STAFF
Ruby Elmer
Operations Coordinator
Ruby joined Grateful Heart as the Operations Coordinator in August of 2020. Ruby has worked in Mental Health as an Administrative Director of a dual diagnosis treatment facility and has worked within health care as a Clinic Manager. She is currently working on her M.P.A with a concentration in Health Policy at American Public University and has just completed a Project Management Certification through University of California Berkeley. When not working, Ruby enjoys spending time with her family doing outdoor activities, such as bike riding, hiking and exploring the coast.
Laura Gardner, MA, LMFT
Marketing Coach
Laura was hired as our Marketing Coach in 2017. In addition to her role as a member of our staff, Laura offers holistically-oriented psychotherapy in her private practice in Emeryville, California. Laura works with women, men and couples, including interracial couples. She has a special interest in supporting individuals who have experienced sexual abuse or who are struggling with anxiety. As a graduate of John F. Kennedy University, she was mentored by Marsha Hiller, MFT, in Berkeley, and spent her final 8 months as an intern at Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center.
Melissa Gericke, MA, APCC
Administrative Assistant of Communications
Melissa recently moved to the Bay Area from New York. In New York, she worked as Mental Health Counselor at a drug and alcohol outpatient program. During her time there she helped develop curriculum for the program’s psychoeducation and groups, while also maintaining an active caseload of clients. In October, 2019, Melissa began as an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor at Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center and is currently providing psychotherapy to individuals in Berkeley. As the Administrative Assistant of Communications, Melissa supports our community in a variety of ways, especially in the areas of communication, program development and organization. She enjoys working at Grateful Heart because it allows her to contribute to both our associates and our development as an agency. When Melissa is not working, she enjoys art-making and exploring the Bay Area.
Angie Green
Financial Coordinator
Angie joined Grateful Heart in October 2016 as Financial Coordinator and is tasked with overseeing most of the financial activities for the associates at Grateful Heart. With more than 30+ years of marketing, business development, and customer service expertise, Angie enjoys supporting our associates prepare for licensure and launch their practices as therapists.
Jen Herrington
Administrative Assistant of Operations
Jen has worked in non-profit administration for 15 years. She enjoys organizing and “sorting through pages of data, culling processes that no longer serve, and helping to create a strong and effective team.” Jen enjoys supporting our associates to begin their practices and preparing for licensure. Outside of work, she enjoys conversing about swimming, knitting, and architecture.
Sunny Hill
Chief Financial Officer
Sunny founded Sunny Books and offers bookkeeping and systems design for entrepreneurs, small businesses and non-profit organizations in the United States and Canada, working remotely throughout North America. Her experience in fiscal management, bookkeeping, human resources and non-profit management have been an invaluable contribution to our agency. In addition to her work in finances, Sunny is an devoted ceramicist and artist.
Paul LeBars, MA, AMFT
Referral Coordinator
Paul brings a passion for service and community to his position as Referral Coordinator. Paul completed his Masters of Arts degree at John F. Kennedy University in 2013, focusing on the study of Transpersonal Psychology. He continues his life’s work at Grateful Heart both as a clinician and member of our staff, bringing his passion for healing to his work.
Rawna Romero, LMFT
Executive Director/Director of Clinical Services and Programs
Rawna has been practicing as a licensed psychotherapist since 2005. In addition to her work as a clinician, she has been supervising trainees and associates since 2007, including through the auspices of the California Institute for Integral Studies. In 2014, Rawna completed The Psychotherapy Institute’s Supervision Study Program, further developing her capacity to support clinicians in training and one year later was hired by Grateful Heart to succeed Mary Owens, Grateful Heart’s founding Clinical Director. In addition to her experience as a clinician, supervisor and consultant, Rawna has worked as an Executive Director, Director of Program Development, Director of Development and staff member for numerous social service and non-profit organizations including Hospitality House, The Arc, The Women’s Building, The TalkLine/San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center, TODCO, McAuley Neuropsychiatric Institute and Stage Door Conservatory. She loves her work at Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center, considering it a beautiful integration of her managerial, programmatic and clinical experience. She especially enjoys her roles as a supervisor and mentor, and the opportunities these roles provide for supporting our clinicians in their development.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Larisa Blum, MA, JD, LMFT
Member of the Board of Directors, Program Development Focus
Larissa joined Grateful Heart upon graduating from JFK University with a degree in somatic psychology. She became licensed in 2015 and has continued on with Grateful Heart participating in the pilot Bridge Program which seeks to provide continued training for licensed clinicians, supporting their development as supervisors and building a multi-generational therapist community.
Michael is the Director of Customer Strategy and Business Operations at Sympo, Inc. He graduated from Stanford University and has a special interest in communication, change management and data governance. His experience includes analyzing data from multiple sources, providing insights to client executives, working with a highly cross-functional teams, collecting business requirements, tracking benefits realization, and building and maintaining project plans. As a member of the Board of Directors he is helping redevelop our information management operations.
Sunny Hill
Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Sunny founded Sunny Books and offers bookkeeping and systems design for entrepreneurs, small businesses and non-profit organizations in the United States and Canada, working remotely throughout North America. Her experience in fiscal management, bookkeeping, human resources and non profit management have been an invaluable contribution to our agency and Board. In addition to her work in finances, Sunny is an devoted ceramicist and artist.
Kevin Lannon
Member of the Board of Directors, Business Management and Fundraising Focus
Kevin holds a degree in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC, Canada) and is currently employed as an Associate Director of Business Development at MilliporeSigma, the life science business of Merck KGaA, of Darmstradt, Germany. Kevin’s background in a variety of commercial customer-facing roles within the life sciences, bio-pharmaceutical, and regenerative medicine industries provides the Board of Directors a focus on increasing fundraising and diversifying sources of revenue to support current and future agency activities and initiatives.
Jessica Laughlin, MBA, PMP
President of the Board of Directors
Jessica holds a M.B.A. from Santa Clara University and is currently employed as a Senior Manager of Vendor Management at Lam Research. She was sought as a member of the Board of Directors for her experience in operational planning, budgeting and forecasting, contracts management, team building, leadership development, strategic planning and project management, as well as her involvement in community and philanthropic organizations.
Jessica Wallace, LMFT
Member of the Board of Directors, Program Development
Jessica comes to Grateful Heart with nearly 20 years experience as a psychotherapist and 10 year’s experience as the Clinical Director of the Golden Gate Integral Counseling Center, a center operating under the auspices of the California Institute of Integral Studies. Prior to her career as a psychotherapist, Jessica worked as a Quality/Business Analyst for JD Edwards. As a member of the Board of Directors, she brings combined expertise in both business management, clinical operations and psychotherapy.
Mary Owen, LMFT
Founder, 2006-2014
Mary Owen founded Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center in 2006, following several years as an adjunct professor and a clinical supervisor for MFT interns and Master’s students in San Francisco. She acted as the clinical director from founding until 2014, and she continues to consult and supervise at Grateful Heart.
Interested in becoming a member of the Board of Directors of Grateful Heart? If so, please email us for more information at admin@gratefulhearttherapy.org.