Opportunity Junction, Inc.

Driven by the fundamental belief that everyone who works hard deserves the opportunity to succeed, Opportunity Junction's mission is "to help motivated Contra Costa County job seekers develop the skills and confidence to launch careers that lead to financial security."

Everyone who works hard deserves the opportunity to succeed. However, the reality is that many of our neighbors face personal and systemic barriers to employment that they cannot overcome on their own. Opportunity Junction provides training, support, work experience, and placement assistance, which helps motivated Contra Costa job seekers launch careers that lead to financial security. When we work together, motivated job seekers develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed. Their success makes their families and our community stronger.

Goal One: Develop the Healthcare Career Pathway (including training options and design of alumni services) that helps participants advance from CNA employment to home health or other healthcare careers.

Goal Two: Strengthen our fundraising program, with a focus on expanding its individual donor program.

Goal Three: Our programs produce a sense of belonging and power for our job seekers, as well as equitable outcomes across race and ethnic identity.

During the past 12-18 months, we have supported four of our staff members in participating in the LeaderSpring STRONG Emerging Leaders of Color of East Contra Costa cohort training. The goal of the STRONG Emerging Leaders of Color of ECCC is to provide a cohort of emerging leaders of color in the nonprofit and government sectors, with self-determined knowledge, skills, tools and experience needed to lead social change in ECCC that addresses the needs of low-income communities. We supported two staff members in joining the first cohort of leaders (completed in May 2021), and we supported an additional two staff member in enrolling in the second cohort that launched in February 2021. The training leads members through core leadership topics (strategic thinking and planning, e.g.) while also examining the role of race, power, and privilege in our sector. For example, one topic covered is "Fund Development: People of Color and the Relationship Between Money and Power."

In April of 2022, our longtime CEO announced that she would retire by the end of 2023. While the retiring CEO was not our founder, the organization had grown up around her. The challenge was two-fold: 1) recruit an outstanding new leader as our CEO, and 2) use the opportunity to better develop the leadership structure. To address the former, the board immediately formed an executive transition committee that met biweekly for almost a year. The committee developed an RFP for search firms, interviewed respondents, hired a firm, and led the interview process. Finalists interviewed with the full board, with the CEO's direct reports, and with the full staff (town hall style). Finalists also interviewed the departing CEO. Ultimately, the stakeholders were unanimous and enthusiastic: then VP of Programs Brianna Robinson was selected as the new CEO. The departing CEO worked with her both before and after the transition, and Brianna also engaged an executive coach to support her during the transition. The second challenge, to better develop the leadership structure as a whole, started with the engagement of BDO FMA, a consulting group, to conduct an assessment of all elements of our operations: finance, human resources, information technology, and facilities. Starting in the summer of 2023, the BDO FMA team interviewed staff and board members and did a thorough document review. In December 2022, they rendered their final assessment, accompanied by a 57-item Action Plan. Items ranged from introducing cybersecurity training to adding a new member to the staff leadership team, a Director of Finance. The Action Plan was reviewed in detail at the January 2023 Board Retreat, with priorities assigned for both FY2022-23 and FY2023-24. We are in the process of executing that action plan. Though we did not welcome the departing CEO’s announcement, we are excited about our new leadership, the other accompanying changes, and the impact these will have on the job seekers we serve.