Deputy Director Mark Burns has an extensive executive management background in both the for- and non-profit worlds. He is active in the Bay Area HIV/AIDS community as a volunteer, peer counselor, fundraiser and board member.

Joyce Chan became Deaf when she was two months old.  She went to the Hong Kong school for the Deaf she was educated by the oral method, and was not allowed the use of Sign Language.  She used sign language with other deaf students informally, and when she was not being watched by reprimanding teachers.  After High School graduation, she attended Ohlone College for Computer Program Studies, followed by Computer Training at CTP in 1984 and worked in a Computer Programmer position at several companies, totaling over 10 years.  When she was laid off due to the bad economic times, she returned to school to take accounting and completed the program to get a certificate, which led her to an accounting position at CIL.  Joyce then transferred from accounting to a position as Coordinator of Deaf Services at CIL. Joyce's artwork can be found here

Annalee Cobbett is the Project Administrator for Olmstead Community Organizing at CIL. She coordinates a grassroots community movement to advocate, educate and promote community life for people with disabilities to implement the Supreme Court decision in Olmstead. 

Annalee completed a Certificate in Non-profit Management at California State University in summer 2011, and holds a J.D. from the University of Richmond.  She advocated for the rights of elders and people with disabilities for ten years. 

In 1996 Annalee started a non-profit group, FarmCity Alliance, and ran it for four years. FarmCity preserved more than 8,000 acres of farmland in Washington State through a strategy of litigation, lobbying and grassroots organizing.  She has served on local Boards of Directors for Washington Conservation Voters, and The Sierra Club.

Margie Cochran has been a journey level carpenter for years, first apprenticing in San Francisco’s Local 22 United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners in the late 70’s, working on many construction jobs, then running a small remodeling contracting business until the late 90’s.  At CIL, Margie designs and oversees the construction of ramps and lifts for low income Berkeley residents, as well as provides access solutions inside the home, working closely with the client to achieve the best results "at no cost."  These services assist in CIL’s mission of supporting people to live at home as independently and safely as possible. The Residential Access Program is funded by the city of Berkeley’s CDBG program, (Community Development Block Grant, originating at the federal level from the Housing and Urban Development agency).

CIL not only installs ramps, vertical lifts and stairlifts so that people with mobility impairments can get in and out of their homes, we also provide interior modifications such as grab bars, and off set door hinges. CIL offers solutions for people who are deaf/hearing impaired or blind/visually impaired as well, such as flashing doorbells, or high contrast textured stair strips. Margie provides much information and referral to anyone with access questions concerning building regulations, design solutions, and contractor referral to those who do not qualify for our program. She also hosts workshops for design students on Universal Design, strengthening their understanding of designing a more accessible outdoor and indoor environment, including products, for all to enjoy.

Yoshie Fujimoto is our afternoon receptionist.  If you call or visit CIL, there is a good chance you’ll meet her.  She has greeted and assisted customers in the retail, hospitality andfinance industries. Treating others with dignity and respect is her number one priority.  Her smiling face and friendly persona puts strangers at ease.  Cooking, dancing and walking Lake Merritt are some of her hobbies.

Thomas Gregory joined CIL's staff in 2008 as a Program Coordinator, and he has served as a Program Manager at CIL since 2010.  His areas of responsibility include I&R, mobility/transit training, fee-for-service ILS training, residential access, assistive technology, and community transitions (a.k.a. "Olmstead work").  Before coming to CIL, Thomas administered a Department of Education WorkAbility grant at Via Center, a non-public school in Berkeley for students with developmental disabilities, and he has well over a decade of experience working with and for people with disabilities.  Thomas has a BA in philosophy from USC and a JD from UC Davis.  He spends most of his spare time trying to improve his Internet Scrabble Club ranking.

Demetrius Johnson is a program manager, including the blind, deaf, and housing programs generalist. He has been at CIL one year.  He is dedicated to his job and the disability world. He also specializes in HIV care.  Demetrius is always busy, and is constantly making sure that his consumers are happy and are getting the services and care that they need.

Leslie Simon is a Mobility and Travel Trainer at CIL. She has worked at the CIL for the past 10 years on and off and has a background as a preschool teacher which she did for 10 years and has been in a wheel chair for the past 12 years.  She wants people to know that the Travel program is completely free and that there is no money that will come out of the consumers’ pocket when they take rides on the BART and Bus.  But, mainly Leslie wants people with disabilities to be able to “come out independently and travel where they want to when they want to and why they want to.

Lauren Steinberg is the Systems Change advocate the CIL.  She started to intern at the CIL in March of 2008 and was hired as an employee in December of 2008. She graduated from Mills College in 2007 and did research with a professor on different slants and hills. She specifically researched and designed an experiment on how people with mobility devices perceived hills and slants. She also researched learning behaviors in nematodes when she was in college. As a System Change Advocate, Lauren works with policy and advocates with other people who work at CIL centers around the state. Lauren has organized people to go to DCAD which is a advocacy day at the capitol.

Vivian Taube has a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Maryland in College Park, and she also has had some graduate school training. She was born and raised on the East Coast but since 1998 she has been living locally, because she fell in love with the spirit, climate, and terrain of the Bay Area. Last year, she graduated from a Computer Technologies Program (CTP) course called Office Systems Training, where she learned Microsoft Office Suite 2007. Vivian first came to CIL as a CTP intern, and her work as an intern led to CIL's asking her to come aboard as an employee after graduation. Vivian loves her job, especially her direct work with her consumers, whom she helps to live independently in their own homes.

Fidel Valenzuela is a T-12 paraplegic and has been a wheelchair user for 22 years. Currently, he works as a Housing Specialist at the Berkeley Center for Independent Living (CIL). He started at CIL as a volunteer with the youth program and was hired to be a housing specialist in April 2011. Prior to coming to CIL, he worked at the Community Resources for Independent living (CRIL)in Hayward as a Community Organizer. He has also worked for three years as a Housing Specialist and System change advocate at the West Side Center for Independent Living (WCIL) in Los Angeles. He has worked in non-profit, community-based organizations for well over 20 years.  He has coordinated and directed urban youth violence intervention programs and worked alongside pediatricians to help reduce youth violence in Los Angeles. Fidel has always been involved in the community, advocating and assisting people to live a productive and independent life.

Yomi Wrong.  Executive Director Yomi Wrong provides vision and strategic leadership for CIL’s direct services programs and advocacy efforts. Prior to CIL, Yomi worked as a print journalist, writing and editing for numerous publications including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Orange County Register and San Jose Mercury News.