RBO Staff

Monica Chan - Coach

Monica is an Oakland native, a digital marketer, and an avid runner. She has always felt a connection to her neighborhood and in 2016 she became more involved with RBO. This gave her the opportunity to give back to her community through her passion for running.

As a self-taught marathon runner, she started running Lake Merritt in high school, participated in her first half marathon in college, and completed her first full marathon shortly after. Fast-forward to today, she’s completed over 25 races, ranging from 5K's to full marathons. Monica is known for her nomadic lifestyle; she spent a year running and backpacking through Eastern Africa, Western Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. She loves how running allowed her to explore and connect with new people and places. In the future, she plans to add destination races to her travels.

Monica has found amazing friendships and personal fulfillment through running, and hopes to continue supporting the RBO community to find the same joy.

Coach Monica is CPR, AED, and first aid certified.

Erin Choy - Coach

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Erin spent most of her youth on the basketball court. On a whim, she joined the cross country team in high school and hasn’t looked back since! More than a decade later, she has run six half marathons and one full marathon. She loves exploring new trails around the Bay, but her personal favorites are Lake Chabot and Garin park.

Erin joined RBO in September 2019 after the sea of blue and yellow shirts caught her eye at the 2019 Oakland Running Festival. She loves running alongside the students and seeing them accomplish greater distances week after week. She is continually in awe of their perseverance, and hopes to help students discover the joy in running, just as she did at their age. Coach Erin is CPR, AED, and first aid certified, as well as RBO’s former Communications Director.

Outside of RBO, Erin works in the QA department at Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. If she's not running or eating chocolate, you can catch her hiking, traveling, or drinking coffee!

Ebo Dawson-Andoh - Coach and Board Member

Ebo joined RBO during the 2017 spring season after moving back to Oakland from SF and started coaching the 6th - 12th grade team in 2018. He has a master's degree in kinesiology from California State University East Bay and also used to do both personal and group exercise coaching.

Ebo has been running on and off since high school, where he ran cross country for one year and track & field for three years, competing in the 100, 200, and 400 m sprints. He got into distance running about 12 years ago after running a Ragnar Relay race in DC with some friends. Since then, he’s run 7 marathons and a number of other races.

In his free time outside of his work as a user experience researcher, Ebo bikes and hikes a lot in the East Bay hills.

Coach Ebo is CPR, AED, and first aid certified.

Karina Guzman - Program Coordinator

Karina first joined RBO as a volunteer in the fall of 2022. She fell in love with the community and wanted to increase her involvement  by becoming a Program Coordinator in April 2023. She is passionate about running and looks forward to promoting RBO's mission of empowering kids through running. 

Karina maintains a healthy and active lifestyle. She has been running since 2016 and has participated in several races: 5Ks, 10Ks, Half Marathons, and triathlons. She loves running because it is an accessible way to maintain good mental and physical health. 

Karina is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, and now lives in Oakland.  Outside of RBO, Karina works in Logistics. For fun, she enjoys rock climbing and gardening. 

Sarah Holvick - Coach and Board Member

Sarah joined RBO in fall 2021 and was immediately hooked. She has served as a volunteer, run mentor, coach, and now board member. 

She has always been a runner, but not a particularly fast one. While Sarah struggled through many high school cross country races, Sarah hit her running stride in college and beyond. She now has completed close to ten half marathons and many more 5 and 10ks. 

Sarah brings over a decade of experience working in nonprofits and local government, including strategic planning, performance management, and project management. 

Franco Mannucci - Coach & Board Member

Meet Coach Franco, a Bay Area native who is passionate about running and youth development. He’s an RRCA certified run coach and currently the Head Coach at Milpitas High School for Track and Field.

With a genuine love for the sport, Franco has completed over 30 half marathons, amongst several other races. His current pursuit involves conquering the Abbott World major marathons, having completed three of the six.

 
Franco's true passion lies in working with youth and giving back to future generations. His coaching philosophy is a testament to the belief that running is not just a sport but a vehicle for personal growth, resilience, and community. His coaching journey is fueled by a desire to inspire and empower young minds through the transformative power of running.

He is Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED certified. 

Todd Mayberry - Coach

Coach Todd is a transplant from the Midwest since 2013. He has been an avid runner for 15 years and loves both trail and road races. Todd is the proud father of two sons and the proud grandfather of seven. He loves to go running with his dog, Crockett.

Byron McGovern - Executive Director

Byron McGovern is an East Bay native who grew up in Berkeley, California and currently lives in North Oakland. Byron has a lifelong passion for community-based youth sports and a deep appreciation for the transformational impact that meaningful athletic programming can have on young people and their futures. Byron joined RBO in January 2022 and he is excited to explore different ways to use running as a means to encourage growth mindset, facilitate social-emotional development, and achieve positive outcomes for young people in Oakland. Byron is certified in CPR, AED, heat illness prevention, concussion management, and first aid. Outside of work, Byron enjoys gardening and watching basketball (Go Warriors!).

You can reach Byron at byron@rboakland.org.

Rick Rosenbaum - Coach

Rick has volunteered as a mentor and long-distance coach for RBO since 2014 and is motivated and amazed by the positive impacts that distance running brings to our students and families.

Rick grew up in Los Angeles, moved to the East Bay to study at UC Berkeley and is constantly drawn to our beautiful and accessible regional park trails. He works as a planning and project manager for a locally-grown company that builds quality homes in the East Bay. When not running or hiking with his dog, he is riding his road or mountain bike in the East Bay hills, volunteering to support teens as a crisis counselor for CrisisTextLine.org, and spending time with family and two daughters.

Rick is a member of Lake Merritt LMJS running club and racing team and won the team road racing title in 2018.  He is an accomplished trail and road racer with nearly 100 finishes including the New York, Oakland, and L.A. Marathons; Skyline 50K; Marin Double Trail Race; and Oakland Running Festival’s Half Marathon since 2011.

Coach Rick is CPR, AED, and first aid certified.

Hannah Swernoff - Coach

Hannah has two main interests in life; running and teaching. She was born and raised in the Bay Area and currently resides in Berkeley. Hannah fell in love with running through the East Bay hills in high school and is always looking for ways to share her passion with others. She sometimes runs for fun, sometimes runs competitively, and firmly believes that everyone who is out there moving their bodies is a runner! She is a fifth grade teacher in Piedmont and when she is not teaching or running, she is reading, baking, and spending time with friends. She joined RBO in the spring of 2022 and is excited to learn, grow, and run with the children, teens, and families of RBO!