Executive Staff
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.
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.
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.
Leadership Team
Steve Carroll
Senior Director of
Behavioral Health Services
Pronouns: He, Him, His
Victor Esquivel
Senior Director of
Housing Services
Pronouns: He, Him, His
Malek Guerbaoui
Senior Director of Quality Assurance and Contract Compliance
Pronouns: He, Him, His
Gus Hernandez
Senior Director of
Communications and Marketing
Pronouns: he, him, his
Ian Johnson
Senior Director
of Development
Pronouns: he, him, his
Alex Ordoubegian
Senior Director of
Facility Operations
Pronouns: he, him, his
Jacqueline Palmer
Senior Director of Executive Planning & Project Management
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Managers and Directors
Camden Aguilera
Youth Services Manager, HYC
She, They
Akemi Bonner
IT Director
She, Her, Hers
NATHAN BURNS
GRANTS MANAGER
He, Him, His
Leo Cartier Jr.
Individual Giving Officer
He, Him, His
Jason Cuneo
Senior Services Program Manager
He, Him, His
Jessica Diaz
Senior Manager of Welcome Services
She, her, hers
Ricardo Gallego
Director of Latin@x Services
He, Him, His, Él
Angel Gonzalez
Director of Youth Housing Services
He, Him, His
PAMUELA HALLIWELL
Assistant Director of Behavioral Health Services
She, Her, Hers
Carter Hantula
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR of QUALITY ASSURANCe
They, Them
Oscar Humberto-Gomez
Director of Community Programs
He, Him, His
Delio Ladron de Guevara
Sexual Health and Wellness Manager
He, Him, His
Bill Van Le
Training & Community Education Manager
All Pronouns
Daivon Lloyd
People & Culture Manager
He, Him, His
Megan Meek
Senior Manager, Development & Marketing
She, Her, Hers
Sarah Merk-Benitez
Director of Services Integration
She, her, hers
Luis Montero-Adams
Director of Engage San Diego
He, Him, His
Kenyatta Parker
DIRECTOR OF SEXUAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS
She, her, hers
Kimi Rahmaan
Black Services Program Manager
They, She
Vaughn Rainwater
Major Gifts
Officer
He, HIm, His
Celya Robles
DIRECTOR OF ADULT HOUSING SERVICES
She, Her, Hers
Ashley Thomas
Youth Housing Services Manager
She, Her, Hers
Jose Tinoco
Director of Youth and Family Services
He, Him, His
David Vance
Senior Manager of advocacy & civic engagement
They, Them
Bliss Vasquez
Transgender and Nonbinary Services Program Manager
they/them/él/friend
Dustin Walker
Clinical Quality ManageR
He, Him, His
CENTER STAFF
Camden Aguilera
Carolina Alcoser Ramos
Hannah Anew
Akemi Bonner
Krystal Bradford
Ben Breunig
Dr. Kurt Buis, Counselor Emeritus
Nathan Burns
Alejandro Caballero
Mel Cabardo
Eva Callahan
Lee Carmack
Steve Carroll
Leo Cartier Jr.
Castro
Sarah Cook
Raphael Craan
Jason Cuneo
Beth Davenport
Alisandra Del Nero
Cara Dessert
Jessica Diaz
Serenity Ehman
Juan Esparza
Victor Esquivel
Sol S. Faraway
Ian Foster
Kim Fountain
Jesse Frost
Ricardo Gallego
Angel Gonzalez
Santi Gonzalez
Malek Guerbaoui
Gera Gurrola Jr.
Jen Haase
Pamuela Halliwell
Matt Hammond
Carter Hantula
Brenda Hernandez
Cristina Hernandez
Gus Hernandez
Jacqueline Hernandez
Miguel Hernandez
Charlie Huettner
Oscar Humberto-Gomez
Josue Jimenez
Ian Johnson
Jaylen Jones
Stevie Juarez
Jessica Kuang
Delio Ladron De Guevara
Bill Van Le
Daivon Lloyd
Julian Lopez
Abeni Magee
Alissa Mancilla
Megan Meek
Esperanza Mendez
Sarah Merk-Benitez
Noah Mixon
Rio Moncado
Alicia Montellanos
Luis Montero-Adams
Kianna Moody
Aaron Ngan
Alex Ordoubegian
Jacqueline Palmer
Kenyatta Parker
Erika Peralta
Brian Raburn
Kimi Rahmaan
Vaughn Rainwater
Estevan Ramirez
Annette Ramos
Matt Reents
Melisa Reyes
Angela Reyes
Dalia Rivera
Celya Robles
Jesus Sanchez
Joseph Severino
Bloom Stromberg
Isaac Snyder
Victoria Sulak
RJ Tellames
Ashley Thomas
Jose Tinoco
Richard Truong
L Tuiletufuga
Gabs Urquia
David Vance
Bliss Vasquez
Olivia Vasquez
Alex Vo
Dustin Walker
Shaila Zamora