SHIREE TENG

In one sentence, my practice is about loving our people,

in all of our brilliance and darkness,

and dedicating our energies to a collective destiny.

In the past 30 years (gulp…), my practice has been molded around supporting organizations to reach their full potential by being clearer on vision, mission, strategy and articulating results. In the past eight years, my practice has evolved to focus on strategy and learning and evaluation. It’s always about supporting leaders (that’s everyone) working in stronger alignment with purpose and each other.

Strategy and direction-setting

Reflections, learning and evaluation

In practical terms, we need to be able to tell our own stories, from our own perspectives, with our own words, in our own context and not having someone from the ivory tower “studying”us,  making meaning for us, and/or extracting it from us. We are completely capable of defining success and creating meaningful indicators that tell us we are moving in the right direction. We owe that to ourselves, our communities and the greater work of justice.

The ways in which we add value to all of our projects are:
 
1. The combination of our competencies, values, and practices to support social and racial justice organizations and leaders to engage, reflect, be courageous to learn and grow;          2. Our social, political, spiritual networks with leaders, capacity builders and funders;
3. Our track record, skills and co-ownership approach; and
4. Our movement credentials and personal backgrounds.

 Shiree’s practice is complemented by Dennis and Rumi Smith and Mabel Teng. Her life and business partner Dennis Smith provides organizational support in the areas of finance, facilities and legal, while Rumi Smith produces digital stories capturing clients’ journeys for justice. Mabel Teng provides strategic clarity and executive coaching. Click ‘about us’ below to learn more about Shiree and her partners’ practice areas. 

Shiree Teng is a community organizer, storyteller, and healer who believes that love and courage will lead the way towards our collective liberation. An immigrant kid who grew up organizing, she has never stopped.

Her journey began at 17 in Los Angeles, standing alongside working-class parents fighting for bilingual, affordable childcare. By 22, she was on the front lines in New York’s Lower East Side, organizing with Chinese restaurant and garment workers for fair wages and basic rights. Later, in Watsonville, California, she stood with Latino cannery workers in a town dominated by powerful growers. Each chapter has only deepend her love and commitment to the community.

Grounded in radical love, Shiree challenges the burnout culture pervasive in the nonprofit sector. She is a truth-teller and healer who names what others are afraid to say, while giving leaders tools to reimagine the work together. With deep insights into race, class, gender, and power dynamics– she brings a rare lived understanding to her work, inspiring countless leaders to own their power and tell their stories. For over 35 years, Shiree has worked as a consultant to foundations, nonprofits, and grassroots collectives—leading strategy, measuring impact, and centering the voices of those most impacted by racism and oppression.

Today, Shiree is a Love practitioner, author, and elder. She has published the inspiring "Measuring Love" series, inviting leaders to place love at the heart of their journey toward justice. Aligned with the natural seasons, Shiree makes space for both harvest and hibernation, spaciously guiding leaders back to themselves and each other. Shiree is a sought after speaker, coach, and facilitator for those ready for transformation. Follow her on LinkedIn for weekly inspiration on the beautiful and oh-so-messy path to our collective freedom.

To see a select list of clients visit Shiree’s Clients & Colleagues page.

In Service of Our Beloved Community

For eight years, Shiree chaired the board of Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. Shiree has also served on the boards of National Equity Project, Rockwood Leadership Institute, APEN and Forward Together. Today, Shiree chairs the boards of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ) in Oakland’s Fruitvale community and Ella Baker Center Action (C4). 

From 2015 to 2018, Shiree was a member of and then Chair of the Oakland Unified School District's Measures A, B and J Facilities Bond Oversight Committee, responsible for providing citizenship oversight of $437M bond funds to upgrade school facilities. Many lessons learned there!

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Shiree is fluent in three Chinese dialects. Having lived and worked in Watsonville and Salinas with cannery and farmworkers, Shiree has a functional understanding of Spanish. She holds degrees in Social Welfare and Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in the Fruitvale District in Oakland with her partner, Dennis, sons Rumi and Maceo, and dogs Captain Woody and Mila. 

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO WORK WITH SHIREE

Here are a few things Shiree's been told by her coach of 15 years, Eileen Blumenthal, that working with her has these elements…

Not Business as Usual

• Working with Shiree is not business as usual–only thing predictable is impact and results.

• Shiree leads with passion and professionalism. Clients have to be up for going deep and being real.

• She’s motivated by a profound longing for a more just world – this is not just an intellectual or academic process – it’s about systemic change and transformation.

• She engenders hope and possibility.

• Shiree’s energy is contagious. It’s clear she loves what she does and subsequently, she engenders trust and positivity.

Truth-Telling

• Shiree’s a truth teller – she cuts through whatever is there and get to the heart of the matter; don’t indulge counter-productive or small minded stuff.

• Great at finding commonality – common interests and common ground.

• She sees the big picture and can operate at multiple altitudes at once.

• She creates deep insight, solves problems and – most importantly – builds individual and organizational capacity.

• She’s a force to be reckoned with. Ups the *game* for everyone and builds strength and clarity regardless of the process.

Not Afraid of the Muck

• Her style is very intuitive – picks up, and addresses sub-text – unspoken dynamics; reveals what’s really going on by being authentic and inspiring authenticity.

• She’s an inspired facilitator – builds trust, confidence and engagement at the outset and throughout. She makes it easy and fun for people to participate.

• Shiree has deep skills and insights as an evaluator.

• She’s skilled at synthesis – weaving together ideas and interests with a great blend of boldness and tact.

• She’s not afraid of the muck – no glossing over or covering up.

• She is effective in addressing complex dynamics – issues of power, privilege, differences.

• Really seasoned and experienced and skillful, but not jaded or cynical.

Extraordinary Reputation

• She enjoys an extraordinary reputation among clients – the most senior decision-makers and line staff folks on the ground.

• She’s an influencer with astute judgment –judicious about offering an opinion; when she does, people listen and take note.

• Shiree has great agility and fluidity -- equally comfortable gathering information, creating/managing processes, strategizing, building consensus; can dance or flex with whatever comes up.

• She cares deeply and engages all out.

• She’s naturally strategic but with a great deal of heart; smart and compassionate; unusual blend of hard and soft skills – organized, disciplined, AND compassionate.

• Her rich life experiences inform her work.

Dennis Smith, Esq.

Dennis partners with Shiree to support organizations with legal and financial analysis and advising.

Mabel is partnering with sister Shiree to support grassroots community-based organizations with strategy clarity and executive coaching. Leveraging her many years as an elected official, Mabel is a powerful partner helping organizations situate themselves in the broader ecosystem and succeed.

Advocate and Policy Maker

In over three decades of public service, Mabel has been a frontline advocate for the equality of women, workers, LGBTQ and a wide array of social and economic justice issues. Mabel’s public service career spanned from 1990 to 2005 as she won four competitive citywide races, unseating well-funded incumbents with teams of dedicated volunteers and an inspiring message for change. She served on the San Francisco City College Board of Trustees, SF Board of Supervisors and as County Assessor-Recorder.

Trail Blazer

In 1984, Mabel introduced Jesse Jackson at the Democratic National Convention held in San Francisco as the first API woman ever to do so on a national platform and subsequently co-chaired the 1988 Jackson for President Campaign in California. She was deeply involved in and organized the Justice for Vincent Chin committee.

In 1994, Mabel became the first Asian woman elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, opening the door to a new generation of API’s aspiring to political office and progressive politics for social change. Mabel’s tenure as a lawmaker was marked by her innovative effort to connect communities of color to advocacy and public policy. Her advocacy legacy includes the creation of the nation's first Immigrant Rights Commission and the author of the Equal Access to Services Act, mandating language access to city departments. She co-authored and passed legislation to create the Cultural Equity Grants program of the San Francisco Arts Commission, and pioneered the use of surplus city funds to save arts and music programs in public schools.

As San Francisco’s Assessor-Recorder, Mabel’s proudest moment was officiating the marriage of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon on Feb 12, 2005. Her team worked closely with then Mayor Newsom to facilitate the City’s same-sex marriage program, marrying 3,998 couples.

Today, Mabel serves as the Executive Director of the Chinese Culture Center, a leader in shifting the dominant narrative of Asian Americans through art interventions.

Mabel’s consulting areas are in effective advocacy, policy-making and legislative change, voter education and engagement, and making community voices heard in the legislative process.