Our dedicated staff and board are committed to serving San Francisco's foster youth, ensuring that every child has a voice that's heard.
Open Positions | Staff | Board
Open Positions
Development & Communications Associate
San Francisco CASA does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, marital status, religion (creed), disability, sex, gender identity or expression, citizenship status, national origin, military status, ethnicity and genetic information/predisposition or carrier status and any other classification protected by federal, state and local laws in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all of our directors, advisors, staff, clients, volunteers, invitees, and vendors.
STAFF
Kate Durham, Executive Director
An experienced leader, Kate has worked with Bay Area community-based nonprofits, philanthropy and local government for 30 years. Kate launched her career at Hospitality House’s program for runaway and homeless youth based in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, where she went on to become Executive Director. She then worked at San Francisco's Human Services Agency in Housing and Homeless Programs, where she worked to engage the community around a proposed drop-in center serving the homeless community in the Mission District.Most recently, Kate served as Executive Director for Beyond Emancipation, a multi-service organization serving transition age current and former foster youth in Alameda County. One of her significant achievements at BE was leading the development and integration of a strength-based, trauma-informed, direct services coaching model, created to deliberately reconnect young people with their innate capacities, voice and choice.
Paul Knudsen, Director of Development and Communications
Paul joined SFCASA in early 2013 and manages the Development and Community Engagement team. He has raised more than $45 million in his 32 years of development and marketing work, including positions at Project Open Hand, American Conservatory Theater, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and the San Francisco Education Fund. An avid traveler, Paul has lived in Barcelona, Madrid, and Tokyo. He is always planning his next trip. Paul has a BA in mathematics from Williams College and a Masters of International Marketing from ESMA Escola Universitaria in Barcelona.
Erika Dirkse, Director of Programs
Prior to her appointment as Program Director in 2011, Erika served for three years as a Case Supervisor, focusing her work on supporting volunteers working with adolescents. Erika is particularly interested in supporting older youth in foster care and is a founder of the San Francisco AB12 Local Workgroup. Additional interests include resiliency in foster youth, access to public benefits, and improvements to the bridge between services for juveniles and adults. Outside of SFCASA, Erika is a member of the Program Quality and Compliance Committee at the Lincoln Child Center in Oakland. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and holds doctoral candidacy status in the history of social sciences. Erika is also a committed bike-commuting mom who loves to be outdoors.
Shiko Wanjiku, Director of People and Culture
Shiko is a global citizen and a fierce advocate for children’s rights. She believes in a child’s right to a fulfilling, opportunity and fun filled life. She has worked with various special populations: Commercially Sexually Exploited Minors (CSEC), children diagnosed with Autism, and Foster Youth. She has found tranquility in a child’s ability to imagine a better world. Shiko has adapted that childlike quality of embracing the impossible to continue to advocate for equity and systemic change. She has a passion for compassion, a love for service based leadership and dogs. She is the proud mom of a stubborn but cute Shih Tzu named Sebastian.
Sue Lockyer, Program Manager
Sue is a Bay Area native and joined SFCASA in 2019 as a Case Supervisor, after receiving her master’s degree from San Francisco State University in Communication Studies. During her graduate program, she focused all of her research in human trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable populations. For many years Sue has volunteered serving homeless and exploited women in a safehouse setting, and currently volunteers on the San Francisco Human Trafficking hotline. Understanding the large overlap between systems-involvement and exploitation, Sue is passionate about supporting youth in foster care and the juvenile justice system to reduce vulnerability. She is inspired by CASAs as they selflessly support and advocate for the young people they serve. For fun she hikes, plays with her grumpy dogs, hangs out with her kids, and decorates fabulous cookies.
Esperanza Jacuinde, Program Manager
Esperanza joined SFCASA in 2022 as a Program Manager. A 1st generation Mexican American college graduate, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration. For the last 12 years, she has been honored to work with young adults and youth with unique circumstances, including youth in foster care and probation-involved youth. In 2012, she received a Certificate of Honor from the Board of Supervisors in the City and County of San Francisco for her commitment, dedication, and time spent tutoring incarcerated youth in San Francisco, ensuring they have the educational opportunities needed to succeed. She has worked with ILSP, Youth Guidance Center, and other community-based youth organizations. Esperanza is also a certified Life Coach and is passionate about supporting others to meet their goals.
Jennifer Moya, Engagement Events & Partnerships Manager
Jennifer is from Bogota, Colombia. What started as an exchange program in the US, became her new life 6 years later. She graduated as a psychologist from University Manuela Beltran in Bogota and got a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She has experience in developing and managing projects involving community outreach, and mental health in the workplace. Jennifer is a Certified mediator for civil disputes and a major advocate and contributor for Diversity and Inclusion. She loves growing her indoor plant collection and reading as often as she can.
Maria Vierra, Grants & Contracts Manager
Maria is a Bay Area native who joined SFCASA in 2016, bringing over a decade of grant writing experience and a passion for social justice advocacy to her role. Previously, she served as Grants Manager at Canal Alliance, a multiservice community agency in San Rafael serving low-income immigrants, and at The Marine Mammal Center, a marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, and research center in Sausalito. Maria graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Sociology and a graduate certificate in Technical and Professional Writing. Maria is an avid reader and animal lover who enjoys exploring hiking trails with her dog in her free time.
Eduardo Mayorga, Volunteer Engagement Specialist
Eduardo joined the SFCASA team in September 2022 as the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator. After obtaining their B.A. in Sociology from the University of San Francisco in 2018, he spent his time working with youth in various aspects – from CSEC youth, to youth that have experienced abuse/neglect, to restorative justice work with youth. He has a passion for social justice, creating art, and taking care of plants. In his free time, he can be found skateboarding downtown San Francisco or sketching up his next tattoo.
Diane Posner, Training Specialist
Diane joined the SFCASA team in June 2019 as the Training Specialist. Diane brings her background and passion as a Literacy Specialist for the states of California and Hawaii, as well as international nonprofit organizations dedicated to empowering educators, inspiring students and encouraging leaders with the resources they need to make literacy accessible for all. She is excited to support the CASA volunteers and foster youth in her role as Training Specialist. Diane holds a BA in Middle Eastern Studies and Languages from UC Berkeley and a Master of Science in Education from CSU Eastbay. One of Diane’s favorite opportunities has been her role as a primate caregiver, communicating with and cooking for Koko the Gorilla and her gorilla pal, Ndume.
Janey Kemp, Case Supervisor and Data Specialist
Janey has worked with San Francisco CASA for nine years. They earned their B.A. in Sociology at Loyola University-New Orleans and their M.A. in International Studies at the University of San Francisco. They take pride in their two rescue Yorkies, who annoy everyone but them.
Luna Robledo, Juvenile Justice Specialist
Luna joined SFCASA in 2020 as the Program Assistant and currently occupies the Juvenile Justice Specialist position. She holds a B.A. from George Washington University, where she majored in Political Science, and a minor certification from UC Berkeley in Race and Law. She is particularly passionate about serving cross-over youth, achieving multi-system-coordination, and supporting successful transitions for youth as they exit system involvement and become thriving, independent young adults. She is an avid outdoorswoman and never turns down an opportunity to go backpacking with her rescue kitty.
Theodora Liebhart, TAY Specialist
Theodora, a San Francisco Native, joined SFCASA in July of 2019 as a Case Supervisor. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Anthropology from the California State University, East Bay. She is currently in the process of completing her Master’s degree in Education. She comes to us with 10 plus years of working with youth in the Non-profit sector connecting youth with employment and running a support group for Newcomers. Most recently, she was a special education teacher at a middle school in San Francisco where she co-taught 7th grade math. Theodora’s passion for serving youth and families from her community stems from her family’s professional involvement with the Juvenile Justice Center and Juvenile Probation Department. She is thrilled to now be able to take her background in education to support CASA’s as they advocate for their foster youth. In her spare time, she enjoys doing art with her 6 year old son, going for runs, baking, playing with her dog, and going to the beach.
Melany Romero, Case Supervisor
As a seasoned leader in the non-profit work sector, she has dedicated her life to helping others. She has over a decade of experience working for non-profit organizations that work on making a difference in the lives of underprivileged communities. Some of her work includes working with various organizations that helped girls rescued from sex trafficking. Growing up in the Bay Area, Mel has always had a strong desire to give back to her community, and her work with non-profits has allowed her to do just that. You can find her outside when she’s not at work, on a hike, at the beach, or hanging with friends. She loves traveling, good food, coffee, and the San Fransico Giants!
Leticia Palacios, Senior Case Supervisor
Leticia joined SFCASA in December 2019 as a Case Supervisor. Originally from San Francisco, Leticia holds a B.A from University of California, Santa Barbara in Sociology and Feminist Studies. Leticia’s line of work has focused on Child Development and Early Education services for children 0-5 years. She is eager to support the CASAs and foster youth, while continuing to learn about the impacts of trauma on a child’s development. In her free time, she likes to read, listen to music, watch movies and explore.
Meg Gale, Senior Case Supervisor
Meg is a Bay Area native and joined SFCASA as a Case Supervisor in early 2022. Prior to SFCASA, she worked as a case manager at The Bill Wilson Center in Santa Clara County and at Edgewood Center in San Mateo County. At Bill Wilson, she provided intensive case management and rental subsidy for 22 formerly homeless families including former foster youth. At Edgewood, she worked with 30 Kinship families, helping them to keep their relative children out of the dependency system. She is also an adoptive mom to her now 8 year old son, whom she and her husband adopted at birth from Anchorage, AK. Meg is avid swimmer and hiker and loves to explore the world around her with her husband and two boys.
Siera Brown, Case Management Specialist
Siera is a Bay Area native. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Sacramento State University. She was able to intern with 2 different members of the California State Senate which landed her a job with Senator Glazer’s district office. Working in the district exposed her to a passion for non-profit work in the community. She started working for Aspiranet which is an organization dedicated to providing transitional housing for foster youth. This gave her a perspective on how the foster youth community desperately needs people who want to support and advocate for them. Outside of work, she enjoys any outdoor activities, watching football and her rescue kitties.
Kristine Kim, Development & Communications Associate
Kristine joined the SFCASA team in January 2023. Kristine obtained her B.A. in visual journalism from Brigham Young University in April 2022, while working as a reporter and copy editor. Having lived in South Korea, the U.S., and Thailand, Kristine values connecting with people from all around the world and people from different communities. She loves to hike, bike, play guitar, play with her kittens Mochi and Luna, and most of all, eat amazing food in the Bay Area with her husband.
Ashley Montoya, Case Supervisor
Ashley is a Bay Area native and joined SFCASA as a Case Supervisor. Ashley is a first generation college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and minor in Sociology. She dedicates her passion for mental health awareness along with social justice advocacy for migrant's rights and children's rights. In 2019, Ashley participated in a trip to Nogales, Arizona border where she was a part of peaceful protests and vigils. Through this experience, she learned more about oppressive institutions, violation of human rights and activism. Prior to joining SFCASA, Ashley facilitated a support group for Spanish speaking mothers, became a case manager, and an Enhanced Visitation Supervisor. As an Enhanced Visitation Supervisor, Ashley dived into the social work realm and discovered the advocacy needed for the youth in the foster care system. Through her passion, she learned and continue to decolonize language barriers, and navigate resources to bring awareness. Outside of work, Ashley loves to paint, hike, explore foodie spots, and take naps with her cat.
Anthony Bibiano, Community Engagement Coordinator
Anthony joined the SFCASA team in August 2023 as the Community Engagement Coordinator. Before joining SFCASA, Anthony obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UCLA in 2023 and worked as a Management Fellow for the Community Programs Office at UCLA. In this capacity, Anthony tackled challenges geared toward empowering and retaining low-income students at UCLA. Furthermore, Anthony has experience working as a Communications Associate for Communities For a Better Environment, centered around bringing environmental justice to low-income communities in his hometown, East Oakland. Anthony is excited about joining the SFCASA team and enjoys watching football and showcasing his competitive spirit. Yet, his most cherished moments are those spent with his family.
Urfa Quraishi, Accounting & Office Management Assistant
A native Texan at heart, Urfa joined SFCASA in September 2023 as an Accounting & Office Management Assistant. After receiving her Bachelors in Education and a minor in Business Administration, her career began as a substitute teacher and transitioned to Office Administration and Accounting. Recently moving back to the Bay Area after living in Canada for a year, she enjoys going on hikes and spending at the beach. She loves to spend time with her two cats, Ivory and Shadow, and going to get Boba with her husband.
Anna Lorenzo, Tax Project Specialist
Cheesy as it may sound, Anna loves helping others. As a bilingual speaker, she has had the opportunity of working with various populations, such as first-generation students, domestic violence victims, foster youth, low-income taxpayers, and donors. During her undergraduate years at UC Berkeley, Anna served as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteer for 2 years. Through VITA she got the opportunity of helping low-income taxpayers expand their financial literacy and maximize their refunds through tax preparation and filing. This experience kindled her interest in applying her tax knowledge to serve others and in reforming the complex tax system. Outside of taxes, Anna is a strong advocate of higher education and maternal, child, and adolescent health. In her free time, Anna finds pleasure in reading, watching horror movies, running, and talking to her sisters.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors is a dedicated group of community volunteers with a broad range of talents and professional backgrounds. They provide SFCASA with exceptional governance, fiscal oversight, compliance, and accountability.
Executive Committee
Katherine Rockwell, Chair - Philanthropy & Social Impact Consultant
Rebecca Katz, Vice Chair - Manager of Recruiting, McKinsey & Company and Former SFCASA Volunteer
Erwin Mock, Treasurer - Managing Director, Head of Capital Markets, Thoma Bravo, LLC
Suchi O’Connor, Secretary - Non-Profit Consultant
Vicki Valandra, Board Member at Large - MBA & Realtor, Corcoran Global Living
Members
Felix Burmeister - Director, Cohen & Company Capital Markets
Christine Dela Rosa - Principal Strategist, Brand Advocacy, Atlassian
Sarah Good - Partner, Chief Talent and Inclusion Officer, Farella Braun and Martel LLP
Lyndsay Handlos - Executive Marketing and Communications Consultant, Vella Marketing and Consulting
Lucy Leahy - General Manager, Grove Collaborative and CASA Volunteer
Brynly Llyr - Assistant Chief Counsel, California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation
Tanya Miller- Social Worker, Family Builders
Charles Reader - Chief Talent Officer, California Health Care Foundation
Ken Tang - Financial Advisor, UBS Financial Services