Meet Our Team

Amy Adams

Amy is a Bay Area native. She is passionate about hospitality and creating spaces where everyone feels safe and welcomed. She is responsible for recruiting and assisting potential employees during the hiring process. She also maintains office schedules to support an effective workflow through efficient coordination across all departments for District Works. Amy calls the Bay: home, community, culture, and love. She is a lover of plants, animals, and cooking. Amy is always looking for the next delicious place to enjoy food with friends and family!

Chris Boss

A native of Macon, GA, Chris has been a Bay Area resident since 2007. He is responsible and accountable for all day-to-day operations for District Works. His primary responsibilities are to oversee and facilitate administrative duties as required for the successful operations of the business, with a focus on People Operations, Finance, and Business Development. Chris has over a decade of Ambassador Program management experience, having worked for the Downtown Berkeley Association, Jack London Improvement District, and the Union Square Alliance. Chris will oversee the ongoing training, management, and performance of all District Works staff and will closely monitor all reporting and data collection. In 2022, Chris graduated from International Downtown Association’s Emerging Leader Fellowship Program.

Albert Burruss

A native of New Haven, CT,  Al has been a Bay Area resident for three decades. He has over 30 years of people and programs management. He enjoys training staff and tapping into their unknown potential. Al believes people are the greatest asset an organization has. His personal goal is to show love, dignity, and respect to every person he encounters. He also understands the importance of mentoring the next generation of leaders. After serving our country in the United States Army, he graduated from San Jose State in 1992 with a degree in Business Management. He has been serving our communities and involved in Urban Placemaking for the last seven years.

Joe Castagnola

Joe is an Oakland native. He supports and oversees the quality of all products and services provided by the organization. Joe began working in the Urban Place Management industry in 2015 and has experience managing several clean and safe programs throughout the Bay Area. Joe loves to design and implement customized deployment programs to tackle the toughest challenges. He works closely with directors and coordinators to support, plan, and implement all aspects of new and existing service programs to ensure our final product meets organization standards across all departments.

Jasmine Dickerson

Jasmine is a Bay Area native. She recently graduated with a degree in criminal justice, and although new to the industry, she is already making her mark on the world of place management. Jasmine supports our Uptown Downtown Oakland Place Manager program and provides consistent direction and continual awareness for our place managers. She facilitates strong and functional daily working relationships between our team and the community. When Jasmine is not hiking, or soaking in the beauty of Lake Merritt, she takes pleasure exploring the culinary delights found throughout the Bay Area.

Tanicia Jackson

Tanicia Jackson is an Oakland native. She recently joined the company as Vice President of Business Operations overseeing the development of financial and operational efficiencies to streamline and support the company’s business development. She brings over twenty years of experience in financial and operational management from the commercial real estate industry and has been an active and supportive board member of the Uptown Downtown Oakland CBDs since its inception in 2009. 

As a proven DEI leader, Tanicia is also committed to further development of the company’s DEI policies and initiatives. Working closely with the CEO and General Manager, she will ensure that financial and operational processes effectively serve our clients and comply with industry standards and best practices.

Taryn Johnson

Delante Johnson-Hooper

Delante has a passion for leading and team building as shown in his tenure with District Works. As the maintenance and landscaping coordinator, he has learned and harnessed skills to provide greater opportunity for his continued growth within the company. In addition to being a husband and father, Delante is our in-house comedian, food critic, and anime enthusiast. With his interest in learning new skills and becoming a better version of himself daily, he enjoys serving his community and finding ways to improve Oakland. Delante treats all his colleagues and clients like family and has been welcoming and supportive of all that have the privilege of meeting and working with him. 

Andrew Jones

Andrew is an Oakland native. He hires, trains, and develops every member of the District Works team. As a hands-on CEO, he oversees operations for the company. He brings extensive experience to the job and a deep passion for Urban Place Management and Oakland. He enjoys envisioning and executing transformative public realm projects. For the past 14 years, he has served as Program Director for the Uptown Downtown Oakland Community Benefit Districts. In 2018, he graduated from International Downtown Association’s Emerging Leader Fellowship Program.

Antonio Martinez

Born and raised in Oakland, Antonio enjoys spending time with his family and exploring the Bay Area. He brings a passion for helping and improving the communities we live and work in. With his quick problem solving, team building, and leadership skills, Antonio seeks for the beautification of our communities to make them a welcoming place for all. He cares about everyone he encounters and his team’s success. Antonio is always available to lend a helpful hand. As the program coordinator for our Uptown Downtown Oakland account, Antonio looks for ways to better improve himself while expanding his skill sets to establish great communication with his colleagues in order to properly assist with their needs and develop efficient and safe program operational standards for each member of the team.

Trey Nelson

Trey is an Oakland native. With over 6 years of urban place management experience, prior to becoming the Operations Manager for the Castro Community Benefit District, she was a cleaning ambassador turned pressure washing operator turned Team Leader for the Uptown Downtown Oakland Association programs. She has a passion for team building and boosting morale in and outside the workplace. Trey supports the company by managing and overseeing the Place Manager programs for our BART program. In her personal time Trey enjoys seeking new and talented music artists and encourages them to chase their dreams. Trey isn’t a one dimensional individual; if you have a conversation with her you will learn something new every time.

Chris Nishimoto

Chris is the senior Service Technician for the company. Chris has also been instrumental for project services including ornament installations, plywood installation and removal, globe and lighting repair, and signage installation projects for improvement districts throughout the Bay Area. Chris has been with District Works since the inception of the company in 2020. When not providing superb service for clients, Chris enjoys spending time with his two sons, playing league softball, and Audio Engineering. The region provides the best arts, community, culture, food, and passion and Chris is proud to provide service and travel to all the communities throughout the Greater Bay Area.

Jahan Pinckney

Jahan has created an inspiring team environment with an open communication culture for our team. He enjoys interacting with the diverse customers and coworkers at both Oakland and San Francisco stations. Jahan is a father of two: a son with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Plymouth State University and a daughter finishing her first year at Dean College. Jahan was born and raised in New York City and moved to the Bay Area to further his career in management. He is a foodie at heart and enjoys discovering new places for hiking, cycling, and spending time with family and friends. Jahan continues to motivate his colleagues to do their best and remain positive as we continue to evolve and grow in an ever-changing industry. 

Steve Snider

Steve directs the vision of the company through strategic planning, marketing and business development and has a passionate focus on community building and workforce development initiatives. He has served as President of the California Downtown Association Board of Directors and also Chairs the organization’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Task Force. Steve has also served as the Executive Director for the Uptown Downtown Oakland Community Benefit Districts for the past 10 years and has overseen the development and implementation of Oakland Central, downtown Oakland’s only unified marketing and events campaign.

Charles Taylor

Charles is a native of Detroit, MI, and has been a Bay Area resident since 2003. He has been working for District Works from day one, the very first employee. Having worked for the Uptown Downtown Oakland CBDs since 2018, he has developed a passion for public space management and Ambassador Program operations. Charles cares deeply about his team’s success and completing projects in a safe and timely manner. He is responsible for the oversight of many of the CBDs’ key initiatives. He works with UDO leadership to complete specific projects, obtain permits, and engage with community stakeholders to further the company’s goals and objectives. He has a unique ability to establish rapport with staff and community and facilitates ongoing partnership and collaboration to advance our initiatives.

Porsche Washington

Born and raised in Oakland, Porsche was introduced into the urban place management industry in 2014, ascending from a maintenance ambassador to a management role. Currently, Porsche holds the responsibility for overseeing the Uptown Downtown Oakland CBDs Hospitality and Maintenance program, which spans from Old Oakland to the vibrant Uptown area. Leading a dedicated team of place managers, Porsche brings a wealth of experience to her role. Prior to her current position, Porsche demonstrated her commitment to community well-being by volunteering as the Chairwoman of the Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council for Beat 4x within the City of Oakland for six years. Her dedication to the city’s improvement led to her official appointment by the City of Oakland as the Interim Program Director, charged with launching the citywide Park Steward program. Porsche’s passion lies in cultivating comfortable and inviting workspaces for those in her vicinity. Her unwavering dedication to enhancing community conditions and the city she holds dear knows no bounds. Beyond her professional pursuits, Porsche finds joy in arts and crafts, pursuing writing, and immersing herself in the splendors of the great outdoors.