Center for Civic Partnerships

Staff Directory

Joan Twiss Executive Director Phone: (916) 646-8680 E-mail: jtwiss@civicpartnerships.org	Joan M. Twiss is the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Civic Partnerships, based in Sacramento, CA. She has over 30 years of experience working in both the public and private sectors at the local, state and national levels. Ms. Twiss has extensive expertise in program planning, implementation, technical support, training, policy development and evaluation. She has conceptualized and launched several successful programs and initiated and managed an Office on Youth in county government. Joan is responsible for the Center's strategic direction, research and development, and overall program management and evaluation. She designed and continues to direct California Healthy Cities and Communities, the first and largest program of its kind in the United States. Joan serves on several state and national committees. She has authored articles for peer-reviewed journals and practitioner-oriented publications. She also has been involved in the study and development of community indicators. She applied her experience with cities and quality of life issues to develop the Community Compass©, a community-driven vision, assessment and action planning process. She directs the Center's Organizational Development Services and Organizational Learning and Evaluation programs. These programs provide customized support and educational programs for executive directors of non-profit organizations that are grantees of The California Wellness Foundation. Joan has developed and lead multiple technical support programs, often as part of comprehensive community health improvement initiatives, which have assisted organizations and collaboratives, throughout all regions of the state. Joan was also at the forefront of engaging new partners in the implementation of California’s hospital community benefits legislation. Ms. Twiss has a Master's Degree in Health Education from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Erika Alvarez Administrative Assistant II Phone: (916) 646-8680 E-mail: ealvarez@civicpartnerships.org	Erika Alvarez is the Administrative Assistant for the Center for Civic Partnerships. Erika joined the Center in October 2005 and is responsible for providing a variety of administrative and clerical support. Erika earned her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with a double concentration in Accounting and Management Information Systems from California State University, Chico.
Jade Chin Project Assistant Phone: (916) 646-8680 E-mail: jchin@civicpartnerships.org	Jade Chin joined the Center for Civic Partnerships in July 2005 as Project Assistant. She assists with the California Healthy Cities and Communities (CHCC) Program, the Organizational Development (OD) Program, and the Organizational Learning and Evaluation (OLE) Program. Other responsibilities include a wide range of administrative duties, including meeting/event planning; maintaining project databases; preparing reports; layout and design of newsletters; and many other administrative tasks. Jade has over 18 years of administrative support experience.
Nicole Hara CHCC Program Coordinator Phone: (916) 646-8699 E-mail: nhara@civicpartnerships.org	Nicole Hara joined the Center for Civic Partnerships in August 2007 as the California Healthy Cities and Communities (CHCC) Program Coordinator. Nicole has seven years of experience working in the health and public policy field. Previously, Nicole worked as a Project Manager for the Center for Health Improvement. She has also worked for the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development; the Sacramento Area Council of Governments; and the U.S. House of Representatives. She received her BA in Political Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and has a Master of Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento.
Tanya Kleinman Assistant Director Phone: (916) 646-8693 E-mail: tkleinman@civicpartnerships.org	Tanya Kleinman, Assistant Director, is responsible for leading the Center’s administrative functions as well as the Center’s Organizational Development team and programmatic activities. Tanya joined the Center as Senior Program Associate in August, 2006. In that capacity, Tanya worked with the Organizational Development team providing technical support and consultation to nonprofit organizations and also worked on Center-wide special projects. Tanya was formerly with the Center from 2001-2004 as the Program Administrator, providing fiscal management, resource development, and project evaluation and reporting. Before returning to the Center in 2006, Tanya served as the Development Director at the Water Education Foundation where she was responsible for resource development including grant writing and overseeing the Foundation’s grants and contracts. Prior to joining the Center in 2001, Tanya served as Program Officer for the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. At the Foundation, she worked on donor services development and implementation of their competitive grant processes. She also oversaw the Foundation’s school dropout prevention initiative. Tanya was also Executive Director of the Partnership of Community Resources, a community-based coalition in rural Nevada focused on youth development. Tanya has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Davis.
Lori Pelliccia Administrative Manager Phone: (916) 646-8696 E-mail: lpelliccia@civicpartnerships.org	Lori Pelliccia, Administrative Manager, joined CCP in April 2005. She is primarily responsible for the Center’s fiscal management, human resources, operations, and IT systems. Lori also assists with Resource Development. Lori brings over twenty years of experience in business administration, financial management, and operations. Her training has encompassed a diverse range of businesses including commercial construction, banking, law, industrial manufacturing, municipalities, wildlife preservation and conservation, and alternative transportation. Lori has held various positions in non-profit management, including Interim Director, Associate Director, and Operations Manager, and has served as Secretary for two Boards. Lori holds a B.B.A. in Management from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas.
Christina Ramirez-Hicks Organizational Development Specialist Phone: (916) 646-8695 E-mail: cramirez@civicpartnerships.org	Christina Ramirez-Hicks joined CCP in September 2007 as an Organizational Development Specialist. Christina has worked in the non-profit sector for nearly 10 years and has extensive experience in non-profit capacity building, including strategic planning, board development, and leadership development. Her work experience includes the California Association for the Education of Young Children, a resource and training organization that promotes quality early childhood education; and the Davis Street Community Center, an organization intent on providing much needed employment placement, low-cost child care, and medical services to the low-income community in the East Bay. Christina has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix, and a Master of Science degree in Organization Development from the University of San Francisco.
Amy Springmeyer Technical Assistant Specialist Phone: (916) 646-8694 E-mail: aspringmeyer@civicpartnerships.org	Amy Noakes Springmeyer joined the Center for Civic Partnerships in October 2007 as a Technical Assistant Specialist IV for the California Healthy Cities and Communities Program. Amy has nine years of nonprofit experience working with persons with disabilities and seniors. She has a myriad of experience in program management, information and referral, public speaking, meeting facilitation, qualitative research, curriculum development and events planning. Previously, Amy worked with the Area 4 Agency on Aging as a Program Manager and the Sacramento County Adult and Aging Commission as their Senior Program Manager. In addition, she has worked with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) coordinating and managing two major statewide projects during her tenure. Amy received her Bachelors of Science in Business Management from University of Phoenix and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Policy Administration at California State University, Sacramento.
Brian Talcott Organizational Development Specialist Phone: (916) 646-8697 E-mail: btalcott@civicpartnerships.org	Brian Talcott is an Organizational Development Specialist at the Center. Brian has a rich history of community work, with 20 years experience working within the nonprofit sector. Early in his career, Brian helped start the Mutual Assistance Network of Del Paso Heights (MAN), a nationally recognized community development corporation. He stayed with MAN for seven years, serving as the Programs Administrator and the Director of Economic Development. He developed and oversaw a number of social support programs as well as a $2.7 million building project designed to house a variety of neighborhood programs and retail businesses. More recently, Brian served as the Technical Assistance Specialist with CCP’s Organizational Development Pilot Program (the precursor to Organizational Development Services offered by CCP). In addition, he acted as the Technical Assistance and Training Manager for E-Center’s Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Program. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services from Montana State University and a Master of Social Work degree from California State University, Sacramento. Brian is extremely committed to improving non-profits and building the capacity of individuals and organizations.