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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Patricia Duncan Hall has been a dedicated child life specialist and domestic violence advocate for more than 30 years. Patricia bridges advocacy for policy change and on the ground technical assistance in communities, organizations, educational institutions and individuals. She uses both a child development and domestic violence background to center survivors as experts in the local and national conversations about reducing violence against women and vulnerable communities.