Bay Area

Despite Humble Beginnings in East Oakland

What does commitment and dedication look like? It can be seen in Mrs. Nina Gardner-Meeks who, as a young Black woman, had a dream and love for Oakland’s Black youth and went on to dedicate herself to Oakland Unified School District students for 51 years.

Published

3 years ago

July 19, 2023

Oakland Post

Mrs. Nina Meeks. OUSD official portrait.

OUSD Educator’s Hard Work Led to Success

By Post Staff

What does commitment and dedication look like?

It can be seen in Mrs. Nina Gardner-Meeks who, as a young Black woman, had a dream and love for Oakland’s Black youth and went on to dedicate herself to Oakland Unified School District students for 51 years.

Mrs. Meeks came from humble beginnings.

The third oldest of nine children, Nina grew up with few resources and attended five different elementary schools as she moved from place to place in East Oakland until her parents could afford to buy a house in Sobrante Park.

Mrs. Meeks attended Hamilton Junior High and graduated from Castlemont High School in 1972.

The fact that her parents were unable to pay for college did not deter her. She found a way by working to pay for her tuition and books. With persistence, she graduated in 1976 with a B.S. in Recreation, from California State University, Hayward.

In 1979, Nina married James E. Meeks, Sr. and continued to study, receiving her teaching

credentials from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981.

But she didn’t stop there.

In 1984, she obtained a master’s degree in counseling from CSU Hayward, followed in 1989 by a credential in School Administration also from CSU Hayward. She accomplished all of this while raising three children and preparing them for school.

Nina has worked in many capacities at many different schools, including as instructional assistant, teacher, assistant principal, academic counselor, and summer school principal. For the last 19 years, she has been an academic counselor at Roosevelt Middle School.

In her five decades in the field of education, Nina has touched thousands of young students’ lives.

On a personal note, Nina has been a faithful member for over 40 years of the Church of The Living God, located at 1450 47th Ave. in Oakland. A former president of the adult choir, she is chair of the Trustees Board, an outreach missionary and is also involved in the church’s women ministry which helps feed the homeless.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.