Following the death of longtime CEO Peter Fortenbaugh, the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula's new CEO Jenny Obiaya is working to preserve his legacy and further opportunities for local children.

Obiaya joined the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula (BGCP) in 2020 as the chief program officer and started working alongside Forenbaugh as a co-CEO in October 2021. Fortenbaugh died in October following a cancer diagnosis, leaving Obiaya as the sole CEO.

"Peter, over 20 years, really built that team that shared common values," Obiaya said. "At the heart of those common values was this idea that all students deserve opportunities in life, and the arbitrary circumstances into which you were born should not determine what opportunities and outcomes you have in life."

In his time as the CEO, Fortenbaugh grew the organization from an annual budget of $2 million to $28 million, expanded the number of students served from 400 just 3,500, and extended the reach of its programs from four sites to 24.

Fortenbaugh used to call himself the chief community builder rather than CEO, a legacy that Obiaya said she hopes to carry on in her own tenure. Obiaya attended Harvard University and worked with Teach for America, but believes that her experience as a mother has the greatest impact on her methods with the club.

"For so many families living here in San Mateo County ... opportunities are inaccessible because costs are a barrier, or language, or whatever the case may be," Obiaya said. "And so I'm leading with like a fierce passion and commitment to leveling the playing field and empowering our families with access to opportunity."

The BGCP is currently working on the biggest expansion in the organization's history, and it will soon offer services stretching from Daly City to East Palo Alto. Obiaya said that the BGCP is currently focused on the student learning loss that happened during the pandemic.

"We consider ourselves to be the second shift for schools, and we extend the learning day and the learning year through our after-school and summer programs," Obiaya said. "We're constantly reevaluating our curriculum and making changes and additions to try to have the biggest impact possible."

The BGCP has a wide range of programs, from athletics to academic assistance, for kindergartners through career help for people post-college. The organization is also adding mental health help programs. According to Obiaya, Director of Mental Health Daniella Velasquez has been creating a team of therapists to expand one-on-one and group therapy services for students.

Obiaya said that she looks forward to the projects that can be accomplished with help from the community.

"There's still so much unmet need out there," Obiaya said. "The biggest barrier to being able to meet more of that need is our ability to fund these programs ... we're going to need folks' continued investment in BGCP, and belief in our mission."

The Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula (BGCP) is one of this year's beneficiaries of The Almanac's Holiday Fund. Donations are divided equally among this year's 10 nonprofit organizations and 100% of the funds raised go directly to the recipients. Donations to the Holiday Fund can be made at almanacnews.com/holiday_fund.

BGCP serves 3,500 students across the peninsula, providing academic resources from kindergarten to post-college. For information, go to or call 650-646-6132.