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

Matt Mahoney, Esq.

Witham Mahoney & Abbot, LLP
Board Treasurer

Dilkhwaz Ahmed

License to Freedom

Gerald Akwanya Awichu

Community Leader and Mental Health Advocate

Nicholas A. Asaad

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Charity Babington Falls

Union Bank

Brett D’Arcy

D’Arcy Capital

Margaret Doyle, SHCJ

Society of the Holy Child Jesus

Arezoo Jamshidi, Esq.

Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP

Steve Keane, Esq.

Illumina

Sheila McNiff, SHCJ

Society of the Holy Child Jesus

Elena Perez

MANA de San Diego

Amy Romaker, Esq.

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Kit Ryan

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Brittany Syz, Esq.

SDG&E

Gregory A. Vega, Esq.

Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek

STAFF

Ismael Avilez

Support Services Coordinator

​Anne S. Bautista, Esq.

Legal Support and Strategy Director

Arely Preciado

Receptionist

Matthew E. Cannon, Esq.

Managing Attorney, Children’s Program

Giovanna Cano

Legal Assistant, Litigation Program

Zelena Lissette Cartagena, Esq.

Associate Attorney

Justin Cintron

Legal Assistant, Children’s Program

Karen Cook, M.B.A.

Philanthropy Director

Devra R. Davis, Esq.

Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Program

Claudine Elremawy

Litigation Law Clerk Intern

Jezyle Deo Diez, M.A.

Litigation Law Clerk Intern

Francesca Egger, Esq.

Staff Attorney, Children’s Program

Gabriela Espinoza Rodriguez

DOJ Accredited Representative

Genesis Franco

Children’s Program Law Clerk Intern

Elena Gutierrez, Esq.

Staff Attorney

Paola Gutierrez

Executive Assistant to the Director

Evelyn Hernandez

Legal Assistant, Victims of Crime

Jesse Imbriano, Esq.

Legal Director

Zohaile Kakavand, Esq.

Associate Attorney

Arwa J. Zakir Kakavand, Esq.

Of Counsel

Racheal Lapite

Development Assistant

​Susana Lawler

Administrative Clerk

Evelyn Alicia Lopez, Esq.

Managing Attorney, Victims of Crime Program

Melissa Lopez

Program Assistant, Children’s Program

Gary Lynn

Finance & Administration Director

Jennifer Medina, M.A.

Grants Manager

Mersedeh Mehrtash

Legal Assistant, Litigation Program

Stephanie Periban

VOC Staff Attorney

Liza Perkins-Cohen, Esq.

Managing attorney, Litigation Program

Cynthia Souza

Development Manager

Artemisa Valle

Manager, Information Systems and VIT Program

Valeria Vargas

Program Assistant