Sandra Ainslie
CEO
CEO
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.
Program Coordinator
Rosa Alvarado is a former Girls Inc. of San Diego County participant, formerly known as Girls Inc. of Vista. She has worked with youth for ten years through mentorship organizations, gang-prevention programs and after-school programs. She graduated from California State University San Marcos with her B.A. in Human Development with an emphasis in Counseling Services and earned her M.A. from Point Loma Nazarene University in Organizational Leadership.
Rosa is passionate about her role at Girls Inc. of San Diego County, not only because she has come full circle in her role, but
because she has the opportunity to work with girls with similar upbringings she faced growing up. A daughter of immigrants and a first-generation Mexican-American, Rosa uses her experience to create meaningful relationships with her schools and communities.
Rosa's experience working with multicultural, cross-cultural and diverse schools and districts has provided her the opportunity to provide research-based programs to girls in K-12 settings all over San Diego County. Her goal is to create meaningful and long-lasting impact in the schools that she serves and the girls she meets with every day.
Program Facilitator
Catharine Cooper, A Program Facilitator for Girls Inc. of San Diego County, is currently a Senior at San Diego State University earning her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Leadership.
She has experience working with teenage girls nationwide as a virtual mentor, peer advisor and digital speaker. Catharine is dedicated to inspiring and educating teenage girls in becoming the author of their lives. She assists the youth in personal development, college preparation, career readiness and life skills. Catharine is passionate about living a life of service. She firmly believes in Girls Inc’s mission to empower girls to be Strong, Smart & Bold in every aspect of their lives.
Board of Directors
Maeve is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Pearl Street Collective, a national, woman-owned executive search and talent strategy firm serving the social sector.
With more than ten years’ experience in executive search, Maeve brings a deep commitment to an exceptional client experience and an orientation around continuous learning and reflection to both her work and our clients’ needs. In addition to carrying a portfolio of search engagements for our clients, Maeve co-leads strategic business development efforts and facilitates the sharing of learning, tools and outcomes among Pearl Street staff and partners. She also provides operational leadership, overseeing the strategic development of the firm’s business lines, infrastructure, and Collective Partners.
Maeve has notable nonprofit experience, having held roles with Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, renowned STEM charter school network DSST Public Schools, and several historic preservation entities. She is energized by her work with mission-driven organizations across the spectrum and is particularly drawn to those seeking to dismantle structural inequity, and those employing innovative pathways to improve the lives of others.
Her drive for advancing the common good is rooted in an upbringing by longtime activist parents, and further deepened by her time as a student at Wellesley College, whose motto is Non Ministrari sed Ministrare, or “not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” She holds a bachelor’s in American History from Wellesley College.
President
Wynter Deagle represents businesses in the courtroom when they face issues found at the intersection of law, technology, and innovation. She is a partner at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, the managing partner of the firm’s San Diego office, a Certified Information Privacy Professional, and an experienced trial lawyer. Wynter specializes in defending clients from privacy and cybersecurity-related consumer class actions, business disputes, regulatory investigations, and enforcement actions. In addition to her privacy and cybersecurity expertise, Wynter represents clients in complex commercial litigation involving many types of claims, including business fraud, unfair competition, products liability, defamation, breaches of fiduciary duty and contract disputes. Outside of litigation, Wynter partners with businesses to respond to data security incidents and roll out tech and data-driven products and services, while complying with the conflicting maze of privacy and data security laws and avoiding litigation.
Wynter is passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal community. She is a member of Troutman’s diversity committee and founded the San Diego office’s diverse attorney recruiting program. Wynter also provides pro bono services to organizations that advance diversity and empower under-served women and girls.
Treasurer
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.
Board of Directors
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.
Board of Directors
Founder, Elevated Diversity & Elevate For Her
With over 20 years of experience working in a communications and strategic marketing capacity, Rhonda Moret has worked with or for some of the world’s most recognized brands including Universal Studios, Subway Restaurants, Nike Golf, the PGA of America, and the PGA TOUR. Moret has also worked with several high-profile individuals including PGA great Tiger Woods, tennis legend Billie Jean King, NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, MLB Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, New York Times bestselling author Robert Kiyosaki, and even Donald Trump (pre-presidency).
Her most current ventures include Elevate For Her, a professional development training organization and Elevated Diversity, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultancy. Recent clients have included engagements with Google, Salesforce, Course Hero, and several other respected local and national organizations. Moret is also a professional speaker and offers one-to-one strategy sessions and coaching.
Her work has garnered her media attention and she has been interviewed by Forbes, The Washington Post, Adobe’s CMO.com, The Business Journal, USA Today, and several other publications and other media outlets.
Moret is the proud mom to two daughters and a son and calls Del Mar, California home.
Board of Directors
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
Board of Directors
Karla Pinckes is a strategic and agile leader and lawyer with extensive in-house experience in a wide range of legal and non-legal areas, including intellectual property management and brand protection (offline and online), e-Commerce, marketing, privacy, complex commercial transactions, corporate governance as well as operations, talent acquisition and development.
Most recently she served as the Associate General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary for WD-40 Company, a global company selling the iconic WD-40 multi-use water displacement product. Prior to joining WD-40 Company, Karla was Corporate Counsel for The Ken Blanchard Companies, a global leadership and consulting organization. She began her career working for various civil litigation firms in San Diego, California. She is Co-President of SunLaw, Inc. an organization that supports, educates, advances, connects, and inspires women in-house counsel to maximize their fullest personal and professional potential and lead. She also serves on its Board of Directors. She is also on the Board of Directors of Miracle Babies an organization supporting families and their newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) working their way to health and independence. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego New Children’s Museum. She was a nominee of 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 Magazine. She is an advocate for diversity, inclusion and equity in the legal community and has a passion for leadership, travel and fine wines. She lives in San Diego with her husband and two children.
Board of Directors
Daniel Schroeder serves as Managing Director of First Republic Bank’s San Diego based offices, providing best in class private banking, lending and wealth management services to affluent individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations. Daniel has worked in the banking industry since 2002 and has developed relationships with executives, entrepreneurs and philanthropists in and around San Diego. Daniel is committed to providing exceptional, relationship-based service to each of his clients, ensuring that their personal and business banking needs are not only met but exceeded.
In the past Daniel has volunteered with Mama’s Kitchen, Junior Achievement, and Just In Time for Foster Youth. Daniel is proud to be a San Diego local and enjoys spending time with his wife and their three children, running, traveling, playing youth sports and going to the beach.
Board of Directors
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.
Board of Directors
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.
Board of Directors
Natalie Smith is a highly resourceful senior environmental planner with over 18 years of experience throughout the southwestern US and Australia. She has extensive experience working on a broad range of complex and highly controversial environmental issues with an emphasis on regulatory compliance and natural resource management in the private, public and non-profit sectors.
In addition to her strong scientific and regulatory background, Ms. Smith’s interests include the human dimension of the environment and the important role that social and economic considerations play in solving environmental problems.
Through her work, she leads and supports agency collaboration and public participation processes including stakeholder engagement and public outreach efforts for multidisciplinary planning projects. She has also led and supported several advocacy campaigns, including the Agua4All campaign to increase safe drinking water access and consumption in California's rural communities. She previously served as the Communications Director for the Superior Chapter of the California Association of Environmental Professionals.
She oversees every aspect of project management, including proposal, grant and scope of work preparation, request for proposal preparation, fundraising and marketing, subcontracting, transnational subcontracting, contract negotiations, budget tracking and forecasting for publicly traded and non-profit organizations, and quality assurance/quality control procedures in accordance with ISO 9001. Her financial management responsibilities have involved projects with multiple task orders, teaming partners, and revenues exceeding several million dollars.