Lincoln Board Member Spotlight: Dante Robinson

Dante Robinson

Lincoln Board Member and Ambassador for Oakland Freedom Schools

I am a six-year board member with Lincoln Families (Lincoln). Through Lincoln, I am able to give back to the community near where I work and live, and the communities that are impacted by social inequities. We all know that the early development years are critical for youth in helping to shape their path in life and I love that Lincoln has positively impacted the lives of youth and their families for over 135 years. Our youth are the leaders of tomorrow and sometimes they need a little help getting there. Through strengthened lives, we see the results and impact Lincoln has on the communities it serves. 

My focus program, Oakland Freedom Schools (OFS), is one such Lincoln program that works to shape youth into the leaders of tomorrow. Reading is fundamental and I love that OFS focuses on summer reading. Closing the education and achievement gap is key to closing the socioeconomic gap, and it all starts with reading. Reading is knowledge and reading is power. Participating students of all levels and their parents benefit from the OFS program, which enriches the mind, the body, and social needs to disrupt social inequities. That is why my OFS is my board sponsored program.

In my role as a board member I am also a member of the Executive and Governance Committee as the Treasurer who primarily focuses on the approval of the CEO expenses. Also as a board member, I am a member of the Finance Committee and recently accepted the position of Chairperson for the committee – wish me luck, I have big shoes to fill from the prior Chair who looks at financial numbers on a daily basis. Prior to becoming a board member, I was a member of the Audit Committee (AC). My introduction to Lincoln came by way of the AC through my father-in-law, Jefferson Hilliard. Jeff, as many of the Lincoln family knows him, introduced me to Lincoln, which needed an independent non board member to participate on the AC. As a side note, Jeff has been a part of Lincoln for many years including as the Board Chair for several years and still attends various event and makes his annual donation. Thank you Jeff for the introduction. After 2-3 years as a general AC member, I became the Chairperson on the AC. In total, I have been a part of Lincoln for about 10-12 years and I have enjoyed my involvement.

As I continue to learn more and more about Lincoln and its services, I look forward to hearing about Lincoln’s ongoing efforts to reach youth and families to provide assistance, lend an ear and hand, and coach and train our youth. Lincoln has been here for 137 years, and has plenty of work to do. Thank you for all that you do for Lincoln and the communities it serves. I am excited to be a small part of Lincoln yesterday, today and tomorrow. As a board member I will do my part to ensure Lincoln is here for many more years to come.