Martin is a Technical Specialist at Accenture, where he works on implementing the State of California’s first automated financial reporting system. He is a Microsoft Certified Data Analyst Associate, has led his office’s Hispanic Employee Resource Group, and currently serves as a Cultural Lead, helping advance inclusion and community engagement efforts.

In his role as Accenture Relationship Manager for Aging UP, Martin supports fundraising efforts, grant writing, and the coordination of office space and material resources to strengthen the organization’s programs and impact.

Outside of work and community service, Martin enjoys spending time with his children, cycling, attending live music events, and practicing yoga.

After nearly a decade of dedicated leadership, we share that Co-founder and Program Director Kecia has made a difficult but heartfelt decision to step down from her staff role. While she began the transition earlier this year, the time has now come for her official departure from day-to-day program management.

“Supporting youth has always been my passion, and this was not an easy decision; however, it was grounded in reflection and a deep commitment to doing what’s best for Aging UP as I embrace a new season in life.” ~ Kecia

Since co-founding Aging UP with Communications Director April in 2016, Kecia has been a passionate force behind our mission—helping to create a safe and empowering space where youth with experience in foster care can thrive.

Our Founders’ aligned vision and unwavering belief in the power of supportive mentoring relationships built the foundation for the strong, mission-driven organization we are today. True to her thoughtful leadership, Kecia actively worked with April and our Board to ensure a smooth, intentional and successful transition, which will be fully complete in January 2026.

While this is a significant change, it is also a time of great anticipation. Aging UP’s mission remains steadfast, and our vision for the future is bold: to reach 100 youth annually, expand young adult supports and continue empowering statistic breakers!

We invite you—our community of supporters, mentors, partners, and friends—to join us in celebrating Kecia’s impact by continuing to champion the work she helped build. One meaningful way is to donate in Kecia’s honor at agingup.org/give. This investment in Aging UP’s future will continue Kecia’s legacy and the life-changing impacts of our program.

Though stepping away from day-to-day operations, Kecia will always remain a part of the Aging UP community as a co-founder and lifelong advocate for our mission. Matches will also see her on occasion at Group Events, and she will be at Play to Empower.

We are deeply grateful for Kecia’s bravery, vision and unwavering belief in the power of supportive mentoring relationships. Our future is bright because of her efforts, and we wish Kecia all the best.

Alexxa leverages her unique skills to impact the foster care and mental health systems. She has actively contributed to legislative initiatives such as the Foster Care Bill of Rights and Prop 63 and played other roles in changing and improving the foster care and mental health systems. As an accomplished author, Alexxa has contributed to developing a social worker training curriculum and toward a bestselling collaborative book, among other works.

With a strong foundation in group work, advocacy, and therapeutic practices, Alexxa excels at leading discussions and facilitating healing processes for individuals and communities.

When we needed another Match Coordinator, Alexxa’s personal and professional experience made her a welcomed addition to our Program Team. Serving as a mentor to our mentors, Alexxa is dedicated to empowering our youth, parents, caregivers, and mentors to build strong, supportive relationships.

Alexxa is an avid foodie and enjoys music, live entertainment and spending time with family and friends. As a lifelong learner and entrepreneur, Alexxa is committed to expanding her knowledge and uplifting others.

For more than ten years, Amber has worked in the nonprofit sector, supporting families experiencing poverty and youth currently or formerly in the foster care system. In 2018, Amber served as a congressional intern with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, where she wrote and delivered a policy report to Members of Congress and White House staff, highlighting the importance of early trauma screenings and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) prevention efforts.

In September 2024, we excitedly welcomed Amber as a vital addition to our staff team, formerly comprised only of our Founders. In this first role as Community Coordinator, Amber supported philanthropic initiatives and fundraising events. In 2026, after a brief personal leave, Amber was welcomed back to the team in an expanded role to manage all philanthropic efforts to help us achieve Our Vision of serving 100 youth annually by 2030.

In her free time, Amber enjoys rooting on the UW Huskies, spending time with her corgi, drinking coffee, and camping with her husband and four-year-old son.

Alan holds certifications in Amazon Web Services and is working toward other Technology and Project Management certifications. Alan holds a B.S. in Community and Regional Development from the University of California, Davis.

As a leader of the Sacramento Hispanic American Employee Resource Group (HAERG), Alan reached out in the spring of 2023 to discover ways his group could support our mission. Since then, he has continued to volunteer and support Aging UP, even creating a partnership so we could use Accenture’s state-of-the-art office space. A year later, we were thrilled to welcome Alan as our newest board member to join the leadership team!

Alan is especially enthusiastic to provide learning opportunities and resources to children with a background in foster care so that they can grow into happy and successful adults.

Alan lives in Sacramento, California. In his personal time, he loves mentoring/helping others, accumulating self-development and leadership knowledge, introducing aviation to younger generations, watching Formula 1, and doing high-performance driving with his dad.

Photo by Lana Akin Photography

Maya was born in Israel and moved to the United States in 1982, moving throughout the Bay Area and the Los Angeles area for many years. Maya became independent at age 17 and, ultimately, raised her daughter as a single mother.

Maya draws upon her own healing journey to empathetically connect with others. She is especially passionate about helping teens and young adults find their inner strength and success. This drew her to our program. She was part of Cohort 6 Mentor Training. After successful completion, she was even more invested in our mission and, after an exciting conversation, she was invited to apply for the AmeriCorps position. She became a welcomed addition to the team in December 2023 and renewed her contract in August 2024!

Within her AmeriCorps role, Maya is the Youth Developer for Aging UP. This involves building rapport and providing hands-on adulting support to the older teens and young adults in our program. She works side-by-side with our youth, assisting them in creating resumes, looking for jobs and securing resources or supportive services throughout the community. She was even recognized as The Child Abuse Prevention Center‘s AmeriCorps Member of the Month in June 2024!

When not working, Maya enjoys movement through Pilates and walking. She also finds joy in baking and cooking for her family. We love having her gentle demeanor and hard work as part of our team!

Faith simultaneously works as a server at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, a job she has had for a while now. She is also a dedicated student with less than one year from completing her bachelor’s degree in child and adolescent development in the study of social and community contexts from California State University, Sacramento.

As Aging UP’s FYI AmeriCorps Member, Faith is especially passionate to help youth in foster care because she was in foster care at one point. Faith is also planning to go into social work after her degree. She lives in Elk Grove and, when she is not working or studying, she enjoys walks around the park, painting, reading, and cleaning…yes cleaning.

Prior to this role, Keri had a long career as a successful business owner in the Sacramento Area. The challenges of the covid pandemic, however, changed Keri’s focus. She realized she wanted to go in a different direction with her career and serve her community. In 2021, Keri signed up to be a mentor with Aging UP, went back to school after 20 years and sold her business! Her major is Women and Gender Studies, and she loves it.

When it came time to recruit for this AmeriCorps position, Keri topped the list. She had recently completed Mentor Training but had not yet been matched with a youth. Knowing her new career path and that her skills and passion aligned well with our mission, our founders invited Keri to apply. After the interview process, Keri was offered, and very happily accepted this exciting new role.

We are thrilled to welcome Keri and extremely excited to kick off our new youth leadership group in early 2022!

Andrea actually came up with our name: Aging UP. As Co-founder April’s sister, she was often part of conversations during the organizational development phase. One evening, the phrase “we want to help them aging up, not out” was stated and she enthusiastically said, “that’s it. That’s the name!”

Family involvement aside, Andrea has a big heart for opportunity youth and invests in both local and international causes.

Andrea spends her free time enjoying traveling, hosting dinner nights with friends and family, and discovering what new things interest her 8 and 16-year-old sons.

Photo by Lana Akin Photography

Amy first joined Aging UP in early 2019 as a Program Committee Member. Her effort and passion were evident, and in September 2020, she was the unanimous choice to fill a board vacancy.

Throughout the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amy was instrumental in supporting our founders as they adapted our one-to-one, community-based services. She helped establish safety protocols that allowed us to smoothly continue supporting youth through uncertain times.

In July 2022, Amy’s dedication was once again acknowledged as she was unanimously voted to serve as Vice President of the Board. Her expertise, passion, and humble leadership are missed. Yet, we are grateful that she created a new role—Friend of the Board—and continues to support us when she can.

Thank you, Amy, for being a special part of the Aging UP community.

Amy lives in West Sacramento. When not working, she enjoys watching sports, spending time with her adult children, binge-watching Netflix and visiting local wineries.

Photo by Lana Akin Photography