Board and Staff
About the President
Our Board of Directors
FUTURES Staff
Anisa Ali
Program Specialist, Health
As Program Specialist at FUTURES, Anisa develops educational materials and provides technical assistance on state and national programs of health care and domestic violence partnerships. Prior to her work at FUTURES, Anisa worked and interned for women’s rights organizations, served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Madison, WI, and taught English as a Fulbright scholar in Turkey. Anisa earned her MA in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her undergraduate degrees in International Studies and Spanish from Virginia Tech. Anisa has been a figure skater since childhood and is also now an avid knitter and sewer, selling her crafts on Etsy.
Juan Carlos Areán
Program Director, Children & Youth Program
Juan Carlos’ areas of expertise include engaging men to end violence, working with DV offenders, the intersection of fatherhood and DV, cultural approaches to end violence, facilitation, and curriculum writing. He was previously the Director of the National Latino Network at Casa de Esperanza and the Sexual Assault Prevention Specialist at Harvard University. Juan Carlos is an active trainer who has led hundreds of workshops and presentations throughout the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean, as well as in Europe and Asia. A person of many interests, he is an ordained interfaith minister and holds a master’s degree in music composition.
Mónica Arenas
Senior Program Specialist, Social Justice & Legal Programs
Mónica Arenas is a Senior Program Specialist at Futures Without Violence, working on the Rights and Social Justice Project and Legal Program. Ms. Arenas has participated in the development and implementation of training programs, as well as technical assistance on human trafficking and organizational sustainability of programs working with underserved communities. She organizes trainings on immigrant women leadership development and works to build collaboration to assist adult victims of human trafficking. She also helped in the production of the Latina leadership manual “Breaking the Silence: Training Manual for Activists, Advocates, and Latina Organizers.”
Eesha Bhave
Program Specialist, Legal Programs
Eesha organizes and provides technical assistance and trainings to build capacity of direct-service providers and stakeholders in the domestic violence and sexual assault community. She comes to FUTURES with a deep passion for achieving social justice through public service. In her downtime, you’ll catch her doing lots of yoga and organizing in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community.
Sarah Gonzalez Bocinski
Program Manager, Economic Justice and Workforce Initiatives
Sarah works on FUTURES’ initiatives relating to economic justice and security, safety and gender equity in the workplace, and improving access to quality employment opportunities for survivors of trafficking and gender-based violence. Prior to joining FUTURES, she oversaw the Economic Security for Survivors Project, a national training, technical assistance, and research project at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and Wider Opportunities for Women. Sarah received her BA from Colgate University and MPP from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.
Collin Shea Casey
Grants & Compliance Administrator
Collin Shea Casey is the Grants & Compliance Administrator at Futures Without Violence and has been with the agency for over 20 years. Collin has 28 years of experience working in the finance, administration, and management of not-for-profits, and she is currently responsible for grants (both federal and private) and contracts administration. Prior to coming to FUTURES, Collin was the Director of Finance for Marin AIDS Project, a community-based not-for-profit.
Guadalupe Ceja
Receptionist / Administrative Assistant
Janice Cheung
Accounting Manager
Janice Cheung is the Accounting Manager for Futures Without Violence. She has working knowledge of FASB and A-133 rules, and a bachelor’s degree in Finance with a minor in Banking. Janice is responsible for the supervision of approved accounting practices and the provision of accurate and timely monthly financial information. She’s also responsible for the management of monthly recurring journal entries and month-end account reconciliations, as well as processing payroll and the preparation of all external reporting requirements pertaining to the administration of payroll.
Patrice Cochran
Controller
Andrew Cohn
Accounting Associate
Kyle Coleman
Webmaster
As the webmaster for Futures Without Violence, Kyle builds and manages various web properties, updates for website design and functionality, and makes sure everything is running smoothly. Kyle comes from an agency background where he was the webmaster for a college and managed various nonprofits’ websites. In his spare time he enjoys drawing, painting, object-oriented programming, and scale modeling.
Casey Corcoran
Program Director, Children & Youth Program
Casey Corcoran is a Program Director with the Children & Youth Program and works with grantees, partners, and programs around issues of trauma-informed practices, children’s exposure to violence, college sexual assault, and working with men who have used violence. Casey received his M.A.T. from Trinity College and is a certified batterer/dating violence intervention counselor.
Eleanor Davis
Program Specialist, Public Education Campaigns & Programs
At Futures Without Violence, Eleanor works on initiatives that aim to change the culture around violence against women and children on campuses, in schools, and in communities across the country. Eleanor came to FUTURES with a background in social justice and youth organizing, and has deep roots in the world of theater and arts education. She received her BA from the University of Chicago and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Health at UC Berkeley. Eleanor is also a devoted yogi, an avid musician, a competitive pool player, a proud cat mom, and a self-proclaimed Plant Lady.
Lonna Davis
Director of Children & Youth Program
Lonna Davis, MSW, is the Director of the Children & Youth Program at Futures Without Violence. Lonna brings personal experience as a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, and 30 years of a demonstrated track record on behalf of families who experience violence. Lonna leads a great team that provides support and guidance to communities and systems working to prevent sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse in order to help ALL survivors of violence heal and thrive. When Lonna is not working, you can usually find her 4-wheeling in the dunes of Provincetown, MA.
Elena Dineen
Staff Attorney, Programs
Elena Dineen is a Staff Attorney for Programs at Futures Without Violence. At FUTURES, her work focuses on the workplace impacts of domestic and sexual violence, building collaborative responses to human trafficking, and issues related to the intersection between gender-based violence and immigration. Prior to joining FUTURES, Ms. Dineen was a Directing Attorney at the Salinas office of California Rural Legal Assistance.
Virginia Duplessis
Program Director, Health
Virginia Duplessis, MSW, is a Program Director on the Health team, providing oversight for initiatives to strengthen partnerships between the health care and domestic violence services sector through improvements in clinical practice, organizational policies, and systems change. She brings over 20 years of experience in domestic violence, sexual assault, and public health in direct service and management roles.
Rachael Smith Fals
Senior Vice President, Public Engagement & Corporate Relations
Jess Fournier
Program Assistant, Children & Youth Program
Jess Fournier is thrilled to be part of the FUTURES team as a Program Assistant in the Children & Youth Program in Boston. A graduate of Harvard College with a degree in the Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Jess is passionate about the intersections of state and interpersonal violence, LGBTQ justice, and survivor activism. Jess is also a proud cat parent and Food Network fan.
Mie Fukuda
Senior Program Specialist, Children & Youth Program
Mie Fukuda, Ed.M., is a Senior Program Specialist on the Children & Youth team. She provides technical assistance to domestic violence programs and implements initiatives focused on supporting child and adult survivors of domestic violence. Before working at FUTURES, Mie was a children’s advocate at the Asian Women’s Shelter. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Education in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Mie loves all things pickled and is a proud cat aunt to Lily @catofyourdreams.
Yesenia Gorbea
Senior Program Specialist, Public Education Campaigns & Programs
As the Senior Program Specialist on the Public Education Campaigns & Programs team, Yesenia works on developing national violence prevention campaigns that engage a variety of audiences including youth, men and boys, educators, and coaches. Yesenia’s expertise lies in creating programming that deepens public engagement, harnessing the power of campaign messaging and momentum into sustainable social norm change. Prior to FUTURES, Yesenia worked at the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP), where she provided crisis intervention, counseling, and advocacy services to LGBTQH survivors. Yesenia received her master’s degree in Social Work at New York University and her BA from Simon’s Rock College of Bard.
Mindy Iwanaka
Manager, Public Engagement & Corporate Relations
Lisa James
Director of Health
Lisa James is Director of Health at Futures Without Violence. As part of a National Health Initiative on Domestic Violence, Ms. James has collaborated with health care providers, domestic violence experts, and health policymakers in over 25 states across the U.S. to develop statewide health care responses to domestic violence through training, health policy reform, and public education. She collaborates with national medical and nursing associations to enact effective health policy and programmatic health care responses to abuse and was the recipient of the American Medical Associations’ Citation for Distinguished Service for her efforts to train health care providers on domestic violence. Ms. James coordinates the biennial National Conference on Health Care and Domestic Violence. During her 20 years Futures without Violence, Ms. James has also worked with the international program, collaborating with leaders from non-governmental and health care organizations in Russia, Mexico, India, and China to build the capacity of health systems, providers, and community members to identify and help victims in reproductive health settings. She is the mother of two and lives in Berkeley, CA.
Leiana Kinnicutt
Program Director, Children & Youth Program
Leiana Kinnicutt, MSW, joined Futures Without Violence in 2003 and is currently a Program Director in the Children & Youth department. Leiana partners with states, communities, and organizations to prevent violence and improve responses to adult and child survivors of violence. She received her BA in Sociology and English from Bowdoin College and her master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Simmons College with a focus on child and adolescent trauma. She has a lively toddler and a sweetheart chiweenie at home, both of whom she loves dearly.
Sara Kriksciun
Chief Development Officer
Minjung Kwok
Chief Operating & Financial Officer
Minjung Kwok is the Chief Operating and Finance Officer at Futures Without Violence. Formerly, Ms. Kwok served as Associate Chair for Program Development and Strategic Planning in the Stanford Department of Medicine, coordinating program priorities, achieving integration across the diverse mission and divisions in the department, and providing oversight of an array of activities to strengthen primary care practice and education. Prior to that, Ms. Kwok served as Director of Administration for Stanford Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research and Center for Health Policy, and Director of Operations at Harvard University Office of Sponsored Programs. Ms. Kwok’s community services include Commission for Housing and Human Services for the City of Sunnyvale, founding member of Coe Park Preservation Fund to protect Henry W. Coe State Park, Human Rights Committee for Vinfen Corporation, and an Educational Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Education.
Debbie Lee
Senior Vice President, Health
Mariana Lopez
Project Assistant, Children & Youth Program
As Project Assistant in the Children & Youth Program, Mariana supports projects that focus on the impact of trauma and abuse in children and families. Working with an incredible team of passionate leaders exploring the intersection between domestic violence and child welfare, Mariana is eagerly learning about the many social, cultural, health, and systems frameworks that influence trauma and abuse in families. Previously Mariana worked in a community mental health center for Latinos, and saw the impact of substance use and untreated mental illness in families.
Anna Marjavi
Program Director, Health
Leila Milani
Senior International Policy Advocate
Leila Rassekh Milani, JD, MA, is Senior International Policy Advocate for Futures Without Violence, where she leads our work on global violence prevention, with a focus on women and children. In this capacity, she is instrumental in developing innovative policy solutions, driving advocacy efforts, and influencing the agendas of national coalitions such as Girls Not Brides; Coalition for Adolescent Girls; the US Civil Society Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security; Alliance To End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST); the End Violence Against Children Task Force; and the Coalition to End Violence Against Women and Girls Globally, for which she serves on the executive committee. Milani also serves on the board of directors of Soccer Without Borders, which aims to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change, providing underserved youth in the U.S. and overseas with the tools to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion, and personal success. Milani is a lawyer and human rights advocate with special expertise in women’s rights, religious freedom, and conditions in Iran. She earned her JD from Wake Forest University, an MA from the University of Virginia Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and a BS from Auburn University.
Shoky Monfared
Senior Development Associate/ Database Manager
Shoky is an experienced database manager and senior development professional and has a diverse skill set with experience in the corporate, start-up, and non-profit sectors. She has an MBA and an undergraduate degree in International Relations with a minor in Spanish from University of California, Davis. Shoky speaks three languages and is a passionate and committed member of the team at FUTURES.
Brian O’Connor
Director of Public Education Campaigns & Programs
A former marketer of global brands, Brian O’Connor began his career in advertising before shifting to journalism where he was a reporter in New York City. He is now the Director of Public Education Campaigns and Programs at Futures Without Violence, where he uses his communications know-how to craft national and international violence prevention campaigns that have been locally adapted in over 75 communities around the world. Brian holds a bachelor’s from Georgetown and a master’s from Columbia University. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and former chairman of the board of Root Division, an arts education non-profit in San Francisco where he lives.
Aaron Polkey
Staff Attorney, Outreach & Engagement
Aaron focuses on FUTURES’ workplace safety and judicial education initiatives. He has developed curricula and trained individuals from varied disciplines, including public and private employers and workers, judges, advocates, and professional athletes. Prior to joining FUTURES, Aaron served as an Attorney Advisor with the D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate, where he fought for affordable and safe housing. Aaron also advocated for equal voting rights with a national nonprofit, and practiced trial law with a prominent firm that specializes in civil rights matters. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Linda A. Seabrook
General Counsel & Director of Legal Programs
Linda leads a number of initiatives for FUTURES, including the Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence: A National Resource Center (Workplaces Respond). She has extensive experience in litigating employment discrimination and sexual harassment cases, as well as occupational safety and health matters. She received her BA from the University of Virginia and obtained her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Lisa Sohn
Program Director, Health
Lisa Sohn is a Program Director on Futures Without Violence’s Health team. In her work, she focuses on developing prevention programs and providing technical assistance particularly related to early adolescence and middle school-age youth. Contributing to FUTURES’ work on childhood exposure to violence and trauma, Lisa has developed field-building convenings, trainings, strategic partnerships, and a national social awareness-raising campaign, “Changing Minds.” She also directs the Campus Leadership Program, a fellowship for graduate-level students in health-related fields of study who are working to prevent sexual violence on college campuses through policy, curriculum, and social norms changes.
Kiersten Stewart
Director of Public Policy & Advocacy
Shellie Taggart
Project Director, Children & Youth Program
Shellie Taggart is the Project Director for the Quality Improvement Center on Domestic Violence in Child Welfare. She has been working at the intersection of child welfare and domestic violence for almost 20 years as a practitioner, consultant, and trainer. In her spare time, Shellie strategizes about how to get her grandchildren to put down their electronics and engage with the world.
Tracy Tierney
Communications & Social Media Manager
Tracy spends her days telling the Futures Without Violence story through tweets, emails, Instagram posts, blogs, web content, and video, to name a few. She joined the Communications team after numerous years in public relations, in both the private and public sectors, and enjoys putting her writing skills to use for an organization whose mission aligns so closely with her values.
Kate Vander Tuig
Senior Program Specialist, Health
Working as an advocate and community educator for over a decade, Kate believes that strong and connected communities hold the answers to healing from and preventing violence. As the Senior Health Program Specialist, Kate is responsible for resource development and technical assistance, and helps to coordinate the National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence. Kate is pursuing a MPH at Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow. She is interested in community-based policies and programs that support survivors and the connection of health and relationships throughout the lifespan. She holds a BA from the University of Michigan.
Violet Webber
IT/AV Technician
Violet is a technology educator with a passion for social change. Being the connecting factor between this amazing new world of technical possibility and a domestic violence prevention organization is a dream come true. Using technology can be easy, simple, and fun! …or at least that is Violet’s goal to help make that a reality for everyone.
Jennifer L. White
Program Director for Curriculum Development & Program Design
Jennifer L. White, JD, is the Program Director for Curriculum Development & Program Design at Futures Without Violence. She manages the Institute for Leadership in Education Development (I-LED) and the Supporting Organizational Sustainability to Address Violence Against Women Institute (SOS). In addition, she provides technical assistance and training on instructional design and facilitation skills for various projects within FUTURES and for outside organizations. Ms. White has been an educator in the field of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking since 2002. Prior to joining Futures Without Violence, she worked with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Washington, D.C. office of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
