Meet the Uptima Team

We are a team of seasoned entrepreneurs and educators passionate about providing more accessible entrepreneurial education and empowering entrepreneurs to create thriving businesses.

Cathy Dinas

Cathy Dinas

Strategic Project Manager

Cathy uses her knowledge of systems to keep the Uptima team organized. She excels at helping people increase operatio...
Victoria Downes

Victoria Downes

Mentor

Building Operational Capacity Course (Boston)

Victoria Downes is the founder and CEO of Village Creative Inc, a Boston based full service company providing coachin...
Sarita E. Evans

Sarita E. Evans

Instructor & Mentor

Creating a Business Roadmap Course (San Francisco)

Sarita E. Evans has over 16 years of training, public service and entrepreneurial experience which she uses to improv...
Sarita L. Evans

Sarita L. Evans

Mentor

Creating a Business Roadmap Course (San Francisco)

Sarita L. Evans, a serial entrepreneur known as the “Entrepreneur Doula,” has over 30 years of business training, pub...
Joëlle Fontaine

Joëlle Fontaine

Instructor & Mentor

Freelancer Course (Boston)

Joëlle Fontaine is the CEO of Kréyol, a woman’s fashion brand with a mission of utilizing art to empower women....
Mike Gabriel

Mike Gabriel

Instructor & Mentor

Know Your Numbers Course (Online), Building Operational Capacity Course (Oakland)

Mike Gabriel is an experienced investment and strategy professional with over 10 years in the social enterprise secto...
Lesa Hammond, Ph.D.

Lesa Hammond, Ph.D.

Instructor & Mentor

Create Good Jobs Course (Online), Funding a Business Course (Oakland)

Lesa Hammond, Ph.D., is co-founder and CEO of ProfHire, a technology platform that connects higher education and trai...
Charles Irving Henderson

Charles Irving Henderson

Mentor

Freelancer Course (Boston)

Charles Irving Henderson is a profound speaker with a gift to teach. He is no stranger to the many challenges’ leader...
Aaron Joseph

Aaron Joseph

Graphic Designer

Aaron Joseph is the founder of Identafire, an Oakland-based, QPOC-owned graphic design and web development agency wor...
Rani Langer-Croager

Rani Langer-Croager

Co-Founder, CEO & Lead Instructor, Mentor

Pricing Strategies Course (Online)

Rani Langer-Croager founded Uptima Business Bootcamp to address the challenges of traditional entrepreneurship progra...
Nancy Larson

Nancy Larson

Business Manager

Nancy Larson is a business professional with a background in technology. She has extensive experience in office, proj...
Wendy Martinez Marroquin

Wendy Martinez Marroquin

Lead Instructor & Mentor

Freelancer Course (Oakland)

Wendy Martinez Marroquin is a racial education trainer and visual artist with over five years of experience facilitat...
Sherina McKinley

Sherina McKinley

Director – Boston

Creating a Business Roadmap Course (Boston)

Sherina McKinley has the unique ability to see an entrepreneur’s vision and, connect them with resources to help them...
Naima McQueen

Naima McQueen

Instructor

Financial Forecasting Course (Online)

Naima McQueen has over 5 years of experience advising mission-driven organizations. She focuses on outreach to the sm...
Nicole Middleton

Nicole Middleton

Instructor

Be Your Own Boss Course (Online)

Nicole Middleton is a co-founder and CEO of Strategy Squad, an independent wealth management firm based in Oakland, C...
Ivellisse Morales

Ivellisse Morales

Instructor

Brand Your Business Course (Online)

Ivellisse Morales is an Uptima Bootcamp alum, instructor and mentor. She’s also the founder of bombilla, an Oak...
Kathren Murrell Stevenson

Kathren Murrell Stevenson

Instructor & Mentor

Freelancer Course (San Francisco)

Kathren Murrell Stevenson, Ph.D., is a freelancer sharing classes, workshops, and retreats in Wisdom Ecology — reconn...
Viola Ncube

Viola Ncube

Mentor

Creating a Business Roadmap Course (Oakland)

Viola Ncube founded The Black Book Consultant, a boutique full-service management, sales & marketing consulting a...
Rachel O’Neil

Rachel O’Neil

Mentor

Creating a Business Roadmap Course (Boston)

Rachel O’Neil is the Founder of PeopleNova Human Capital. She coaches CEOs of high growth high impact startups. In ad...
Hannah Onstad

Hannah Onstad

Content Strategist

Hannah Onstad is the founder of H2O Content Strategy—a content, design, and development company—and LOAKL.com, a new ...
Fyodor Ovchinnikov

Fyodor Ovchinnikov

Instructor & Mentor

Explore Your Idea Course (Oakland), Go to Market Strategy Course (Oakland)

Fyodor Ovchinnikov is co-founder and managing partner of the Institute for Evolutionary Leadership – a California-bas...
Cairo Person

Cairo Person

Enrollment Advisor

A San Francisco native, Cairo Person is the Co-Founder of We Re-Member, a non-profit that provides education about th...
Taelyr Roberts

Taelyr Roberts

Mentor

Explore Your Idea Course (Boston), Go to Market Strategy Course (Boston)

Taelyr Roberts is founder of Hippie Adjacent, a small business that creates unique wearable jewelry that can have ess...
Thomas Rosenberg

Thomas Rosenberg

Instructor & Mentor

Creating a Business Roadmap Course (Oakland)

Since 1994, Thomas Rosenberg has been working on change leadership and transformation around environmental initiative...
Jeem Sirivar

Jeem Sirivar

Mentor

Creating a Business Roadmap Course (Oakland)

Jeem Sirivar is an independent business strategy and marketing consultant working with companies to develop growth st...
Marcus Thomas

Marcus Thomas

Instructor & Mentor

Explore Your Idea Course (San Francisco), Go to Market Strategy Course (San Francisco)

Marcus Thomas is founder of Marcus Alexander, a design-forward footwear brand, servicing those who demand exceptional...
Suzanne Yada

Suzanne Yada

Instructor & Mentor

Freelancer Course (San Francisco)

Suzanne Yada is a freelance digital marketing specialist and business consultant, specializing in helping creative en...