“To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream;
the second is persistence.” - Cesar Chavez
the second is persistence.” - Cesar Chavez
Board of Directors
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Edward Stephen
Co-President [email protected] Edward Stephen became Co-President of Oakland Soccer Club (OSC) in October 2020. OSC has been providing soccer in a community of 400,000 people since 1974. Edward has been coaching all ages and levels of competition soccer in Oakland since 2002. He holds a USSF D license and an Advanced National Diploma. Edward currently helps coach youth development players and the Oakland SC Men's Reserve team. In addition to developing and implementing a common vision and plan for OSC, he is also responsible for the daily management and operations of the Club. He looks to strengthen and build OSC into a club the Oakland community can be proud to support. |
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Iliana Rivera Ramos
Co-President [email protected] Iliana has been a part of the OSC family since 2010 - first as a team parent, then as a Team Manager, and most recently as a Board member & now Co-President. She is a natural leader, who is always willing to help the club & its families in any way that she can. Iliana is also a strong advocate for our soccer community, particularly those in need. She believes firmly in making soccer accessible for all players and using the sport to bring people from different communities together. |
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Haydn Griffith
Treasurer [email protected] Haydn joined the Oakland Soccer Club Board in November 2020, having coached for three years with America SCORES recreational program in Oakland, Richmond & San Francisco and four years with East Bay United’s competitive program in Oakland. He currently holds a USSF D License and a Fiorentina Basic Diploma. Haydn also has a professional background in finance, having earned a B.S. in Finance & International Business and an M.B.A. in Corporate Finance, both from Penn State, as well as a professional FP&A certification. He previously served as Board Chair and Finance Committee Chair of Brothers on the Rise, overseeing the organization’s successful 501(c)(3) incorporation, and has served on the Advisory Board of The East Oakland Collective since 2016. When he’s not working or coaching, Haydn can be found watching soccer, playing soccer, reading about soccer, and occasionally, doing non-soccer-related things. |
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Robert Davis
Secretary [email protected] Consultant to major corporate clients, working independently and in teams to design engagements to speed the strategic alignment and development of senior managers and employees. Twenty years of experience helping large organizations and their employees to change, improve, and excel. Proficient in driving results through strategic alignment and customer focus. Director of the retail sales management practice of the leading consulting firm to major North American and European financial services institutions, including more than half the largest banks in the United States. Extensive experience in the design, creation, and execution of strategic-transformation and corporate-communications initiatives in a wide range of industries including technology, financial services, consumer goods, and media. |
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Bill Gavce
Field Coordinator [email protected] Bill Gavce has been volunteering in the Oakland Soccer Club since 1989. After becoming involved as a volunteer in the Oakland Soccer Club Administration in 1991 as an Age Group Coordinator and Internet Committee Chair, he became a Board Member in 1999 as well as the Club Vice President, and was OSC President from 2001-2009, when the club had more than 1,100 players and more than 90 teams. Since then, Bill has focused his attention on helping as the Field Coordinator and in working to get the kids in Oakland better fields, closer to home, which has not always been an easy task in a city with few resources or vacant land. Bill has also made it a priority to continue to make the Oakland Soccer Club BOD extremely diverse in ideas, background, gender, culture, and economics so that those experiences can work together to help the kids of Oakland, who are about as diverse a group you will find in America. It is also an important goal of his to make soccer an extremely affordable activity for the majority of the kids that the OSC serves due to the challenges many of those families face. Bill has spoken to many OSC BOD members that all agree that volunteering an hour to help the kids of Oakland often feels like it has more value to those kids than in other more affluent areas. |
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Jafar Zaidi
Board Member Syed (Jafar) Zaidi joined the Oakland Soccer Club (OSC) Board in 2010 and assumed U8 Coordinator responsibilities. Syed joined the Bay Area local soccer community as Referee for his oldest son’s team in 1993. He became a coach in 2000 when his youngest son showed interest in soccer. Syed has been coaching (recreational) U08, U10 and U12 teams, and refereeing ever since. This is his way to give back to the community. Syed retired from IBM in 2018 after 25 years of service and worked for Southern Pacific Railroad for 15 years before being outsourced to IBM. |
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Tony Peña
Board Member Tony grew up playing soccer at a high level in Mexico. He coached a very successful competitive team in Oakland for seven years and spearheaded the effort allowing OSC to participate competitive leagues. Tony's dedication to instilling discipline and respect among his players has helped build and strengthen our community. His background and struggles as a child create a strong connection with the youth of Oakland and allows him to reach and relate to them as he has experienced and understands a lot of the challenges they face. Any time Tony walks down a street in Oakland, there is always a former player who will approach him to say how he has changed and impacted his life for the better. Tony currently works as Director Of Field Services at Ray Morgan Company. |
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Kedar Korde
Gerente de Programa Residente de Oakland y propietario de un negocio: Grand Lake / Perch Coffeehouse (2008-2020) y Pear Tree Community School (2012-presente). Estos esfuerzos me permitieron una visión invaluable de lo que significa crear, desarrollar y organizar desde un nivel inicial y, al mismo tiempo, obtener una verdadera comprensión de servir a las necesidades de la comunidad de Oakland. La cafetería Grand Lake / Perch era un negocio dinámico que requería una adaptación constante a la siempre cambiante demografía de Oakland. Pear Tree Community School demostró la importancia de la justicia social como un plan de estudios fundamental para educar a los jóvenes de Oakland. Espero trabajar y colaborar con la Junta Directiva de Oakland Soccer Club, utilizando los conjuntos de habilidades y experiencias basadas en negocios que he adquirido a lo largo de los años para promover el fútbol juvenil y sus beneficios: creación de vínculos sociales, mejora de la salud física y mental, trabajo en equipo para lograr el éxito, la resiliencia y las aplicaciones generales del atletismo juvenil hacia una transición decidida a la edad adulta. También soy miembro CENTRAL de la Asociación de Padres y Maestros de Northern Light School en Oakland y asesor de padres de Youth Versus Apocalypse, una organización de justicia ambiental dirigida por jóvenes del Área de la Bahía. Mi participación en ambas organizaciones como facilitadora del empoderamiento de los jóvenes está alineada con la misión del Oakland Soccer Club de crear una comunidad mejor y un mundo mejor para nuestros niños. Graduado de U. C. Davis - B. S. Microbiología |
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Alejandro Bautista
Media and Communications Director Alejandro Bautista graduated from Cal State East Bay with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration Marketing Management Concentration and a minor in Latino studies. He currently works at Mission Promise Neighborhood as Programs Coordinator and Family Success Coach, connecting parents with community resources. Alejandro joined Oakland Soccer Club (OSC) in December of 2021. He jumped into action after seeing a call to action post on Social Media, since then he has supported OSC managing social media channels, photography, and much more. Alejandro joined OSC as he saw this as an opportunity to reconnect and give back to the community where he lives and that helped grow. |
