The LBBWC Fam
Dana M. Nickerson
Dana is our Project Development Manager who leads outreach and education in effort to listen, educate, organize, and empower Black workers by engaging in collective learning and power building around workers’ rights, workplace protections, and other labor laws.
James (Blue) E. Marks, II
James is an Organizer at LBBWC. He has a lot of love for Long Beach, and a wealth of background in community organizing, economic and community development work, and community violence intervention and prevention.
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Project Development Manager
Dana brings a rich background in leadership development, public speaking, Diversity & Inclusion, team building, event planning and project management to the team. A "change facilitator," she values emotional intelligence skills as a core competency for leaders, and teaches individuals and organizations how to create quality cultures for optimal outcomes and satisfaction in life! She believes, “Happy employees do good work!”
With a majority of her career spent in the healthcare industry as a clinician, she suffered burnout over and over, until she adopted and practiced a proactive approach to wellness. As a Wellness Influencer, Trauma-informed Speaker and Certified Peak Performance Trainer, she promotes the message of wellness and holistic self-care to prevent burnout, teaching others how to thrive in stressful environments, in order to change the status quo around culture and lean into the needs of the people who make the magic happen for organizations and the community.
A champion for emotional wellness/mental health, social justice, the creative arts, and healing with nature, Dana connects her passion for community with her work to build Black worker power, raise political consciousness, and broaden family supportive work pathways in Long Beach.
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Organizer, LBBWC
James E. Marks II, AKA Blue, is a Community Development Specialist with over 15 years of experience who is passionate about improving the economic well-being and public safety of underserved and underdeveloped communities. “Blue” is referred to in many Billboard Chart-topping songs that Snoop Dogg, Daz, and other famous Long Beach artists rapped about in their lyrics. He's been featured in several documentaries and books, but what he is known for is his many achievements through insurmountable odds. He has dedicated his life to building a solid community foundation by networking with educators, scholars, business professionals, and others with lived experience. He likes to call these individuals his DREAMMAKERS DREAMTEAM. James is a proud father and committed to his family. He watched his single mother and became inspired by her strength to work two jobs to support the family. This impression left James with “no excuses” but to strive for and achieve great things. His life mission is to make resources and support accessible to those in need and empower them to walk into their future with a sense of belonging and entitlement, by eliminating any doubt by using their current and past experiences as tools and a catalyst of motivation to create a life plan that will make their dreams attainable.
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CSULB Catalyst for Change Interns
Maredythe and Ebony