Sandra Ainslie
CEO
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.
Rosa Alvarado
Program Manager
×
Rosa Alvarado
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.
Catharine Cooper
STRONG Programs Coordinator
×
Catharine Cooper
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.
Olivia Kasik
SMART Programs Coordinator
×
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.