About Isabelle
Isabelle (she/her) has dedicated over 30 years to advancing social and racial justice through nonprofit leadership, education, and advocacy. She began her career as a public school teacher and went on to earn both a Master’s in International and Intercultural Management and a Juris Doctor as a Tony Patiño Leadership and Service Fellow.
She has held transformative leadership roles, including CEO of the African Library Project, where she spearheaded strategic growth, developed data-driven systems, and successfully led international forums. At Safe Passages in Oakland, she served as Youth Development Director and Policy Director, managing multiple programs and teams, securing federal, state, city and private philanthropy funding, co-chairing Alameda County’s Early Childhood Education Committee, and building cross-sector partnerships with public agencies, philanthropy, and elected officials.
Her earlier work includes serving as the inaugural Public Interest Career Services Director at U.C. Law San Francisco, managing public interest programs for hundreds of students and government agencies.
Today, through her consulting company Gutsy Mama LLC, Isabelle partners with women-led nonprofit organizations, guiding them through leadership transitions, strategic planning, and capacity-building initiatives. As a first-generation college graduate with roots in rural France and Senegal, Isabelle brings a deeply intersectional, equity-driven lens to all her work. She also coaches in areas where she has lived experience—nonprofit leadership, entrepreneurship, homeschooling, and holistic approaches to well-being.
