Our Staff

Community Based Program

Gabriela (She/Her/Ella)

Community Based Program Director

Iliana (She/Her/Ella)

Latinx Services Program Manager

Alejandra (She/Her/Ella)

Latinx Services Coordinator

Erin (She/Her)

Training & Outreach Coordinator

Community Based Program Director

Gabriela (She/Her/Ella)

Gabby has more than two decades of experience supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence and trafficking. She began her career helping survivors find secure housing through transitional housing programs. Gabby was hired as a bilingual advocate when A Safe Place Family Justice Center (FJC) first opened its doors in 2013. Since then, she has taken on various leadership positions that support services for the Latinx community. She has also overseen co-located advocates stationed with law enforcement in the DV Enhanced Response Team and DV reduction unit. She played a crucial role in developing the DV Response Advocate Team and supported advocates at DHS, the FJC, and rural Clackamas County. Gabby has also over seen housing programs, ensuring survivors can access safe housing options and trauma recovery groups. She also coordinated the Spanish 40-hour advocate training. Gabby has received several awards in her career, including Advocate of the Year, as voted by her peers.

Gabby is a valuable member of our team, having joined CWS in 2022. In her current role, she oversees the services provided at the FJC, the Civil Legal program, and the Latinx program. With her wealth of knowledge and expertise, Gabby is a trusted leader who actively shares her insights and experience with her colleagues.

Having survived violence as a child, Gabby understands the devastating impact domestic violence has on survivors, families, and communities. She feels that no one should ever have to live in fear of violence and that it is the responsibility of society as a whole to ensure that support services are available to the people who need them. Everyone, no matter what their background, gender, or social status is, deserves access to services, and violence should have no place in anyone’s life.

In her free time, Gabby enjoys cooking and spending time with her family and friends.

Latinx Services Program Manager

Iliana (She/Her/Ella)

Iliana has been working with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking since 2013, supporting/helping the Latinx community access services. As the CWS Latinx Services Program Manager, her role is to facilitate support groups for Latinx survivors, provide training and supervise the Promotoras program, and maintain a collaborative engagement with other partner agencies for network exchange. When Iliana is not at work, she loves spending quality time with her family and friends.

Latinx Services Coordinator

Alejandra (She/Her/Ella)

Alejandra has been working with survivors since graduating from Portland State University with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work and minor in Psychology with a focus on culturally specific communities. Understanding trauma, the effects on a personal and environmental level, she became passionate about advocacy and creating a healing space to empower survivors. Alejandra has since been a part of the development and implementation of curriculum for, in addition to co-facilitating, Latinx support groups, as well as bringing greater awareness to the community.

Training & Outreach Coordinator

Erin (She/Her)

Erin has been involved in survivor advocacy since 2017, beginning as a volunteer at a domestic violence shelter. She is currently attending Western Oregon University to earn a Master of Science in Justice Studies, where she is studying the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic and sexual violence survivors and advocates. Erin has previously worked with student survivors on college campuses, and facilitated prevention programming in middle schools, high schools, and colleges. Erin loves working to raise awareness about gender-based violence and hopes to work more in violence prevention in the future. She also enjoys baking, painting nail art, and spending time with her friends and family.

Community Based Services Team

The Community Based Advocates each bring a unique and dynamic perspective to the folks that they serve. As a team, they work to ensure each survivor that reaches out is met with authentic care. Together they work in the community to create the connections and relationships that have meaningful and long-lasting impacts on survivors’ lives. They appreciate sharing food recommendations, discussing adventure destinations, and their pets.

Youth Services (She/Her)

Catherine (She/Her)

Counseling & Youth Program Director

Laurel (She/Her)

Youth Services Program Manager

Arlo (He/Him)

Youth Services Coordinator

Counseling & Youth Program Director

Catherine (She/Her)

Catherine is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been working in the field of youth and family services since 2008. Her desire to support youth impacted by trauma started during her time working within residential facilities for youth and the local Child Advocacy Center in her Midwest home. As she ventured west in 2009, she continued this work at Clackamas Women’s Services and has been working alongside survivors and the CWS team ever since. During her tenure at CWS, she has provided advocacy and clinical services to survivors through EMDR treatment with individuals and is well seasoned in group facilitating and family work. She helped develop school-based advocacy services and Camp HOPE America – Oregon, a summer camp and mentoring program for youth impacted by violence. In her current role as CWS’ Counseling and Youth Program Director, she works along the prevention – intervention continuum to ensure CWS’ services are supporting both the reduction in violence, as well as readily available as a support to those impacted by violence within Clackamas County. Additionally, she engages in systems level work to support increasing collaboration across the system to better serve community members. This has included serving on numerous county collaborations including High Risk Response Teams, Fatality Reviews and Clackamas County’s Behavioral Safety Program.

Supporting youth and families impacted by violence, as well as working to create strong communities where everyone has opportunities to thrive is a career dream for Catherine. She believes that positive relationships and community are powerful tools for healing and seeks to build strong, connective systems of support in her work to end violence.

Outside of her work world, Catherine is an avid outdoors person and finds nature to be incredibly grounding. She spends a lot of time backpacking, snowboarding and climbing to explore all that the Pacific Northwest. Recently, Catherine moved to Clackamas County to live out her mini farm dreams and is currently attempting to grow veggies and care for fruit trees with only *some* success.

Youth Services Program Manager

Laurel (She/Her)

Laurel shines as a connector. She has successfully strengthened and grown the K-12 school partnerships for co-located youth advocacy in Clackamas County and hopes to continue bringing supportive services to youth that need it most.

Having long upheld the power of positive relationships for youth, Laurel has coordinated mentoring and afterschool programs for youth within nonprofits including Big Brothers Big Sisters, GEAR UP, and Boys & Girls Club since 2009. The CWS value of centering survivors aligns with Laurel’s core belief that we have all the wisdom and strength we need within ourselves. Her leadership is rooted in creativity, collaboration, and equity-practices. Laurel feels at home when centering love & silliness with children and youth.

Laurel was raised by a teacher and is one at heart. She has been an educator in Montessori classrooms, in childbirth centers, and teaches weekly yoga classes in Portland. She values communication skills for all ages. She previously led trainings in conflict resolution and is a certified Equity-Informed Mediator through Resolutions NW. Laurel holds a Bachelors of Arts in Theatre Performance from Northern Arizona University. In her free time, she likes to camp with her awesome sons, go to concerts with her family, drink coffee, and dance in her kitchen.

Youth Services Coordinator

Arlo (He/Him)

Arlo has been a part of prevention education and youth advocacy efforts since 2017. He gains motivation from the infectious joy and kindness he sees in the participants and co-workers he is grateful to know. When working with male identified participants, Arlo aims to model the power of vulnerability and being authentically yourself, especially when it doesn’t align with more stereotypical cultural narratives of masculinity. When not in the office, Arlo thoroughly enjoys picnics in parks, making a hearty loaf of sourdough bread, and shamelessly critiquing architecture on neighborhood walks.

Youth Services

The Youth Services Team strives to create safe spaces for youth and families to build connections and heal from trauma. They work to expand survivor and family support networks through one-on-one confidential advocacy, parenting supports, youth groups, and community-building events such as The Pathways Program and Camp HOPE America – Oregon. The Youth Program finds joy in celebrating survivor milestones, discussing their favorite books, and singing silly camp songs!

Violence Prevention

Allyn (He/Him)

Violence Prevention Manager

Skylar (He/Him)

Community for Safe Kids Coordinator

Violence Prevention Manager

Allyn (He/Him)

Allyn has been working in violence prevention since 2013. He has a Master of Arts degree in Ministry Leadership from George Fox University where he studied abuse within Christian faith communities, racial and gender reconciliation, and leadership. He completed the Oregon 40-hour advocacy training in 2012 and has additional training in bystander intervention and popular education. Some of his experience includes training church leaders and clergy on how to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault and providing support survivors in their faith communities. Allyn serves as a member of the Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force where he collaborates with violence prevention programs throughout the state.

Community for Safe Kids Coordinator

Skylar (He/Him)

Skylar has been working in Child Abuse Prevention and Early Childhood Education for over 6 years. He started his career as an AmeriCorps member with the Sacramento Children’s Home as a Family Resource Center Aide, focusing on providing Parenting Education and case management. As a Preschool Teacher, he was able to redirect his passion of Child Abuse Prevention to work in direct service with very young people, assisting the next generation in building skills and resiliency around topics such as safety, consent, emotional literacy, and direct non-violent communication. Inspired by the famous Mr. Rogers, Skylar strives to promote “goodness” wherever possible, especially with very young people. Skylar also loves spending time indoors and out with his multi-species family of humans, dog, cat, rabbit, rats, and plants.

Violence Prevention Team

The Violence Prevention Team has a collective 16 years of experience providing sexual and dating violence prevention with K-12 students in Clackamas County. Together they enjoy discussing pop culture, especially in the forms of music videos, social media trends, and TV shows.

Counseling

Counseling Team

The Counseling Program has Providers with a collective 20 years of clinical experience treating impacts of trauma with survivors. They focus on collaboratively building on strengths and resilience to work towards goals that are meaningful to the client. Counselors are trained in evidence-based practices including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Counselors also teach community trainings on topics such as Trauma Informed Care and Impacts of Trauma on Children. They enjoy when pets (theirs or others’) make surprise appearances in telehealth sessions and trainings.

Shelter

Angie (She/Her)

Shelter & Housing Program Director

Bethany (She/Her)

Shelter Manager

Alison (She/Her)

Shelter Coordinator

Shelter & Housing Program Director

Angie (She/Her)

Angie has been working to end violence against women since 1995 and with CWS since 2002. Her extensive experience includes managing CWS’s shelter and housing programs and ensuring all services are trauma-informed and survivor-centered. Since 2014, Angie has been a key figure in implementing the Coordinated Housing Access Program, helping CWS become the “DV/SA door” for survivors who identify a housing need in Clackamas County, while simultaneously working to create a program that runs in partnership with regional homeless service providers to ensure that all survivors have access to vital housing resources.

Since 2007, Angie has been a key figure in the development of The Village Model at CWS’ shelter. Rooted in years of survivor feedback, it increases access, builds community, and celebrates survivors in the CWS shelter program. She also worked to create CWS’ shared advocacy model that gives survivors greater access to support as they benefit from all the staff’s expertise and creates an environment that prevents burnout for staff. She believes shelter and housing are crucial spaces for survivors to have the opportunity to remember who they were before the abuse and find joy and laughter again whether it’s through sharing a meal, attending a yoga class, or finding some solace in their own space. She enjoys spending time with her adult kids, camping, playing tambourine, and karaoke.

Shelter Manager

Bethany (She/Her)

Bethany believes everyone deserves a life free from violence. This belief has fueled her work with Clackamas Women’s Services (CWS) since 2010. As Shelter Program Manager, Bethany supports a safe and inclusive community at The Village emergency shelter. Helping survivors reestablish what brings them joy and finding the humor in things is so important to Bethany. Connection and relationship are core values that she holds when supporting survivors through their healing journey and acknowledging each person’s lived experience and the perspective they bring to The Village. Off the clock, Bethany enjoys dad jokes and spending quality time with her kids and partner, hiking, walking along the beach, camping, and overall being outdoors looking for her next adventure. Lately, Bethany has found herself at the Library picking out new books to read with her kids.

Shelter Coordinator

Alison (She/Her)

Alison began working with Clackamas Women’s Services in 2016 as Shelter Relief Staff and quickly found her calling as a Shelter Youth Advocate before stepping into her current role as Shelter Coordinator. Alison has contributed to planning numerous shelter events and field trips including a yearly garden planting party, pie making party, spaghetti dinner, and summer BBQ. She has planned visits with participants to local farms, movie theaters, splash pads, Oaks Park, OMSI, the Oregon Zoo, NW Children’s Theater, and much more. She has experience with leading A Window Between Worlds (AWBW) art group at shelter, Parent Café, and assisting with Shelter Community Night. She has been involved with supporting the success of CWS Camp HOPE for six years. Alison is passionate about community and relationship building. She loves making connections with and supporting the participants at shelter and strives to help create a warm, welcoming, fun atmosphere. Alison is also a mom of five, a lifelong Oregonian, and is always up for a spontaneous adventure. She enjoys camping, hiking, swimming, canoeing, waterfall chasing, the beach, mountains, rock hounding, roller skating, snow days, and sunshine.

Shelter Team

The Shelter Team is a diverse group of individuals with various backgrounds, ages, and cultures. Almost half of the team has been working at the shelter for 10+ years now. That collective knowledge and history help them to provide support, crisis intervention, safety planning, and case management through shared advocacy. When survivors access their services they don’t get just one case manager they get a whole team. They enjoy cooking for each other and find lots of reasons to celebrate. It’s not uncommon to join a team meeting and find that someone has brought cookies, snacks, or made one of their favorite family recipes.

Housing

Val (She/Her)

Housing Admin Manager

Liliana (She/Her/Ella)

Housing Services Manager

Housing Admin Manager

Val (She/Her)

As Housing Admin Manager, Val assists survivors with navigating the complex housing process, so they can focus on their healing and family. She believes everyone deserves a roof over their head because safe and stable housing provides them the autonomy to make their own decisions as they heal from trauma. Val has been with CWS since 2006 and continues to do this work because of the resiliency she sees in the survivors she works with. When not at work, Val loves to bake, garden, travel, and spend time at the beach with her family and friends.

Housing Services Manager

Liliana (She/Her/Ella)

Liliana has been working to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence since 1998. Liliana began her career in Mexico as a social worker and later taught preschool at the Oregon Child Development Coalition (OCDC) for 11 years, supporting children whose parents worked in agriculture. Liliana has been with CWS supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence since 2017. She is a first-generation immigrant with a passion for working with marginalized communities. Liliana acknowledges the barriers that many face in navigating complex systems without sufficient support. She approaches her work with empathy and without judgment, recognizing that everyone deserves someone who listens to them. One of her favorite aspects of working with survivors is helping them brainstorm their options to move toward independence. Liliana is blessed with a large family that enjoys gathering, being playful, and sharing food. She is always happy to be in nature, especially near water and in the beauty of Oregon.

Housing Team

The Housing Team is a diverse group of individuals with various backgrounds, ages, and cultures. The team helps survivors connect with a continuum of housing services to stay in their current home, move, or find safe housing. Housing Case Managers help survivors connect to resources that could include Clackamas County’s Coordinated Housing Access, direct rental assistance, and eviction prevention. They also help survivors communicate with a landlord or learn about housing rights. The Housing Team has been one of our fastest growing teams over the last few years.

Administrative

Melissa Erlbaum (She/Her)

Executive Director

Amy (She/Her)

Deputy Director

Jill (She/Her)

HR & Operations Director

Kelly (She/Her)

Human Resources Coordinator

Carla (She/Her)

Finance Director

Rochelle (She/Her)

Finance Coordinator

Alex (She/Her)

Government Grants Manager

Amanda (She/Her)

Communications Manager

Executive Director

Melissa Erlbaum (She/Her)

Melissa has worked in the field of public safety and victim and homeless services for over 25 years. She has served as the Executive Director at Clackamas Women’s Services (CWS) since 2007. Under Melissa’s leadership, CWS has grown from a staff of approximately 15 to an agency with more than 70 employees. Melissa is a proven leader and fearless advocate on behalf of survivors. She was a driving force in establishing A Safe Place Family Justice Center with former Sheriff Craig Roberts. Melissa supported the development of the Village Model, CWS’ groundbreaking emergency shelter program, which is based on best practices that encourage the creation of a community where survivors can reconnect with their strengths and receive support. She also implemented the first comprehensive housing program for survivors in Clackamas County by developing the Beyond Shelter Initiative. Melissa is a highly regarded collaborator who is called upon regularly to help incubate and advance community-wide initiatives that focus on safety and well-being. She enjoys bringing together various stakeholders and disciplines, like public health, public safety, community members to address the intersections of systems in responding to domestic and sexual violence.

Melissa holds a Master’s Degree in Public and Nonprofit Administration from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, Women’s Studies and Energy and Environmental Policy from Hunter College, NYC.

She loves being out in nature with her dog and enjoys renting cozy cottages near water to sneak away for relaxation.

Deputy Director

Amy (She/Her)

Amy has been working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Oregon for over 20 years in shelters, prevention, and community-based programs and has provided program oversight and management at Clackamas Women’s Services since 2007. She frequently provides training and technical assistance on the Village Model as well as collaborative response to elder abuse and training to law enforcement on response to domestic violence survivors in the community. She enjoys working with staff to create joyful, sustainable careers in advocacy.

HR & Operations Director

Jill (She/Her)

With over 18 years in non-profit leadership, Jill is inspired by community-based work and the people who make our communities stronger. Jill joined Clackamas Women’s Services in 2018 as the HR & Operations Director and is grateful for the opportunity to work beside such a dedicated group of folks who lift survivors’ voices and experiences and navigate the critical work of supporting survivors experiencing domestic violence and sexual assault. Before joining CWS, Jill’s work was largely focused on advocating for reproductive health and rights at the policy and community level while supporting organizational and staff growth. When Jill is not at work, she is spending time with her beautiful family and friends, living for the sunshine, and having fun!

Human Resources Coordinator

Kelly (She/Her)

Kelly has worked alongside survivors for eight years in crisis response and youth advocacy. These experiences have given her a passion for supporting staff by bolstering wellness and mitigating the impacts of vicarious trauma. Outside of work, you can find Kelly hanging with her dog Boo, curled up with a good book, or spending quality time with close friends and family.

Finance Director

Carla (She/Her)

Carla started working in the field of finance during high school and developed an appreciation for non-profit accounting over 12 years ago. In her role at CWS, she enjoys supporting the work of those dedicated to providing services to our community. When she’s not crunching numbers, Carla is a soccer mom and devoted bunny mom.

Finance Coordinator

Rochelle (She/Her)

Rochelle has been working in different aspects of business finance since 2008. She began working in nonprofit finance in 2022 in the housing program at NWFS and transitioned to her current role with CWS in 2023. In 2024, she graduated with a degree in healthcare administration and a medical billing and coding certificate from Purdue University. Rochelle is currently working towards an associate degree in accounting in order to earn a Bachelor of Accounting degree on an accelerated path in the next three years through Purdue University. Her goal is to provide more knowledgeable support for the services that CWS provides. When she’s not working or taking classes, she enjoys spending as much time as possible with her family, which includes her two children, a whole herd of dogs, her mother, sister, and nieces. Rochelle loves being a mother and aunt just as much as she loves providing backend support to help ensure survivors receive the best possible care and the compassion they deserve. In the colder months, she often knits hats and blankets to donate to pediatric patients in hospitals and NICU.

Government Grants Manager

Alex (She/Her)

Alex (Pawnee/Xicana) has worked in various grants management roles throughout her career in philanthropic intermediaries, pass-through entities, and nonprofits serving survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. In her role at CWS, she oversees grant compliance, manages contractual relationships, provides training and technical assistance, and assists with data collection. She is certified in the U.S. Department of Justice Grants Financial Management. Alex has a successful history of providing post-award grants management and technical assistance to projects serving survivors in rural and Indigenous communities. She also has experience managing private foundation grants, grantmaking, and helped establish a fellowship program for young women to organize their own community-based projects. Alex earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science: Law & Policy from Humboldt State University and was part of the ITEPP Native American Center for Academic Excellence. In her free time, Alex enjoys knitting, road trips, and listening to podcasts.

Communications Manager

Amanda (She/Her)

Amanda has a passion for communication and supporting people in telling their stories in ways that empower and uplift both the storyteller and the audience. Her love of communication is rooted in her desire for people to use their words to resolve conflicts. Toward that end, she has spent years supporting people in building interpersonal communication skills. She comes to CWS after spending three years in affordable housing and over ten years working to create a more sensible approach in drug policy. As a policy advocate and community organizer, Amanda enjoyed helping to bring people together to effect change.

With certifications in Trauma-Informed Practices and Trauma-Informed Leadership from Community Resilience Initiative, she is committed to applying trauma-informed approaches to storytelling. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication, graduating with honors from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. While there she joined the debate team and earned semi-finalist in the novice division of the American Debate Association tournament. This training honed her ability to communicate both efficiently and effectively. Amanda also served on the Board of Students for Sensible Drug Policy while leading her chapter at Wayne State. She previously attended community college where she led her campus chapter of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society to earn the Most Distinguished Chapter of the Michigan Region. It was there she first learned community organizing and the incredible things people can accomplish together.

Her lived experience growing up around violence shapes how she moves through life and her commitment to uplifting survivor stories. In 2015, she participated in community efforts to hold offenders accountable for sexual assault and helped organize a series of workshops to educate her community on the dynamics of sexual assault and abuse, bystander intervention, consent, and supporting survivors.

In her free time, she loves the open road on her motorcycle, time in nature—especially in or near rivers and waterfalls, and time with the people she holds dear.

Development

Tony Staser (He/Him)

Development Director

Lisa (She/Her)

Grants Manager

Josie (She/Her)

Development Manager

Katherine (She/Her)

Development Coordinator

Development Director

Tony Staser (He/Him)

Tony is a seasoned nonprofit professional specializing in development, fundraising, and marketing. With a passion for creating sustainable funding strategies and fostering meaningful connections, Tony has spent his career helping organizations amplify their impact and secure the resources needed to fulfill their missions. At CWS, Tony is responsible for nurturing donor relationships, designing strategic fundraising initiatives, and creating persuasive communications that motivate donations to support the organization’s mission. His expertise spans across donor stewardship, grant writing, event planning, and digital marketing, making him a versatile and results-driven leader in the nonprofit sector. Outside of work, Tony loves gardening, exploring new restaurants, hiking, practicing yoga, and traveling the globe. He is also a devoted pet parent to his Boston Terrier, Cookie.

Grants Manager

Lisa (She/Her)

Lisa has been a champion for nonprofits for more than three decades, leveraging the power of relationships and storytelling to raise funds and build community for dozens of organizations. Finding the connection between a funder’s goals and an organization’s mission is her passion. When not writing grants for CWS, Lisa enjoys adventures with her trusty sidekick and constant canine companion, Willow. Plus good wine, good food, and good friends.

Development Manager

Josie (She/Her)

Josie has been with CWS since 2017 and works as part of the Development team, focusing on fundraising, community engagement, and communications. Being in this position has grown her interest in how fundraising can fuel social change. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. Josie enjoys creating graphic design and art projects, reading, cooking and baking, spending time with family and friends, and being outside in nature.

Development Coordinator

Katherine (She/Her)

Katherine joined the Development team in 2022. She has decades of experience in communication and making connections in the community. She has a new-found passion for advocacy work and providing meaningful interactions in our donor community. When she’s not working to further the mission of CWS, she enjoys outdoor adventures with her two teenage sons, working out and spending time with friends.

Development Team

The Development Team brings more than 65 years of experience to our work, building strong relationships with supporters and sharing with the community about CWS’ work supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Through fundraising events, online fundraising campaigns, community outreach, and social media we enjoy connecting with people and helping make CWS’ programs and services available. We love our furry family members Willow, Dobby, Maple, and Greg – you might spot them in our office from time to time!