Our Board of Directors
Paul L. Watson, Jr., MSHS
President/CEO
Formerly Executive Director of the Training and Research Institute for Residential Youth Centers in New Haven, CT; San Diego Youth and Community Services; and Watson and Associates International. Paul began his career as a youth organizer at the age of 17. He has a Master's degree from Springfield College. He began a consultant organization in 1998 and specialized in Community Development, Youth Development, Child Welfare, and Organizational Development. He successfully completed International projects in Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan), The Netherlands, Brazil, Jamaica, and Egypt. He is a national trainer in Youth Development and a member of the Community Youth Development Design Team. He was trained as an ICA Participatory Facilitator. Paul has also served as faculty at Springfield College, New School of Architecture and Design, San Diego City College, and UC San Diego. Paul has won numerous awards and has published both books and articles.
Ahmed Malinomar
Secretary
Ahmed is a freelance community engagement and business owner who has lived in San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood for more than 24 years.He is the Founder and Executive Director of non-profit City Heights Youth and Family Outreach, which is dedicated to enhancing self-sufficiency within local families. Ahmed is an advocate for safe, organized and healthy communities, currently serving on the City Heights Area Planning Committee, City Heights Project Area Committee, Mid-City CAN Coordinating Council and City Heights on Portal. Ahmed holds a Master’s degree, Organizational Management Leadership from Springfield College, School of Human Services. He speaks Somali and English fluently.
Clarence Henderson, III
Treasurer
Clarence is the Executive Director of The Inner City Athletic Program (ICAP) in San Diego. ICAP is an organization aimed at decreasing childhood obesity through sports and physical activity.
He has more than 20 years experience working with youth through athletics, as well as counseling youth within the child welfare system living in group homes.
Clarence holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Springfield College.
Harold Georgiou
Board Member
Harold Georgiou is an entrepreneur who has made his mark in several industries across multiple countries. He has been a board member and contributor to numerous non-profit organizations in California including UC San Diego. He served on the UC San Diego Urban Studies and Planning Steering Committee which provides direction to the educational program on a wide range of issues (curriculum, events, opportunities for students, annual Urban Expo). He also served on Project Wildlife's Board of Directors. His fluency in Greek, Spanish and English have been found useful, as he runs numerous businesses and investments both locally and overseas.
Harold graduated from UC San Diego's Warren College in 1987 and soon after held the position of the Assistant to the Director of the DPLU (County San Diego) and as an auditor for the City of San Diego. He wrote articles on economic and real estate issues for several media outlets including KFI, FBN and The Street.com. His work has appeared in The European and in the Athens News.
As a child, he learned tailoring while working in his family’s business, and by the age of 17 he started his own business venture importing luxury automobiles from Antwerp Belgium. This was very rewarding, and by 19 he began his journey in real estate which is still now one of his biggest interests. Harold is heavily involved in several aspects of the property industry which includes funding residential projects to new construction.
Harold's overseas operations include vast orchards producing high quality olive oil and a business offering short term holiday accommodations.
Whenever Harold is away from work, he enjoys reading, history, day trips, community events, and travel.
Harold resides part time in several cities which include Honolulu, Hawaii and in West Hampstead in the United Kingdom.
Gil Ontai, EdD, M.Arch
Board Member
Dr. Ontai is a practicing architect and urban planner for over 20 years in San Diego. Formerly, he was city planning commissioner and city redevelopment director for downtown San Diego. He also held positions as campus director and educator at Springfield College, School of Human Services. Ontai is currently State Commissioner on the Citizens Redistricting Commission and recipient of Harvard Kennedy Ash Center award for community engagement.His area of on-going research focuses on community engagement through action research with emphasis on outreaching to diverse cultural and socio-economic communities through his practice as action researcher and urban architect. Ontai received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in architecture and Doctorate in adult education.
Nohelia Ramos
Board Member
Nohelia is a community organizer who focuses on the creativity, genius, and resiliency of communities of color, especially women of color. Her organizing has ranged from environmental, racial and housing justice across indigenous and immigrant communities.
Samira Jones, PhD, MPH, RD
Dr. Samira Jones is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a master’s degree in public health, and Doctor of Philosophy degree in Nutritional Biology. Dr. Jones has over 12 years of extensive work experience in community nutrition, clinical nutrition, and nutrition education with an emphasis in developing culturally diverse programs focusing on women empowerment. Dr. Jones has worked in various sectors of healthcare including public to private, as well as, in academia. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), National Organization of Blacks in Dietetics and Nutrition (NOBIDAN), the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (CAND), Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and other public advocacy groups.
Dr. Jones is the owner of a nutrition consulting business called Sunshine Nutrition 4 Health Enterprises, LLC, and enjoys traveling abroad, reading biographies, hiking, gardening, and baking.
Warsan Artan
Warsan’s family immigrated to the USA in 2006 and have lived in San Diego County since. She went to San Diego State University and graduated with a bachelor’s in political science and a minor in biology. While at SDSU, Warsan served on the Associated Students (AS) Government for two consecutive years. This activated her passion for political engagement, community advocacy and youth leadership. For the past three years, Warsan worked with Youth Will, a local youth-led organization that works to create a San Diego where every young person has what they need to be happy, healthy, and prepared to reach their potential by building youth power, improving youth development, and demanding youth prioritization. Additionally, Warsan serves as the Co-Vice Chair for the County’s Human Relations Commission and is a member of Caafimaad Collective, an initiative based out of Minneapolis focused on empowering Somali women in their mental health journey. She is passionate about political engagement, community organizing, prioritizing underrepresented communities, and ensuring that leaders invest in every aspect of youth’s lives to secure a successful path and future for every child in San Diego County. Warsan will be starting the Masters of Public Policy (MPP) Program at UCSD's School of Global Policy & Strategy in Fall of 2022.