Leadership

Sandra Ainslie

Sandra Ainslie is CEO of Girls Inc. of San Diego County. She is a strong advocate for youth and committed to creating equity for young people in San Diego. Sandra’s responsibilities at Girls Inc. of San Diego County (GISD) include increasing impact, developing organizational strategy and driving financial growth.

Sandra brings 20 years of experience building and leading innovative youth organizations and programs. She has spent the majority of her career working with underserved and multi-cultural communities, who often face compounded and complex challenges. She is deeply committed to working with youth through asset-based approaches, which enable young people to harness their power, confidence and potential. She is a collaborative leader who believes that community partnerships and connected ecosystems are the best path toward sustainable social change efforts. As a leader she enjoys creating an environment of support, growth and learning.

Prior to joining GISD, Sandra served as Executive Director of the AjA Project, an organization utilizing participatory photography with refugee and immigrant youth. Her work at AjA Project earned Sandra the, Coming Up Taller Presidential award for excellence in youth programming.

Following her work at AjA Project, Sandra served as Senior Director for the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation where she developed a college and career pipeline for disconnected youth.

Sandra holds a bachelor’s degree from University of California San Diego in Cultural Anthropology and a master’s degree in Leadership and Nonprofit Management from the University of San Diego. In addition to her academic work she has done field work with youth in Africa, Central America and Asia. Sandra immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico at age 8.

Becky Espinoza

Becky Espinoza is our Strong and Bold Programs Manager. She is a proud Mexican American entrepreneur, humanitarian, and strong advocate for mental health and happiness.

Her field of study at Sacramento State University was in business management and child development. Becky has 10 years of extensive background in community outreach, global mentorship, data analysis, and event coordination/facilitation.

She is passionate about the belief that service to many leads to greatness and therefore strives to live a purpose drive life of integrity, compassion, collaboration, community, connection, transformation, and growth.

Esmeralda Landin

Esmeralda's passion for higher education ignited early in life. During high school, she dedicated her time to assisting students in need of academic support through local nonprofits in Escondido. Upon graduation, her aspiration to empower community members in exploring their unique career paths and lifelong learning became clear. Pursuing this goal, she earned her bachelor's degree in Sociology from San Diego State University.

Following her graduation, Esmeralda continued her work closely with local nonprofits and the Escondido School District, striving to uplift her community members.

As an adept professional in education and community engagement, Esmeralda excels in crafting and implementing comprehensive curriculum plans tailored for both K-8 and 9-12 education levels, specifically focusing on School-to-Career Services. Her expertise lies in orchestrating impactful events and conducting invaluable training and workshops for K-12 students. These include engaging Career Days, empowering Communications Workshops, and essential Financial Literacy sessions.

Esmeralda is deeply committed to nurturing robust community partnerships and actively engaging in collaborative initiatives. This dedication ensures the successful recruitment of potential program participants and enriches the overall learning experience for students and the community as a whole.

Olivia Kasik

Olivia Kasik has had the honor of working with Girls Inc. since 2018.

Olivia’s work began in Omaha, Nebraska as the Eureka! Coordinator, inspiring and cultivating interest in STEM careers for young women and girls. Now as the STEM Specialist at GISD, she's continuing that passion for middle schoolers to engage in holistic, hands-on, minds-on, STEAM learning.

In addition, Olivia is certified in mindfulness and yoga. She continues to educate and learn about how bodies hold trauma. In her free time, Olivia enjoys exploring San Diego with her husband and checking out vegan restaurants. She is a graduate of Grace University.

Ericka Wells

Ericka Wells, born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. at a young age, is a proud first-generation Latina woman driven by a deep desire to shatter barriers and uplift the next generation of youth. A trailblazer in her family, Ericka became the first to graduate from college, earning her Bachelor's Degree in Human Development from California State University San Marcos (CSUSM). Fueled by her passion for education and empowerment, she pursued a Master of Arts in Education with a Concentration in Counseling at San Diego State University, achieving an outstanding 4.0 GPA. This academic achievement not only marked a personal milestone but also exemplified the resilience and determination ingrained in her immigrant experience.

Ericka's professional journey has been marked by her unwavering commitment to support and guide others, especially those from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds. Her roles have spanned from Education Program Coordinator to Case Manager to Student Success Coach. Today, as the Operations Manager at Girls Inc. of San Diego County, Ericka is responsible for supporting development, data management, human resources, monitoring program budget, and grant compliance. Holding additional credentials in Restorative Justice Practice and Trauma-Informed Care, Ericka is excited to merge her personal journey with her professional expertise at Girls Inc. of San Diego County, striving to empower staff and create equity for the next generation of youth in our community.

Jordan Woodland

Jordan has had a lifelong passion for mental health and working with the youth. After graduating with a Psychology degree from California State University San Marcos, she was able to combine her two passions. Prior to joining the Girls Inc. team, she worked in early childhood administration and served as a secretary for the Mt. San Jacinto College’s first Sexuality and Gender Alliance club. As the lead facilitator in North County San Diego, Jordan continuously strives towards creating a welcoming, growth-based environment for all Girls Inc. participants. She is proud to call herself a Girls Inc. mentor and loves being able to connect with the next generation of strong, smart, and bold leaders in her community.

Lola Adeyemo

Lola Adeyemo is a passionate and resourceful leader, who believes in and actively promotes inclusive leadership and advocates for employee engagement in the workforce. She has a Master of Science in Biotechnology degree, a Bachelor of Technology in Biochemistry and is currently working towards her Doctor of Strategic leadership degree. Based on her technical, analytical and strategic skills sets, she has worked for over 12 years in manufacturing, biotechnology, healthcare, and non-profit organizations across multiple functions.

She has an extensive background in project management, supply chain, data analysis, people management, and HR compliance roles. Project examples include ERP systems integration (Agile & SAP); New Product Integration, Procurement/ Supply Chain Cost Savings and Multiple Employee Resource Groups Programs.

Lola is the founder & CEO of EQI Mindset, an organization that focuses on driving Equity and Inclusion growth in Corporate America through Workplace Inclusion Consulting, Programs & Strategy Development, and Employee/Leadership Training. In addition, Lola is also the Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer of Sapient Logic LLC. Sapient Logic LLC is a San Diego-based IT company that provides network information technology services, testing, and evaluation of military systems. Lola serves as a Mentor for young women and girls through All Girls in STEM, and in board advisory capacity for Edition, Claire Facility, and Worktribe Dynamics.

Sheena Badani

Sheena is an experienced go-to-market leader with a demonstrated history of success scalingB2B software companies including LinkedIn, MongoDB, and currently at Gong.

She currently leads a team of ~20 product and customer marketers responsible for developing the go-to-market strategy for new and existing products including messaging, positioning, and adoption. Sheena led the research and strategy to develop a new category of “Revenue Intelligence”, which was ultimately adopted by market analysts including Gartner and Forrester and Gong has been consistently endorsed as a market leader. While at Gong she launched the company’s official podcast, “Reveal: The Revenue Intelligence Platform'' and served as host for over 3 years, interviewing ~150 revenue leaders with ~250K listeners.

She graduated from UC Berkeley and received her MBA at Harvard Business School. She co-founded the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of American India Foundation for Young Professionals and was an active volunteer with City of Dreams also in San Francisco.

Sheena currently resides in San Diego. In her free time, Sheena spends time with her 3 kids, plays golf and practices yoga.

Lauren Betters

Lauren Betters is a civil rights attorney barred in New York and California. Working in gender justice advocacy for a decade, her passion is centered in addressing systemic inequities that historically oppressed groups face when seeking justice. Lauren serves as a Title IX Investigator at San Diego State University, working closely with students who experience sexual misconduct, relationship abuse, and stalking.

As the Director of Programs and Policy for the Gender Equality Law Center, Lauren represented low-income women and LGBTQIA folks facing gender-based discrimination and led the organization’s legislative reform initiatives. She worked closely with the Board to advance the start-up’s growth and strategic development.

Lauren also worked at the Victim Rights Law Center, assisting survivors rebuild their lives after sexual trauma, at the Global Justice Center and Center for Reproductive Rights, advocating for reproductive justice, and as a Civil Rights Investigator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, investigating complaints of race discrimination in housing.

Lauren is a first generation college graduate earning a Bachelor’s in Sociology – Social Inequality, and a minor in Law and Society from UCSD. She also holds a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law where she participated in the Domestic Violence Clinic and Founded and Chaired Law Students for Reproductive Justice.

Alessandra Capritto

Alessandra Capritto is a Senior Relationship Strategist with PNC Private Banking. She works with a team of experts to develop and implement comprehensive investment wealth management, credit and wealth transfer strategies for affluent individuals, families and successful business owners. Alessandra has over 20 years of financial services experience, including roles in Private Banking, Commercial Banking, Foreign Exchange, Investment Banking and High Yield/Credit Derivatives.

Alessandra is originally from New York, and resides in San Diego with her husband, 2 girls ages 11 and 7 and black lab, Roxy. She is an advocate for diversity, inclusion, and equity and enjoys giving back to the community. She volunteers her spare time to Feeding San Diego, Meals on Wheels and Habitat for Humanity.

In her personal time Alex loves long runs, traveling and spending time with family.

Cinnamon Clark

Cinnamon Clark is the Practice Lead, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Services at McLean & Company where she leads the development of DEI strategy. Her work allows her to partner with organizations to build strategies that address inclusion, equity, and systematic barriers to embed inclusive leadership. Cinnamon is a 20 year, retired Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy, where she was an electrician and traveled the world. The Navy is where her passion of inclusive and equitable workplaces began, traveling to many exciting places like Iceland and Vietnam. She is San Diego transplant from a rural desert community in Arizona, where women and people of color are underrepresented, the need for representation is close to her heart.

As a thought leader, and change maker in the DEI space, she is committed to advocacy, lending her voice and expertise through service to the community as a Commissioner (Co-Chair) on the City of San Diego Citizen’s Equal Opportunity Commission (CEOC), Commissioner on the Human Rights Commission (HRC) for the County of San Diego in addition to a number of advocacy and community.

Cinnamon is the first generation college graduate earning a Bachelors & Masters degree prior to retiring from the Navy.

Wynter Deagle

Wynter is a trusted advisor in the boardroom and a fierce advocate in the courtroom when businesses face issues found at the intersection of law, technology, and innovation. A partner on the Privacy and Cybersecurity team at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, Wynter draws on her significant litigation experience to empower clients to implement compliance programs that balance privacy, cybersecurity, and business functionality.

Wynter is also a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal and business communities. She holds a Certified Diversity Professional designation from the National Diversity Council and regularly provides advice related to inclusive recruiting and talent management strategies and diverse leadership development programs. She also serves as pro-bono general counsel to SunLaw — an organization dedicated to the promotion and advancement of women in-house attorneys — and Native Son — an organization dedicated to elevating the voices, visibility, and lived experiences of Black gay/queer men.

In her personal time, Wynter enjoys spending time with her husband and two rescue dogs.

Ambreen Farook

Ambreen Farook has ~20 years of biopharma/biotech and financial industry experience holding multiple executive, management and operating roles. Her impact has been to collaborate with strategic partners, drive scientific knowledge/technology teams and investments to enable commercialization of pharmaceutical drugs in multiple therapeutic areas thereby reducing patient burden.

During her Alliance Management experience of ~10 yrs., she led 55 biotechs, biopharmas and academic partnerships, implemented two Alliance Management functions and enabled approval of drug products across Pfizer R&D, Halozyme Therapeutics and Pyxis Oncology Inc. In 2022, she became VP, Head of Alliance Management at Pyxis Oncology.

Prior to biopharma, she has ~ 10 yrs. experience in Wealth Management, Investment Banking, in particular, Hedge-Fund & Portfolio, Equity Investment Management as an Associate Financial Advisor for Merrill Lynch, Raymond James Ltd., TD Waterhouse, and UBS Swiss Bank. She has managed > US$1Bn in investments for private and corporate clients.

Ambreen was a Board Member at Athena SD Org., empowering women in STEM. She is board certified with ‘Athena on Boards Program’ and member of ‘Male Allyship Committee’ at Athena SD. Org.

She achieved an Executive MBA in 2006 from University of Western Ontario Canada and BSC from Clarkson University, Potsdam NY.

Andrea Gilman

Andrea Salazar is a successful businesswoman and Director of Operations & Integrated Projects at Biosero. She is a strong and passionate leader, who leads the company’s vision to impact the world by integrating people and automation technologies.

In recent years, Andrea has served as a key member of the Biosero executive team, helping to bring about a significant shift from being an equipment reseller, to a software company. Andrea has contributed to this successful transition by encouraging collaboration among the Biosero team members, fostering a positive company culture and empowering each team member to succeed.

In 2018, Andrea helped implement the Biosero “WHY Project.” A program wherein, Biosero employees nominate and vote for a philanthropic cause to receive a contribution from the company.

Andrea is a member of the Del Mar Women’s Giving Collective (DMWGC), an organization committed impacting the financial needs of various local nonprofit organizations. In 2019, the collective selected three organizations and charities benefiting women and children for a $10,000 grant.

In her personal time, Andrea volunteers at Del Mar Heights Elementary School. She assists in various school events, including the annual gala. She is also an active volunteer for Feeding San Diego and Feeding America.

Jessie Kain

Jessie is a program management professional within the technology space, specializing in process improvement, change management, and digital transformation. Jessie began her career in tech consulting at Deloitte, leading distributed teams to implement complex technology solutions for Fortune 50 companies and for non-profit organizations. Since then she has worked in high-growth startups in San Diego, helping to build out their project and program management practice. Today, Jessie is the lead Program Manager within the Product Operations team at Seismic, the industry-leading sales enablement and digital sales engagement solution.

Jessie has always been passionate about public service. Prior to her career in tech, she worked on a variety of political campaigns and eventually as a Field Representative for the California State Senate. She is invested in diversity, equity and inclusion, both personally through her volunteering and professionally as a member of Seismic’s Global DEI Council. As a woman in tech, she is particularly focused on causes that will advance gender equality in STEM.

In her personal time, Jessie and her husband enjoy the incredible national, state, and local parks that the Western United States has to offer.

Lisa Park

Lisa Park is the Director of Public Relations at Aya Healthcare, the nation's largest travel nurse agency. In this role, she works with national publications to spotlight the tireless and life-saving commitment of frontline workers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A proven public relations leader in the science, technology, health and political sectors, she brings over 12 years experience securing impactful stories that drive brands and organizations. She thrives on finding unique angles to help tell complex stories.

Previously, Lisa held similar roles in notable nonprofits. At the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, she worked with former ambassadors and policymakers to advance solutions on critical global issues such as international trade, immigration and security. Lisa's position at The Nature Conservancy brought her to remote places around the world including Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to highlight the urgency to fight climate change.

Lisa is a California native who grew up camping in the Sierra Nevadas and is excited to explore the mountains with her own family. She is a graduate of the University of California, Davis

Karla Pinckes

Karla Pinckes, Esq. is a strategic and agile leader and lawyer with extensive in-house experience in a wide range of legal and non-legal areas, including securities, technology, privacy, e-commerce, IP, marketing & advertising, licensing, compliance and regulatory (FCPA, OFAC, AML, COI), complex commercial transactions, land use development as well as operations, talent acquisition and development. She is currently Senior Director, Corporate Legal & Securities at Viavi Solutions, Inc. where she provides corporate legal, securities and ESG support and guidance.

Prior to joining Viavi, Karla served as General Counsel of Blockchains Inc. where she led the legal department and participated cross-functionally to help launch a self-sovereign identity application. Prior to that she served as Associate General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary for WD-40 Company and Corporate Counsel for The Ken Blanchard Companies. She began her career working for various civil litigation firms in San Diego, California. She is Co-President and on the Board of Directors of SunLaw, Inc.

She is also on the Board of Directors of Girls Inc. and serves as an Advisor for Miracle Babies. She has served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego New Children’s Museum. She was nominated for the 2018 Athena Pinnacle Awards for Technology and the recipient of the 2016 Women in Wealth Award for Transactions Attorney of the Year by Wealth and Finance International. She is an advocate for diversity, inclusion, and equity and has a passion for leadership, learning, and the law.

She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, running and helping build community with other advocates for change.

Melissa Seipel

Melissa Seipel is an accomplished human resources and organizational development professional. Prior to the 2018 launch of her coaching and consulting firm, she spent over a decade at The Nature Conservancy, the world’s leading conservation organization. While there, Melissa helped build the organizations global recruitment functions from the ground up, refining the hiring process and working with key stakeholders to uncover pain points and instill best practices. In her consulting work, she loves helping mission driven leaders empower their teams and develop their most critical skills in order to make an even bigger impact. The majority of her coaching clients are successful women who are interested in developing their leadership acumen on their own terms. At her core, she is motivated by the belief that if more women step into leadership roles and do work they love, the entire planet will benefit.

Melissa thrives in nature and enjoys exploring the beaches and trails in her adopted hometown of Solana Beach with her husband Bill and dog Zoe. She’s a self-proclaimed travel junkie with the need to get her passport stamped a minimum of once a year.

She received a BA in Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), an ICF certified professional coach (CPC) and holds a certification in mediation and conflict resolution from Cal State University.

Manaleage Tedemet

Manaleage is a product management professional within the technology space. Manaleage began her career in higher education, helping learners of all ages take charge of their future by providing online learning opportunities. As the founding product management hire, Manaleage works at local San Diego software startup Tiled Inc., a no-code online platform that transforms your static content into engaging interactive microapps to drive engagement and deliver insight. Manaleage is responsible for creating and leading the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative and programs at Tiled Inc.

Manaleage has a history of volunteerism within the San Diego community for non-profits such as Girl's Think Tank and Junior Achievement of San Diego. Currently, Manaleage is the co-chair of Women in Product San Diego, a non-profit dedicated to empowering women in product management and advocating for equal representation. In her free time, Manaleage spends time traveling, and making memories with friends and family.

Leigh Vosseller

Leigh is a finance and accounting professional and has held various senior finance positions in the healthcare industry over the course of the last two decades. She is currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. where the mission is to make the lives of people with diabetes better and better.

Outside of the corporate environment, Leigh dedicates time to other causes with missions that similarly focus on providing solutions that can enhance self-esteem and encourage independence and empowerment, including the Challenged Athletes Foundation and Girls on the Run. She also recently became a member of Athena, the advocacy organization with a focus on leadership development for the advancement of women leading in STEM.

A perfect weekend would include an outdoor sporting activity, a good book and enjoying the sunset at her home in Cardiff with family and friends.

She is a certified public accountant (inactive) and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Missouri State University.

Lina Yisehak

Lina is a Clinical Research Manager at Cradle Genomics, a company that is developing clinical tests to advance prenatal care and women’s reproductive health. Lina works with a cross-functional team to execute clinical development and medical affairs goals to meet product development milestones. Using her 10+ years research experience, she contributes to the scientific development of studies from the preclinical stage to study completion, and product launch. She manages relationships with key opinion leaders to foster research collaboration and advance healthcare for women. What she finds most rewarding at Cradle Genomics is the innovative work to provide pregnancy health solutions to women at the earliest stage of pregnancy.

In previous roles, Lina contributed to study design, regulatory monitoring, data analysis and vendor management of pharmaceutical drug developments. Improving the lives of patients while ensuring high quality of data helped her execute projects aligned with her values. Lina is passionate about working with Elderhelp, a San Diego organization that helps senior remain independent and live with dignity in their own homes. Through pre-pandemic and pandemic programs, Lina served various seniors to supplement the care they normally receive from their regular care takers. Working with the American Red Cross, Lina helps advance the goals of blood drives to meet the Trauma Team’s needs.

In her free time, Lina enjoys cooking, biking, challenging workouts, spending time with friends and family.

Saundra Pelletier

Nora Vargas

Shirley Yager