Parent Voices Oakland is an East Bay chapter of Parent Voices California. Clarissa has been a strong advocate for mothers like herself who were caught in the crosshairs of ineffective public policy. Clarissa has developed partnerships with large local government agencies, and supported coalitions bringing together community-based organizations, unions, parents, and service providers to advance innovative strategies for county-wide systems change. Clarissa has received the following honors: Gloria Steinem “Woman of Vision” award; East Bay Women’s Political Alliance’s “Advocate of the Year”; First 5 of Alameda County “Parent of the Year” award, Community Change’s “Emerging Change Champion”, and an award for excellence in human relations from the Alameda County Human Relations Commission. Clarissa resides in Oakland, California with her son Xavier.