Biographies

2005 TCWF Sabbatical Honoree Bios

Shannon Rose Chavez

Shannon Rose Chavez has served as the executive director of the North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center in Lompoc since 1983. Located in North Santa Barbara County, the organization provides immediate intervention and support services for survivors of sexual assault or child abuse and their significant others, in addition to education and prevention services. Chavez was instrumental in merging the Center with a local child abuse prevention agency, to create more comprehensive crisis intervention and violence prevention services, and in opening a second office in Santa Maria to better serve that community. She holds a master’s degree in education (counseling and guidance) and a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, both from California Polytechnic State University.

Shirley J. Cole

Shirley J. Cole has been the executive director of North County Lifeline, Inc. in Vista for more than 20 years. Founded in 1969, North County Lifeline, Inc. is a nonprofit human services organization that offers a wide range of services to residents of North San Diego County, including family development and transitional housing, counseling and mental health, dispute resolution and legal advice, youth delinquency prevention and after-school programs, and transportation for ADA-certified individuals. Cole has a bachelor’s degree in business management from University of Redlands and is a trained mediator.

Cherry L. Houston

Cherry L. Houston founded Critical Learning Systems, Inc. in 1990 to help prevent disease and improve health and the quality of life in communities of color, specifically African American communities. Seven years ago, the organization moved from Los Angeles to Alta Loma, to increase the quality, availability and effectiveness of community-based health education programs in the Inland Empire. In particular, the organization addresses the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the African American community by working to increase the number and capacity of prevention and education providers through collaborations and partnerships. A registered nurse, Houston holds a doctorate in health care administration from University of LaSalle, a master's degree in public health from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor's degree in nursing and special education, from the University of Michigan and Highland Park College of Nursing.

Camille Schraeder

Camille Schraeder is the founder and executive director of Redwood Children’s Services, Inc. in Ukiah. Founded in 1995, the nonprofit and nonsectarian agency provides specialized care and programs for foster children and their families in Mendocino and Lake Counties. Services include support systems for foster parents, group homes for severely emotionally disturbed foster youth, transitional housing placement and children’s therapeutic services. Schraeder has a master’s degree in psychology from Sonoma State University and a bachelor’s degree in organizational behavior from the University of San Francisco.

April Y. Silas

April Y. Silas is a longtime advocate for at-risk children, youth and families. For the past 12 years, she has been executive director of Homeless Children’s Network in San Francisco. The nonprofit mental health agency is San Francisco’s largest citywide collaborative of homeless service providers. Silas brings to this work strong leadership and clinical skills, coupled with a passion for people and social justice. She is a visionary, a community leader and a dynamic speaker on issues related to poverty, homelessness, race and spirituality. Silas holds a juris doctor degree from UC Hastings College of the Law, a master’s degree in psychology from New College of California, a master’s degree in political science from San Jose State University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and political science from Rutgers University.

Diane Sommers

Diane Sommers has worked with Suicide Prevention of Yolo County for nearly 20 years. She has served as executive director since 1990. The organization provides crisis intervention, prevention and education services to the residents of Yolo County, including an unduplicated 24-hour suicide prevention crisis line that has been in operation for 40 years. Under Sommers’ leadership, the ASK 24-hour teen hotline and a school safety and violence reporting hotline were developed. Additional services include a mobile crisis response team, who respond after-hours to all psychiatric emergencies, and the "Choose Life" adolescent program, which provides a broad array of services to children at risk of truancy, abuse or other crisis situations. Sommers’ memberships include the program restructuring committee of Yolo County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services. the leadership council of the Woodland United Way and the executive committee of the United Way Executive Association.

Lue N. Yang

Lue N. Yang has served as executive director of Fresno Center for New Americans since 1993. It was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1991, to respond to the growing needs of Southeast Asians in Fresno County. Services, including beginning English classes, cultural orientation, family strengthening and health access education, are now also offered to refugees from other parts of the world, including the former Soviet Union. In addition, the center pursues research and advocacy, and networking and partnerships with civic leaders to build a healthier and more cohesive community. Yang’s community involvements have included the Fresno County Local Child Care Planning Council and the HIV planning council of Sierra Community Medical Center. He has served as chairperson of Central California Forum on Refugee Affairs, family advisor for Valley Children’s Hospital and a board member of Central Valley Regional Center, Inc.

Richard Zaldivar

Richard Zaldivar is executive director of The Wall–Las Memorias Project, an HIV/AIDS prevention organization based in Northeast Los Angeles. He founded the organization in 1993 to construct a monument to those who have died from AIDS as a way of addressing the cultural denial, guilt and shame that contribute to HIV/AIDS. The Wall–¬¬¬Las Memorias is the first publicly funded AIDS monument in the nation. It consists of six mural panels depicting life with AIDS in the Latino community and two panels with inscribed names of people who have died from complications of AIDS. Additionally, the project offers HIV prevention programs, capacity-building training for the faith-based community, leadership training and grassroots community organizing. Zaldivar has served as co-chair of the Los Angeles AIDS Prevention Committee and has been a member of the National Community Planning Prevention Summit and the Technical Advisory Committee of YMSM Research Project.