Rudy works closely with the Executive Director to guide the engagement & development of our nationwide community of Windows Facilitators and program partners of AWBW's trauma-informed arts programming. Before making his way to AWBW, Rudy was a trained AWBW Program Facilitator at Women's and Children's Crisis Shelter, an emergency domestic violence shelter in Los Angeles County. While there, Rudy coordinated workshops and regularly contributed to AWBW's expanding curriculum. Rudy holds a BA in Liberal Studies and an MA in Education Curriculum and Instruction from California State University, Long Beach.

Kate provides a wide range of marketing and communications support for AWBW. Prior to joining AWBW, she worked in the finance and legal industries, while volunteering with various social justice nonprofits in Minnesota. Kate holds a BA with a double major in Psychology and Sociology, with a minor in Art Studies - Ceramics focus. She is an avid long distance hiker, backpacker, and runner. In her free time you can find her running on local trails, cooking a fun new recipe, or planning a new adventure.

As part of the Training and Outreach department, Kat supports the building of our network of program partners. She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from New World School For the Arts and considers herself a lifelong student and enthusiast of the ‘art of being human’. Her performance training and art studies sparked a specific interest in the useful and unique role that art plays in the development of emotional intelligence. Kat is particularly interested in the exploration of physical and verbal communication, language and storytelling as methods of creating tools that aid in navigating the landscape of emotional health and expression within the context of trauma. Her free time is devoted to reading, photography, hiking, travel, nature, thinking and talking.

Patrick provides a wide range of fundraising, marketing, and strategic support for AWBW. Prior to joining AWBW, he worked with a number of arts organizations across the country, including Washington National Opera, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Washington Ballet, Chicago Children's Theatre, and the Dallas Museum of Art. He is an avid horticulturist, doting cat dad, and Oxford comma enthusiast. He holds a BA in History from Indiana University, Bloomington.

As the Program Assistant, Rachel provides comprehensive facilitator engagement and support for the Windows network of workshop facilitators and their art programs. Before joining AWBW Rachel was a Windows Facilitator at YWCA Greater Lafayette of Indiana, where she started the art program for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Rachel has facilitated workshops through A Window Between Worlds, SoulCollage®, and Inside Out Arts. She holds an MFA in Poetry from Purdue University and art therapy certificate coursework from Indiana University--Purdue University Indianapolis. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Cathy Salser is a durational artist and Founder of A Window Between Worlds with over 30 years of experience
developing interactive art-based journeys that invite brave space for disrupting and divesting from legacies of trauma.

Recognizing that at the heart of both individual and social change, we are called to crystalize our leadership in the face of challenge, sustain action over time, and replace isolation with community, Cathy has fostered a collective space for 30 years that invites us to innovate art practices that meet these needs.
With Cathy’s guidance, AWBW began as an interactive art journey and to this day, functions as a circle of co-creation, honoring each partner, facilitator and participant as a unique innovator of art-based transformative processes that anchor change on a range of levels, from cellular to systemic.

As Strategic Vision and Partnership Advisor, Cathy currently supports AWBW’s art-based collective visioning practices, nurtures key external relationships and mentors AWBW staff to thoughtfully and sustainably evolve our work. Key priorities include building organizational capacity to field sector-based investments and developing connective technology that can power integrated, systemic community-based initiatives.

Cathy has been nationally recognized for her work using art as a healing tool for domestic violence survivors, and has been honored with the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award, the Bank of America Local Heroes Award, the President’s Award from the Women’s Caucus for Art, the Betty Fisher Award from the LA Domestic Violence Council, and the Karen Cooper Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence.

Zachery joined AWBW as a seasoned nonprofit executive, having spent more than 15 years in leadership positions within social service organizations. Since his time as a Peace Corps Health Volunteer in Mozambique, Zachery has followed his passion towards supporting and advocating for vulnerable populations. He has enjoyed Director and Vice President positions with several Los Angeles nonprofits serving victims of child abuse as well as foster and homeless youth, most recently with The Village Family Services and prior to that, Violence Intervention Program.

An avid lover of nature, he believes in the importance of connecting with your surroundings and taking time to disconnect and listen to that "inner voice" within. Zachery is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and lives in Los Angeles with his husband, Lior, and their dog, Henry.

Christy leads AWBW's outreach efforts to potential program partners across the country, as well as the promotion, coordination, and facilitation of all Windows training offerings. Christy began her work with AWBW as a trained Program Facilitator with the Windows Program at YWCA-WINGS in West Covina, working with children and adult survivors of domestic violence as part of their Outreach and Shelter Programs. Christy has facilitated groups with incarcerated survivors of domestic violence, as well as with celebrities dealing with substance abuse on VH1 Celebrity Rehab. She holds a BA in Psychology from California State University, Fullerton.

As the Curriculum Specialist, Carla develops and designs comprehensive workshops, worksheets, and resources for our AWBW Facilitators and Community of Practice. Carla attended California State University Long Beach for her undergraduate psychology degree and obtained her master's degree in counseling at California State University Fullerton. Carla has prior experience working as an AWBW Facilitator, therapist trainee, outreach and youth client advocate at a domestic violence agency, and an educator. Carla is passionate about working with youth and adolescents and uplifting the voices of BIPOC folxs through art and creativity.

Sherisa is an innovative creator of evidenced informed holistic treatment modalities for PTSD who prioritizes joy, resiliency and playfulness as a way of life. With a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from San Jose State University and licensed as a marriage and family therapist in California, Ms. Dahlgren holds specific expertise in integrating arts and holistic modalities into the healing of primary and secondary trauma. Most recently she co-created with Georgetown University a residential retreat treatment program for chronic post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found effective in a double blind clinical trial. She has built her professional career with a strong focus on somatic therapies, including yoga, breathing, mindfulness and movement, as well as applying these techniques to strengthen naturally existing, healthy resiliency skills in children and adults.

Through her consulting firm, Inherent Wellbeing, Sherisa provides experiential trainings for organizations on wellness strategies to address vicarious trauma, serves as interim executive capacity for organizations in transition, designs and implements resiliency based clinical approaches to PTSD and creates sustainable work practices in under-resourced environments. Sherisa’s mission is to create change that promotes global service while living life from a place of true joy.

Chase Uribe presently serves as an HR Consultant, Recruiter and DEI Consultant with Loma Linda Staffing supporting organizations nationwide with HR Consulting, recruiting and staffing and advancing initiatives of DEI that aim to advance inclusion, increase a sense of belonging and cultivate trauma informed care principles in the workplace. Chase Uribe has previously worked with a municipality, joint powers authority, federally qualified health center and consulting and executive search firm.

He additionally presently serves as a Therapist and Social Worker with TheraCare Wellness where he supports people and communities heal, recover and achieve wellness by creating an affirming and safe space to address trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, posttraumatic stress and more.

Chase Uribe has served as a Board Member with Inland Empire Society for Human Resource Management and has maintained membership with Professionals in Human Resource Association, Society for Human Resource Management, CalChamber, American Staffing Association and National Association of Social Workers. He has completed a Master of Social Work degree from New Mexico State University, Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management from La Sierra University and possesses an Associate Clinical Social Worker license from the Board of Behavioral Sciences.

Shelley brings nearly 10 years of collective fundraising and sales experience to her AWBW board service. She currently works as the Senior Philanthropy Advisor at Liberty Hill, a social justice foundation, which funds grassroots organizing in Los Angeles. There, she manages a portfolio of major donors and donor advised fund holders, both fundraising and advising around their social justice giving to and beyond the foundation. Previously, she most recently worked as the Major Gifts Officer at Equality California, where she fundraised for LGBTQ civil rights at the local, statewide and national level. As an Independent Insurance Broker, Shelley worked with families and seniors to provide protection through life, disability, and Medicare products, while creating partnerships with local pharmacies, senior centers, and organizations, to offer educational and advisory services to community members.

Across sectors, Shelley’s career has continuously centered advising and building key relationships and partnerships. She deeply values the human connections that uplift social justice, as we strive together to create a more just future.

Shelley has a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Mills College and is currently a graduate school candidate at California State University, Northridge in their Masters of Public Administration and Non-profit Management program.

"For me, AWBW is Opportunity, Transformation, & Connection."

Yvonne has been involved with AWBW since 2010 as a volunteer, event host, advisory board member, finance committee member and personnel committee member and trained facilitator. As she watched AWBW grow and evolve through the years of her involvement, she is excited to join the Board of Directors to further AWBW's mission. Yvonne has spent the better part of her professional career in banking and consulting for tech companies in Asia and the United States. She earned her BA from Tufts University and MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.

"For me, AWBW is Transformation, Impact, & Sharing."

Stacia is a graduate of the Riordan Leadership Institute and joined the board of AWBW in 2017. Proud mother to a transgender daughter, she advocates for LGBTQ rights, particularly at the intersect with Asian American Pacific Islander populations. As a trained facilitator with AWBW, she has witnessed first-hand how much creating art can heal. Professionally, she serves The Capital Group Companies as a Senior Business Analyst.

"For me, AWBW is Personal Transformation, Leading Transformation, & Transforming towards a more sustainable future."

Richard Crowe has over 25 years of experience in the Accounting and Financial arenas. After graduating from Florida A & M University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting and Finance and passing the Certified Public Account examination, Richard began working for Chase Bank as a finance specialist evaluating complex loan transactions in overseas markets. After a multi-year stint at Chase, he then earned a Master’s in Finance from the prestigious University of Chicago. After the University of Chicago, Richard moved to Los Angeles and worked several years in finance in the entertainment space at both Twentieth Century Fox and The Post Group. Richard then joined Columbia College Hollywood in 2003 as Chief Financial and Operating Officer when the school’s enrollment was at an all-time low. Richard was instrumental in turning around the college and increasing its enrollment to record levels. Richard is currently VP of Finance/CFO at Advancing Justice Los Angeles, a civic and social services nonprofit in Los Angeles.

"For me, AWBW is Impact, Transformation, Joy, & Acceptance."

Sunny has been involved with AWBW since 2004 in various roles, including a trained facilitator. She witnessed firsthand how this safe, non-judgmental “Window of Time” empowered and healed participants, even across the language barrier. As a survivor of childhood violence, her interests and commitment have always been in serving organizations that are dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through building hope, resilience, and long-term social change. She is a Management Analyst for the City of Los Angeles.

La Shonda was trained as an AWBW art workshop facilitator in 2016 and is currently the co-chair of our Advisory Board.

An award winning international speaker and educator, she serves as an administrator within Pepperdine University. In addition to overseeing the University’s response and prevention of sexual violence and sex-based discrimination, La Shonda provides leadership and supervision for the Health, Wellness and Resilience departments and leads the University’s Student Care Team.

She earned her Master of Social Work degree at the University of Southern California with a concentration in Community Organization, Planning and Administration. She advanced in her clinical career to earn her state license as a social worker and established a private practice where she has worked tirelessly to empower communities and individuals to prevent violence and foster healing for those that have been impacted by interpersonal violence and racialized trauma. In her practice, La Shonda has developed an expertise in the areas of somatic based therapeutic healing and interpersonal violence prevention. She is the Founder of Trauma & Healing In Colour (THIC), a program designed to empower people to flourish amidst adversities through education, training and wellness programs.

She cherishes her four beautiful children and loving husband who motivate and inspire her daily.

"For me, AWBW is Impact, Compassion, & Collective Wellness."

LaVette is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Project Jumpstart Inc. a non-profit that provides resources to teen parents, homeless youth and young adults between the ages of 14-20 where we believe in helping others “turn their low into a high”. Her experience prior to joining A Window Between Worlds' Board includes 15+ years in Health Care Financing, Revenue Cycle Management and Policy creation with internal and external partners. She enjoys bowling, reading and traveling in her spare time.

"For me, AWBW is Awareness, Connection, & Community."

Evie Tuft has been involved with AWBW since 2022 as a Board member. She is lead counsel for aerospace and defense at McKinsey & Company and has over 15 years of diverse legal experience advising nonprofits and for-profit companies. Previously, a deputy general counsel at an international NGO in disaster relief and counsel to a nonprofit Federally Funded Research and Development Center in aerospace and defense, she uses her strong regulatory knowledge and risk mitigation acumen to guide teams through complex matters. She brings her passion for helping others in need and building capacity through AWBW’s transformative healing arts program. Evie was recognized as Legal Elite, Nevada Business Magazine, and Rising Star, Mountain States Super Lawyers.

"For me, AWBW is Compassion, Community, & Growth."

Zachery joined AWBW as a seasoned nonprofit executive, having spent more than 15 years in leadership positions within social service organizations. Since his time as a Peace Corps Health Volunteer in Mozambique, Zachery has followed his passion towards supporting and advocating for vulnerable populations. He has enjoyed Director and Vice President positions with several Los Angeles nonprofits serving victims of child abuse as well as foster and homeless youth, most recently with The Village Family Services and prior to that, Violence Intervention Program.

An avid lover of nature, he believes in the importance of connecting with your surroundings and taking time to disconnect and listen to that "inner voice" within. Zachery is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and lives in Los Angeles with his husband, Lior, and their dog, Henry.

"For me, AWBW is Providing Support, Building Community, & Centering Wellness."