Office of the Chief Operating Officer

We wholeheartedly believe you can, and deserve, to be happy. StaySmilinLife is here to empower you and help you take control of your life and choose happiness. Live a life where you understand why and how the choices you make impact your happiness. Now, let’s get to gettin’ happy together =)

Get Empowered Today (GET) is focused on assisting young adults who have little to no social support systems in the often turbulent process of transitioning to adulthood. GET's mission is to empower low-income young adults transitioning into adulthood to achieve their dreams and strengthen their communities. Our vision is to foster grassroots community reinvestment, where young adults revitalize their communities as leaders, scholars and investors. GET was created using the Consensus Organizing Model; focusing on developing areas of mutual self-interest between community stakeholders. After eliciting Young Adults' opinions of what they believe they need to become successfully transition into adulthood, and the most effective method of instruction, GET and Young Adults developed a hands-on and experiential learning curriculum that utilizes invested Community Partners as a way of imparting relevant information while building lasting adult relationships in the lives of Young Adults. Participants will pursue post-secondary education (vocational, community college, and four year universities), employment, become financially savvy, make healthier choices, and build meaningful relationships. GET Graduates will play a vital role in long term generational empowerment by re-engaging their communities as capable and independent adults who share their learned skills and earned experiences intergenerationally with their families as part of an organic growth model. Reciprocity between Young Adults and their Communities is GET’s ultimate focus, which can only be achieved through mutual investment between the two. GET recognizes there is a disconnect between the businesses in the community and it's residents, and GET seeks to bridge the gap and foster a positive relationship which will increase social capital and revitalize communities.www.getempoweredtoday.org

Provide clinical supervision to over 30 ASWs, AMFTs, and APCCs working with children and families in the foster care system. Run a weekly clinical supervision group and align with Program Managers for case consultations.

We are a team of culturally affirming mental health providers who have come together through shared common values, life philosophies, and the need to create an alternative and creative approach to therapy. Our values and philosophies were born and defined from our work in the following settings: home-based and community-based treatment, community outreach, advocacy, mentorship, teaching at community college and university settings, public speaking, and traditional talk therapy. Our experiences have culminated into our belief of the importance, and necessity, of challenging ourselves to have courage over comfort in order to live healthy and happy lives. Our aim at Courage Over Comfort Counseling is to empower our clients to step outside of their comfort zone and into their true greatness, and this… takes courage.

Empowering people through coffee and changing the way help happens. I strive to infuse for-profit and non-profit models to create revenue generating and sustainable community driven businesses.

The RISE Urban Leadership Fellows Program engages selected leaders with demonstrated capacity to bring impact and change to urban neighborhoods. RISE Fellows are offered the next phase of their development and training, enabling them to lead more effectively in the face of the complex, contentious, and seemingly intractable challenges present in their communities.

ConnectAll @ The Jacobs Center is the 1st business accelerator program in Southeastern San Diego. A 6-month program packed with training, workshops, and mentorship to encourage job creation in 23 new or small businesses.

Startup Leadership Program is a highly selective 6-month program where aspiring entrepreneurs go through a rigorous training exercise all the way from ideation to launching their startups. Leading entrepreneurs, VC's, Angels and local industry executives participate in the program as mentors, speakers and judges for various events. I am fortunate to be part of the 2016-2017 cohort.

Quality Moments LLC provides high quality visitation monitoring and exchange services to families from all walks of life. Our goal is to ensure parents and children have consistent, age appropriate, and healthy visitation that will strengthen the parent/child bond to create positive long-lasting relationships. Quality Moments values professionalism, integrity, honesty, and child safety and well-being above all else. Parents can be confident their children are experiencing safe, fun, healthy and stress-free visits.www.qualitymomentsllc.com

Working with young people 16-24 seeking to obtain their high school diploma. Tasked with recruiting, registering, and ensuring students have what they need to succeed and obtain their high school diploma.

Participated in the creation, development, and launching of the 3VO Supplement Dispenser and 3VO Products.com. Managed the accounting and logistics. Assisted with marketing and business development.

Continually assess families for risk and safety concerns.Investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect through unbiased interviews of parents, children, and collateral contacts. Perform face to face contacts with parents, children, caregivers, and service providers to gather information to best reflect the family situation. Provide case management services to reunify the children with their parents or find the best placement for children. Maintain thorough written documentation and make written and verbal recommendations to juvenile court and other service providers. Collaborate with service providers such as: police, medical staff, teachers, mental health providers, and attorneys, to advocate for client needs while developing relationships to keep a pulse on the community.Community Outreach Worker Created and piloted the Community Outreach Worker Position in order to improve the Agency’s relationship with the community, increase the utilization of resources within the community, provide trainings, improve relationships with schools, and develop a community safety network to prevent removals and keep children and parents connected to their neighborhoods.Participated in Health Promotions community outreach events: linked families with Agency and community resources. Quality Parenting Initiative - Public Relations steering committee member: helped develop and implement strategies to create materials, engage staff and community members, and roll out the initiative. Field InstructorProvide MSW students a rich internship experience to promote the development of professional skills and competencies via case management, family engagement, and macro project experiences.Supervise and process with interns on a weekly basis to ensure they are using critical thinking skills, utilizing appropriate theories and tools, and maintaining boundaries while working with the families and service providers.

AmeriCorps position.

* Assisted Counter-Trafficking in Humans and Migration Management Programs.* Publicized IOM’s activities through the development of success stories, promotional materials and information packages through close inter-programmatic cooperation.* Researched current world-related information, editorials and data for IOM’s programs.