Vanessa is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist currently working in emergency mental health services. With over 10+ years in the mental healh field, her experience includes treating severe autism, co-occurring disorders, children and adults, and trauma related cases. Vanessa’s past experience as a struggling college student fostered the development of SFF with the intention to support disadvantaged students looking to pursue higher education.

Edith comes from an extensive background in the nonprofit world, previously at Big Brothers Big Sisters, as a Community Outreach Senior Manager and now as a Community Inclusion Director at the San Diego Sheriffs Department. Her energy and passion towards servicing communities in need is unwavering. We are very fortunate for her expertise and skills here at SFF!

Grace Luna is the Senior Director for the Fred Finch Specialized Wrap and CARES Initiative. Grace graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from UC Riverside, an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific University and holds an LMFT and a BCBA Certification. She is a bilingual-bicultural Latinx therapist who’s worked with neurodiverse children and youth and youth with complex mental/behavioral needs for almost 20 years. She has been in the non-public sector since 2016 and earned a Nonprofit Management Executive certificate from Georgetown University. As a first-generation college student, Grace understands the power of believing in our  youth's potential, investing in their future, and setting them up for success. 

For nearly 25 years, Veronica has built her career at General Dynamics NASSCO, growing from a Labor & Employee Relations Representative to Senior Employee Representative, Employee Relations Lead, and currently Employee Relations Supervisor.

Her experience spans employee relations, labor and employment law, leadership, conflict resolution, and teamwork. She is passionate about building strong workplace relationships, supporting employees, and partnering with leadership to create fair, productive, and collaborative environments. Veronica’s San Diego State University education has complemented my professional experience and commitment to lifelong growth. She takes pride in a career defined by dedication, resilience, leadership, and service, and remains committed to helping both people and organizations succeed.

Ray is an executive leader with more than 25 years of experience spanning banking and financial services, education, consulting, business ownership, and board leadership. His career has centered on solving complex problems, strengthening organizations, developing relationships with decision-makers, and turning strategy into action. As a Chief Operating Officer, he led operations for charter school organizations in two states, including a $20 million system serving more than 2,000 students across three California counties, with responsibility for operations, strategic initiatives, compliance, and stakeholder relationships. Earlier in his career, he worked in banking, advising CEOs and business owners and managing significant high-net-worth relationships. He has also founded and operated businesses and led consulting engagements focused on strategy, operations, and growth. His board and community leadership includes serving as chairman and holding senior governance and finance roles across financial, educational, civic, and nonprofit organizations. He holds an MBA and completed the Executive Program in Artificial Intelligence at MIT Sloan School of Management.