Staff

Charles L. Mason, Jr. – President and CEO

charles@ubuntugreen.org*   916-669-0671

Charles is the founder of Ubuntu Green and leads the strategic direction of the organization, and heads the Ubuntu Green Community Advocacy and Engagement Institute (CAEI). Charles has been active in the California Endowments Sacramento Building Healthy Communities process, Sacramento City Superintendents Healthy Foods Task Force, and Regional Food Systems Collaborative. Charles sits on the Oak Park Redevelopment Advisory Committee, the Advisory Council for the Center for Regional Change (U.C. Davis) and serves on the steering committee for the Coalition on Regional Equity’s (CORE). In 2009, Charles founded the Green Oak Park and South Sacramento! event (now Green Sacramento!). Charles also serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Sacramento Chapter ALS Association and as a member of the Environmental Council of Sacramento. Charles is a Class X graduate of the Sierra Health Foundations, Health Leadership Program.

Charles previously worked as the Senior Legislative Representative, Livable Communities for AARP in Washington D.C. Charles focused on advocacy related to transportation, land use, climate change, energy and housing. Charles also served as the Associate State Director, Advocacy for AARP CA. In this role Charles was responsible for advocacy efforts throughout the state of California, focusing on the Central Coast, Central Valley and all of Northern California. Charles also led legislative and grassroots efforts on transportation and housing issues statewide, which led to the passage of senior multi-family housing and Complete Streets legislation. In addition, Charles sat on AARP’s national African-American/Black Task Force and the Host Committee for the CA Legislative Black Caucus Foundation.

Charles also worked on transportation and land use issues as the California State Policy Director for the Surface Transportation Policy Project that included advocacy work on SAFETEA-LU in Washington, D.C. In California, he successfully advocated for the reauthorization of the Safe Routes to School Program. Mr. Mason opened and directed the government affairs office in Washington, D.C. of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, which included securing

federal appropriations dollars and building relationships with Congress, the Administration and federal agencies. Charles also worked as the Transportation and Housing Associate for Urban Habitat in Oakland, CA. Finally, he worked on behalf of municipal governments nationally for The Ferguson Group, which included securing over $35 million funding through the federal appropriations and working on brownfields, environment, water, crime and other issues.

Mr. Mason is a former staff member of the NAACP in their Southern California regional office. Former legislative aide to U.S. Representative Peter J. Visclosky (D-IN) specializing in education, agriculture, welfare, health, community development and homeless issues. Former aide to Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and U.S. Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI). Charles received B.A. in Political Science from California State University: Long Beach and a Masters in Public Policy and Administration from the California State University Sacramento, Graduate School of Public Policy and Administration. Charles also attended the George Washington University, Graduate School of Political Management. Mr. Mason is the father of two lovely children, Miles and Yemaya. He is active in running, yoga, gardening, reading and writing.

Alvin D. Vaughn, Jr. – Director of Advocacy and Communication

alvin@ubuntugreen.org*    916-669-0671

Alvin brings a wealth of public policy and media relations experience to Ubuntu Green. He began his career on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC as a staffer in the U.S. Senate. There he specialized on an array of issues, including transportation policy. He then worked at a major Washington government relations firm where he advised local government clients on a range of public policy issues. Alvin’s career in media relations includes a stint at a major technology public relations firm and in corporate public relations. Most recently, Alvin has served as a lobbyist in the California State Capitol, specializing in transportation, land use and energy issues. He also serves as a member of the City of Tracy Transportation Advisory Commission. Alvin is a graduate of the University of California at Davis, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science/Public Service.

Rangineh Azimzadeh – Research Associate

Rangineh Azimzadeh comes to Ubuntu Green with a rich background in conflict resolution, facilitation and mediation, which has positioned her to do work internationally as well as domestically in these key areas. She is most interested in the cross-pollination of these three disciplines and has focused the majority of her studies and practical experience crafting her specialization in working with groups in conflict.
She received specialized training in working with groups in conflict through the University of San Francisco and is trained in the Technology of Participation® methods. Rangineh is also an Oregon Certified Mediator and served as a volunteer mediator for the Monterey County Small Claims Court in California. She has extensive cross-sector experience including work with not-for-profit, private and public institutions and brings a collaborative range of skills from these experiences to her work.

Rangineh graduated cum laude from Portland State University with her undergraduate degree in Communications Studies before going on to graduate school. She graduated in December 2009 from the Monterey Institute of International Studies with her MA in International Policy Studies with a specialization in International Conflict Resolution and Negotiation. In November 2010, Rangineh was invited as one of forty-eight Americans to represent the United States at a Young Leaders Conference in Prague sponsored by the US State Department. The conference focused on 3 key international themes including tolerance and diversity, transatlantic security, and climate change and the environment.

In her spare time, Rangineh enjoys travelling, spending time with her family, eating exotic cuisines, and learning about new cultures. Whenever possible, she loves getting away to long weekends at the beach and you can occasionally catch her at a Zumba class powering up for her next adventure.

Meaghan McCamman — Volunteer Coordinator

meaghan@ubuntugreen.org

916-669-0671

Meaghan currently serves as a Senior Program Coordinator with the California Primary Care Association, where she works with California’s Community Clinics and Health Centers through providing technical assistance and oversight to the clinic emergency preparedness and corporate compliance programs.  Previously, she worked at
the National Rural Health Association in Washington DC, where she most recently served as Director of Program Services, overseeing the association’s continuing
education programs, directing grants and subcontracts and serving as staff lead for the editing and publishing of the Journal of Rural Health.

Between jobs, Meaghan has taken time off to intern with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Yuma, Arizona,
working on Kofa Wildlife Refuge.  She’s also recently completed hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.

Meaghan earned an MPA with a concentration in environmental science and policy  from George Mason
University,and holds a dual-major undergraduate degree in Political Science and Philosophy from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina.  She is a native Californian, but has lived many places throughout the country, including Virginia, North Carolina, and Arizona.