A Conscious Leader

Brandon with his brother and family

Hello my name is Brandon Oldham, and I am currently working as a project manager at Quesada Gardens Initiative in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood. As project leader, I’ve been working with multiple USF service-learners to launch the Quesada Gardens General Store.  Working with USF service-learners greatly connects to my former role as an Advocate for Community Engagement (ACE) through the McCarthy Center.

The McCarthy Center shaped me to become a great manager by giving me leadership skills and much more. As an ACE, I worked with Quesada Gardens for three years facilitating over 30 service-learners projects. Through the years, I explored social justice issues including poverty, food isolation, and socio-economic disparities present in San Francisco. These skills shape me into a conscious leader that maintains a perspective on social justice in all aspects in launching the General Store. I think that one of the greatest connections between my work as an ACE and my current role at Quesada Gardens is that if I had not been an ACE, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work with great people over the years who taught me the skills to do what I am doing today at Quesada Gardens.