Staff and Board

STAFF 

Sarah Salazer-Tipton (she/her)
Executive Director
ghexecdir@gmail.com
Sarah has 20 years of leadership experience in the military, private industry, and in the non-profit sector.

In 2012 she started the grassroots non-profit, Olympic Nature Experience to create accessible nature education programs for children and families in her area. She led this non-profit through 10 years of growth and transition as the founding Executive Director, Program Manager, and a lead teacher for the education programs. Her passion for trauma-informed care, social emotional learning, and social justice led her to a career switch from the field of education to the field of Mental health, where she became the Executive Director of Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Services in August 2022.

Sarah centers her leadership style on building trusting relationships with her co-workers and the people she serves. She believes social justice is a way of life, making 100 small choices a day that lead to social change and a future where we can thrive and be resilient together. She is thrilled to work at Grateful Heart to support emerging therapists in becoming tomorrow’s Mental health field leaders.

Rayne Banneck, LMFT (they/them)
Clinical Director
Rayne is a queer, quirky, neurodivergently oriented holistic therapist, with emphasis working somatically and with parts work to support queer and trans folks with trauma. They especially love working with teens. They have been teaching at the graduate level at two local universities for the past two years, and have been in mentorship to launch into supervision roles for almost as long. They have been in leadership at Axis Mundi Center for Mental Health since 2021, where they also completed licensure hours and have been involved in making required paperwork as painless as possible. They are passionate about liberation as a practice and DEIAB considerations in leadership and psychotherapy as a whole. In their off time you can catch them immersed in a book and sampling adventures in nature and community, or being sat on by their cat.

Angie Green
Payroll and Financial Manager
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.

Grace Cain, MA, AMFT (she/her)
Clinical Training Coordinator
Grace joined Grateful Heart as a clinician in 2019 and has held the position of training coordinator since 2020. She helps with topic selection, overall clinician training program design, and keeps the logistical gears of the workshops turning. Grace loves getting to better know Grateful Heart’s therapists and trainers through this role.

Jen Herrington (she/her)
Project Coordinator
 Jen has worked in non-profit administration for 15 years.  Her favorite things to do are organizing and sorting through pages of data, culling processes that no longer serve, and being a part of a strong and effective team. She is excited about supporting associates in beginning their practice and preparing for licensure. She always loves to talk about swimming, knitting, architecture, and the revolution.

Laura Gardner, MA, LMFT (she/her)
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.

Paul LeBars, MA, AMFT (he/him)
Referral Coordinator
Paul brings a passion for service and community to his position as Referral Coordinator. Paul completed his Master 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.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sara Tehrani
Member of the Board of Directors
It is possible to make an impact everywhere you go. This is made evident through the life of Sara Tehrani. With over 15 years of experience as a leader, business professional, and mental healthcare advocate, Sara has and continues to make notable accomplishments in every environment and organization she steps foot into. With her fiery passion for service and her compassionate heart for people, she engages in opportunities that will grow her community for the better.
In addition to her involvement at Grateful Heart, she serves as the Assistant Secretary and Treasurer in the Aliso Viejo Community Association Board. Professionally, she is experienced in project management, Business Intelligence analysis, and building an exceptional team of professionals. Sara’s ability to identify and prioritize critical issues that are often overlooked has allowed her to kickstart movements unthought of. Namely, she has founded the first employee interest group, Women in Leadership, and has served on the Diversity and Inclusivity Committee.
As a member of the Board of Directors, she brings her expertise in business management, operational planning, project management, along with her passionate involvement in community and philanthropic organizations.