501c3 nonprofit organization
ARK of REFUGE,Inc
The Builders
Leslie West Owner and Financial Officer
Prior to high school graduation from Berkeley High School, Ms. West was the Junior aide for City of Berkeley's Mayor Tom Bates, achieved certifications from UC Berkeley's Pre Engineering Certificate Course and San Francisco's University's Civil Law Program while homeless. While in a homeless shelter, Ms. West was the Executive Administration for Stanford University's Cancer Institute-Population Sciences and achieved 10 Certificates in the fields of Finance and Regulatory Environments in less than 60 days. Her accolades while under duress are countless and have since grown to include becoming a California Real Estate Salesperson to help better facilitate the operations of The Ark of Refuge, Inc and our independent living sector.
Edward Levingston Executive Officer and Deputy Director
Levingston Has been with the Ark of Refuge since 1992. He serves as the overall program manager for the Ark of Refuge probation programs, Outreach programs in all services at the ark. He will be the division director over the new Emergency shelter program as his background of 10 years and security provides better Insight on our vulnerability and risk assessments. Mr Levingston received a GED from Dewey High School. Raised in the City of Berkeley California, he was exposed to both sides of the law. Mr. Levingston's work experience includes carpentry for five years before entering into the security industry. He is not only The Ark of Refuge’s vice president but has served as a Captain for SPOA for over a decade. As a carpenter he was able to make an honest day's pay, but in security he learned not to wait until something happens to intervene.His security experience makes him an invaluable asset to our team as well as his life's triumphs which helped build the structure and moral compass of the Ark of Refuge.