Zandile Christian
Zandile has been a resident of the Dimond for 26 years and has served on the DIA board for eleven years. She has participated in many efforts and on many committees, including Executive, Finance, Database, Membership, Keep Dimond Clean, Oaktoberfest, Crime & Safety, Dimond Public Art and Art in the Street.
Zandile’s vision is to have the Dimond be clean and safe for all and to maintain the district’s charming characteristics.
David Gross
David has been a resident of the Dimond since 2006. Both of his children attended Sequoia Elementary, where he has been active as a volunteer parent for the Dad’s Club and after-school chess classes. He has also served as a baseball coach in the NOLL / SOLL Little League for the past several years. Professionally, David is a practicing attorney specializing in commercial real estate transactions in California and throughout the United States.
David’s vision for the Dimond is to support and grow a thriving business district, maintain clean and safe parks and public spaces, and to encourage the involvement of all residents in making the Dimond a safe and welcoming neighborhood for everyone.
Chris Harper
Chris remembers visiting the Dimond as far back as 1972 when his grandmother lived on Dimond Avenue. In 1986, as a young teacher he made the Dimond his permanent residence, and in subsequent years he married and raised two children. In 1998, Chris joined the faculty of Head-Royce School, where he has taught Physics, Astronomy, and Robotics ever since. Chris served on the DIA board from 2011 to 2015, and rejoined in 2018. Most of that time he has served as Board Chair. Improving the fiscal management within the DIA and transitioning to a new listserv have been two significant achievements for Chris.
Chris’ vision for the Dimond is to further its growth as a community built by involvement. This means facilitating communication between community members, DIA members, merchants, visitors, and the many organizations that have the Dimond as their focus.
Judy Klinger
Judy is a recently retired high school teacher and union leader. She has lived in the Dimond for 20 years and is delighted to finally have the time to be actively involved in our neighborhood! What she loves about the Dimond is that it has personality — it has amenities, but isn’t gentrified. As a union president, she has experience with organizing and pushing levers within political systems to create change. She and her dog, Crumpet, enjoy neighborhood walks and hikes in the woods. Pip, the cat, enjoys whatever he darn well enjoys.
Judy sees an opportunity to figure out, then use City and County systems to help Dimond be even more vibrant.
Alex Park
Alex has been a Dimond resident for most of his life, beginning in the early 1990s. He’s worked as a journalist and researcher in the Bay Area and around the country. You can read some of his work at his website, www.alexcpark.com. Alex has volunteered with the DIA’s beautification committee since 2018 and has been involved with most of its major projects in that time.
Alex’s vision for the Dimond is a refuge for in-person connection with friends and neighbors of all backgrounds, where people feel welcome and all who live, work, and enjoy the neighborhood can be confident their voice is heard and their wants and needs are recognized.
Bret Peterson
Bret has lived in the Dimond with his wife since 2015, where they are raising their growing family. He moved to the Bay Area in 2010 from Hawaii, where he worked on a submarine in the Navy. After completing his PHD at UC Berkeley he now works as a microbiologist at a cancer immunotherapy company in Berkeley. He is a daily bike commuter and loves taking trips on AC transit with his son on the weekends. Bret cares deeply about homelessness and housing affordability and spends time volunteering to promote pro-housing policies and zoning reform.
Bret’s vision for the Dimond is a healthy, bustling and diverse commercial and residential center where the pedestrians’ pleasure and safety is prioritized over expediency for privately owned vehicles, and where enough housing exists to support a diverse range of Oakland residents that have a shared stake in their neighborhood.
Maria Rincón
Maria was born and raised in Oakland and her love for our city runs deep! She’s lived in the Dimond for the past 20 years and has been spending time here since her days as a student at St. Jarlath’s School, where she studied from kindergarten to 8th grade. Maria has spent countless hours in Dimond Park and Dimond Library, both as a child and with her own two children. She loves to read and be in nature. Maria has worked as an elementary school teacher since graduating from college in 1994. She recently took on the role of Dean of Community Wellness at St. Paul’s Episcopal School, where she’s taught for the past 19 years.
Maria’s vision for the Dimond is that it be a thriving neighborhood that welcomes everyone. She’d love for it to be a place where all people feel safe, connected to their community, and cared for.
May Seto-Wasem
May, along with her husband David, own and operate Grand Lake Kitchen. Soon after the first location of GLK opened in Adams Point, she started looking for a second location that could offer more space and a shorter wait. She quickly fell in love with Dimond, even when neighboring areas were more in fashion. When renovations began on the exterior of the building, she thought that she had missed the chance, but thankfully that was not the case and GLK will be celebrating its 3rd anniversary this spring. May also enjoys celebrating with family and friends, all animals especially dogs and horses and pursuing the perfect chile relleno.
May’s vision and greatest hope for the Dimond is to be a vibrant, safe, and prosperous neighborhood where local business owners, big and small, can come together to help each other help themselves through networking and the use of existing resources.
Victoria Wake
Victoria is an East Bay native and 2-year Dimond resident. She is retired from AC Transit, where she managed service information, marketing, and outreach programs. Her long-time interests include the environment, public transportation, and history. She joined the DIA board in 2006, and currently serves on the Beautification and Public Safety committees. She is concerned about the community’s (and the city’s) urban forest, seeing street trees dying at an increased rate and current city restrictions preventing equivalent replanting.
Victoria’s vision for the Dimond includes people walking and taking the bus more, driving less, and generally knowing each other and local businesses better. She would like to see greater environmental stewardship and a flourishing greenscape. She hopes more of the community will get engaged in local projects, because it’s gratifying and fun!
Jaime Watson
Jaime, originally from the Pacific Northwest, swapped rain for sunshine when she moved to San Francisco in 2003. In 2022, she and her husband found their perfect spot in the Dimond, where they quickly fell in love with the community’s warmth and charm. With over 10 years working in real estate, Jaime is passionate about helping people find spaces where they can truly thrive. When she’s not helping clients, you can find her looking for opportunities to engage with her community, exploring the outdoors, hopping on a plane to explore new places, or enjoying time with the people she holds closest.
Kevin Whittinghill
Originally from Santa Cruz, Kevin has lived in New York and San Francisco before becoming a homeowner in the Dimond district in 2019. He has a background in theater, film, stand-up, and graphic design, and currently works as a publisher for Horsley Bridge Partners, a global private equity fund-of-funds, in San Francisco. He’s also produced live theater and comedy events, including the nerd comedy shows “Eureka!” and “You Should Know This!” When he’s not spending time with his wife and baby daughter, he loves to cook, travel, and write. Kevin joined the DIA board in 2020.
Kevin’s vision is to continue the work of others in creating a thriving and prosperous commercial district and making sure the Dimond is a safe and beautiful place for those in the community.