Meet Our Team
We are a survivor and women led matriarchal organization providing the next generation of care to victims of crime and violence. We seek to learn from our ancestors’ teachings and the ways of governance that worked for the global majority centuries prior to colonization, we invite our Indigenous roles into colonial spaces. Our ways are from many differing nations and our resilience has always rooted in the health and wellbeing of our communities while we thrive through social & value-based economies.
Lea S. Denny
Chief Executive Officer, Clinical Director, & Founder of the HIR Wellness Institute
Founder of the CAM Framework™, CAM™ Mental Health Without Borders Approach™, & Intergenerational Healing Approach™.
Hawaiian, Filipino & Pacific Islander
I am a Survivor of Violence
"It shouldn't cost anyone to heal"
Deanna Schwenner
Chief Administrative Officer
I am a Survivor of Violence
“One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.”
-Brené Brown
Jamie Kellicut
Chief Community Engagement Officer
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
I am a Survivor of Violence
“As I heal, I pause and breathe in peace with love.”
Kristina Nez-Begay
Victims of Crime Program Manager
Navajo Nation
I am a Survivor of Violence
"I love being able to weave together connection and healing with our community in a good way. I honor my ancestors by committing to the vision work that will benefit generations to come."
Xavier Smart
CAMPsite™ Supervisor & Therapist
Afro-Indigenous & Bahamian
I am a Survivor of Violence
Carmen Fontanez
Clinic Manager & Therapist
Puerto Rican & Taino Ancestry
I am a Survivor of Violence
"Be the change you wish to see in the world"
-Mahatma Gandhi
"You prayed to be exactly where you are, embrace it!"
Thresa Stevens
Lead Native American Victim Advocate
Menominee Nation
I am a Survivor of Violence
Guin Duquaine
Victims of Crime Program Coordinator
Onedia Nation
I am a Survivor of Violence
"Not all growth is seen –Hard work. Patience. Perseverance."
-unknown
"It's easier to tell the truth than a lie, you don't have to try to remember the truth. It takes more energy to lie than it does to tell the truth. Healing requires us to recognize the truth in all areas."
Cathy Phillips
Victims of Crime Art Therapist
German & English Ancestry
I am a Survivor of Violence
“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anyone.”
-Maya Angelou
Dr. Emily Cabaltera
Victims of Crime Occupational Therapist
I Support Survivors of Violence
Filipino Ancestry
“Remember that you once dreamed of being where you are now.”
- Unknown
Alexis Cheatham
CAM™ Community Outreach & Education Coordinator
African American
I Support Survivors of Violence
"Don’t trip over something that’s behind you"
-Roman Philosopher Seneca
Lloyd Ninham
CAM™ Elder Health & Wellness Coordinator
Onedia Nation
I am a Survivor of Violence
"*Deep Breath* You are walking the path you need to...in the right direction. *Exhale* "
Malia Chow
CAM™ Healer & Cultural Advocate
Hawaiian & Chinese Ancestry
I am a Survivor of Violence
"Rest when you can and go with the flow"
Lexy Lunger
Sexual Assault Advocate
Uchinanchu (Okinawan) and Japanese
I am a Survivor of Violence
“How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race?”
-Marsha P. Johnson
Kali Richardson
Victims of Crime Occupational Therapy Assistant
Irish, German, Polish Ancestry
I Support Survivors of Violence
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
Val Kempen
CAM™ Elder
Ho Chunk Nation
I am a Survivor of Violence
“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.”
- Carl Jung