Leadership

Exhale is an organization with leaders at every level, and we have a commitment to supporting experienced leaders while developing new ones. Our leaders’ unique talents and strengths are leveraged to meet organizational goals and needs. A community-led nonprofit, Exhale’s volunteers, staff, and board members work in partnership with the broader Pro-Voice Movement to implement fresh ideas that improve our programs; adapt technology to meet the changing needs of our communities; and take important risks to deepen the impact of the Pro-Voice Movement. 

Volunteers

Exhale’s talkline and online community are staffed by trained volunteers: women and men who live in the San Francisco Bay Area and who carry the pro-voice mission in their bones. Our volunteers have described being motivated to contribute to Exhale by a personal experience with abortion, the desire to gain counseling experience for a future career, or a personal commitment to put their peaceful values into daily practice. Exhale recruits and trains volunteers twice a year, and since our founding, we have trained more than 125 women and men.

Exhale's talkline depends on the service of 40 active volunteers

Each volunteers gives about 25 hours to Exhale per month. Here are a few profiles of current volunteers:

Susan lives in the North Bay, and teaches high school English. She has four grown kids, and will be a grandmother for the first time this fall. She has written about her personal abortion experience as a Pro-Voice Ambassador and received the Rachel Falls Compassion Award in 2010. "My personal experience is what initially pulled me to Exhale. What I value the most about volunteering are the strong connections made with extraordinary people who share such meaningful purpose. I learn a lot every day I'm with Exhale!"

Jerry is currently working towards a doctorate in clinical psychology. He started as a counselor with Exhale in early 2010. He came to Exhale because he noticed how abortion can be a politically charged concept. He wanted to be able to hear people’s experiences and life stories regarding abortion and offer support. "My favorite thing about volunteering with Exhale is creating a warm and comfortable environment for individuals to express themselves freely."

Santana grew up in Stockton and moved to Berkeley to go to college. In 2010 she took leadership by joining the Year-End Fundraising Team, and in July 2011 attended a national conference representing Exhale. "My favorite thing about volunteering with Exhale is that it gives me the opportunity to dispel myths and to empower people to speak for themselves, one call at a time."

Staff

Exhale’s programs and strategies are orchestrated by a small team of staff members, who depend on the leadership of volunteers and board members; the thought-partnership of colleagues and allies; and the expertise of a dynamic team of consultants in order to achieve our ambitious goals and objectives. Within this broader team of Exhale leadership, the role of the staff is to create opportunities and processes for collaboration and contribution to organizational priorities and activities; to support others in taking leadership on key objectives; to enforce a rigorous vetting of strategic ideas and understanding of organizational needs; to model and promote our organizational culture; and to nurture Exhale’s entrepreneurial spirit so that the broader leadership team is focused on creating, developing, and innovating solutions with our community members and towards our mission.

Aspen Baker, Founder & Executive Director

Aspen Baker is the leading voice in the nation on the personal experiences of women and men post-abortion. Aspen's own experience with abortion in 1999 led her to found Exhale with co-founders Carolina De Robertis, Anna Goldstein, Susan Chorley, and Laura Perez. Aspen was named a "Local Hero" in 2009 by San Francisco's KQED during Women's History Month; "Young Executive Director of the Year" in 2005 by the Bay Area's Young Non-Profit Professional Network, and a "Top Activist Under 30" in 2003 by Choice USA. Aspen speaks regularly at conferences and schools, and addresses advocates on ethical storysharing, conflict transformation, abortion wellbeing, and the growing Pro-Voice Movement. In 2011, Aspen was appointed by Mayor Jean Quan to the City of Oakland's Public Ethics Commission.  As a spokesperson for Exhale, Ms. Baker has been featured by media outlets across the country, including CNN Headline News, Fox National News, Ladies Home Journal, New York Times Magazine, National Public Radio, Associated Press, Newsweek, San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, The New Republic, Alternet, Women's eNews, Bust, and many more.  or You can book Aspen for public speaking by contacting Aid & Abet and follow her on Twitter: @aspenbaker.

Danielle Thomas, Services & Volunteer Coordinator

  Danielle Thomas comes to Exhale with five years of experience in the reproductive health and justice community. In 2006 she started working in a Texas abortion clinic; it was here that Danielle’s passion for counseling, supporting, and advocating for women was cemented. In 2008, Danielle joined Exhale as a volunteer talkline counselor. Soon after becoming a counselor, she became more involved in the organization playing significant roles in fundraising campaigns and our private online community. Danielle was also on the Transition Team of volunteers that managed the talkline during a major staff and financial transition in 2010. Previous to joining Exhale as a staff member, Danielle was a Program Coordinator at United Way of the Bay Area focusing on family financial stability. She was part of the planning, implementation and replication of SparkPoint, a program that helps Bay Area families reach financial stability by addressing education goals, workforce development, and financial needs. Danielle is also excited by her volunteer work with the Bay Area Doula Project as an abortion doula and with Earn It! Keep It! Save It! as a volunteer tax-preparer for low-income families. 

Team of Experts

Cheryl Contee, Partner at Fission Strategy

  Cheryl specializes in helping non-profit organizations and foundations use social media to create social good. She is also the co-founder of Jack and Jill Politics writing as “Jill Tubman” on one of the top black blogs online. Cheryl is included in The Root 100 list of established and emerging African-American leaders. Huffington Post listed her as one of the Top 27 Female Founders in Tech to Follow on Twitter in 2011. Fast Company named her one of their 2010 Most Influential Women in Tech. In her spare time, Ms. Contee enjoys hiking, yoga, movies and tai chi sword.

Patricia Foley Aties, Bookeeper

  Patricia Foley Aties has been Exhale's consultant bookkeeper since 2004.  She is a full charge bookkeeper for nonprofits.  She is also an enrolled agent,  admitted to practice in 1983, to prepare tax. She specializes in nonprofit tax, which believe it or not she enjoys immensely.

Michelle Gislason, MA, Senior Project Director at CompassPoint Nonprofit Services.  

  Michelle is responsible for the program creation and management of several of CompassPoint’s leadership programs, including the Coaching and Philanthropy Project, the Blue Shield of California Foundation Strong Field Project, and the Leadership Development Program for Executives Serving Transition-Age Youth. Michelle is an instructor at University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs and recently co-authored the award-winning book “Coaching Skills for Nonprofits Managers and Leaders (Jossey-Bass)."

Lisa Hoffman, Nonprofit Consultant

 Lisa is a nonprofit consultant and coach with more than 25 years of experience in fund development, facilitation, training, and board and staff development.  Specializing in individual giving, with an emphasis on major gifts, her pragmatic approach is creative, and always involves a little mischief.  Lisa is also an ordained Zen priest, bringing Buddhist practices of compassion, active engagement, and leaving the ego at the door to her nonprofit consulting.

Marika Holmgren, Founder, Organic Events

 Marika is the founder and lead event producer of Organic Events, one of the Bay Area's leading event production firms specializing in producing seamless events for progressive social change organizations and thought leaders.  Marika also sits on the Board of Directors of ForestEthics, is the team leader for the Bay Area Team LUNAChix, an all-women's volunteer bike team that raises money for the Breast Cancer Fund.  In addition, she is a volunteer advocate who fights to overhaul outdated and ineffective toxic chemical policies.

Nancy Latham, Chief Learning Officer at LFA Group

  Nancy directs evaluations in a wide variety of subject areas, including policy advocacy, housing and community development, college readiness, community college programs for older adults, and media. Nancy is passionate about using her research skills to support organizations working for social and cultural change.

Quilted; Web Development

From our offices in Berkley, California and Boston, Massachusetts, we provide web development, graphic design, strategic consulting, and game design services to progressive arts, education, and non-profit organizations. We follow industry standards and best practices, and we use and contribute to open source technologies, such as Drupal. We strive to develop long-term relationships with people by staying in constant contact and employing the agile methodology.

Camille Ramani, Founder and Principal Consultant, Ramani Consulting

  Camille is an independent consultant committed to social justice with an expertise in "getting things done"!  She specializes in helping organizations improve operational efficiencies and improving organizational capacity, specifically in technology management and strategy, workflow processes, and project management.  She grew up in India and the Bay Area, is an avid surfer, and loves independent films.

Kristin Rothballer, Organizational Development & Strategy Consultant, Program Director at Tunitas Creek Ranch

  Kristin is a social change leader, with a focus on where care for the planet meets advocacy for equality and justice.  She consults on organizational development and strategy with nonprofits, foundations and social enterprises, including Exhale. She is also currently serving as Program Director at Tunitas Creek Ranch, a working farm that hosts educational programs and retreats. Kristin was previously the Managing Director of Green for All, an organization she helped to found, which is working to build an inclusive green economy. She worked for many years as the Director of Programs at Bioneers, where she led efforts to widen participation in ecological and community restoration, particularly among underserved youth.  Kristin serves on the Board of Trustees for the Tyler Rigg Foundation, is on the board of Edventure More and is a member of the Citizen's Advisory Committee for the Alemany Farmer's Market. She lives in San Francisco and Half Moon Bay, CA with her wife Bess, and their cat and dog.

Rich Snowdon, Coach

  Rich is the author of NonprofitHearts, has coached nonprofit leaders since 1999, and was the co-founder of the Child Assault Prevention Training Center of California. He says, "Exhale fills my heart with exclamation points!"

Special Advisors

Amy Hill, MA; Silence Speaks Director, Center for Digital Storytelling

  Amy is a digital storytelling instructor, documentary filmmaker, and public health/community development consultant. After spending twelve years coordinating women’s health and violence prevention projects throughout California, she founded Silence Speaks, an international digital storytelling initiative that blends oral history, participatory mediamaking, and popular education to support the telling and public sharing of life stories that document injustice and promote gender equality and human rights.

Thaler Pekar, Thaler Pekar & Partners

  Thaler is a leading voice in the field of organizational narrative, ethical storysharing, and communication. Thaler always crosses the street to walk on the sunny side.  

Jason Schultz, Director, Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic; UC Berkeley School of Law

  Jason is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic at the UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall). Before joining Boalt Hall as a faculty member in the Samuelson Clinic, he was a Senior Staff Attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), one of the leading digital rights groups in the world. His writing primarily focuses on the ongoing struggle to balance intellectual property regimes with the public interest in free expression, access to knowledge, and innovation in light of new technologies and the challenges they pose.

Eveline Shen, MPH; Executive Director, Forward Together

 Eveline has led Forward Together since 1999. Under her leadership, ACRJ has become widely recognized for its innovative leadership in the Reproductive Justice Movement. Eveline serves on the board of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project and Movement Strategy Center. She was recently named by Women’s eNews as one of the 21 leaders for the 21st Century.

Aimee R. Thorne-Thomsen, Vice President for Strategic Partnerships, Advocates for Youth

Aimee has an extensive background in communications, movement-building, and new media technologies across various social justice movements. Currently, she is the Vice President for Strategic Partnerships at Advocates for Youth, a national organization dedicated to helping young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Prior to joining the staff at Advocates, she served as the Interim Executive Director for the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and the Executive Director of the Pro-Choice Public Education Project (PEP).  Aimée sits on the Boards of Directors of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project, Law Students for Reproductive Justice, RH Reality Check, and Mobilize the Immigrant Vote.  You can follow her on Twitter: @aimeett
 

Board of Directors

Exhale’s Board Members are leaders whose volunteer service to Exhale is critical to engaging more people and communities in the Pro-Voice Movement. Board members are role models for pro-voice values and practices in every facet of their personal and professional lives; and as organizational culture carriers, they put our strength-based approach to decision-making into regular practice. Strategic, experienced, and always learning and adapting through experience, Exhale Board Members spread the pro-voice message through their networks and communities as ambassadors, fundraisers, and leaders.

Jocelyn Yin, Washington DC, PRESIDENT

Jocelyn hails from the suburbs of Chicago, where she grew up with an appreciation for clear autumn days, Chinese beef noodle soup, and the Chicago Bulls.  As an analyst for the Government Accountability Office (GAO), she has worked on projects related to the accessibility of antibiotics and the federal regulation of real estate appraisals. She studied Economics and Cinema Studies during college and after realizing that she probably wouldn’t fulfill her parent’s dream of becoming an investment banker, obtained her Masters in Public Affairs from Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Prior to graduate school, she worked at ZeroDivide, a foundation focused on the intersection of information technology and underserved communities as well as CompassPoint, where she focused on the capacity of arts nonprofits to purchase land in a post-Internet boom period in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jocelyn has also served on the board of Frameline, one of the nation’s largest LGBT media organizations, and volunteered for Exhale, a nationwide post-abortion counseling talkline.

Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, San Francisco, California, VICE-PRESIDENT

Jenifer Fernandez Ancona is Senior Director of Membership & Communications at Women Donors Network, and has a wide range of experience in communications, donor organizing, strategy development, grassroots organizing, and multi-racial coalition building. She worked most recently as Director of Strategic Communications at Citizen Engagement Laboratory, where she helped to launch and grow progressive online organizing initiatives focused on communities of color, including Presente.org and ColorOfChange.org. Previously, Jenifer served as a Senior Advisor to Steve Phillips and Susan Sandler, as a consultant to the Democracy Alliance, as a top legislative aide in the California State Assembly, and as a news reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Crafting clear communications around a new progressive economic narrative has been a major focus, and her work has included consulting to the Roosevelt Institute, Netroots Nation and National People’s Action.

Mariko Miki, San Francisco, California, SECRETARY

Mariko Miki, J.D., is the Director of Academic and Professional Programs at Law Students for Reproductive Justice (LSRJ), based in Oakland, California. Mariko provides vision, direction, and evaluation for multi-faceted projects in two of LSRJ’s core programming areas: curriculum enrichment and professional training. Mariko also directs the Reproductive Justice Fellowship Program, which places new lawyers with reproductive justice organizations in Washington D.C. for a one-year fellowship. Prior to working at LSRJ, Mariko gained extensive litigation and pro bono experience as an associate at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP in San Francisco. Mariko graduated from Brown University and received her law degree, cum laude, from Harvard. She is licensed by the State Bar of California.

Wen-Hua, New York, New York, TREASURER

Born in Taiwan, and raised in Syracuse, NY, Wen-Hua has diligently served human rightsorganisations for over ten years. As the Deputy Director of Operations at Avaaz, Wen-Hua is part of a team that oversees the financial and administrative functions of the organization. Wen-Hua has worked and volunteered for various social justice organizations, including stints at Human Rights Watch, UNESCO, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, and the New York Asian Women’s Center. Wen-Hua received her Master’s in Public Administration from New York University, and a B.A. in Asian Studies and Religion from Mount Holyoke College.