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Celia Graterol, Founder & Principal
Celia
Graterol, MPH, conducts cutting-edge web-based evaluations and strategic
planning. She assists non-profit organizations and funders with program
and organizational development.
Celia conducts single or multi-site, multi-cultural, community-based evaluations, assessments, and facilitates strategic planning efforts using web-based technology combined with traditional methodologies to engage stakeholders, facilitate learning, and bring clarity throughout the process. Celia's evaluation and planning projects include web-based logic modeling, evaluation framework development, and field research (e.g., surveys, focus groups, key informant interviews, social network analysis). Celia also performs data assessments to streamline programs, procedures, database, and information systems.
Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, and after living for over 20 years in the Bay Area, Celia is bilingual English/Spanish and bicultural. Celia received her Computer Engineering BS degree in 1989 at the Simón Bolívar University, Caracas, Venezuela. In 2001 she received her MPH in Community Health Education at San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, with the Graduate Student Award for Distinguish Achievement.
Roma Guy, Senior Advisor
Roma
Guy, MSW, served 12 years on the Health Commission City and County of
San Francisco, on the Blue Ribbon Panel related to rebuilding St. Lukes
Hospital (2008) and currently Co-Chairs the city-wide Health Care Services
Act Community Advisory Committee in San Francisco. She currently co-chairs
the Health Committee of the California Women’s Agenda and is Chair
of Board of Directors of Health Access (state-wide coalition of 37 community,
faith-based and unions). She also chairs AD13 (Democratic Party Advisory),
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s District.
In 2007, Roma retired from San Francisco State University, College of Health and Human Services in the Department of Health Education. She was the Clinical Faculty for the MPH program, founder of the campus Stay-in School Family Resource Center and a fellow at the Institute for Community and Civic Engagement.
Roma was one of the founders of several community-based women’s and girls' programs and organizations such as SF Women’s Building and SF Women Against Rape, The Women’s Foundation, and La Casa de las Madres. She has served on the SF Mayor’s Local Homeless Board and Jim Hormel Advisory Council for the SF Public Library. In 2005, she was one of the 1,000 women nominated world-wide for the Nobel Peace.
Julie Absey, Principal & Director of Research
Julie
Absey, Ph.D., has worked in the academic and nonprofit sectors for over
20 years. She brings a passion for community change to her work—assessing
current community and organizational challenges, developing strategies
for change, and facilitating transformation with the full involvement
of stakeholders.
Julie brings a strong background in community-based academic research to her work with foundations and nonprofits. Her expertise includes technical assistance to emerging and established community-based organizations and programs; community planning processes; strategic planning and evaluation; and initiative and program development. Julie also provides support in board and staff development through facilitation and coaching, as well as assistance in fund development strategies. Julie’s more than ten years of experience in philanthropy make her well positioned to assist with the development and management of grantmaking portfolios, including evaluation and outcome metrics.
Julie received her BA from Georgetown University and her Ph.D. in Ethics from the University of Southern California, where she received an All University Predoctoral Merit Fellowship.
Araceli Gutierrez, Research Associate
Araceli
has worked on various public health-related university and foundation
funded research grants and programs for over 11 years. She holds a BS
from San Francisco State University. Her research background is primarily
in quantitative and qualitative research methods including design, implementation,
and analysis of data collection tools as well as conducting focus groups,
structured and unstructured face to face and phone interviews. She utilizes
web-based technology in the management and creation of LogicMaps to demonstrate
and highlight evaluation findings. Born and raised in Arvin, California,
Araceli is bilingual and bicultural. Her main research interests involve
minority health disparities and social determinants of health.
Arace's
resume
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Araceli
Vanessa Mercado, Research Associate
Vanessa
Mercado, MPH has been doing work in the field of Public Health related
to community health issues for over 7 years. Vanessa assists with community-based
academic research and has experience working for several projects. As
part of the research team she worked to identify research questions, design
a mixed methods approach, gather and analyze data and develop a plan for
action at the program and policy level. Vanessa also has experience conducting
a community needs assessment and developing a photo-voice project. In
addition, she has experience as a health educator in sexual and reproductive
health. Vanessa has contributed to the passage of a tobacco license ordinance
for the city of San Pablo.
She is bilingual English/Spanish. Vanessa received her Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Studies in 2006 and an Associate of Arts degree in Sociology in 2007 from Contra Costa College. In 2009, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. In May of 2011 she received her Master of Public Health degree in Community Health Education at San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California with the Distinguished Achievement Award for Academic Excellence and the Graduate Student Award for Distinguished Achievement.
Vanessa's
resume
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Jose-Luis Arana, Research Associate
Jose-Luis
Arana, is currently the director of Thriving Families Network (TFN), an
initiative of 12 service agencies supported by the Marin Community Foundation.
TFN is an effort to try to end the cycle of poverty for low and very low
income families in Marin. He has worked with Celia Graterol for the last
7 years doing evaluations for various projects.
He has also worked as the coordinator of the Marin Fatherhood Alliance for the last 8 years and worked for several non-profits in the county. He was also the founder of the only community radio in Spanish in Marin in 1998 (last on the air: September 2007).
Sally Kuhlman, Social Media & Marketing Director
Besides
organizing and attending TweetUps, Sally Kuhlman is entrepreneurial to
the core. She started her first business in 2002, Virtual Simplicity.
Sally helped her clients and other entrepreneurs save time and money as
she managed their projects remotely from her home office in the Bay Area.
Her niche was in the area of social media and her business evolved in
to a well-oiled social networking support machine. She helped her clients
enhance their web presence and, in many cases, Sally had a hand in helping
them go viral.
As Sally began working with more and more new business owners through Virtual Simplicity, she realized she had a real passion for coaching and mentoring fledgling entrepreneurs. She added a new service to her business in 2006, consulting with her clients though brainstorming sessions. Sally helped many struggling business owners focus their energy and she held them accountable the entire time, making it easier for them to reach their goals.
In 2010, she decided to close her virtual doors and went to work in San Francisco. Her clients miss her but she's having a great time getting out of the house and going to the office.
Patty Dost, Administrative & Technology Support
Patty
Dost, owner of Time Is Of The Es-Cents and TFN Salesforce Database Administrator,
has over 20 years experience in the corporate world. She has an extensive
background as an Administrative Assistant, Human Resources Assistant,
and Payroll Administrator.
She brings with her experience in various Microsoft applications, Wordpress, 1ShoppingCart, Dreamweaver, and various other software. Patty specializes in online newsletters, editing, proofreading, writing, blogs, administrative support, Internet research, and the list goes on and on.
Patty received the 2007 VAccolade of the Year award from VAnetworking, is VA certified by VAcertified.com, and was a 2008 Janet Jordan Achievement Award Nominee.
Since officially opening her Virtual Assistant business, Patty has used her background and also furthered her skills so that she can assist her clients and establish longterm business relationships. She enjoys working with small businesses and Virtual Assistants.
