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.

Cynthia Carrasco is the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants and familiar with opportunities for first generation Americans. She was the first in her family to attend college and law school who has made a long term career in public interest law. She is a domestic violence shelter staff attorney at Rainbow Services, Ltd. She also currently serves as a Trustee for the Mirman School, a school for highly gifted children.

Cristal B. Gleason is the Emergency Services Manager at Haven Women’s Center of Stanislaus. Haven serves all survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking regardless of gender identity, immigration status, or sexual orientation. Haven is a catalyst for individual empowerment and societal change: advocating for those impacted by domestic and sexual abuse or exploitation and working to end gender-based violence. Cristal has been with the agency since January 2014.

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

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.