Meet Our Team

Dontae Lartigue
CEO/Co-founder

Native of the Peninsula and was raised in East Palo Alto for the first few years of his life. He entered cared at a very early age and has lived most of his life in San Jose in shelters, group homes and various foster placements. Fortunately for Dontae, he had mentors that invested in him. After graduating from high school, Dontae went on to receive his Associates Degree in Liberal Arts/Social and Behavioral Sciences from DeAnza College. He then went on to receive his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from San Jose State University. Dontae plans to continue furthering his education by attending a local graduate school to pursue a Masters Degree in Nonprofit Management.

Molly Orsburn
Operations Manager

Molly is dedicated to supporting foster youth and other vulnerable populations, drawing on her own experiences aging out of the child welfare system. Her lived experience provides invaluable insight and empathy, allowing her to connect deeply with those she serves. With extensive expertise in mental health, child welfare, and nonprofit sectors, Molly focuses on boosting self-confidence and empowering individuals. She successfully navigated various community resources to complete her Associate’s Degree in Social & Behavioral Sciences from Gavilan College and her Bachelor’s in Child & Adolescent Development from San Jose State University, all while graduating debt-free. Beyond her role at Razing The Bar, she serves on the Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB), which addresses the housing crisis in Silicon Valley. Molly’s personal journey and professional dedication make her passionate about helping youth discover and pursue their dreams, emphasizing the transformative power of lived experience in her work.

Mike DiGino

Community Mentor

Mike DiGino is a dedicated Community Mentor at Razing the Bar who brings powerful lived experience to his work, having navigated both the foster care system and incarceration. He uses his journey as a bridge for authentic relationship-building, creating trust and connection with the individuals and families he supports.

Known as a true man of the people, Mike has always been deeply rooted in community. Long before stepping into his formal role as a mentor, he was actively involved in uplifting those around him—showing up, giving back, and leading with consistency and care.

At Razing the Bar, Mike continues to pour into his community with compassion, accountability, and a commitment to helping others rewrite their narratives and realize their full potential.

Carlos Yepez

Community Mentor

Carlos Yepez, a former foster youth who has not only overcome challenges but is now making a significant impact in the community. Carlos’s journey from the foster care system to his current role at “Razing the Bar” is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of giving back.

Carlos, having experienced the ups and downs of the foster care system, understands firsthand the obstacles that many young individuals face. Motivated by his own struggles, he has channeled his energy into creating positive change. Now a valuable member of the “Raising the Bar” team, Carlos is dedicated to uplifting others who share similar backgrounds. At “Razing the Bar,” Carlos contributes his skills and passion to various initiatives aimed at providing support and opportunities for former foster youth & less fortunate individuals. Whether it’s mentoring programs, educational resources, or community outreach, Carlos is actively involved in making a lasting difference.

Alondra Orozco Contreras

Community Mentor

Alondra Orozco Contreras graduated from UCSC with a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Studies. Her passion for advocacy and hands-on service led her to join the Razing the Bar team as a Community Mentor. Aside from her educational career she also uses her lived in experience to relate to the TAY youth Razing the Bar caters to and uses that to form a connection with them others have failed to make. She is still trying to figure out if she wants to pursue a career in law but believes that there is no better way to invest her time than spending it helping youth get back on track. 

Angelina Rodriguez

Community Mentor

Angelina (Lina) Rodriguez is a community advocate, organizer and systems-impacted leader with over a decade of experience supporting youth, families and individuals navigating the child welfare and legal systems. Her work is rooted in her lived experience as a former foster youth and a deep commitment to advancing healing, equity and self-determination for communities most impacted by incarceration and systemic harm.

Lina works to elevate the voices of impacted youth and strengthen advocacy through relationship-centered and trauma-informed practices. She has experience building programs that center cultural identity, family reunification and community-based healing. In addition to her professional work, Lina is actively involved in grassroots organizing where here approach emphasizes restorative justice, mentorship and breaking generational cycles of harm.

At Razing the Bar, Lina brings her passion for self-determination, community power-building and narrative change. She is dedicated to ensuring that those closest to the issues are leading the work to transform systems and reimagine justice.

Ty Thompson, M.A.Ed.
Board of Directors Chair/Co-Founder

Over 20 years of experience working directly with under resourced youth populations. He has counseled youth in various settings, including, juvenile halls and ranches, homeless youth shelters, group homes, drop-in youth centers, and has also facilitated special education classes. Additionally, he’s been involved in creating collaborative betterment programs for current and former foster youth in Santa Clara County, and after doing in internship in 2002 while attending college, he became involved in mentoring young men as part of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. He looks forward to continuing to have an impact on the lives of youth impacted by public systems.

Jennifer Kelleher Cloyd, JD
Board of Directors

Chief Program Officer at the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, the largest legal services organization in Santa Clara County. She helped establish Advocates for Young Adults, a collaborative program in Sacramento County to assist youth transitioning out of the foster care system. In 2006, Jennifer became a Certified Child Welfare Law Specialist as recognized by the National Association of Counsel for Children. Jennifer has presented at international, national, state, and local conferences and has served as faculty for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy in multiple trainings around the country. In 2014, she was selected as one of Silicon Valley’s most influential women by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

Nick Pham
Board of Directors

As a real estate professional with over 20 Years of experience, Nick Pham is effective with his skills in serving his clients with all their real estate related transactions. He has helped many Bay Area families achieved their American Dreams. He is also a valuable resource to his clients and organizations that he serves with his broaden knowledge in zoning, land use, site planning, development project and property management skills.

Nick has successfully managed several residential to multi-unit housing renovation projects from planning to permit, to construction. He has represented property owners in residential development, provided feasibility studies, and managed tasks with architects, engineers, and general contractors. He has accomplished several feasibility reports related to Supportive Housing and Community Care development projects.

He is a former Planning Commissioner at the City of San Jose, the 10th largest US City. He had served as Executive Board Members on several Local, State and National Real Estate Trade Organizations including the California Association of Realtor and the Asian Real Estate Association of America. He has led and attended several States and Federal Housing Policy days in discussing housing related issues with our lawmakers.

Delrisha White
Board of Directors

Delrisha White is a dynamic social impact leader who confronts educational inequity, racial, and socioeconomic injustice through education and storytelling.

Her life’s work is a culmination of her experience growing up in a family impacted by poverty, as well as the criminal justice and child welfare systems. 

Leveraging her multimedia platforms, Delrisha uses storytelling to facilitate critical conversations that promote healing, as well as personal and community growth. 

“[Delrisha is] a powerful, intellectual, moral and spiritual force for good.” — Dr. Cornel West

Delrisha has consulted and worked with a range of national and local organizations. She leads  keynotes and workshops for diverse audiences in higher education and the private sector including HBCUs, Ivy League institutions, and large public research universities. Her work is published domestically and internationally and can be found in publications at Harvard University, New York University, The Huffington Post, and Bennett College’s award-winning Belle Magazine. Her work has been featured on local and national media including UNCF, Black BET, CSPAN, and NBC. 

Delrisha holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Media Studies with a minor in Global Studies from Bennett College in Greensboro, NC. In 2019, she earned her master’s in Education Policy & Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was awarded the Intellectual Contribution award.