Leslie Dawson, Chair
Owner of Local CPA Firm
Leslie O. Dawson is a CPA and the owner of Dawson CPA Firm, in Walnut Creek, California. She has volunteered time and services to various social service non-profits helping struggling individuals and families for 30 years. Leslie was attracted to Ujima for its holistic approach to helping mothers, fathers and their children recover from drug and alcohol addiction by providing physical, psychological and emotion support.
Teresa E. Munoz, Vice-Chair
OBGYN Medical Doctor Kaiser Permanente
Teresa Munoz is an obstetrician gynecologist who has been practicing in Richmond for over 10 years. I am interested in working with women achieve a healthy and well-balanced life. Working with Ujima is important for me because I understand the challenges of motherhood as well as the importance of family in achieving happiness. Raising children truly takes a village and I appreciate that Ujima provides services for some of our most vulnerable women and becomes part of their village. In addition to practicing medicine, I enjoy spending time with family including my 2 dogs. I also enjoy running, cycling, watching movies, and good food.
Dorie Klein, Secretary
Women’s Substance Use Policy Consultant
Dorie Klein joined the Ujima Board in 2020 but traces her interest in women’s issues to her college activism days. After doctoral study at UC Berkeley exploring how low-income women of color can be harmed by the criminal justice system, she helped create a new progressive feminist criminology. She has been involved in research, teaching and administrative projects in academia, government and Bay Area communities focusing on substance use policy and women. Her support of Ujima is due to its vital role as a longstanding, locally based option for recovering mothers. Among her personal interests, she has travelled to far-flung places overseas and has had several big sled dogs at home.
William Hays Weissman, Treasurer
Shareholder, Littler Mendelson, P.C.
William Hays Weissman is a shareholder in Littler Mendelson, P.C.’s Walnut Creek, California office. William specializes in employment taxes, contingent worker issues and OFCCP and affirmative action audits and counseling, as well as general employment counseling and litigation for clients both large and small. In his spare time William likes to travel with his family, read and hike in the hills around Walnut Creek. William joined Ujima’s Board to help make a difference in people’s lives by using his skills to give back to the community that has given so much to him.
Raymond A. Buenaventura, ESQ.
Attorney & Certified Criminal Law Specialist
Ray Buenaventura is an attorney who specializes in criminal defense. He is a Certified Criminal Law Specialist and is licensed to practice law in California, New York, and Washington D.C. Ray is also an elected official, having served as the Mayor of Daly City for of Daly City for 3 terms. Ray joined the board of Ujima because of his belief in a holistic approach to serving indigent clients. He believes in the need to provide mental health services, drug treatment, eviction assistance, vocational rehabilitation, immigration relief, and family integration services. Ray is licensed pilot and enjoys leisure flying while also volunteering with Angels Flight West (providing free transportation to cancer patients) and a member of the Civil Air Patrol (search and rescue operations).
Laura Rossiter
Sales and Organizational Development Leader
Laura Rossiter is a sales and organizational development leader with over 25 years of experience in global technology. Laura earned an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BS from the University of Illinois. She has supported Junior Achievement, Dining for Women, and the Covenant House of California. She is inspired by the work that Ujima performs, serving families – commitment to the whole person to help them to recover, grow and transform their lives. Laura is married with three adult children. Laura is an avid yogi, enjoys hiking and is learning to improve her golf game.
Rachna Vanjani
OBGYN Medical Doctor Alameda Health System
Rachna Vanjani is a board certified OBGYN, and reproductive justice advocate whose work focuses on family planning, correctional health care, and medical education. She has worked on sentinel perinatal quality improvement and equity initiatives within marginalized communities in the Bay Area. She most recently was the Chief of Obstetrics at Alameda Health System, a safety net hospital in Oakland, California. She is currently on sabbatical studying how to integrate eastern and western medical practices to best provide whole-person reproductive health care.
Dr. Vanjani is a National Health Service Corp Scholar, a member of the District IX American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Committee of Underserved Women and an alumnus of the Physicians for Reproductive Health Leadership Training Academy. She went to medical school at George Washington University School of Medicine and completed her residency at Boston University Medical Center.