Andrea Caupain Sanderson (she/her)
Co-founder, Byrd Barr Place CEO
“What we’re doing is movement building, this is an important ingredient in the quest for a just and equitable world.”
Andrea is a lifelong advocate for racial and social justice. She serves as CEO of Byrd Barr Place, which is working to build an equitable Washington through innovative programs and advocacy that empower people to live healthy, prosperous lives.
Inspired by the uprising for racial justice in 2020, Andrea, together with three other Black women leaders, launched the Black Future Co-op Fund, the state’s first philanthropy by and for Black Washingtonians to ignite generational wealth, health, and well-being. Andrea also serves as a commissioner of the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs; on the boards of Craft3 and Crescent Collaborative; and as a steering committee member of the Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance.
Jodi Nishioka (she/her)
Co-founder and Co-Executive Director
“We are seeing the power of solidarity in the streets, and we are experiencing the power of coming together among our BIPOC leaders”
Jodi has worked for over 20 years on behalf of low-income communities, particularly women, children, and immigrant and refugee communities. She started her career as an attorney advocating for immigrant domestic violence survivors and single mothers fighting for child support in legal aid organizations in Boston and Honolulu. Jodi continued her work on behalf of women and children within state and city governments in Hawaii and Seattle, and later with grassroots nonprofit organizations.
Jodi serves as the executive director for Communities Rise, which prioritizes the voices of communities most impacted by systemic oppression and offers support through peer learning, coaching, and legal services and training. Jodi enjoys her work because it combines her legal skills with her dedication to building power in communities of color and communities. Jodi is also on the board of directors of JustLead Washington.
Victoria Santos (she/her)
Co-founder and Co-Executive Director
“To dismantle the legacy of white supremacy and stand for justice and compassion, funders must invest in BIPOC communities and BIPOC leaders.”
Victoria is guided by her commitment to restoring balance. This driving force has led her to work as a facilitator, trainer, community organizer, leadership coach, and nonprofit leader. Drawing on her lived experience, education, and training, she works to advance racial healing and social justice in communities, organizations, institutions, and schools in the United States and internationally.
Victoria’s work emphasizes intersectional awareness, individual and collective healing, and compassionate action. In her role as co-executive director of the BIPOC ED Coalition, Victoria is part of a cultural change movement that prioritizes BIPOC health and wellness. She also advocates for more resources to flow towards BIPOC-led nonprofits and calls in philanthropic partners and other allies to reimagine their roles and commit to working with BIPOC-led organizations in more powerful ways.
As the past co-executive director of Young Women Empowered (Y-WE), Victoria supported the creation of a community of belonging for young women of color and gender-expansive youth. Victoria is a Spanish-fluent Afro-Latina immigrant born in the Dominican Republic.
Massomeh Spahr (she/her)
Managing Director
“Our legacy is to create safe spaces centered around protecting our shared peace, standing on the side of justice and thriving as positive change agents in the communities we serve.”
Massomeh brings over a decade of leadership experience in program management and operations to the BIPOC ED Coalition team. Prior to joining, Massomeh served as the senior director of operations at a progressive K-8 charter school network. In this role, Massomeh led the development of network and campus based school operational systems and managed the opening of three out of four school buildings within a five-year span.
Massomeh was born and raised in New York City, and is the last child of seven from two Caribbean-born parents. She believes that we are all educators and learning spaces are beyond the four walls of a classroom. Additionally, it’s a basic human right to be seen and nurtured in those spaces no matter the participant’s ZIP code, race, gender, or their family’s socioeconomic status. Massomeh earned her bachelor’s degree from New York University, where she double majored in Gender and Sexuality Studies and Psychology. In addition, she earned her master’s degree in the Study of the Americas at the City College of New York.
HyeEun Park (she/her)
Advocacy Director
“Liberation is what we must demand through antiracist policies as it plays a critical role in dismantling pervasive racism and harmful oppression.”
HyeEun leads the coalition’s legislative agenda and advocacy, building relationships and mobilizing coalition members statewide. She has more than 15 years of experience in community organizing, political campaigns, and government relations. Previously, HyeEun served as a senior policy analyst for the Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance, where she shaped the legislative agenda and garnered support for life-saving policy and direct investment in Black communities. As a program manager for King County, she helped mobilize record turnout among historically and currently undercounted people in the 2020 Census. She also served as a political strategist for YWCA Seattle, King, Snohomish, and health policy coordinator at Children’s Alliance. Before moving to the Pacific Northwest, she lived and worked in Korea, organizing for women and children around reproductive rights.
HyeEun was born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in rural Minnesota. Growing up as a transracial adoptee and the only person of color in her family, HyeEun gravitated early to racial justice issues as a way to survive. Now, as an adult, her racial justice advocacy work is about BIPOC communities thriving. HyeEun believes to move anti-racist policy, BIPOC folks must not just be at the table, but build their own table and lead the redesign of policies and systems.
She earned an MPA from CUNY Baruch as a National Urban Fellow and a BA in history at the College of St. Benedict. Outside of work, she enjoys eating out at different restaurants, spending time with friends, and volunteering.