Introducing Alexa Davidson
Chief Marlon Washington, Probation
Leadership Corner: Alexa Davidson
Greetings Marin 9 to 25 Community!
My name is Alexa Davidson and I am a Co-Chair of Marin 9 to 25. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share a bit about why I am involved in these efforts and how I approach this work. Thank you for being here!
When I was approached about serving as the Co-Chair of Marin 9 to 25 along with Talia Harter, I was an instant and enthusiastic YES. The honorable mission of eliminating barriers to care and centering youth as they navigate various challenges in their young lives is something that I want to be a part of, and I am proud to be here along with all of you.
Marin County is my home, in fact, I am 6th generation Marin County with deep ties to Marin City, Fairfax, and West Marin. Images and stories of my ancestors hang in the Sausalito Portuguese Cultural Center and my 96-year-old grandfather still tells stories of riding his bike through Waldo Point as a young man. It is safe to say that I am invested in this place!
I enter this work with experience in direct youth services as well as systems change work centered in equity and inclusion. My first job out of college was with Seneca Family of Agencies as a Family Support Counselor and I became intimately familiar with youth and family services in our County. Supporting families in accessing various services, even as a provider proved difficult. My heart broke over and over again as I witnessed the young people I worked with struggling to navigate through the school system, the Juvenile Justice System, the foster care system, and through the mental/medical care systems. I also witnessed incredible providers, people/agencies who cared deeply about ensuring the wellbeing of our young people, people committed to equity in opportunities in access, people who wanted to break down barriers, and people who worked tirelessly for the young people in our County.
My experience in direct service led me to a graduate program at the University of San Francisco where I received a Masters in Non-Profit Administration. I went on to work for the San Geronimo Valley Community Center, a community based nonprofit in West Marin with the mission of fostering healthy communities within the San Geronimo Valley and Nicasio by providing an inclusive, diverse, and dynamic center for locally based human services, arts and culture, education, health and wellness, and community building. I currently work as the Director of Development and Strategic Initiatives and through my role, I have been involved in collaborative efforts across the county focused on substance use prevention, economic relief, healthy eating active living, emergency response, diversity equity and inclusion, and child development. I currently serve on the Marin Prevention network steering committee and as the Co-Chair of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission for the County of Marin.
I am deeply passionate about these efforts and feel hopeful at the unprecedented level of collaboration I have seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. Marin 9 to 25 offers us a chance to rethink how we support youth: it gives voice to the young people and it asks us to work collaboratively as opposed to competitively, all with the goal of achieving the best possible outcomes for the children and family in our county. I am inspired by this work and feel grateful to be supporting this important initiative. Thank you for your participation, there is no telling what is possible if we work together!
