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IN MEMORIAM: Jonathan Donald Matthews, 47

Matthews used his legal training to serve the community, and to help those in need. He served as the director of The Brazilian Alliance from 2008 to 2020, where he helped to bring 3,000 undocumented immigrants to become fully legal green-card holders. He saved a dozen families from extreme domestic violence issues and protected about 30 women going through difficult divorce cases and the rights of their children. He also represented and help change the lives of many in the Marin County’s Latinx community.

Published

3 years ago

January 14, 2023

Oakland Post

Jonathan Donald Matthews. Facebook photo.

By Godfrey Lee

Jonathan Donald Matthews, an active member of Village Baptist Church and an attorney, passed away at age 47 on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. A Celebration of Life Ceremony was held on Jan. 7, 2023, at the Cornerstone Community Church of God in Christ in Marin City, and was officiated by Bishop Jonathan D. Logan, Sr. and Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Akognon, according to the ceremony’s program.

Matthews was born on Jan. 11, 1975, at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. His family moved to Marin City in August of that year.

After graduating from Marin Catholic High School in 1992, Matthews attended and graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1996, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and history. He later graduated from the Stanford Law School in 1999 and passed the Bar in 2004.

Matthews became an active member of Village Baptist Church as a child. He was ordained in 2005 to serve as a deacon, and later as the chairman of the deacons’ board. He also served on the Board of Elders. He led the church ministry team, co-led the church management team, and headed the cell group for the Wednesday Bible Study Ministry. He also taught Sunday School for several years and took the children for outings.

Matthews served on the Village Oduduwa Housing Corporation of Marin City, which is the housing ministry of the church governing and administrating the 25-unit senior housing on the church property, and on the board of the Better Africa Foundation, the church’s multi-ministry in West Africa. He also managed the church’s food pantry and the ministry to the homeless for many years.

Matthews tutored math and helped several people to prepare for math tests in order to secure apprenticeships or licenses.

Matthews leaves behind his wife, Krystie; mother Carolyn; father Donald; brother William and; sister Joanna Paun (John) ; and his sister Faith, who wrote: “I’m going to miss learning new ways of being a good human from him, ways of being kind and caring toward everyone who needs looking after, and small gestures that can make a huge difference and leave a lasting impression…I know he will live on in the hearts of many and leave a legacy in this world that other can continue be inspired by.”

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.