Read More Jennifer Dow-Rowell (She/Her/Hers) Executive Director Read More Kate Hart (She/Her/Hers) Director of Programs Read More Samira Kulsum (She/Her/Hers) Crisis Response Team Manager Read More Heather Mahoney (She/Her/Hers) Safe House Program Manager Read More Chao Lee (She/Her/Hers) Development Manager Read More Annie Lagunas (She/Her/Ella) Housing First Manager X Executive Director Jennifer Dow-Rowell (She/Her/Hers) Jennifer has more than 20 years of experience working on gender-based violence and homelessness issues. Jennifer has a Master’s in Business Administration and a Bachelors’s in Anthropology and Women’s Studies, and she has earned the prestigious Certified Fund Executive designation (2020) and an alumni of the Center for Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Institute (2022). Jennifer began her career at Emergency Shelter Program (now Ruby’s Place) in Hayward before moving to Tri-Valley Haven in Livermore, where she began her tenure as a case manager before serving as their Director of Homeless Services, Director of Domestic Violence Services and then Director of Development and Community Education. Jennifer has also served as the Director of Development and Communications for Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA) in San Mateo, Executive Director of the Women’s Daytime Drop-In Center in Berkeley, and CEO of the Tracy Community Connections Center. Jennifer has worked tirelessly to develop and sustain programs that are inclusive, intersectional, and participant-centered. She has served on the Board of Directors of the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, the Tracy Community Homeless Taskforce, and currently serves on the board for her local Continuum of Care. Jennifer is an award-winning speaker, a storyteller, and a dachshund aficionado. When not working, Jennifer enjoys time with her family, snorkeling, and being in nature. Connect with Jennifer. X Director of Programs Kate Hart (She/Her/Hers) Kate became interested in domestic violence awareness and prevention work in college while pursuing her BA in Social Work at Humboldt State University. Kate started her career as a volunteer for a women’s domestic violence program and soon joined its staff, overseeing the establishment of its first shelter house. In 1997, Kate returned to the Bay Area, joined SAVE and has worked in a variety of positions at SAVE. She has held her current position as Director of Programs since 2008. Kate is responsible for the oversight of direct client services programs, as well as SAVE’s prevention services. In addition to her BA in Social Work, Kate completed the City of Fremont’s Leadership Program in 2007 and completed the Blue Shield Strong Field Leadership Development Program in 2014. Kate is a passionate advocate for domestic violence victims, giving those who have been oppressed the freedom and opportunity to find their voice. Outside of SAVE, Kate is the mother of an amazing teenager, the most handsome dog ever, and a couple of interesting cats. She loves to travel – especially the coast of California. Connect with Kate. X Crisis Response Team Manager Samira Kulsum (She/Her/Hers) Samira joined SAVE in July 2022, as Crisis Response Team Manager. She holds a Master’s in Criminology from USF, FL and an M.Phil in History from India, She comes from an extensive background in research, has over 4 years of teaching experience and has worked for CPS, as an investigator for high priority cases. For over 5 years, Samira devoted her time toward domestic violence advocacy through a local faith based organization in Plano, TX. At SAVE, Samira looks forward to working alongside a team that is passionate about empowering survivors, while providing trauma-informed and culturally-sensitive intervention and resolution. Outside of work, she likes to spend her time with her family exploring the outdoors and enjoys attending her kids’ soccer games. Connect with Samira. X Safe House Program Manager Heather Mahoney (She/Her/Hers) Heather has been a strong advocate for domestic violence survivors since she started at SAVE in 2011 as a volunteer. Heather quickly moved into the Linkages Case Manager position and, as of 2014, has been SAVE’s Safe House Program Manager. As the Safe House Program Manager, Heather oversees the day-to-day operations, manages the property’s facilities, and works closely with the safe house team to ensure survivors receive the best possible care in line with SAVE’s core values and mission. As a survivor of teen dating violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault, Heather brings understanding gained from lived experiences to her work with survivors. Her experiences are framed by a BS in Psychology and American Montessori Society (AMS) teaching certifications in Early Childhood and Infant/Toddler. Heather is proud to work with other fierce advocates equally dedicated and determined to help others find safety and regain a sense of self. Heather loves her two children and her fur family of two cats and one dog. She finds a balance of life in music, gaming, Muay Thai, paddle boarding, and hiking. Connect with Heather. X Development Manager Chao Lee (She/Her/Hers) Working for a DV agency brings tremendous fulfillment to her life as a survivor. Before joining SAVE, her professional background was in public relations and marketing. At SAVE, she mainly focuses on fundraising events, donation drives, and public relations. She loves yoga, meditation, and being in nature with her daughter. Connect with Chao. X Housing First Manager Annie Lagunas (She/Her/Ella) Annie is a native Californian and came into working at SAVE, after she began speaking on her life experience of the abusive and controlling marriage that she had been in for 19 years. During her healing process and regaining self after becoming free from that relationship, she returned to community college,where she worked on her degrees in Human Services and Communication. It was there when she surprisingly began speaking on her experiences as a victim to her fellow college students. Annie quickly saw the need for a safe space for survivors to go and she joined with the college counseling services and began a drop-in peer support group. She also began supporting the Victim’s Witness program and District Attorney’s office that she had worked with to raise awareness and speak at public events. Once transferring to UC Berkeley, she continued to work on campus and with other agencies, as she rebuilt her life and continued to use methods to heal and process all that she had survived. She graduated with Majors in Gender and Women’s Studies, and Chicano Studies, both which enhance her life experience as a support to other survivors. She began working at SAVE in 2018 as the Housing First Coordinator, and is currently the Housing First Manager. The programs financially support our survivors in ways that help keep them housed or help them gain housing. In these positions she has also been able to focus on building workshops that help build financial literacy skills for survivors as well as other areas that are important in healing to support survivors move forward. Annie’s greatest joy is being the mother of two daughters, both of whom serve in the Military, she is an author, artist and enjoys going to the movies and spending time with friends. Connect with Annie.