Kassa Belay

Kassa lived and worked in Brooklyn, NY for 16 years before relocating to the Bay Area in 2023. He currently serves as the Vice President of Community Impact at Fresh Lifelines for Youth, an award winning nonprofit serving Bay Area youth affected by the criminal justice system.
His work has spanned sectors ranging from early childhood development, child welfare and youth development, to criminal justice and housing, taking him through positions in city government, philanthropy and community based organizations.
Across all of these experiences, his commitment to trusting in the voices of those most acutely affected by the consequences of structural racism and historical disinvestment to lead equity focused systems improvement has been an unwavering through line.
Kassa graduated from The New School with an MS in Urban Policy Analysis and Management. Previous to that, Kassa graduated from Concordia University, in Montreal, Canada with a B.A. (Joint Specialization) in Anthropology and Sociology. Kassa was born and raised in the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain.