Board & Staff

Board & Staff

Carmen Chavez headshot

Carmen M. Chavez, Esq.

Executive Director

Gloria Bader, Ed.D.

The Bader Group
Board Chair

Board of Directors

Tom Laube, Esq.

Sandler, Lasry, Laube, Byer & Valdez LLP
Board Vice Chair

Mary Siegrist

Corelogic (Retired), Investor
Board Secretary

Amy Romaker, Esq.

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
Retired

Board Treasurer

Dilkhwaz Ahmed

License to Freedom

Gerald Akwanya Awichu

Community Leader and Mental Health Advocate

Nicholas A. Asaad

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Arezoo Jamshidi, Esq.

Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP

Steve Keane, Esq.

Illumina

Sheila McNiff, SHCJ

Society of the Holy Child Jesus

Mehran “Ron” Mehrtash

Lanata Corporation

Danny Milla

Cox Communications

Elena Perez

MANA de San Diego

Ryan Rauzon

Summit Strategy Group LLC

Kit Ryan, Esq.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Brittany Syz, Esq.

SDG&E

Gregory A. Vega, Esq.

Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek

STAFF

Pedro Anaya, Jr.

Communications Manager

Ismael Avilez

Support Services Coordinator

​Anne S. Bautista, Esq.

Legal Support and Strategy Director

Stephanie R. Beckstrom, Esq.

Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Program

Matthew E. Cannon, Esq.

Managing Attorney, Children’s Program

Giovanna Cano

Legal Assistant, Litigation Program

Zelena Lissette Cartagena, Esq.

Associate Attorney

Shirley Chestnut, Esq.

Staff Attorney

Justin Cintron

Legal Assistant, Children’s Program

Mayra Duran

VIT Program Assistant

Francesca Egger, Esq.

Staff Attorney, Children’s Program

Elena Gutierrez, Esq.

Associate Attorney

Paola Gutierrez

Executive Assistant

Evelyn Hernandez

Legal Assistant, Victims of Crime

Jesse Imbriano, Esq.

Legal Director

Jenny Jaramillo

Program Assistant, Pro Bono Program

Arwa J. Zakir Kakavand, Esq.

Of Counsel

Zohaile Kakavand, Esq.

Associate Attorney

​Susana Lawler

Program Assistant, Children’s Program

Evelyn Alicia Lopez, Esq.

Managing Attorney, Victims of Crime Program

Melissa Lopez

Program Assistant, Children’s Program

Gary Lynn

Finance & Administration Director

Matthew McMahon

Operations Associate

Jennifer Medina, M.A.

Grants Manager

Mersedeh Mehrtash

Legal Assistant, Litigation Program

Thajaira Muñoz

Receptionist

Liza Perkins-Cohen, Esq.

Managing attorney, Litigation Program

Arely Preciado

Receptionist

Gabriela Espinoza Rodriguez

DOJ Accredited Representative

Meghan Topolski

Staff Attorney, Victims of Crime Program

Artemisa Valle

Manager, Information Systems and VIT Program

Valeria Vargas

Development Assistant

Chantal Venter, Esq.

Staff Attorney

Mia Eadington Walter

Philanthropy Director