honor of her father’s commitment to community and to continue his legacy. Her goal is to advocate for the training of Oakland residents in construction trade and give residents the opportunity to showcase their skillset on local projects. Amber has a background in Procurement, but has followed in the footsteps of her father by becoming an educator in the Oakland Unified School District. She firmly believes that education is the gateway to prosperity and AWOD will allow the West Oakland community to thrive.
Amber cox
Board Member
Vince Gibbs has been a utility scale, solar project developer since 2011. In his capacity as a renewable energy professional he has had an opportunity to utilize his passion for sustainable solutions, along with his background and experience in business and finance to help move the industry forward. Prior to his involvement in renewable energy he owned and operated a property inspection business for over 10 years, where he consulted individuals and businesses on real estate due diligence issues.