Who We Are — Brave Voices

Founder's story

Cheryle Gail Grace.

Welcome!

Through my personal journey of healing from CSA, I have found my brave voice. And now practice having courageous conversations, even when my voice shakes.

Speaking up and normalizing the conversation of CSA prevention is complex. There is no quick fix. There are no easy answers.

Addressing all the aspects and complexities needed to end the disturbing reality we now live in will take time, practice, patience, and perseverance.

I have studied and assisted Non-Violent Communication since 2011. I am months from becoming a CNVC trainer. And I have degrees in AA Early Childhood Education from Foothill College in Los Altos, CA, and a BA in Child Development from San Jose State University.

One of my greatest accomplishments was cycling across the USA in 1994, with Break The Cycle — The National Ride To Stop Childhood Sexual Abuse.

My own lived-experience interview lives on the Listen page. The people I have been in conversation with — Laura Davis, Hollis Wilder, and others — sit alongside it. The community I have built threads through StoryCorps, the Library of Congress, Esalen Institute, and small living rooms wherever someone needed a Brave Voice next to them.

I invite you to stand up alongside me by joining the Brave Voices Movement today!

Cheryle Gail Grace, founder of Brave Voices

Founding member

Beth Marer-Garcia.

California State Certified Esalen Massage Practitioner for over 20 years. Lifelong advocate and volunteer contributor to various child welfare organizations. Married, mother of two grown children and soon to be grandmother. Having been brought up in a loving, safe & sound home, Beth dreams of a world where every child is cherished and receives the very best care.

"It takes true acts of bravery, despite any feelings of discomfort, to think, listen, learn and talk openly and creatively about how to protect children from all forms of sexual harm. As our society normalizes these conversations the world will become a much safer place for all children."

Beth Marer-Garcia, founding member of Brave Voices

Board

Our board.

The people who hold the mission, the budget, and the long view — and who keep the work accountable to the survivors it serves.

Rowena Wahid

CFO & Secretary

Rowena grew up in San Jose, California and now resides in the East Bay. She holds a degree in Business Administration and has been part of the financial industry since 2008 — starting at Wells Fargo, then Citibank, before moving to Bank of the West / Bank of Montreal, where she still works today.

Rowena loves helping people manage and grow their finances. Having lived through frightening experiences herself, she understands what it feels like to not have been able to speak up as a young child. She is honored to contribute to the growth of Brave Voices and to be a strong advocate for those learning to speak up to protect children.

Maureen Flannigan

Director & Producer

Owner and director of Emancipated Minors, a production company based in Los Angeles. Maureen has been writing, directing, and producing digital and broadcast programming for major broadcasters, independent studios, nonprofits, and small businesses since 2008.

Years earlier, Maureen was a successful actress — most notably as a series regular on the WB's 7th Heaven, ABC's Push, and NBC's Out of This World. She graduated from USC's School of Theater and is a former student at McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach.

Advisors

Our advisors.

Practitioners and thinkers we lean on for counsel — from the clinical, legal, educational, and lived-experience sides of the work.

Cedric De Brito

Technical Advisor

Engineer turned philanthropist, helping nonprofits advance their missions with entrepreneur-style advice. Rational thinker, globe trotter, and language enthusiast — always looking for a way to automate a task with a script.

LaDonna Silva

M.A., LMFT

LaDonna is a licensed psychotherapist in the South Bay area, working in private practice with individuals, couples, and families, and running groups. Her specialties include trauma, grief, relationships, and the LGBTQI+ community. She runs consultation groups, has taught at several local universities, and loves creating communal space.

She studied at the Process Therapy Institute and trained in the Internal Family Systems model. She is passionate about the healing process and supporting others in finding their internal freedom. www.ladonnasilva.com

Jean Morrison

M.A.

Jean had the privilege of working extensively with Marshall Rosenberg, the founder of NVC, and has been a Certified NonViolent Communication trainer since 1989. Her book Communication Fundamentals was "blessed" by Marshall himself. She is co-author of GROK the World, the Feelings and Needs cards, and is the designer of many NVC books and learning materials — including the children's book Feelings on Parade and We Grok for Two.

Jean's background in psychology and counseling includes whole-brain learning and holistic health. She has been teaching month, week, and weekend retreats at Esalen for over sixteen years. Her gift for listening — reflecting what she hears, guessing feelings and needs, and hearing the "yes" to themselves that lives behind someone's "no" — is in every molecule of her body. She lives and breathes NVC principles. We are privileged to have the opportunity of learning from and with her.

Team

Day-to-day.

The people who keep Brave Voices online and out in the world — building the website, running social media, and making sure the next person searching for a Brave Voice can find one.

Jeannie Stivers

Web Designer & Developer

Jeannie runs a web design and management studio, and specializes in creating websites as unique as her clients. She enjoys working on a variety of projects, from author websites to fully featured e-commerce websites. While Jeannie Stivers Web Design is a new company, Jeannie has been developing and designing websites for over 10 years.

jeanniestiverswebdesign.com

Lisa Frye

Social Media Manager

As a CSA survivor, I am honored to be working with Cheryle and Brave Voices. We are stronger together. So let's rise up and use our Brave Voices. We'll let other survivors know they are not alone. We will let the perpetrators know that we will not be victims. They will not win… We will!

A little about me: I'm a wife, mom of five and grandma of two. I live in beautiful central Virginia. I'm a small business owner. To escape from my busy life, I enjoy camping, country music concerts, and just being outdoors with my family.

lisa.thesmallbusinessva@gmail.com

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