As an influential, results-oriented government affairs leader, Shereda has cultivated a reputation for success in community development, advocacy, and policy implementation throughout her 20 years working in civic and community-centric roles. She is a master communicator and relationship builder known also for the strategic planning and facilitation of all manner of governmental, civic, and social initiatives.

Prior to joining Lighthouse, Shereda served as the Chief of Staff for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, where she stood as the key point-person advancing the Mayor’s vision and priorities for the City of Oakland. She acted as a trusted senior advisor on allinitiatives, and facilitated communications and relations between the Mayor, the City Administrator, and the City Council. Shereda knows how things work, and how to get things done in Oakland, and the broader east bay.

Earlier, Shereda held the role of Policy Analyst & Community Liaison for Schaaf while she served as a member of the City Council and, before that, as Staff Assistant working for Congresswoman Barbara Lee and, prior, Alameda County Supervisor, Keith Carson.

Shereda earned her masters in public policy from the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, as well as a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Portland. Separately, Shereda’s commitment to community development is exemplified through various volunteer leadership roles for Tandem, a Bay Area nonprofit working at the intersection of social justice and early childhood education.