Chief Administrative Officer
Alma Burrell is the Chief Administrative Officer of Roots Community Health Center (Roots), a nonprofit health organization that is committed to serving the most marginalized and underserved in our communities. Ms. Burrell provides oversight and leadership for Roots South Bay location and played an integral role in the Roots South Bay expansion. Ms. Burrell co-chaired the community driven research that identified the need for African-centered medical care and wrap around services in Santa Clara County. Prior to her position with Roots, she managed a variety of maternal, child and adolescent health programs for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department for nearly 20 years. Ms. Burrell has spent her professional career advocating for families, assessing community challenges and supports; and designing and implementing programs that support health.
Ms. Burrell believes collaboration and partnerships are critical to successful community engagement; and for this reason she participates with community coalitions and task forces that focus on eliminating health disparities and promoting prevention in underserved communities. Ms. Burrell received her Bachelors of Science and Masters of Public Health degrees from San Jose State University. Her work has been recognized by CityMATCH, a Center for Disease Control (CDC) maternal, child health program; the state of California Public Health Department and other local organizations.
Jahmal Williams currently serves as the Director of Advocacy for Racial Justice at San Jose State University. In this position he is tasked with developing a strategic approach to the University’s efforts to address systemic oppression and racial injustice at the institution. Jahmal also serves as one of the Co-Chairs of the Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet of Silicon Valley. The BLKC has been working tirelessly on behalf of Black residents within the Valley for over 15 years, advocating and collaborating with local and county leadership to ensure that the Black community is being served equitably. Jahmal formerly worked as the Program Director of the Black Leadership and Opportunity Center (BLOC), and as one of the Assistant Directors at Peer Connections all within San Jose State University. He is a native of the metro Detroit area in Michigan and came to SJSU in 2014 after spending over three years at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina working with their minority male retention initiative and as a licensed therapist in their counseling center. He attended the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor where he earned a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies and at Michigan State University where he earned a master’s degree in clinical social work.
Even though working in higher education has been his calling, Jahmal knows his true passion is working towards true equity for Black lives in this country in all that he does. He hopes to inspire change through his actions, words, and empathy.
Jahmal is inspired by the love and support he gets from his family and friends. His wife, Regina is a constant source of motivation as she works to change housing policy for the South Bay Area as the Executive Director of Silicon Valley at Home. Jahmal and his wife have learned how to successfully take orders from their two daughters, Noelle and Cori, who consistently keep them on their toes.
As a part of the funding group of BLKC, Andre Chapman looked to bring together the Black leaders of Silicon Valley. In in his professional endeavors, Mr. Chapman has worked vigorously to expand the impact of Unity Care across California with a keen focus on reducing the overrepresentation of Children of Color in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems. Mr. Chapman is a national trainer and expert on creating culturally proficient services and effectively engaging communities of color.
Mr. Chapman earned a BS in Business, a Master’s in Organization Management and a Certificate of Completion, Harvard Business School, Strategic Perspectives on Non-Profit Management, and is a Senior Fellow for the American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley.
Co-Chair
Co-chair