Growing up in San Jose, CA, Carissa developed a love for the various cultures that make up the San Francisco Bay Area. This led to her degree in Intercultural Studies (2014) and position of Outreach Coordinator, where she gained experience organizing partnerships with local ministries in the Sacramento area and led service trips to San Francisco, Portland, and New York City.  

Growing up in San Jose, CA, Carissa developed a love for the various cultures that make up the San Francisco Bay Area. This led to her degree in Intercultural Studies (2014) and position of Outreach Coordinator, where she gained experience organizing partnerships with local ministries in the Sacramento area and led service trips to San Francisco, Portland, and New York City.  

Carissa always had a passion for serving vulnerable urban youth and desired to work in NYC specifically. After years of preparation and planning, she moved to the Bronx (2015) and launched Uprising – a grassroots initiative mentoring young people and their families in one of NYC’s most challenging and gang-prevalent neighborhoods. After 10 years, she launched the local leaders Uprising had developed to continue the work and returned to San Jose.  

Now, Carissa brings that frontline experience to Exponent Group as the Director of Community Restoration, where she is creating community development strategies – designing templates, action plans, and peer-learning cohorts that empower leaders to assess local needs, build sustainable projects, and restore hope in their communities.