TVM Board
Our Team
It takes an active and engaged village to run our programs. Meet our Board and Team Members who combine their years of experience in serving in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our Directors include corporate professionals, community leaders and educational experts ensuring that we have the right combination of skills to execute our vision and serve our mission.
Mahea Gaskins The Village Method Co-Founder & Executive Director
Twenty years ago, Mahea Gaskins saw a need to support Black Youth and families in pursuit of having better life outcomes. As an educator for nearly a decade, Ms. Gaskins is able to draw on her extensive experience to develop and implement student programs for The Village Method. She is particularly skilled at creating and enhancing curricula for K-12 students, having spent much of her career consulting and advising principals and various school districts. She has managed a number of projects often serving as a district-level liaison to school leadership for families and students. Ms. Gaskins has been further involved in developing various methodologies for measuring educational success and outcomes, which has been essential to The Village Method’s ability to measure its students progress and development. Ms. Gaskins holds a Masters in Education with an emphasis in Black Culture from UC Berkeley and a Bachelors Degree in Child and Adolescent Development from San Francisco State University.
Reverend Mark Gaskins The Village Method Co-Founder & Board Chair
Over the past twenty years, Rev. Mark Gaskins has dedicated himself to being a community servant and has actively connected with school district leaders, city officials, law enforcement, local clergy, alumni, and businesses. His father has been the pastor of Bethel Baptist Church of Union City, CA for over 35 years and is the foundational example of servant leadership that resonates with Rev. Gaskins. He combines his passion for supporting the youth and families with his experience of consulting global enterprise organizations in the evaluation, purchase, and implementation of software solutions. Mr. Gaskins’ years of experience in software sales and organizational development is put to work at The Village Method where he manages the operations of fundraising, community engagement, and strategic programming. His ability to develop lasting relationships across a diverse network of large corporations, engage youth and families, and manage multiple projects has proven to be valuable in moving The Village Method to the next level of partnerships and collaborations in the Bay Area. Mr. Gaskins holds a Bachelor of Science from California State University East Bay.
Semajh Bilaal The Village Method Board Secretary
Semajh Bilaal is unrivaled in her ability to think through various plans, strategize for maximum impact and develop programs that address all of the details related to the process of serving our community. For over 20 years, she has been responsible for managing the office of an educational consulting firm based in Oakland, CA. Her expertise has provided The Village Method with the ability to plan community engagement events, which are regularly praised for their thoughtful delivery and execution. As Secretary of the Board, Ms. Bilaal captures notes from Board meetings and ensures that the entire staff is effectively progressing toward program goals and milestones so that The Village Method may deliver on its mission.
Professional Team of Directors
James Williams TVM Director
James Williams has over 15 years of financial operational and analytical experience. Mr. Williams has worked with companies like Ernst & Young, NewFaze Development and CalPers, highlighting his extensive expertise working within large corporations on a multitude of global initiatives. His passion for philanthropic work and being fiscally responsible has been a useful guidance to TVM and the Board. Mr. Williams and his wife are the proud parents of three beautiful children.
Paris Williams TVM Director
Fifteen years ago, Paris Williams entered the education world as a K-5 teacher with Aspire Public School. After only two years, she was moved into a leadership role as Principal. With two beautiful children and one on the way, she has taken a role that will enable her to transition towards her passion to open a school of her own. Ms. Williams’ experience with school administration, parent engagement, and overall communications is a major benefit as TVM designs methods for partnering with schools in Union City.
Monique August TVM Director
Monique August has over twenty years of combined experience as an executive and administrative professional. She enjoys wearing various hats and working in ever changing environments. Ms. August directly supervises over thirty staff and she thrives off being in collaborative settings working toward a common goal. She brings a rich combination of fundraising, data management expertise, and networking to support The Village Method mission.
Stan Dobbs TVM Director
Dr. Stan "Data" Dobbs is a sharecropper's grandson, a retired senior military officer and an executive administrator that attributes his successes in life to a family culture centered in community educational values and excellence. His educational background is broad and includes most of the best ivy league schools in America. Dobbs has developed robust systems and strategies to advance the conditions of excellence in every reported metric for the State of California educational system. Dobbs is proudly known as a "nerd with a genuine personality" and a Black man with a passion for doing his part to ensure that every child within every community can and will reach their fullest potential. He often testifies that his greatest achievement in life is teaching his grandmother how to write her name for the first time at age 72.
David Henry TVM Director
David Henry is a dedicated husband, father, community member and Silicon Valley professional with over 20 years experience in Finance, Public Relations, Program Evaluation, and Administrative Management. He brings a wealth of knowledge and a collaborative network to TVM from the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Alpha Rho Chapter and organizations in the STEM industry throughout the Greater San Francisco Bay Area (i.e. Google, NETGEAR, Logitech, YouTube, etc.).