The English Center is an independent, non-profit educational organization. It is governed by a Board of Trustees, which is ultimately responsible for the management of the Center. The Board of Trustees consists of community members, selected staff members and founders. The Board hires an Executive Director who is responsible for the operations of the Center.

Seena D. Clark, President, elected June 2005, re-elected August 2011

Seena formerly managed a state-wide grant for the League of Women Voters of California, sponsoring community educational discussions through local Leagues all over California. Earlier, she worked as a contract administrator and negotiator for Pacific Bell/SBC, managing goods and services the corporation purchased to operate the communications network. Throughout her varied career she has worked for non-profits and corporations in fields such as marketing, operations and teaching. She taught in the Oakland Schools during the 1980s and tutored students K through 12 until 2006. She has served on the State Board of the American Association of University Women of California, is a member of the League of Women Voters and is currently a Docent guide at Oakland Zoo. Seena holds a BA in Psychology from Brandeis University in Massachusetts and an MA in Education from San Francisco State University. She and her husband have lived in Oakland all their adult lives.

Email contact: ecboardpres@englishcenter.edu

Michael Goldberg, elected January 2012

Michael is Interim Dean of Workforce Development and Applied Sciences at the College of Alameda and Site Manager of the One-Stop Career Center there. Formerly, he was Associate Director for Operations at the English Center. He provides a valuable community link in his new role at the College of Alameda and through his steering committee role on the East Bay Refugee Forum. He received a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an M.Ed. degree in Adult Non-Formal Education from the Center for International Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Michael has lived and traveled extensively in Asia and speaks Thai. He lives in Oakland with his wife and daughters.

Email contact: mgoldberg@peralta.edu

Marcy Jackson, Former Executive Director, English Center Co-Founder, Ex-Officio Voting Board member as of July 2014

Marcy, one of The English Center's founding mothers in 1977, served as the Executive Director from 1988-2014. Under her leadership, the English Center has expanded its mission, programs and funding base so that the Center can serve an economically as well as culturally and linguistically diverse constituency. For her work, she received the Jefferson Award for Public Service, which began in 1972 to create a National Nobel Prize for local service. Marcy is active on the One-Stop Leadership Committee and Workforce Investment Board, both in Oakland. She serves on the board of Alice Lai-BitkerÂ’s Diversity in Health Training Institute. Marcy holds an MA in Linguistics from the University of California at Berkeley and makes her home in Berkeley, with husband Tony Vigo, the English Center's former International Programs Director.

Email contact: marcyjackson@englishcenter.edu

Dennis A. Timmons, elected July 2014

Dennis currently serves as the Director of Emergency Services at the Military Ocean Terminal in Concord, where he manages Force Protection, the Fire Department and the Police Department. He has a distinguished 25 year Army career, rising to the rank of Master Sergeant. He has served in many locations world-wide providing expertise in developing, coordinating, and implementing security programs, policies, regulations, and procedures. He holds a BS in Management Studies from the University of Maryland, University College at Adelphi, MD, and a Master's degree, in Information Technology Management (MSITM) Summa Cum Laude, from Touro University International in Cerritos, California. Dennis lives in Oakland with his family.

Email contact: dennis.timmons@gmail.com

Bouapha Toommaly, Finance Vice President and Treasurer, elected July 2014

Bouapha is CFO at the Institute for Economic, Educational and Environmental Design (ISEEED) in Oakland. She was formerly an assistant to the Mayor of Oakland, responsible for the ​City's federal and state workforce development funds and compliance monitoring. She has a breadth of experience in financial management; budget, cash and contract management. She has developed tools and systems to provide critical financial and operational information. Bouapha brings an informed combination of finance knowledge from both the public sector and a start-up non-profit, giving her a unique perspective on creating systems and managing cash flow. She has a B.A. from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, and is an experienced community board member. Bouapha lives in Oakland and enjoys good restaurants, travel and friendly get togethers.

Email contact: bouapha@gmail.com

Tony Vigo, Board Secretary, elected July 2014

Tony was born and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri except for some years in Puerto Rico and Napa, California. His education includes a BA in English from Stanford, and MA in English followed by PhD studies in linguistics from the University of California at Berkeley. Tony was a founder of the English Language Program at UC Berkeley Extension in 1974, and its director until retirement in 2000. Now, as an English Center Trustee and volunteer, Tony works primarily with our international students. He had early adventures in his life in France and Eritrea and has traveled extensively in Asia and Europe. He has two daughters and three grandchildren, and loves movies, cooking, camping and backpacking.

Email contact: international@englishcenter.edu