Executive Staff
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CAROLINE (CARA) DESSERT, ESQ .
Chief Executive Officer
Pronouns: She, Her, Hers
A queer Latina, Dessert is an attorney and executive with nearly 20 years in non-profit and social justice leadership. Dessert was previously the executive director of Immigration Equality, a national organization focused on LGBTQ immigrant rights.
She worked closely with the Obama Administration, as well as local, state and national organizations working at the intersection of the rights of the LGBTQ and immigrant communities.
During her first year as CEO, Dessert led The Center through a phenomenal growth phase. Under her leadership, The Center increased its budget from $6M to $10.2M annually, and service visits to more than 80,000 annually. Along with The Center’s team and Board of Directors, in 2019 The Center engaged in an in-depth community-driven strategic planning process with the participation of over 2,000 community members.
Dessert led The Center in expanding its housing services to a full range housing continuum that includes the first shelter in San Diego County for LGBTQ youth, additional permanent supportive housing and prevention programs, and ongoing services and advocacy for LGBTQ community members who are at risk of experiencing homelessness. The Center also embarked on its first-ever cross-border immigration campaign which provided life-sustaining humanitarian relief to LGBTQ and HIV-positive asylum seekers and their families at the border; opened the South Bay Youth Center; started The Center’s Training Institute and Black Services Program; and stood with our transgender and nonbinary community fighting back against the relentless attacks from the Trump Administration with undaunted courage and inspirational authenticity.
Prior to joining The Center as CEO, Dessert served in the California Department of Justice in the Office of the Attorney General as a Deputy Attorney General in the Public Rights Division, where she worked with then-California Attorney General (now Vice President) Kamala Harris’ executive team.
She has deep roots in the San Diego area. A native of El Centro, she previously was The Center’s Policy and Community Organizing Coordinator, San Diego’s field director for the No on 8/Equality for All campaign, and worked for Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. She completed her JD at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, where she was the editor-in-chief of the Chicana/o Latina/o Law Review and earned degree specializations from the Epstein Public Interest Law and Policy and Critical Race Studies programs. She earned her BA at the University of California-San Diego (UCSD).
She has served as a Commissioner for both the Healthy California for All Commission and the Leon L. Williams San Diego County Human Relations Commission. Dessert is the Chair of the Engage San Diego Advisory Board. She is married to Lisa Valenzuela.
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Kim Fountain, PhD
Deputy CEO
Pronouns: She, Her, They, Them
Kim Fountain has 27 years of experience working in the LGBTQ+ movement, and before joining The Center as Deputy CEO, they served as the Chief Administrative Officer for Center on Halsted, the Midwest’s most comprehensive LGBTQ community center.
Prior, Kim was the Executive Director of the Pride Center of Vermont and the Deputy Director of the New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project.
Kim is part of the Board of Directors of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum and has served on the Board of the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Other recent volunteer commitments have included serving on the Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, the Chicago Mayor’s Office Advisory Council on Women, and the Chicago Comptroller Community Advisory Council.
Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies and Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the New School for Social Research, The Graduate Faculty of Political and Social Science. She is a published author and taught Anthropology and Gender Studies for over a decade.
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Beth Davenport, DSW, LCSW, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Pronouns: She, Her, Hers
Beth Davenport is the Chief Operating Officer at The Center and is responsible for the company’s operations. She has over 20 years of experience in program development, evaluation, and oversight.
Prior to joining The Center in 2011, Beth was the executive director of adoptions and senior director of quality assurance for Walden Family Services. She created Walden’s LGBTQ Foster Care Network, providing safe and loving homes for foster youth who identify as LGBTQ and providing ongoing cultural competency trainings for Southern California foster parents and child welfare providers around the country on how to deliver services with cultural competency and humility.
Beth is a licensed Clinical Social Worker and holds a Doctorate in Social Work from Tulane University and a Master in Business Administration degree from San Diego State University.
Beth is currently the co-chair of the San Diego Youth Homelessness Consortium and is a board member of the California Coalition for Youth. She also serves on the San Diego County HIV Planning Group. In 2009, Beth was named by the San Diego Metropolitan Magazine to its annual list of “Top 40 under 40,” recognizing her professional accomplishments.
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Gloria Cruz Cardenas
Chief Impact Officer
Pronouns: She, Her, they, them
Gloria Cruz Cardenas is a passionate public servant with more than 22 years of experience in actively developing policy and advocacy with a race and equity framework. She is a lifelong activist for LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights, being a member of both communities.
Gloria was born in Michoacan, Mexico, and migrated to the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor at the young age of 10. She most recently served as the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). While at CHIRLA, she led regional, binational, state, and federal efforts to advance the rights of immigrants and refugees in California, Mexico, and the U.S.
A glass ceiling breaking activist and organizer, Gloria was deeply involved with the 1994 student walkouts in opposition to CA Prop 187, and was active in the campaigns for in-state tuition for immigrant youth (AB 540) and fighting for the DREAM Act.
A graduate of San Diego State University, prior to CHIRLA, Gloria served at the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties where she focused on education equity, immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and criminal system reform. Followed by service at the SD City Council under President Georgette Gomez and at the SD County Board of Supervisors under Supervisor Terra Lawson Remer, Gloria served the City of San Diego and subsequently the County as the Director of Community Engagement, Public Safety & Binational Affairs. During her tenure in local government, she brought forward legislation against the Trump administration, affirming San Diego’s commitment to welcoming immigrants and refugees.
Gloria is an Hispanas Organized for Political Equailty Leadership Institute (HLI) 2019 Fellow and University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Alum. She is also a graduate of Yale School of Management’s Executive Women Leadership Program.
Leadership Team
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Steve Carroll
Senior Director of
Behavioral Health Services
Pronouns: He, Him, His
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Victor Esquivel
Senior Director of
Housing Services
Pronouns: He, Him, His
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Malek Guerbaoui
Senior Director of Quality Assurance and Contract Compliance
Pronouns: He, Him, His
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Gus Hernandez
Senior Director of
Communications and Marketing
Pronouns: He, Him, His
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Ian Johnson
Senior Director
of Development
Pronouns: He, Him, His
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Alex Ordoubegian
Senior Director of
Facility Operations
Pronouns: He, Him, His
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Phoenix Schneider
Senior Director of
Programs
Pronouns: he, him, his
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Jacqueline Palmer
Senior Director of Executive Planning & Project Management
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Managers and Directors
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Camden Aguilera
Youth Services Manager, HYC
She, They
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Ceci Alvarado
Senior Manager, Accounting
She, her, hers
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Akemi Bonner
IT Director
She, Her, Hers
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Krystal Bradford
Youth Housing Services Manager
She, Her
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NATHAN BURNS
GRANTS MANAGER
He, Him, His
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Leo Cartier Jr.
Individual Giving Officer
He, Him, His
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Stephanie Conklin
Crisis Services Manager
She, her, hers
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Jason Cuneo
Senior Services Program Manager
He, They
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Jessica Diaz
Senior Manager of Welcome Services
She, her, hers
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Angel Gonzalez
Director of Youth Housing Services
He, Him, His
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PAMUELA HALLIWELL
Assistant Director of Behavioral Health Services
She, Her, Hers
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Carter Hantula
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR of QUALITY ASSURANCe
They, Them
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Oscar Humberto-Gomez
Director of Community Programs
He, Him, His
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Delio Ladron de Guevara
Sexual Health and Wellness Manager
He, Him, His
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Bill Van Le
Training & Community Education Manager
All Pronouns
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Daivon Lloyd
People & Culture Manager
He, Him, His
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Megan Meek
Senior Manager, Development & Marketing
She, Her, Hers
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Esperanza Mendez
Adult Housing Services Manager
She, her, hers
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Sarah Merk-Benitez
Director of Services Integration
She, her, hers
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Luis Montero-Adams
Director of Engage San Diego
He, Him, His
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Kenyatta Parker
DIRECTOR OF SEXUAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS
She, her, hers
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Vaughn Rainwater
Major Gifts
Officer
He, HIm, His
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Celya Robles
DIRECTOR OF ADULT HOUSING SERVICES
She, Her, Hers
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Ashley Thomas
Youth Housing Services Manager
She, Her, Hers
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Jose Tinoco
Director of Youth and Family Services
He, Him, His
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David Vance
Senior Manager of advocacy & civic engagement
They, Them
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Bliss Vasquez
Transgender and Nonbinary Services Program Manager
they/them/él/friend
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Dustin Walker
Clinical Quality ManageR
He, Him, His
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CENTER STAFF
Camden Aguilera (She/They)
Carolina Alcoser Ramos (She/Her)
Ceci Alvarado (She/Her)
Hannah Anew (She/Her)
Akemi Bonner (She/Her)
Krystal Bradford (She/Her)
Ben Breunig (He/Him)
Nathan Burns (He/Him)
Alejandro Caballero (He/Him)
Eva Callahan (She/Her)
Lee Carmack (They/He)
Steve Carroll (He/Him)
Leo Cartier Jr. (He/Him)
Brian Cash (He/Him)
Castro (She/Her)
Elizabeth Cisneros (She/Her)
Stephanie Conklin (She/Her)
Nadia Contreras (She/They)
Raphael Craan (He/Him)
Gloria Cruz Cardenes (She/They)
Jason Cuneo (He/Him)
Beth Davenport (She/Her)
Sol De Los Santos (All Pronouns)
Alisandra Del Nero (She/Her)
Cara Dessert (She/Her)
Jessica Diaz (She/Her)
Juan Esparza (He/They)
Victor Esquivel (He/Him)
Kim Fountain (She/They)
Angel Gonzalez (He/Him)
Gabriela Gomez (She/Her)
Santi Gonzalez (He/They)
Malek Guerbaoui (He/Him)
Jen Haase (She/Her)
Pamuela Halliwell (She/Her)
Bella Ham (She/Her)
Matt Hammond (He/Him)
Carter Hantula (They/Them)
Brenda Hernandez (They/Them)
Cristina Hernandez (She/Her)
Gus Hernandez (He/Him)
Jorge Hernandez (He/Him)
Miguel Hernandez (He/Him)
Jo Hollingsworth (She/Her)
Charlie Huettner (He/Him)
Oscar Humberto-Gomez (He/Him)
Erick Jimenez (He/Him)
Josue Jimenez (He/Him)
Ian Johnson (He/Him)
Jaylen Jones (They/Them)
Stevie Juarez (All Pronouns)
Sarah Kolvas (She/Her)
Delio Ladron De Guevara (He/Him)
Keisha Lazo (She/Her)
Bill Van Le (All Pronouns)
Daivon Lloyd (He/Him)
Ari Lopez (They/Them)
Julian Lopez (He/They)
Maiya Lopez (She/Her)
Abeni Magee (She/They)
Sandra Massoud (She/Her)
Megan Meek (She/Her)
Esperanza Mendez (She/Her)
Sarah Merk-Benitez (She/Her)
Noah Mixon (They/Them)
Rio Moncado (He/Him)
Alicia Montellanos (All Pronouns)
Luis Montero-Adams (He/Him)
Kianna Moody (They/She)
Aaron Ngan (He/They)
Alex Ordoubegian (He/Him)
Jacqueline Palmer (She/Her)
Kenyatta Parker (She/Her)
Erika Peralta (She/Her)
Karina Piu (She/Her)
Gustavo Quintero Silva (He/Him)
Brian Raburn (He/Him)
Vaughn Rainwater (He/Him)
Estevan Ramirez (He/Him)
Anette Ramos (She/They)
Matt Reents (He/Him)
Melisa Reyes (They/Them)
Dalia Rivera (She/They)
Celya Robles (She/Her)
Jesus Sanchez (He/Him)
Phoenix Schneider (He/Him)
Joseph Severino (He/Him)
Nathan Smith (He/Him)
Isaac Snyder (He/Him)
Victoria Sulak (They/Them)
RJ Tellames (He/Him)
Ashley Thomas (She/Her)
Jose Tinoco (He/Him)
Jose Torres (He/Him)
Richard Truong (He/Him)
L Tuiletufuga (They/Them)
Gael Urquia (They/Them)
David Vance (They/Them)
Bliss Vasquez (They/He)
Alex Vo (All Pronouns)
Dustin Walker (He/Him)