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Shanti Staff and Board Directory |
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Dr. Charles Garfield has been recognized internationally as the founder of Shanti, a widely acclaimed volunteer organization, and the Shanti National Training Institute (SNTI). For over thirty-five years, he has pioneered the development of service oriented volunteer organizations and the training of volunteers in a wide variety of applications. For his work with Shanti and for originating the Shanti model of peer support, Garfield was named National Activist of the Year—one of America’s highest awards to individuals making voluntary contributions in public service. He has also received recognition by cities and organizations large and small including a Mayor’s Day in his honor in San Francisco and many others.
Dr. Garfield serves as Clinical Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California School of Medicine at San Francisco (UCSF). A Fellow of the American Psychological Association, he is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.
Charles Garfield is the co-author of Training Volunteers for Community Service: The Step-by-Step Guide of the Shanti National Training Institute. He is also the author of Sometimes My Heart Goes Numb: Love and Caregiving in a Time of AIDS. While on the faculty of the Cancer Research Institute at UCSF, he was one of the early contributors to the burgeoning field of psychosocial oncology. Two of his books, Stress and Survival: The Emotional Realities of Life Threatening Illness and Psychosocial Care of the Dying Patient, have been used as texts in many medical and nursing schools.
Charles Garfield began his career in computer science after receiving two graduate degrees in mathematics from Adelphi University as well as induction into Pi Mu Epsilon, the National Mathematics Honorary Society, and later, the Adelphi University Alumni Academy of Distinction. Dr. Garfield worked as a computer analyst on Apollo Eleven, our first lunar landing. It was as a member of the team that sent the first two astronauts to the moon that he learned how mission-driven teams can band together to accomplish extraordinary results. He then continued his education earning a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of California at Berkeley prior to publishing ten books including the highly regarded peak performance trilogy on high achieving individuals, teams and organizations—Second to None, Peak Performers and Peak Performance. His honorary speeches include: Clinton White House conference; U.S. Olympic Committee and Head Coaches of Olympic Sports; and the Leadership of Oklahoma City following the tragic bombing of the federal building. Charles Garfield was an at-large member of the Board of Governors and is currently an instructor at the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco. He serves on the editorial board of Greater Good, a national magazine from the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Science and the Greater Good. He is also a founding faculty member of the Metta Institute (formerly Zen Hospice) end of life counselor training program.
Dr. Garfield has helped many community based, healthcare and religious organizations in the U.S. and abroad to fulfill their missions as exemplary service agencies. Of this work he says: “The combined experience of the many hundreds of organizations around the world modeled after Shanti has shown us that volunteers, and those organizations wise enough to use them fully, are capable of delivering much needed, high quality care for people facing life’s most difficult challenges. For over 35 years, Shanti’s work has demonstrated that volunteers – America’s invisible workforce - can learn to be tender on people and tough on problems as they serve those who need them most.”
To read articles written by Dr. Garfield, click here. Back to Top
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Phil Bokovoy — Ex Officio Member
Shanti
Development Director and CFO
Phil joined Shanti in 2009. Prior to joining Shanti’s staff, Phil provided fundraising, financial, strategic planning, organizational development, board development and management consulting to local non-profits in the areas of social services, legal services and performing arts over the past ten years. Prior to that, Phil was a Senior Executive at Bank of America, Global Capital Markets Group in San Francisco from 1990 to 1999. Most recently, Phil served as the Development Chair and on development committees for several nonprofits including Swords to Plowshares and Equal Rights Advocates.
Phil received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; an M.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley; and a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley.
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William L. Dawes — Board Treasurer
Dun & Bradstreet
SVP (Retired)
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Rubén Gamundi
Gilead Sciences
Associate Director, Medical Affairs-Community
Rubén has been with Gilead Sciences since 2007, where he is an Associate Director, Medical Affairs-Community. He spends his time providing HIV/AIDS-related education to Allied Health Care Providers and People Living with HIV. Prior to joining Gilead, he worked as a Community Affairs Manager for Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Before working for Pharma/Biotech companies, Rubén was the Treatment & Nutrition Advocay/Education Program Manager at AIDS Project Los Angeles (The 2nd largest HIV/AIDS Service Organization in the U.S.).
Rubén has been with Shanti for over 5 years and during his Board tenure he has volunteered as Development Committee Chair, then Board Chair for over 3 years and now he is a member of the Strategic Planning Committee.
Rubén has an M.D. degree from the National University of Medicine, Argentina. He migrated to the United States in 1989 and has been working on HIV-related causes since 1990.
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Manoog Hadeshian
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.
National Director of Medicare Finance Strategic Analysis
Manoog is the National Director of Medicare Finance Strategic Anlaysis for Kaiser Permanente (KP). He has been KP since 1991,and recently elevated to KP's Executive Leadership team in 2008. Manoog leads health plan processes and functions specific to the Medicare line of business. He is responsible for Medicare financial forecasting, legislative impact assessment, financial strategy and regulatory reporting. Manoog earned his Masters in Urban Planning from State of New York University at Buffalo in 1987, and also holds a bachelors in Economics. He was recently elected to the Shanti board of directors in April of 2010, and is committed to bringing his passions and skills to our compelling vision and purpose. He currently resides in Berkeley with his wife Anamaria and two boys, Miko and Mateo.
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Scott Hawkins
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Chris Murray
Cliff Consulting
Management Consultant
Chris is a Management Consultant with more than 20 years of
experience leading business operations and executing strategic initiatives.
Prior to joining Cliff Consulting, he was an executive with Fortune 500 financial services leader Charles Schwab, a where he held various positions leading customer service, back-office operations and cross-enterprise program management. Chris earned his Bachelors degree in Finance and Economics, from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri.
Chris joined Shanti’s Board in 2010 and has been active in the Development and Annual Event Committee’s, specifically serving as Co-Chair for Shanti’s 37th Anniversary Event. Chris is also a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in San Francisco County working one-on-one with abused and neglected children in foster care.
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Frank Petkovich — Board Vice-Chair
Independent Marketing Consultant
Frank, a native San Franciscan, has over 25 years’ experience in marketing, specializing in product marketing and marketing communications. As a marketing consultant, Frank focuses on sales and new product launch projects for technology start-ups. Frank’s recent company experience includes Vice President of Global Marketing at SOMA Networks, where he was responsible for all outbound marketing programs, including retail product portfolio launches in India, the Americas and Eastern Europe. Frank has held senior level Marketing roles at Silicon Valley start-up companies such as Luminous Networks, Sylantro Systems and Premisys Communications. Prior to focusing on smaller companies, Frank held numerous marketing positions at Pacific Telesis (now AT&T). Frank holds a Bachelor's degree in Management and Marketing from the University of San Francisco, and an MBA in Finance from Golden Gate University.
Frank joined Shanti’s board in 2010, and is co-chair of the Marketing Committee. In addition to Shanti, Frank is also on the Advisory Board of At the Crossroads, providing direct outreach to San Francisco’s homeless youth at their point of need, and is a Taproot Foundation pro-bono volunteer. |
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Ernesto Quintanilla
Resources Global Professionals
Consultant
Ernesto joined Shanti’s Board in December 2011 after participating in Shanti’s Peer Support Training earlier in 2011. Ernesto is currently a consultant with Resources Global Professionals and has served dozens of clients across the retail, consumer business, high technology, healthcare, and financial services in the Bay Area and throughout the United States and the Americas. Some of his areas of specialization include program/project management, business process improvement, mergers and acquisitions, and shared service organizations.
Prior to joining Resources Global Professionals, Ernesto was as a Senior Manager for Deloitte where he worked in the compliance and consulting organizations. Ernesto also served as the Chair of the LGBT Business Resource Group in the Bay Area conducting marketplace, recruiting & retention, community involvement, and professional development activities internal and external to Deloitte. Ernesto graduated from Stanford University with a Masters of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1996.
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Alexander Rivera
Achieve Foundation Program Assistant
HIV Services Volunteer
Alex Rivera is a San Francisco native, and has been a Shanti Volunteer since 2006. In addition to being a peer support volunteer Alex has also served on the Shanti Volunteer Advisory Board and has assisted in Shanti volunteer trainings as a peer facilitator. Alex is also a teacher with the Oakland Unified Public Schools District.
Alex earned his Bachelors of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of Nevada and his California Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University. |
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Kaushik Roy — Ex Officio Member
Shanti
Executive Director, Former Director of Volunteer Services
As the youngest CEO in San Francisco’s breast cancer and HIV/AIDS communities, Kaushik Roy is an articulate and compelling advocate for Shanti’s mission and a new generation of care-giving for underserved individuals with life-threatening illnesses. Kaushik began his involvement with Shanti in 2004 as a Volunteer Caregiver. As a volunteer, Kaushik provided emotional and practical support to Shanti clients and facilitated volunteer trainings and support groups. For his volunteer work, he was recognized by Mayor Gavin Newsom during the City of San Francisco’s 25th Anniversary of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Ceremony in 2006.
Kaushik left a career in sales and marketing in the corporate insurance industry to join Shanti staff later that year and held a number of director-level positions before being appointed Executive Director. He holds a B.A. from UC Berkeley and is a recent graduate of the prestigious Metta Institute's End-of-Life Care Practitioner Program. Kaushik is frequently asked to speak on the topics of volunteer care-giving, training and management by groups ranging from local non-profits to national conferences. |
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Angie Ryan
OpenTable
Senior Manager, Online Marketing, Former HIV Services Volunteer
Angie has been a Shanti volunteer since 2006, and is a passionate advocate of the healing power of kindness and the Shanti model of peer support. She currently works in marketing and communications, with a focus on start-ups, technology and new media. She earned her undergraduate degree in Anthropology from the University of Iowa. |
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Stu Smith — Board Chair
Tin Pan Alley Productions
Executive Director and Community Activist
Stuart M. (Stu) Smith retired on an Aids diagnosis in 1994 after owning and operating several full service restaurants in the SF Bay Area since 1974. Stu was first diagnosed in 1988 and in fear of anyone else learning of this news, sought to drink himself to death. A Philosophy and Political Science major at Foothill College and then San Jose State University, he left his academic pursuits in when he stumbled upon the opportunity that was to become Image Technology, Inc. After success in that 1st business Stu retired and looked at many opportunities and traveled extensively before deciding to try his luck at the restaurant business.
After his diagnosis and the onset of several opportunistic infections Stu quickly became a volunteer for many Aids Service Organizations starting with Shanti where he wanted to be a peer support volunteer offering practical and emotional support taught in the Shanti training. He volunteered for many other agencies and soon learned of the great need for public education, outreach and resources and expanded his volunteer work into public relations, information technology, ,media access, public transit, political relations and media access.
Likewise he volunteered for many drug trials as ATZ as so many early drugs failed. Volunteering led to his patient relationship with Dr. Steven Deeks at SF General Hospitals Ward 86 where he found stabilization of the virus and more vitality. During his long relationship with Shanti, Stu performed every volunteer activity offered becoming a board member first in 1994 for 8 years and starting again in 2010 as board president where he now serves with gratitude for this great agency. He launched his own non profit, Tin Pan Alley Productions which has produced many fund raising shows for Shanti and other non profits.
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Chip Supanich
Shanti Client and Community Activist
Chip Supanich has worked with a number of community-based HIV/AIDS service organizations in San Francisco over the last 15 years. He has volunteer and work experience in prevention, mental health services, employment services, treatment and testing, policy, health education, community outreach and administration. His years of service in the HIV/AIDS community were recently honored by The Volunteer Center, which bestowed on him the 2010 San Francisco Community Spirit Award. Chip earned a BS in Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1986 and an HIV Education Certificate in case management from San Francisco City College in 2009. He has worked part time for the HIV Prevention Project since 2008 as a supervisor of needle exchange sites.
Chip has a long personal experience with HIV, having tested positive in 1985 and received an AIDS diagnosis in 1995. He has been volunteering in various capacities at Shanti since 1997 and became a client in 2000. He has a peer support volunteer, and over the past 6 and ½ years their relationship has deepened into one of the most valuable assets of his emotional life. He joined the Board of Directors in 2009 as a way of broadening his relationship with Shanti and he looks forward to many more years of service to the community. |
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Keith C. Waltrip, LPC, MS
HIV+ Community Activist
Keith has been with Abbott Laboratories since July 2006 and moved to the Bay Area in 2008 from Chicago and is currently the Community Affairs Manager for the West Area. Keith started in the field of HIV in 1993 as a volunteer with Stop AIDS-Chicago. He has worked at Howard Brown Health Center, Test Positive Aware Network and at Access Community Health Network all in Chicago, IL.
Keith extends his commitment to helping those with HIV by serving on the Oakland/Alameda County HIV Ryan White Planning Council and on the Board of Directors of Shanti (San Francisco). While in Chicago he served on the City of Chicago's HIV Ryan White Planning Council, Camp Getaway's Volunteer Steering Committee and the Broadway Youth Center.
Keith graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1992 with a BS in Communication and from National-Louis University in 1996 with an MS in Human Services. Keith maintains his license as a Professional Counselor through the State of Illinois. |
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Emily Wilska — Board Secretary
The Organized Life
Principal
Emily Wilska is the Shanti Board of Directors Secretary and has been a peer support volunteer in Shanti's HIV Services Program since 1998. She earned her BA in Film from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. After seven years in the technology field, Emily founded The Organized Life in 2004 to provide professional organizing services to business and residential clients. She is honored to have the opportunity to serve Shanti as both a volunteer and a board member.Back to Top |
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Kaushik Roy
Executive Director
(415) 674-4722 eMail
As the youngest CEO in San Francisco’s breast cancer and HIV/AIDS communities, Kaushik Roy is an articulate and compelling advocate for Shanti’s mission and a new generation of care-giving for underserved individuals with life-threatening illnesses. Kaushik began his involvement with Shanti in 2004 as a Volunteer Caregiver. As a volunteer, Kaushik provided emotional and practical support to Shanti clients and facilitated volunteer trainings and support groups. For his volunteer work, he was recognized by Mayor Gavin Newsom during the City of San Francisco’s 25th Anniversary of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Ceremony in 2006.
Kaushik left a career in sales and marketing in the corporate insurance industry to join Shanti staff later that year and held a number of director-level positions before being appointed Executive Director. He holds a B.A. from UC Berkeley and is a recent graduate of the prestigious Metta Institute's End-of-Life Care Practitioner Program. Kaushik is frequently asked to speak on the topics of volunteer care-giving, training and management by groups ranging from local non-profits to national conferences. |
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Phil Bokovoy
Director of Development and acting Chief Financial Officer
(415) 674-4717 eMail
Phil joined Shanti in 2009. Prior to joining Shanti’s staff, Phil provided fundraising, financial, strategic planning, organizational development, board development and management consulting to local non-profits in the areas of social services, legal services and performing arts over the past ten years. Prior to that, Phil was a Senior Executive at Bank of America, Global Capital Markets Group in San Francisco from 1990 to 1999. Most recently, Phil served as the Development Chair and on development committees for several nonprofits including Swords to Plowshares and Equal Rights Advocates.
Phil received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; an M.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley; and a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley. |
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Bruce Campbell
Finance Manager
(415) 674-4756 eMail
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Randan Price, M.A.
Development and Benefits Officer
(415) 674-4723 eMail
Randan is the Development and Benefits Officer at Shanti. She earned her undergraduate degrees in Cultural Anthropology and French from Auburn University. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Social Anthropology from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London; her focus was on women in West Africa. Randan has worked and volunteered in the fields of international justice and human rights since 2001. In 2008, she volunteered for a rural NGO in Ghana called Progressive Women’s Movement, and currently serves on their board of directors. She is committed to social justice and human rights and is passionate about the mission of Shanti. |
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Ariana Katz
Development and Office Coordinator
(415) 674-4759 eMail
Ariana is the Development and Office Coordinator for Shanti. She earned her undergraduate degree, with honors, in Psychology, specifically focusing on Health Psychology and HIV/AIDS from Occidental College in Los Angeles. Ms. Katz has notable non-profit experience, which includes internships with AIDS Service Organizations in Southern California and Senegal, employment at an L.A. non-profit focused on assisting economically-disadvantaged/homeless individuals and volunteering at Planned Parenthood here in San Francisco. She is very excited to be a part of the Shanti team and work with an organization that assists individuals in a holistic and harm reduction fashion. |
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Emily Dore
Development Assistant
(415) 674-4725 eMail
Emily serves as both Development Assistant and Volunteer Services Coordinator. Since moving to San Francisco in 2008, she has worked at two local elementary schools and has volunteered for various organizations including the Free Farm Stand and Project Open Hand. She continues to work at Leah’s Pantry, a San Francisco based nonprofit, which provides cooking and nutrition programming for underserved populations. Emily earned her undergraduate degree in Art History and Italian Studies from Boston University. |
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Maria Caprio
Director
(415) 674-4780 eMail
Maria joined Shanti in 2008 as Director of the Shanti's Breast Cancer Program. Prior to joining staff, Maria was a Shanti Peer Support Volunteer since 2007. Maria's professional career includes 6 years of investment banking and private equity experience. Maria began her career as an investment banker with Bank of America Securities in San Francisco and New York. She worked on a variety of multi-million dollar finance transactions and project management initiatives while at Credit Suisse First Boston in London, England. From 2005-2008, Maria was an Associate at FTV Capital, a private equity firm in San Francisco, where she spearheaded business development and project management for the firm's successful fund raising initiative totaling $512 million.
She is a long-time volunteer with Human Rights Watch in Northern California, has volunteered for several months at Mother Teresa's Kalighat Home for the Dying and Destitute in Kolkata, India, and organized the first Annual Land & Sea Environmental Clean-up Campaign in Taganga, Colombia. She is a certified PADI-Dive Master and a Yoga Alliance certified yoga instructor. Maria has a B.A. from Scripps College in International Relations and was a Margaret Hart Scholarship Recipient. |
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Alyssa Nickell, Ph.D.
Program Development Manager and Care Navigator
(415) 674-4781 eMail
Alyssa joined Shanti’s Breast Cancer Program in 2011 as a Care Navigator and Program Development Manager. She is trained in the Shanti Peer Support Model and first came to Shanti in 2004 as a volunteer massage therapist for the Breast Cancer and the HIV/AIDS programs via the Care Through Touch Institute in San Francisco, where she also served as a grant writer and a board member.
Prior to Shanti, Alyssa was a graduate thesis advisor and instructor in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA. Courses taught included “The Creative Process,” “The Sacred,” and “Ethics." Alyssa also developed and facilitated various professional development workshops in the bay area concerning intercultural teaching and learning, group process and conflict resolution. She holds a B.S. in Political Science from Northwestern University, an M.Div. from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. |
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Mabel Huang
Senior Care Navigator
(Cantonese/Mandarin/English speaking)
(415) 674-4735 eMail
Mabel joined Shanti’s Breast Cancer Program in 2007 and has thrived in her position as a bilingual Cantonese/English speaking Senior Care Navigator. Prior to Shanti, Mabel worked as an Administrative Assistant at San Francisco’s Chinatown Community Development Center and was a Youth Worker for the San Francisco Public Library Anza Branch. Mabel also interned with the Wu Yee Children Services Chinatown Infant/Toddler Center in San Francisco and has retail experience having been a Sales Supervisor at Treasure Island Gifts. Mabel has a B.A. in Child & Adolescent Development with a concentration in Young Child & Family Development from San Francisco State University. |
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Aileen Pak
Wellness Coordinator
(415) 674-4774 eMail
Aileen joined Shanti's Breast Cancer Program in 2012 as a Wellness Coordinator. Prior to Shanti, Aileen volunteered as a crisis and suicide prevention counselor at the Alachua County Crisis Center and as a research assistant at Baby Gator Child Development and Research Center, both in Gainesville, Florida. She has also worked extensively in animal health and rescue as a volunteer and veterinary technician for the Orlando Humane Society/SPCA of Central Florida, as well as in several other veterinary offices and animal hospitals in New York City and San Francisco. Aileen has a B.F.A. in Music and a B.S. in psychology, both from the University of Florida. |
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Diana Pang
Care Navigator
(Cantonese/English speaking)
(415) 674-4753 eMail
Diana joined Shanti’s Breast Cancer Program in late 2011 and as a bilingual Cantonese/English Care Navigator. Prior to Shanti, Diana worked as a program coordinator for the City and County of San Francisco’s Youth Commission and as the coordinator for the Transitional Age Youth Initiative. Her interest in bridging policy and practice lead her into direct service as a family advocate for the school district and for community centers in the city. A San Franciscan native, Diana is the co-founder of a nationally recognized youth-run tour program, Chinatown Alleyway Tours. She currently serves as a board of director for the Chinatown Community Development Center and is an advisor to the Rootst: Him Mark Lai Family History Project. Diana holds B.A.’s in Ethnic Studies and Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. |
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Millie Ruiz
Senior Care Navigator
(Spanish/English speaking)
(415) 674-4705 eMail
Millie joined Shanti’s Breast Cancer Program in 2008 as a bilingual Spanish/English speaking Senior Care Navigator. Prior to Shanti, Millie began her professional career in 1988 as a Psychotherapist in the Neoplesis Hospital in Perú. After relocating to the Bay Area over 14 years ago, she volunteered as a Counselor at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Millie has worked as a Social Worker at the Practical Support Services Community Collaborative in San Francisco and as a Co-Facilitator for “Vida con Esperanza”, a Latino breast cancer support group at Centro de Servicios in Union City, CA. She was the Latino Program Coordinator from 1997-2007 at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center in Oakland, CA and also worked for a Health Research Consultant at the Health Research Association, Inc. Millie has a B.A. and M.S. in Psychology with a specialization in Oncology Therapies from Cayetano Heredia University of Science Humanity, Lima, Perú.Back to Top |
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Eric Sutter
HIV Services Manager
(415) 674-4754 eMail
Eric joined Shanti staff in 2002 as a Peer Advocate, and is also a member of San Francisco’s HIV Health Services Planning Council. Mr. Sutter has nearly ten years experience in HIV care and prevention and he is eager to continue to work to ensure that all San Franciscans living with HIV receive the advocacy and support they deserve. |
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Kelly Hansen
Care Navigator
(415) 674-4704 eMail
Kelly is a Care Navigator in HIV Services providing emotional and practical support to HIV+ clients. She earned her undergraduate degree in both Psychology and Cultural Anthropology from the University of California at Santa Cruz with an emphasis in gender and sexuality studies. At the young age of 15 she would attend classes that her mother put on in San Francisco to help teach individuals with life threatening illnesses how to cook more nutritional foods.
After college in 2004, she moved back to San Francisco and began teaching individuals with severe weight loss from HIV and cancer to bake and cook with medical marijuana in order to help stimulate appetite and gain weight. In becoming part of the Shanti HIV services team in the fall of 2006, she has been able to provide compassionate and respectful care to hundreds of clients with dual and triple diagnosis. She continues to be passionate about social work and serving the under-served populations in San Francisco. |
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Adrienne Elias
Care Navigator
(415) 674-4760 eMail
Adrienne has worked at Shanti for 5 years in various roles within the HIV services Dept, including providing client advocacy and care navigation. She recently co-facilitated the L.I.F.E. program for women. Her focus is in women’s and trans health, Harm Reduction and the sex worker community. |
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Bridget Pickens
Client Advocate
(415) 674-4707 eMail
Bridget Pickens works at Shanti in HIV services as a client advocate she has been at Shanti for five years, The services she provides are practical and emotional support she also facilitate a HIV drop in support group that clients are able to come and vent about what is going in there every day life this group meets the client where they are. The reason she chose this profession is because she enjoys working with people. |
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Dave Jordan
Client Advocate
(415) 674-4720 eMail
Dave is a Client Advocate for the Shanti Project in HIV Services, he joined the staff at Shanti in 2009. Mr. Jordan has worked in the non-profit world since 2004, and has acted as an Advocate for a variety of populations. |
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Seth Lawrence
Activities Coordinator
(415) 674-4743 eMail
Seth is the Activities Coordinator for HIV/AIDS clients. He previously volunteered in the same department before accepting this position. In 2006, he was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Mayor of San Franciso for years of work in fighting against HIV disease and care of those affected by AIDS. He was a group facilitator at Kaiser-Permanente for support of Parents and Friends of those with HIV/AIDS. Having tested positive for HIV in 1987, Seth is a long-term survivor, living with AIDS for the past 7 years. He has been married to another long-term survivor, Scot, for the past 16 years, and was previously partnered with Tom, for eight years, losing him to the disease in 1989.
Seth holds Bachelor and Master degrees in English Literature and Theatrical Stage Direction. His previous jobs have included teaching junior high school English/ Reading, off-Broadway stage director, and manager of several travel agencies. Throughout the 1970's, he was at the forefront of gay liberation in NYC, climaxing as a President of Gay Activists Alliance and Chair of Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee.Back to Top |
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Karl Knapper
Program Manager, Bay Area Services
(415) 674-4706
eMail
Karl has worked and volunteered in the HIV/AIDS community since the early 1990s when he began volunteering with the STOP AIDS Project, an HIV/AIDS agency internationally recognized as a successful model for grassroots HIV prevention and support that works to prevent HIV transmission among gay, bisexual, and transgendered men in San Francisco through multicultural, community-based organizing.
Karl then developed an innovative program for doing outreach with gay and bisexual men on the Internet when he was hired by the STOP AIDS Project in 2001, and subsequently coordinated both a San Francisco neighborhood street- and venue-based outreach program for gay/bisexual men and an Internet-focused intervention and outreach program designed to reach gay/bisexual men in online sexual network environments.
Karl began working at Shanti in June 2007 as the Connect HIV Project Manager, where he was responsible for tailoring and adapting the L.I.F.E. Program for African Americans and Latinos living with HIV in San Francisco. Currently, Karl is the Local L.I.F.E. Program Manager, and manages the San Francisco Positive L.I.F.E. Program, which serves primarily gay/bisexual men, and the Connect HIV Project, which in addition to serving HIV+ African Americans and Latinos has also begun to serve women. Karl is looking forward to expanding the Connect HIV Project and Positive L.I.F.E. Program to serve the transgendered population in the near future.
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Matthew Simmons
Communications Manager
(415) 674-4718 eMail
Prior to joining the staff at Shanti, Matthew first encountered the Shanti Peer Support model back in 1982 when he was a volunteer at the Minnesota AIDS Project providing counseling for men living with HIV. Matthew was a facilitator and teacher with the Body Electric School of Massage for 15 years facilitating workshops in spirituality and personal growth for men and women around North America, Europe, New Zealand and Australia . While at Body Electric, Matthew created several massage/meditation workshops specifically designed for men living with HIV creating a safe environment to explore the healing potential of touch. |
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John Weatherman
Shanti L.I.F.E. Program® Assistant
(415) 674-4765 eMail
John became a member of the Shanti L.I.F.E. program in 2006 and began peer facilitating workshops in 2008. He is retired from 32 years of high school teaching in special education and holds degrees from Indiana State University and Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. |
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Clayton Robbins
Program Development Consultant
eMail
Clayton began working as a Shanti L.I.F.E. facilitator in Saint Louis in 2004, and joined the San Francisco staff of Shanti in 2006. Clayton's work as Director of Program Development of the Shanti L.I.F.E. Institute is informed by his practical experience working with a variety of client populations, and his educational background in Cultural Anthropology. Clayton has spent the last 12 years working in HIV advocacy, education, and treatment. Currently, Clayton develops workshops that empower participants to fight disease, and promote healthy aging by employing the principles of mind-body medicine. |
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John Olesen, M.A., C.P.
Clinical Supervisor National Trainer
(415) 674-4713 eMail
John came to Shanti in 2000 and is a senior counselor and Clinical Supervisor of the LIFE Program. John began working with HIV as a volunteer in the 1980’s at GMHC in New York. He has also worked at New Mexico AIDS Services, the Bailey Boushay House in Seattle and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. He is a certified psychodramatist and on the board of the Bay Area Moreno Institute. |
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Derrick Mapp
HIV Health Counselor/National Trainer
(415)674-4703 eMail
Derrick has been an HIV Health Counselor at the Shanti L.I.F.E. Program since 2005. He started volunteering as a L.I.F.E. workshop facilitator in 2000.. He completed a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities degree at New College of California in San Francisco with a minor in Social Anthropology. Mr. Mapp has worked in a variety of community / non-profit social work settings beginning in the late 1980s by exploring HIV and social activism and advocacy with ACT-UP / Philadelphia after discovering several of his clients had AIDS.
In 2001 while living in Nepal, Derrick interned with the established Blue Diamond Society in Nepal to help secure a joint Family Health International and Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research funding and program grant to deliver an HIV Education Two-Day Retreat for MSMs in Kathmandu, the first such programming in Nepal. He remains excited about upcoming programmatic developments at Shanti and in the L.I.F.E. Program. |
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Mindy Schweitzer-Rawls
Volunteer Services Manager
(415) 674-4712 eMail
Mindy is the Volunteer Services Manager who recruits and trains volunteers to support Shanti’s mission. In 2000, Mindy graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Merchandising. After moving to San Francisco in 2003, Mindy has dedicated her time and efforts to working within San Francisco’s non-profit sector to provide in-direct as well as direct services to San Francisco’s most underserved populations.
Prior to joining staff in 2008, Mindy served as an HIV Services Peer Support Volunteer as well as a member of Shanti’s Volunteer Outreach and Advisory Board. For the past 3 years, Mindy has been involved with Girls on the Run Bay Area and currently sits on their Associate Board of Directors. |
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Emily Dore
Volunteer Services Coordinator
(415) 674-4725 eMail
Emily Dore serves as both Development Assistant and Volunteer Volunteer Services Coordinator. Since moving to San Francisco in 2008, she has worked at two local elementary schools and has volunteered for various organizations including the Free Farm Stand and Project Open Hand. She continues to work at Leah’s Pantry, a San Francisco based nonprofit, which provides cooking and nutrition programming for underserved populations. Emily earned her undergraduate degree in Art History and Italian Studies from Boston University. |
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San Francisco HIV Health Services Planning Council |
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Mark Molnar
Planning Council Director
(415) 674-4726 eMail
Mark joined Shanti as a peer support volunteer and facilitator in 1994 and joined staff in 2000. Prior to Shanti, Mark’s professional experience includes work as a youth counselor, entertainment underwriter, and as guest services coordinator for the SFIFF. Mark is currently a Co-Chair of the San Francisco EMA HIV Health Services Planning Council and is Treasurer for the HIV/AIDS Provider Network. |
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T.J. Lee
Program Manager
(415) 674-4768 eMail
T.J.is the Administrative Program Manager for the San Francisco HIV Health Services Planning Council. T.J.’s work within the HIV/AIDS world started over twenty years with volunteering with AIDS Action Committee Boston and Fenway Community Health. He has also volunteered for AIDS Dance Boston, AIDS Walk Boston & SF, AIDS/LifeCycle, numerous CAL AIDS Rides, San Francisco LGBT Community Center and many other fine ASOs. He also created “Jeffrey’s Place”, a gay men’s cancer support group in 2009 to help support gay men with cancer, survivors of cancer and their caregivers. T.J. graduated with a degree in Business Administration with high honors from Massasoit Community College. |
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Enrique Asis
Training and Evaluation Manager
(415) 674-4739 eMail
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Dave Jordan
Administrative Assistant
(415) 674-4720 eMail
Dave is a Client Advocate for the Shanti Project in HIV Services, he joined the staff at Shanti in 2009. Mr. Jordan has worked in the non-profit world since 2004, and has acted as an Advocate for a variety of populations. |
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