Meet Our Team
ABOUT US
Meet Our Team
The passionate and experienced team of The Write of Your L!fe™ instructors, artists, & coordinators represent diverse disciplines in education, art, art therapy, criminology, criminal justice, law, & entrepreneurship. The community stakeholders on our Board of Directors and our Council of Advisors provide additional support through their knowledge as nonprofit leaders, business owners, educational administrators, and other interested community members.
JEFFREY KIDD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jeffrey is WWW’s Executive Director since the beginning of 2021. Following the ten year legacy of WWW’s development, he has expanded WWW to refocus on student education, social nonviolence, and familial success through a positive, hands-on, trauma-informed approach. Believing that WWW’s staff and students are what makes TWOYL unique, Jeffrey has recentered and reinvested the highest levels of training, support, and care into the team and program to bring higher measures of success both now and in the future. He is currently overseeing initiatives for gender inclusion of male students in TWOYL, of SAMHSA approval for TWOYL curriculum, and of translation of TWOYL workbooks and materials into Spanish for TWOYL’s Spanish-only speaking students. Our program is award-winning, means-tested, and founded on evidence-based best practices.
AUNG MOE
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Aung serves WWW as Director of Operations overseeing all programs. Aung also serves as Chief Operating Officer at Hiko Miniko LLC, Hiko Enterprise and Hiko Global. He has a master's degree in criminal justice from Boston University/Arizona State University and a master's in nonprofit management and leadership from Arizona State University. Aung is also a member of the Boston University Honors Society and fellow at Boston Criminal Justice Institute.
Aung has 10 years management and operations background in social services, especially in the areas focusing on opportunity youth, criminal justice populations, education and housing. Aung oversaw the education and housing programs for seven years in Portland Oregon and worked with Oregon State University to develop a parenting program for newly resettled refugee families. Aung was awarded the Oregon Parenting Grant to continue developing the curriculum. In addition, Aung closely worked with Portland Mayor's Office and Chief of Police to develop culturally appropriate police approach policies.
CHERYL FOX
HEAD INSTRUCTOR
With her masters in adult education and training, and owner of Fox Family Services, a community resource and education center for San Bernardino, Cheryl serves WWW as head instructor. She has completed her doctorate in organizational leadership and has a passion for advocating for our underserved communities.
STEPHANIE PLASCENCIA
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
With her Masters degree in criminology, law and society from University of California Irvine and BA in communication studies and public argumentation and rhetoric, Stephanie coordinates WWW's cultural arts and youth court programs. For programmatic inquiries, can be reached at Stephanie@TheWriteofYourLife.com.
BRENDA VILLASENOR
THE WRITE OF YOUR L!FE HEAD INSTRUCTOR
With her Master’s in Business Administration from University of Phoenix, Brenda serves WWW as a head instructor. With over 10 years of experience in human services working with underserved populations, including as a long term offender program counselor at Phoenix House in Calipatria State Prison and Case Manager at Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program, Brenda is deeply passionate in assisting individuals and being part of their personal growth and personal success.
RUSSELL BOSTON
HEAD ARTIST
Russ Boston, a Laguna Beach-based artist, and former foster youth, shares a unique perspective of hope, acceptance, and forgiveness, having overcome a childhood fraught with adversity, danger, and family violence. Russ serves as The Write of Your L!fe’s head artist, teaching sketch-art and painting. Attending Orange County colleges, including Platt, Orange Coast, and Irvine Valley College, he built his background in drawing, oil painting, sculpture, woodworking, illustration, and graphic design. Since 2008, he has been the owner, designer, and restoration master of Laguna Vintage, where he restores Airstreams, milk trucks, and other fun things that have appeared in motion pictures and commercials, including Hidden Valley Ranch, and “Got Milk?” in the Super Bowl.
JATORI HARRIS
THE WRITE OF YOUR L!FE HEAD INSTRUCTOR
While pursuing his associates degree in liberal arts at San Bernardino Valley College, Jatori serves as WWW Head Instructor. Jatori brings a unique perspective in fatherhood and peer support having served at the County of San Bernardino Children & Family Serves Independent Living Program as a peer and family assistant, headed up the Inland Empire Million Father March and participating as a board member of Project Fighting Chance and CASA of San Bernardino.
YVETTE LARRABEE
THE WRITE OF YOUR L!FE HEAD INSTRUCTOR
Yvette Larrabee attends California State University San Marcos working to acquire her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences with an emphasis in Sociology, Psychology and Communication. Yvette received her Associates Degree in Behavioral Sciences from Palomar Community College in San Diego County. She has a background in education, Yvette worked as a Family and Community Liaison in north San Diego County.
KARLA BARRON
THE WRITE OF YOUR L!FE ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR
As an alumni of various grassroots community organizations that serve primarily first generation, low income communities of color and marginalized populations, she utilizes her networks and experiences to bring social justice, equity and equality in education to the forefront of her pedagogical approach in teaching. As a first generation community college, university and soon to be graduate student, she understands and acknowledges the struggles that come with the populations WWW serves as a former high school push out herself. Karla received her Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the University of La Verne (CA) in May 2020 and will be pursuing a joint degree at Vermont Law School, with a Master of Arts in Restorative Justice and a Juris Doctorate in the Fall of 2020.
DANIELA SIERRA
SITE COORDINATOR
While pursuing her undergraduate studies to attain her sociology degree and minor in psychology at Cal State San Bernardino, Daniela serves as WWWs site coordinator, handling student recruitment and collection of student outcome program evaluations. "My passion is compassion!" ~ Daniela
DANIELA IBARRA
SOCIAL MEDIA ASSISTANT
As a social media assistant, Daniela volunteers her time to fulfill her passion of advocating against social injustices and fighting to strengthen her community. Daniela firmly believes that although we can’t change the lives of everyone in this world, we can work to change one life at a time, and that is what matters to her the most.
Mackenzie Orr
Research Coordinator and Grant Writer
A graduate of University of California, Mackenzie is now completing her Master of Public Health degree at California Baptist University where she specializes in Health Education and Promotion. She is a member of the national health education honor society Eta Sigma Gamma which represents the top 15% U.S. health education students. Mackenzie has a passion for working with non-profit organizations and providing assistance for underserved populations. Previously, she served as the Assistant Director of Raincross Boxing Academy, working with the Riverside youth impacted by adverse life events. An EMT, Mackenzie has a deep-rooted love for the medical field and plans to continue her education and become a physician with a specialty in pediatrics.
Christina
Christina Garibaldi
Christina is recent graduate of the UCSF Masters in Global Health Sciences program. She has experience working with diverse populations including LGBTQ+, homeless, migrant, and refugee populations. Her work in Global Health has focused on issues of global mental health, women’s health, and social justice. She is passionate about engaging with underserved communities and advocating to make their voices heard. She hopes to pursue a future in medicine. Christina is serving as an assistant instructor and assistant research coordinator. She is a Riverside native is excited to be working with Women Wonder Writers in her hometown.
Misha
Misha Ponnuraju
With her degree in hand and dreams in heart, Misha is joining the WWW team as a Guest Poetry Instructor and Publishing Assistant. She recently graduated from UC Irvine with her BA in English and Emphasis in Creative Writing. She spent most of her undergraduate time in a poetry workshop, editor meeting, or on a film set. Misha was Editor in Chief of New Forum, an undergraduate literary journal. She also was co-captain of Soulstice League, a comedic sketch group. Misha is extremely passionate about combining her love for words and devotion to social justice.
Bianca
Bianca Duran
Bianca Duran serves as a Head Instructor with WWW. Riverside is Bianca's hometown and she loves having the chance to give back to the youth in her community through WWW. In 2013 Bianca graduated with her Associates of Arts Degree in Visual Communications from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. Mexican Folk dance has been a passion of Bianca's her entire life, she began dancing at the age of 7 and remained dancing into adulthood. From age 17-23 she danced in a professional dance company where she had the experience of exhibiting her craft in Europe, China and all around the United States. Bianca is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the WWW team and looks forward to being of service to those in need.
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain."- Vivian Greene
Maya
Maya P. Shropshire
Maya P. Shropshire received her Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Language. She holds a degree in Graphic Design. She is a multidisciplinary artist working in painting, mixed media styles, street art and graffiti. Maya has been teaching literature in her earlier career and art for the last fifteen years for the Carlsbad Educational Foundation. She provides supportive guidance to each student she works with, so that they may develop creatively in their own unique way. She enjoys teaching with Women Wonder Writers at high schools, which lets her bring a variety of styles in art and writing to student learning.
Alyssa
Alyssa Maio
Alyssa Maio is a creative writer and thinker, who has worked in the television and commercial production space for several years before moving into the tech world as a content writer. Now proficient in SEO strategy, and forever passionate about poetry, she’s eager to use her unique skill set to assist Women Wonder Writers with their content needs. She cannot wait to learn from and work with an organization that believes so deeply in the power of writing to heal and transform trauma.
Natalee
Payroll Manager
Leanne