Margaretta Lin

Margaretta is passionate about big change solutions, young people leading change, and people coming across divisions to care about justice and one another. She combines her unique experiences in government, community activism, law, youth development, social enterprises, and collaboration into a force for equity and hope. She has pioneered innovations and created new community institutions working at the intersections of equitable development, race, class, community healing, government transformation, youth violence, and educational equity.

Fruits of her love and labor include the Oakland Housing Equity Roadmap, the Oakland Housing Assistance Center, the OSNI Collaborative for East Oakland development without displacement, the City of Oakland’s foreclosure prevention, foreclosed properties, and vacant lots initiatives, affordable housing in West Oakland and Oakland Chinatown, the preservation of the historic West Oakland train station and community reuse plan, Youth Together, Youth Uprising, and the Skyline High School One Land, One People Youth Center.

Margaretta served as the Deputy City Administrator and Founding Director of Strategic Initiatives for the City of Oakland and Senior Advisor to Mayor Dellums. Prior to government service, she served as Director of Community Economic Justice for the East Bay Community Law Center, Founding Director of Youth Together, researcher at ARC Associates, and Staff Attorney at Public Advocates.

Margaretta received a J.D. and Masters in Asian Studies from UC Berkeley, and a B.A. in Asian Studies and Religious Studies from University of Virginia.