A passionate mental health advocate, Michelle Molla’s professional and personal life reflect her love for children and families in need.  As a mother to three, in addition to fostering three infants exposed in-utero to heroin, she has dedicated her life to advocating for children and families.

Michelle graduated in 2005 with her Master of Clinical Psychology from Universidad de Iberoamérica in San José, Costa Rica.  During her internship at several national hospitals, she was able to lead psychological and neuropsychological testing with patients of all ages.  While providing individual and family therapy, she also led therapeutic groups and classes for various populations including female victims of domestic violence, parenting support, children with various mental health diagnoses, and adults with memory loss.

In her work at the National Children’s Hospital, Michelle found her love for working and advocating for the 0-5 population as she treated a three-year-old boy who was hospitalized due to physical abuse and removed from his parent’s custody. It was then when Michelle realized the importance of intervening in a child’s life at an early age in order to make a long-lasting impact on their future.

Once Michelle graduated with her Master’s, she dedicated time to traveling and found herself accepting a corporate job in Woodland Hills, California. This gave her the opportunity to transfer her degree and register with the Board of Behavioral Sciences as a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern in the state of California in 2008.  That same year she accepted a position as an Outpatient Therapist at Children’s Bureau in the Antelope Valley.  Children’s Bureau is a non-profit agency contracted by the Department of Mental Health in Los Angeles County.  She trained in the evidence-based practice known as Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy and worked extensively with children who have experienced varying levels of trauma including physical and emotional abuse.

In 2009, Michelle transferred to another community mental health organization, the Child and Family Guidance Center, where she trained in 3 more evidence-based practices: Triple P (Positive Parenting Program), Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and Seeking Safety. She became the lead of the Triple P program at this center and continued to learn more about the 0-5 population through her training.

In 2012, Michelle obtained her official licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist by passing all necessary board exams. In 2013, Michelle decided to establish her private practice known as “Be Free” in Santa Clarita, California. This allowed her to spend more time with her family while still continued doing what she loved.

In 2017 Michelle obtained a new position with Children’s Bureau as the Program Supervisor of the Day Treatment Program. In this role, she managed a team of both clinical and non-clinical employees who supported children ages 3 to 6 suffering from a serious emotional disturbance.  This program is unique as it is one of only four like it in all of Los Angeles County which provided an opportunity for Michelle to help those children most at risk for abuse or needing a higher level of care.  Michelle also began to supervise clinicians training in the evidence-based practice CPP and provide clinicians extensive support on assessing, diagnosing, and treating the 0-5 population.  This specialty area of training has been a passion for Michelle as she has recognized how clinicals do not receive enough training to support this sensitive population.

In 2019, Michelle was promoted to Associate Director of Mental Health where she managed three service areas, four mental health offices, and six mental health programs. In 2021 she was promoted to Clinical Regional Director overseeing upwards of 100 employees.  Michelle continues to do what she loves by training managers, supervisors, and clinicians across various settings.  In addition, she maintains her consulting/private practice where she contracts with other Los Angeles based agencies to support their clinicians with their training and practice, specifically with the evidenced based practice of CPP and the 0-5 population.

When Michelle isn’t working, she spends time with her family and makes sure they engage in fun family activities on a weekly basis.  Her favorite three activities include beach time, ATV riding and watching soccer games.  

Susan brings over 25 years of experience and knowledge to the mental well being of children, youth and adolescents most impacted by challenges in their homes and communities.

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has been licensed since 2002, she has spent her career working in the community mental health setting to improve mental health services for children and their families as well as foster and grow mental health teams through her guidance and leadership.

Susan graduated in 1996 from Antioch University with her Master of Clinical Psychology and immediately began to work with agencies who served the most vulnerable children in foster care and continued to expand her experience in this area by working with children and families who have experienced significant trauma.  She then quickly moved into leadership roles and has served in various Director roles throughout her career including oversight of an intensive program Wraparound through Gateways Hospital where she facilitated hospitalization of youth for psychiatric needs.  She then changed roles into an agency closer to home and worked in leadership roles at the Child & Family Center in Santa Clarita overseeing their Full Service Partnership and Crisis teams.  During her tenure here, she was promoted two times and eventually also began overseeing their substance use prevention programming in addition to outpatient mental health services.  Susan’s skills at leading and managing teams has been instrumental in the program’s growth. 

A new opportunity in 2015 took her to Children’s Bureau where she was tasked with opening a new location in their mental health department and then being promoted into their Senior Director role that was responsible for the oversight of 8 locations and oversaw over 25 managers to provide mental health services to the most vulnerable children.    Susan joined Phoenix House in August 2021 and  oversees all of their mental health and substance use programming across three counties.  

She is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.    She is passionate about creating new programming to meet the growing needs of the community with mental health and substance abuse issues.  Her years of experience in management has contributed to her success in creating strong teams of professionals that are able to meet the needs of the community.  

In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband, her two children who are young adults and two adorable shih-tzu dogs.  She enjoys traveling, camping, and cooking.  Susan is Italian and is currently working on perfecting the language to be fluent.  She has extended family back in Italy and enjoys spending time there when she is able to get away from work.

Donald Hellwig is a graduate of UCLA with a major in Business Administration. Don has been a CFO for many companies, helped start up and fund several non-profits, has served on many corporate Boards, volunteers on many community and religious organizations, and continues his private financial consulting practice for many corporations, trusts, and individual tax clients.

Don lives in Los Angeles (Ladera Heights), enjoys world-wide traveling, golf, and especially getting to Maui several times a year. He presently serves on the City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa as Treasurer and a member of the Planning and Use Committee. Don has taken an active role in fundraising for Million Little and believes in its mission.

After working as an animator for 8 years, Ji traveled the world to explore her passion for children and art. During her travel, Ji volunteered at orphanages, practiced mindfulness, and explored many different cultures. Upon returning to Los Angeles, she founded Million Little to provide a place where people can heal and transform their lives using the power of creativity. Ji conducted and published her research on The Power of Creativity and Its Potential for Positive Change at three locations in 2013-2014 – a domestic violence center, a local after-school program, and a special education classroom in a public school.

Ji serves as an Executive Director for Million Little, and she is also a Director Mentor for early childhood educators through California Mentor Program, a state-wide and state-funded program. Ji is an approved Gateways Trainer Registry trainer of the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles (CCALA), and she is a trained mindfulness facilitator through U.C.L.A. Mindful Awareness Research Center at Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

Ji holds her BFA in Computer Arts and her MA in Human Development with a specialization in leadership in education and social services. With her unique background and experiences Ji will continue to heal, empower, and transform the lives of children and families in need.

Jocelyn has been in the Early Care and Education field for over 25 years. She also is an adjunct faculty member at Cal Poly Pomona University and UC Riverside Extension. From 2013 to 2016, Jocelyn completed a 3 ½ year contract with the Los Angeles County-Office of Child Care’s Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Grant, and served as the Lead QRIS Consultant on that project.

Her professional career began as a teacher’s aide in an infant care center and prior to her current position she has held such positions as pre-school teacher, teacher trainer, workshop facilitator, program specialist, parent educator, director of program operations, early education coach, and college instructor. Her most memorable experience was traveling to Chad, a country in East Africa, to start a preschool program in a refugee camp for the people from Darfur. This was called the Little Ripples project.

Other career highlights include an interview, based on her work as a parent educator, featured in Ebony Magazine, serving as guest “expert” for 8 episodes of the PBS show “A Place of Our Own,” traveling to Germany to facilitate a training for the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), and presenting a workshop for the European chapter of the Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC). The conferences that where she has presented include, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), and the National Association for Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA).

She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from UCLA and Master of Arts degree in Human Development, Specializing in Leadership in Education, from Pacific Oaks College. She’s also completed the coursework for a Doctorate in Education, Specializing in Training and Performance Improvement, at Capella University.

After 10 years of service at East Los Angeles Women’s Center (ELAWC) and 40 years in the field, Rosemarie retired from her position as Clinical Supervisor at ELAWC. She has dedicated her life’s work to working alongside vulnerable families facing the most difficult period in their lives.

From teen parenthood, substance, abuse, domestic violence, poverty, post-traumatic stress disorder, child abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse, Rosemarie’s leadership guided her ELAWC’s staff and helped the organization evolve into a trauma informed organization. Her commitment to those she served included counseling, teaching, training, facilitating, and mentoring both staff and students.

Ijumaa is a black cis-gendered woman (she, her, hers) daily engaging in the beautiful struggle of life, doing the internal and external work to abolish systems of oppression such as racism, sexism, transphobia, and classism, etc.

She shows up for this work with intensity and passion, being joyful, thinking critically, and holding a learning space with care and grace. She is an education consultant who offers professional development in reflective practice, culturally relevant, and anti-bias education for educators.

Violet has worked at Journey Out, Los Angeles-based nonprofit that helps victims of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking as a case manager. With her calm spirit and strong problem-solving skills, Violet has a history of helping people to navigate through tough situations.

Prior to Journey Out, she served as an intern at a private psychology practice, where she assisted in interviewing incarcerated juveniles and their families. Additionally, she took part in research to assist first responders with PTSD, and also provided 1:1 therapy to clients. Violet also has experience working with individuals involved in sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, having worked on a crisis hotline as well as in case management. Previously, she served for four years as a 911 dispatcher. Earlier in her career, Violet served as a special education teacher, working to empower children and youth to overcome a variety of challenges.

Violet is currently a doctoral candidate for her PsyD in Psychology. Her main interests are in law enforcement and criminal psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology.

Karen served as Executive Vice President Human Resources for Datasat Digital Entertainment where she directed all aspects of Human Resources including leadership development, creation of human resources policies and practices, as well as employee health and safety and managing payroll.

Prior to the sale of the Digital Cinema Division to Datasat Digital Entertainment, Karen was the Director of Human Resources for DTS, Inc. where she led the human resource efforts in business strategy and several acquisitions and mergers. She joined DTS from VPA, Inc. where she supervised the daily operations of the human resource department including training and ergonomic evaluations.Karen held the position of Human Resource Develop Representative with Intel for the Mobile Communications Division, formerly Xircom, Inc.Karen brought Intel’s corporate initiatives to the division and provided coaching, guidance, training, and support in addition to managing several, legally sound reductions in force. At Xircom, she was responsible for managing benefits, compensation analysis, HRIS, as well as generalist duties. Prior to Xircom, Karen was the Senior Human Resource Generalist for Price Pfister, a Black and Decker Company where her primary responsibility was employee safety. Karen has held generalist positions at the Amador Ledger Dispatch a McClatchy Newspaper, Cameron Newell Advertising, and Valley Presbyterian Hospital.

Karen earned her SPHR designation in 2005; she is a Board Member for the Professionals In Human Resources Association (PIHRA) and a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). She volunteers for SHRM supporting students studying the field of human resources and for the Women’s Economic Ventures of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. She is an advocate and Board Member for Habitat for Humanity Ventura County, has previously served as Treasurer for NPHS Baseball Boosters and held various leadership roles with the Boy Scouts of America.

Cynthia majored in sociology/criminology at San Jose State University (1979) and had an internship at Green Valley preschool (1978). Her initial passion after graduating was to work with children as a mentor through affiliation with the public school system in low-income communities.

However after completing school she worked with Friends Outside, a non-profit organization in San Jose, CA for approximately four years as a volunteer to counsel juveniles who had gotten into trouble and entered the judicial process at an early age. Her professional career included holding a number of positions in the Medical Device industry over a period of sixteen years and is certified in Regulatory Affairs (RAC). Cynthia’s passion remains with helping children.

Sheetal comes with over 20 years of experience as a journalist, engineer, as well as product and marketing manager, largely focused on the product development initiatives and their marketing. As a Principal at Mitr Consulting, Santa Barbara, California, Sheetal advises businesses on successful development and commercialization of their ideas and innovations.

Sheetal is also a lecturer in the Technology Management Program at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where she also co-advises UCSB’s student chapter of American Marketing Association (AMA). Passionate about children’s education and empowerment, Sheetal has been guiding them at various ages — elementary to graduate school — as a mentor, teacher, and advisor.

Karen's 37-year career started when she was a public health nurse with the Los Angeles County Health Department and continued with her tenure as a nursing professor at El Camino College in Torrance, Calif.; during that time she also spent 24 years in home care nursing.

Her most recently published article, “Caring for Vulnerable Children in Cambodia,” is the photo-essay of her travels with pediatric home health nurses who care for children with AIDS and other chronic conditions in rural Cambodia. Among her career accomplishments, Hellwig developed and implemented the certified home health aide course at El Camino College; developed and taught a real-time Internet nursing series to nursing students in Osaka, Japan; and developed and implemented a psychiatric case manager program for four home health agencies. She has also used her nursing skills in many volunteer capacities. Hellwig assisted with the establishment of The Chironians, the fundraising arm of the UCLA School of Nursing, and served as chair for five years.

Jodi is the founder and Chief Creative Catalyst for Success Alliances. She is an entrepreneur, award winning speaker, coach and consultant known for her high energy presentations. Jodi was once described by an LA Times reporter as having “seemingly endless energy.” She works with individuals and organizations who want to challenge assumptions, connect the dots and take their business to the next level.

Jodi is also the recipient of the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional credential. Fewer than 350 women in the world have received this designation from the National Speakers Association and the Global Speakers Federation. Jodi has received the Certificate of Congressional Recognition from Judy Chu Member of Congress, 27th District for recognition of high standards of excellence and outstanding achievements. She also received the CASA-LA 2017 Outstanding Advocate Award for volunteer work as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster youth.

Michelle has practiced corporate law since 2000, starting out in Wall Street law firms in New York City. She received a B.A. in Political Science / International Relations from UCLA and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. She has also studied psychology and neuroscience while simultaneously practicing law and plans to pursue a second related graduate degree in the near future.


An avid international traveler, she took a year in 2009 to travel solo around the world, has studied multiple languages, and worked in Belgium and Paris. Michelle only recently moved back to Southern California from New York, but has already started taking advantage of Southern California’s coastline and loves to sail, with one season of amateur racing under her belt. She also volunteers with rescued Arabian horses and is brushing up on her riding skills.

Marina is an Ethics Compliance Coordinator at the Capital Group in Los Angeles. Originally from Brazil, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue work in the entertainment industry; leading to several informative roles in Artist Development, Production and Legal at The Walt Disney Company.

From a young age, Marina dedicated many years to the exploration of Music, Dance and Arts in general. After becoming a mother, she continued to explore her passion for childhood development, and the use of creativity to empower growth.

Su is an artist and educator who strongly believes in lifelong development through the arts. She has 30 years of teaching experience. Su taught preschool for 17 years before teaching Early Childhood Education at Santa Monica College for 13 years. During that time she concurrently taught classes for UCLA Extension. She designed Santa Monica College's course 'Creative Experiences for the Young Child; Art Music and Movement', enriched by her life experience as a professional musician and visual artist.

Su has mentored adults in a variety of settings including her practicum student-teacher relationships, serving on the CA Mentor Teacher Advisory board, and being the 'play coach' for "Play Matters"; a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching constructive play experiences in Los Angeles area preschools.

Su has presented workshops for local and state level CAEYC conferences, Los Angeles Unified School District teacher education workshops, and was a guest expert on four episodes of PBS 'A Place of Our Own'. She was part of an educator's tour of Reggio Emilia schools in Italy, and co-presenter on the experience at Santa Monica College.

Su's undergraduate studies were Fine Arts. She holds an MA in Human Development with a specialization in College Teaching. Her Master's thesis “The Art of Identity,” designed and led a developmental-arts curricula with adolescent girls. Recently, she has been on creative sabbatical: long distance biking and hiking the world, immersed in wonder and play.

Elise has been practicing in the field of intellectual property law since 1989. She received her BA from Tufts University and her J.D from Washington College of Law at American University. Elise specializes in developing global trademark strategies to register, use and protect trademark portfolios for technology, entertainment, apparel, pharmaceutical companies, and consumer product companies.

With experience in the government and corporate sectors, and working with both domestic and international clearance, use, registration and enforcement matters, Elise is adept at maintaining a balance between a company’s business and marketing objectives and the need to create, maintain and enforce a strong worldwide portfolio. Elise remains actively involved in matters impacting children through volunteer work in the school, participation in the Irvine Unified School District Education Advisory Committee and PTSA President. Her passions include working with children, travel and engaging socially with others.