The Steering Committee is the leadership body of POWER's work. The Steering Committee is comprised of those POWER members who have demonstrated a high-level of commitment to the organization's mission and a willingness to move the organization's work forward. Steering Committee members meet on a weekly basis. At these weekly meetings, the Steering Committee evaluates past work and develops plans for future work.

The Current Steering Committee at POWER is:

Larry Lattimore Larry has been a member of POWER for 5 years. He was a lead organizer of workfare workers at SF General Hospital. Larry is the co-chair of the Living Wage Coalition and has been active in local struggles against police brutality.

Nora Calderon Nora has been a POWER member for over 4 years, and has come to be known as our sub-comandante. She is a Mexican immigrant who has been active in Latina community groups in SF and came to POWER. She has organized dozens of members into the organization and has represented POWER at actions and conferences in Los Angeles and New York. Nora is also a single mother of 2 sons and maintains deep roots in the Latina immigrant community in SF.

Ed Willard Ed joined POWER over 5 years ago as a GA workfare worker. He organized GA workfare workers at MUNI yards and different workfare sites across the city, and has been a tactical leader in the recent campaign against Prop N. In addition to his work with POWER, Ed is a skilled carpenter and construction worker.

Steve Williams, Executive Director Steve Williams is a co-founder and the Executive Director of POWER. Prior to founding POWER, Steve was the welfare rights organizer of the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness. He graduated from Standard University in 1992.

Jason Negrón-Gonzales, Education Director Jason Negrón-Gonzales joined POWER's staff as Organizer in July 1999.  He began his political work as a student at the University of California at Berkeley and was active in student and community campaigns, including the fight to free the Puerto Rican political prisoners, the fights to preserve affirmative action in the UC system, and the hunger strike in support of ethnic studies.  Jason is also a graduate of the School of Unity and Liberation's Summer Organizer Program. He continues to be involved in direct action work against the U.S. war on Iraq, corporate globalization, and the Bush regime.

Marisa Franco, Organizing Director Marisa joined POWER's staff in January of 2002. She was active as a student at Arizona State University as well as in her community, around immigration and education equity issues. She graduated from the Center for Third World Organizing's Minority Activist Apprenticeship Program program in 2001.

Jaron Browne, Campaign Director Jaron Browne joined POWER’s staff in July of 2002. Before joining POWER, he did organizing and campaign research with youth and community organizations against racism in the criminal justice system. Jaron was trained as an organizer in Los Angeles at the Labor/Community Strategy Center’s National School for Strategic Organizing.

Aspen Branch-Moore, Development Director Aspen joined POWER’s staff in January 2005. She did leadership development and grassroots organizing work with youth and community organizations around welfare rights in Atlanta, Georgia. Before joining POWER, Aspen worked in Oaxaca, Mexico with EDUCA, a grassroots organization dedicated to sustainable community development and the struggle for self-determination in indigenous communities. She graduated from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in 1999.

Alicia Schwartz, Organizer Alicia Schwartz joined the POWER staff in March 2005.  Born and raised in the Bay Area, she graduated from the University of California San Diego in 2002 with a degree in Sociology and Anthropology.  Her previous work includes youth organizing and other racial and economic justice organizing projects.  She also has extensive experience organizing around issues of reproductive health justice and in peer education.

Steve Ubiera, Operations Director Steve joined POWER's staff in January of 2005. Shortly after moving to San Francisco from New York in 2001 he worked in alleviating the population within its jails by assisting in alternative sentencing case management. Presently, Steve provides the administrative foundation for all aspects of POWER's work.

· Steve Williams

· Emma Harris

· Larry Lattimore

· Nora Calderon