Since 2000, Opportunity Junction has been guided by a clear and enduring belief, “everyone who works hard deserves the opportunity to succeed.” Serving Contra Costa County, the organization provides job training, career coaching, work experience, and placement support to individuals facing systemic barriers to employment. Through this workforce development programming, participants build skills, confidence, and pathways to long-term financial security.
By 2022, Opportunity Junction had reached an important inflection point. After more than 20 years of service, President and CEO Alissa Friedman announced her well-deserved retirement. With more than two decades of impact behind the organization and growing demand for its services, the Board began looking ahead to the leadership required for its next chapter. This moment also highlighted the strength of the team that had helped build the organization to this point, underscoring the importance of a search process that would thoughtfully consider both internal and external leadership potential.
As the Board honored the legacy of its former leader, it also recognized the responsibility—and opportunity—of stewarding a thoughtful leadership transition. In late 2022, the Board sought an executive search partner with deep experience navigating nonprofit CEO transitions, strong familiarity with the San Francisco Bay Area, and a demonstrated commitment to equity-centered, transparent search practices.
Edgility Search was selected to support this work.
With a long track record of placing executive leaders nationwide and across the Bay Area, Edgility brought both national reach and local insight to the engagement. Edgility Associate Partner and Bay Area local Serena Moy was appointed to lead the search, guiding the Board through a structured process that would surface the leadership best aligned with Opportunity Junction’s mission, culture, and future direction.
Recently, Serena reflected on the executive search that placed Opportunity Junction’s current President and CEO: a process designed to align mission, leadership, and long-term impact. Edgility’s discovery phase is an integral step led by experienced search leads to help an organization’s Board and stakeholders clarify organizational priorities and prepare a successful leadership structure for the future.
For Opportunity Junction, their President and CEO leadership profile prioritized:
With these priorities established, Serena and her team designed a search for Opportunity Junction that was highly tailored, equitable, and competitive, providing the Board with a strong foundation for evaluating candidates fairly and guiding key decisions throughout the hiring process.
As a seasoned recruiter, Serena wanted to attract the best and brightest, so with the profile developed and the competencies set, she launched the search nationwide, ultimately reviewing more than 430 applications from diverse leaders across the country. By combining national outreach with Edgility’s deep Bay Area relationships, the firm built a diverse, highly qualified candidate pool—providing the Board with the confidence and insight needed to select the right leader for Opportunity Junction’s next chapter.
Following a comprehensive and competitive process with exceptional leadership candidates from across the country, internal candidate Brianna Robinson emerged as the leading candidate.
A long-standing leader at Opportunity Junction, Brianna applied to the role with more than 15 years of experience across multiple functions. Her deep institutional knowledge, along with her strategic mindset and vision for the future, was powerfully complemented and affirmed by the rigor of the nationwide search. This allowed stakeholders to negate any remaining bias around an internal candidate and support the promotion of a transformative leader from within their own ranks.
During finalist interviews, stakeholders consistently highlighted her leadership style, energy, and skillset, noting that she was both data-driven and a highly relational leadership candidate. Anonymous interview feedback continued to emphasize that her passion for Opportunity Junction’s mission, commitment to staff development, and strategic perspective made her especially well-suited to lead the organization forward. With a strong selection process in place, structured interviews, and a transparent, anti-bias competency evaluation, all candidates were able to showcase their best selves. Ultimately, this empowered the Board and key stakeholders to make an informed decision and make the offer to an outstanding candidate.
When Serena caught up with Brianna and Opportunity Junction at the end of 2025, she asked them to reflect on how critical it was to utilize Edgility’s third-party search process to ensure equity, rigor, and boost organizational confidence.
Brianna shared:
“Edgility’s process brought the professionalism, transparency, and national rigor needed to ensure a fair and competitive search. Their involvement affirmed the legitimacy of my candidacy and ultimately my selection.”
She further reflected that the objective structure of the process benefited the entire organization:
“The third-party, objective process minimized perceptions of internal favoritism and ensured that both the Board and staff had confidence in the outcome. It allowed me to step into the role with clarity, confidence, and full organizational buy-in.”
Since stepping into her role as President and CEO, Brianna Robinson has led Opportunity Junction through a two-year period of significant growth and strengthened impact.
Key operational and strategic accomplishments include:
Together, these efforts and her visionary leadership have positioned Opportunity Junction for long-term sustainability and expanded community impact. Showcasing further proof that she was the right leadership candidate, not just because she was trusted and well-known, but because her skills and vision were the right fit for Opportunity Junction’s future success.
As Brianna Robinson enters her third year as President and CEO, Opportunity Junction continues to benefit from a leader whose connection to the organization spans more than a decade, dating back to her arrival in 2012. With Brianna at the helm, Opportunity Junction sails ahead of the curve as Brianna and her team continue to expand economic opportunity for individuals and families throughout Contra Costa County.