Policy Council

Alis Cervantes, proud Latina, mother, civil rights activist, and humanitarian. Mexican immigrant residing in Fresno County. The rich diversity in the culture, languages of Fresno has granted her a deep understanding and appreciation of immigrant needs and community values throughout the Central Valley. Her commitment to pursue justice and quality education for all students in the Central Valley is reflected through various roles she has held and the many organizations that volunteered and worked in as an activist, education advocate, community liaison, interpreter, program manager, etc. Those include Faith in the Valley, PIQE, National Parents Union, Fresno Barrios Unidos, Lingüística Team, Westside Family Preservation Network Services and Founder of Familias Empoderadas.

Anisa joined Futures Without Violence in 2014, and has a decade of experience working to ensure survivors have access to trauma-informed, culturally-responsive health care. As a Program Manager at FUTURES, Anisa provides training and technical assistance for National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence, including the Survivor Leadership Cohort and California state policy work. She was a fellow for the Solís Policy Institute-State, through the Women’s Foundation of California. Anisa earned her MA in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her undergraduate degrees in International Studies and Spanish from Virginia Tech.

Carolina Najera-Magana is the Clinical Director for Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS) for Santa Barbara County. Over the past 20 years, she has worked with domestic violence survivors for a total of 14 years, split between two periods with DVS, while also gaining experience at other organizations. She began her career with DVS in 2004 as a trainee, and her professional experience includes working with both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, as well as clients with severe mental illness, dual diagnoses, and sexually offending teens. Carolina earned her B.A. in Psychology from UC Santa Barbara and her M.S. in Psychology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

She lives on California’s Central Coast with her husband, two sons, and their dog, continuing her advocacy for domestic violence victims in the community.

Carolyn Sohn is a confidential advocate at UC Berkeley’s PATH to Care Center. After eight years of direct service experience as a confidential advocate for survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking since 2013, she’s excited to serve on CPEDV’s Policy Advisory Council to contribute to systemic change with greater impact.

Carolyn holds expertise in survivor advocacy in higher education, having previously been an advocate at survivor advocacy programs at UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz. Her experience supporting survivors has led to passions in advocacy around the intersection of domestic violence with technology, family and employment law, and immigration.

Catherine Connor is a staff attorney at Pro Bono Project Silicon Valley where she provides family law legal services to protected and restrained parties of family and criminal domestic violence restraining orders. Many of her clients are immigrants, currently and recently incarcerated individuals, as well as individuals who are at the beginning of their substance-abuse recovery journeys. By working with both survivors and perpetrators, Catherine has the unique opportunity to see how the legal system’s ever-changing procedures and priorities effect California’s diverse communities. Her practice includes court representation, and she was also a family law litigator in her own solo practice. At Pro Bono Project, Catherine spearheaded the launch of a YouTube channel for self-represented individuals where both she and other attorneys provide step-by-step instructions on how to have criminal records expunged, how to get divorced, as well as how to request custody, visitation, and restraining orders in family court. Previously, Catherine filled a non-permanent staff-attorney role at Santa Clara County Superior Court’s Self-Help Center where she assisted over 900 self-represented individuals prepare their family law motions and other required legal documents.

Catherine was born quadriplegic and needs assistance with all of her activities of daily living. As a disabled attorney whose clients are predominantly non-English speaking, she is passionate about making California’s legal systems more accessible to everyone in need of legal relief. In addition to being an attorney, Catherine serves on the board of Easy Does It Emergency Services, an organization which provides emergency care, wheelchair repair and transportation to East Bay Area residents with disabilities. Catherine earned her Juris Doctorate from the Santa Clara University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Danny, a Los Angeles native, was born to immigrant parents from Mexico and El Salvador. He obtained his BA in Communication and World Arts & Culture from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). As a Policy Advocate at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, he is unwavering in his commitment to expanding and safeguarding the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, with a specific focus on policies related to survivor and intimate partner violence, senior services, and immigration.

Halona Alexander is a Public Policy Educator at the Strong Hearted Native Women’s Coalition and a member of the Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California. She holds a BA in Psychology with a minor in Native Studies from California State University San Marcos. Halona has extensive experience in advocacy roles, including serving as a Parent & Youth Advocate, Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Case Manager, and ICWA Expert Witness. Since 2022, she has focused on policies addressing violence against Native women and relatives, dedicated to fostering systemic change and empowering Native communities through education and advocacy. In 2025, she was selected as an SPI Fellow, working with the Sheltering Survivors team to advance policy solutions for safe and stable housing for survivors of gender-based violence.

Mayra Islas, born and raised in Truckee, California, has a deep passion for nature and her community. Since 2017, she has dedicated herself to social services, currently serving as the Advocacy Integration Manager at Sierra Community House. In this role, she oversees the mainline and 24/7 Community Helpline, helping clients connect with the right programs and services. Mayra thrives on working with people, enjoying meaningful conversations and hearing their stories over a cup of coffee.

Nicole Adibi is a Policy Associate at the Family Violence Law Center (FVLC), where she advocates for the rights of survivors of domestic, sexual, psychological, and socio-economic violence. A graduate of California State University, Northridge, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in Fall 2021 with academic honors. As an immigrant, her experiences with oppression and exposure to various governmental systems sparked her passion for social justice. At FVLC, she leads “Surviving Beyond Bars,” an educational advocacy campaign focused on women’s incarceration as well as efforts to solve the intersecting causes of domestic violence and homelessness. She brings a wealth of client relations and conflict resolution skills from her diverse professional roles. Dedicated to dismantling systemic barriers, Nicole leverages her multicultural experience and expertise to support vulnerable communities, aiming to foster a more just and equitable society.

Paméla Michelle Tate, Ph.D., is a San Francisco native. She is an author, domestic abuse advocate, preventionist, serial entrepreneur, speaker, and survivor. She is passionate about policy and speaking out for the voiceless. She is a multidimensional professional who specializes in culturally responsive care that best serves the needs of survivors.

Paméla Michelle is currently the Executive Director of Black Women Revolt Against Domestic Violence, which is a black family violence-focused resource center serving families in San Francisco. In addition to running the operations of the organization she provides training for survivors, community members and service providers.

She has dedicated over 17+ years to both domestic violence advocacy and education advocacy since she has witnessed the intersectionality of both areas. She prides herself on bridging the gap between many communities. Her work has focused on domestic abuse, understanding the barriers for victims seeking services, and assisting survivors to thrive. Paméla has trained 350+ community members and domestic abuse agency staff as Domestic Abuse Advocates throughout the state of California, and she is extremely proud to have led a faith-based roundtable on domestic violence for clergy and lay staff to prepare them to serve the needs of their congregations.

Paméla Michelle is a member of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium and a member of the Culturally Responsive Domestic Violence Network. She has served on the San Francisco District Attorney’s Victim Services Advisory Council as a Board Member, she is a member of the MegaBlack COVID Task Force and she is Northern California Coordinator of Domestic Violence Initiatives for Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.

Rachel Derstine is an east coast transplant currently living in Los Angeles and working as a domestic violence advocate and ally with the Asian/Pacific Islander immigrant community for the past 7 years. At Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF), Rachel manages culturally specific outreach, coalition building, & partnership strategies; she also contributes to the on-going work of the Policy Advocacy Coordination Team and the Equity and Justice Committee to integrate the agency’s core values through internal and external social justice initiatives. Prior to joining CPAF, Rachel managed community-based programs domestically and abroad, with experience in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Washington, DC, and New York City. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University with a focus on Public Policy and Research. 

Ruth Rivera is a graduate of Richmond, The American University in London, where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and has also completed her Graduate studies in Globalization and Latin American Development from University College London. She is the Coordinator of Wellness Programs for East Los Angeles Women’s Center and coordinates the Crisis Intervention and Response Program at Los Angeles Medical Center; providing services to sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking survivors at the medical center. Alongside the day-to-day responses, she coordinates the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Task Force meetings at LA General; and facilitates trainings and support for medical providers, medical students, social workers and administrators. Recently, she became a co-chair for LA County’s Domestic Violence Council Health Committee, focusing on the intersection of domestic violence and health. Through her educational background and her work experience, Ruth is passionate and determined to create effective social change, empower women, and strengthen communities. 

I am a Prevention Services Coordinator at Human Response Network, with six years of experience in the sexual assault field. Currently pursuing my associate’s degree in social work I am passionate about creating meaningful change in the areas of sexual assault prevention and youth mental health justice. As an advocate for social justice, I am committed to empowering individuals and communities through education, awareness, and advocacy. My work is inspired by a deep belief in the importance of mental health support and the transformative power of youth empowerment. I am driven by the vision of a world where all individuals, regardless of background or circumstance, can thrive in safe, equitable, and supportive environments. Through my work I strive to foster lasting change by addressing the root causes of violence and inequality, believing that through education, community engagement, and systemic change, we can build a more just and compassionate society for future generations.

Shabana Ansari has been an advocate and working for gender justice for over 2 decades. For the last 10 years she has been part of Maitri – a domestic violence organization and working for Immigrant survivors of domestic violence. 

Born and raised in Mumbai (then Bombay, India) she received one bachelor’s in social work and another in law from Mumbai University. She has worked in the field of domestic violence since 2001 and taken part in social justice movements working on gender equality, gender justice. Raising awareness of and fighting against domestic violence has always been her passion. She is also part of the Santa Clara Domestic violence council planning committee from 2020. 

Tyffanie Wedding-O’Con is passion filled, systems change, and policy implementation professional who holds nearly a decade experience advocating for survivors of human trafficking (HT), domestic violence (DV), and families with Child Welfare (CW) involvement after learning of the long-lasting impacts on both the survivor and their families firsthand.

Tyffanie has worked with and alongside survivors and their families in various capacities where she has been an integral part of developing and implementing statewide policies and programs that prioritize  serving unserved and underserved populations and uplifting the voices of survivors.

After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree from California State University, Sacramento in Women and Gender Studies, Tyffanie worked for the State of California as a Program and Policy Analyst for California’s Child Trafficking Research and Policy Unit and was promoted to Manager where she served on the leadership team implementing a new and groundbreaking child abuse prevention program statewide.

In Tyffanie’s current role as the Director of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access at WEAVE, Inc, she approaches policy development and program implementation for survivors of DV and HT through community and survivor informed approaches that prioritize necessary systems change and uplift the voices of survivors.

Tyffanie has also served in various volunteer capacities as the Vice President of the Sacramento Chapter of Black Woman Organized for Political Action and Commissioner for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. Tyffanie’s work is inspired by her family’s personal experience as well as the survivors and fellow advocates she has worked alongside for nearly 10 years.

Yenni Rivera Martinez has worked in the corporate and non-profit world for 3 decades, but as a survivor of SA, DV and Homelessness, with her son, her passion is being an advocate that creates efficient partnerships that collaborate to improve our Homeless, DV and Early Education Systems. She brings the lens of lived experience in her work as an Ambassador of Parent Voices of CA, a member and writer of The OpEd Project Public Voices Fellowship on Domestic Violence and as the Family System Coordinator for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. She is also an elected California’s Early Childhood Policy Parent Council Member where she is the bilingual voice of the State’s parents.

An experienced provider of housing services, Zazette Scott currently serves as Coordinated Entry System Program Manager at Family Assistance Project in San Bernardino County. Zazette brings her expertise helping her team navigate homeless to shelter and housing and reporting outcomes to improve the county’s work to address homelessness.