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Board of Directors

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Colsaria Henderson, MSW, President
Executive Director, Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence

Colsaria has a Master’s in Social Work with a specification in Administration and Planning.

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Amanda Jancu, Vice President
Senior Attorney, Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice

Amanda Jancu is a Senior Attorney at the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice. She has been providing legal services to low-income survivors of domestic violence for over ten years, offering both pro per assistance and representation in various family law matters including restraining orders, custody and visitation, support, divorce, parentage, and family law appeals. She has worked as a staff attorney in both shelter based and non-shelter based agencies and has engaged in both direct services and policy advocacy in order to empower and promote justice for survivors.

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Gayle Guest-Brown, MBA, PMP, Treasurer
Executive Leadership Coach, Trainer and Speaker, Guest Brown Impact

Gayle Guest-Brown is CEO and Executive Leadership Coach, Trainer and Speaker of Guest Brown impact. She holds an MBA, a project management credential (PMP) and many years’ experience at global Fortune 100 businesses successfully motivating people and maximizing project potential. With 30+ years of success serving the leadership needs of corporate, tech, non-profit and faith-based organizations, Gayle is well positioned to assist other leaders. She’s also been an entrepreneur serving as Executive Director and Operations Manager of KidzArt of Placer.

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Alejandrina Carrasco MA, Central Coast Regional Representative
Prevention Services Program Manager, Interface Children & Family Services

Alejandrina Carrasco MA, serves as the Prevention Services Program Manager for Interface Children & Family Services in Ventura County. She oversees comprehensive family violence programming that prevents, interrupts and ends the cycle of violence within family systems. She empowers advocates working in the field of domestic violence, child abuse, and human trafficking to be their authentic selves and provide support for victims and survivors of trauma.

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Chelcee Thomas, North Regional Representative
Executive Director of Live Violence Free

Chelcee has dedicated her career to supporting social and community issues, bringing her passion and leadership across 15 years of experience in both the nonprofit and public sectors. Her journey has taken her through many roles, from direct services to executive leadership. Both professionally and personally, she is committed to empowering individuals and communities, ensuring they have the opportunities and tools to thrive. Chelcee is honored to be in leadership with the staff, board and partners of Live Violence Free in her current role as the Executive Director.

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Dina Polkinghorne, Member Elected At-Large Director
Executive Director, Project Sanctuary

Since 2008, Dina Polkinghorne has served as the Executive Director of Project Sanctuary, a Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis center serving Mendocino County in rural Northern California. Prior to her tenure at Project Sanctuary, she worked in local government and other non-profit sectors. She currently serves as the board Vice Chair for the Mendocino County Public Broadcasting Corporation and is a member of the Healthy Mendocino Community Advisory Panel.

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Geoffrea Morris, Member Elected At-Large Director
Co-Executive Director, Black Women Revolt Against Domestic Violence

Geoffrea (Jah-free-ah) Morris is a San Francisco native that is born and raised in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood. Geoffrea holds a bachelor’s in Child and Adolescent Development from San Francisco State University; a Master in Social Work from California State East Bay; and a Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate University. She is both a social worker and a licensed attorney with nearly 20 years of experience in improving the lives of children, families and individuals throughout San Francisco’s most disenfranchised communities.

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Giovanna Martinez
Associate Director of Domestic Violence Programs, YWCA San Gabriel Valley

Giovanna (She/Ella) has dedicated her career to assisting victims of violence and abuse, focusing on helping survivors heal from trauma since 2001. She is the Associate Director of Domestic Violence Programs at the YWCA of San Gabriel Valley and previously worked as a Victim Services Supervisor and Youth Services Coordinator. Gio was the founding manager for The LGBTQ+ Center of Long Beach’s Domestic Violence Services program and is passionate about empowering victims to become survivors. She is completing her master’s in social work at Arizona State University.

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Jobi Wood, South Regional Representative
Program Manager, Family Assistance Program

Jobi is a Program Manager and a former Domestic Violence Health Advocate for Family Assistance Program located in the San Bernardino County of Southern California. Jobi always aspired to work in the medical field, but soon found out her passion was in helping others transition from traumatic life experiences. The Domestic Violence field felt so natural to Jobi, and she was able to assist victims in their journey to becoming a survivor.

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karen kaur, Member Elected At-Large Director

karen has a steadfast and lifelong commitment to interrupt and dismantle gender-based violence and largely systemic barriers impacting marginalized communities – particularly refugee and immigrant women and children. Most recently, karen held leadership positions with the International Rescue Committee and WEAVE Inc. managing complex and collaborative projects to drive systems change in accessibility, economic justice, housing inequality, and racial justice. She now works at Rise Up, a global organization, advancing gender equity and justice in education, health, and economic opportunity.

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Lisa Mantarro Moore
Executive Director, Stanislaus Family Justice Center

Lisa Mantarro Moore has served her community in a number of various roles which include parent, advocate, community leader, project manager and political professional.  She has over 30 years of experience in working with Members of Congress, the California State Assembly, local governments, community projects and non profits. Lisa Mantarro Moore has developed her skills in managing and organizing diverse socio-economic, ethnic, and geographic communities, agriculture-based communities, and Latino communities just to name a few.

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Makayla Chacon, Far North Regional Representative
Director of Coast Services, Project Sanctuary

My name is Makayla Chacon and I work for Project Sanctuary as the Director of Coast Services. I’ve lived in Fort Bragg for almost two years now, but I’m originally from Glenn/Butte counties. I’ve been serving survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault for almost five years and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I started off as an intern taking hotline calls and was eventually hired as a Housing Advocate. Most of my professional experience is in the housing arena. However, I’m always excited to learn more about how to better support survivors.

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Melissa Luke
Chief Program Officer, Healing & Justice, YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley

Melissa has been part of the movement to end gender-based violence for 20 years.  Her core values are equity, liberation, and loving kindness, and she believes that transformation must be intersectional, intergenerational, and rooted in our diverse communities.  Melissa’s journey has been focused on building programs, and advocating for systems and policies, that promote equity for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, immigrants, limited English speaking families, and communities of color.  She currently sits on the leadership teams of the Domestic Violence Advocacy Consort

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Saara Ahmed, Bay Area Regional Representative
Community Resource Coordinator, Asian Women's Shelter

Saara believes in the power of shifting culture to eradicate inequality and violence. She earned a MA in International Affairs in 2013, completing a thesis project on global advocacy campaigns addressing gender based violence. She has advocated for survivors for over 10 years, including through community based approaches and prevention campaigns in the East African region, nationally in the U.S. and locally through her communities in Seattle and the Bay Area.