Executive Board
Kellie D. Morgantini - Board Chair
Kellie has served Monterey County’s non-profit community for more than 25 years. A licensed attorney, Kellie recently retired after 25 years legal service for Legal Services for Seniors (a non-profit law firm providing legal assistance to Monterey County seniors 60+ years of age). Kellie served 12 years as Legal Services for Seniors Executive Director. Kellie now uses her legal background as a pro bono attorney for Legal Services for Seniors as well as serving on other local non-profit organizations. Housing is, and will continue to be, one of the most pressing issues for our low-income community members as well as those of us striving to help them.
Alexa Johnson - HRC Executive Director
Alexa Johnson has been working with HRC since June 2017. She obtained a Master's degree in Applied Anthropology from San Jose State University and a Bachelor's of Arts at California State University, Monterey Bay. During her five years at HRC, Alexa has focused on transforming the agency to accurately reflect the needs of the community, making it one of the leading rapid re-housing agencies in the county.
Frederica Jones - Board Vice Chair
Frederica Jones retired in 2017 after a 30-year career as a Probation Officer, concluding her service as a Probation Service Manager with the Monterey County Superior Court Investigations Unit.
From 2019 to 2020, she served as Campaign Manager for the Del Rey Oaks Mayor.
Since 2020, Frederica has served as an Administrative Hearing Officer for the City of Del Rey Oaks.
A lifelong public servant in her community, Frederica is committed to enriching her community and has served on several community-based organizations, including the Monterey Bay Chapter of The Links Incorporated where she served as 2nd Vice President.
She joined the Democratic Women of Monterey County and began volunteering on the Programs Committee.
Frederica joined The Salvation Army Monterey Corp Advisory Board and co-chairs the Red Kettle Kickoff Committee.
She also serves on the Board of the Housing Resource Center of Monterey County and presently serves as Vice President.
Joe Servi - Treasurer
Joe Servi has worked in the field of Banking since 1986. He is the Senior Vice President at Pinnacle Bank. He is a Senior Business Banker and Commercial Loan Officer specializing in Business Lending and Commercial Real Estate Lending including Multi-Family Properties. In his spare time, he has volunteered as a both a baseball and softball coach and served on a number of Boards including the Friends of California School of the Deaf in Riverside, CA and Friends of the Corona Public Library. He currently serves on the Parks and Youth Committee in Del Rey Oaks, the Monterey Commercial Property Owners Association and the Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) Foundation.
Lisa Ziska-Marchand - Secretary
Lisa Ziska-Marchand, Ed.D. is a civically engaged, social justice professional. She is employed as the Executive Director for Advancement Operations and Analytics at Scripps College in Claremont, CA. Lisa has nearly 20 years of experience in fundraising for organizations that foster education, social support and upward mobility.
Prior to fundraising, Lisa worked as a social worker in community mental health. Working in the field, carrying out social service policy, she saw first hand how social supports make all the difference for our most vulnerable citizens as well as the dramatic inequities in our society. She continues to believe that it is the responsibility of every citizen to monitor the activity of our elected representatives to ensure that safety net services we need are not stripped away in the name of fiscal responsibility and that inequity and the status quo are regularly challenged.
Board at large
Jonathan Ahmadi
Jonathan Ahmadi has lived in California his whole life. He grew up in San Jose, went to Los Angeles to go to UCLA, lived there for twenty years, and moved to Seaside with his wife 2.5 years ago. He has a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and has worked in the fields of engineering, entertainment, healthcare, and politics.
He currently works as a project manager in the field of healthcare construction and has his Project Management Professional (PMP) credentials and Six Sigma Lean Black Belt Professional (LBBP) certification.
He has previously served as the Vice President of the board for the Santa Clarita Veterans Services Collaborative, a non-profit providing support for over 10,000 veterans in Northern Los Angeles County. He has also been a city homelessness task force member and helped to develop a safe-parking pilot program.
He is honored to join the HRC board to continue to work and advocate for those in our community that this wonderful organization supports.
Monica Andrade
Monica was born and raised in Salinas, CA. She is the eldest of 5 children and first generation of immigrant parents originally from Guanajuato, Mexico.
Monica proudly served in the US Army and completed one tour in Iraq. It was through her military service she understood the impact and importance of being involved in current political affairs and social justice issues.
She is married with 3 children and although it is not easy to be a full-time student, working mom, and in the forefront of advocacy for social justice and equality, she makes it work through her passion and dedication to serve.
Monica has found purpose in creating safe environments not only for her children but for the families she represents. Education, social issues, advocacy for equality, and family are at the forefront of her daily work. Monica is a Parent Educator for Door to Hope, a non-profit organization centered on providing direct services to underserved communities. In her time off, Monica is actively working directly to serve and represent the Salinas and South Monterey County communities.
Monica is always ready to continue the work to bring social equity from the lens and perspective of the underserved communities she grew up in.
Dr. Kim Brown-Barber
Kim Brown Barber, Ph.D. is a successful businesswoman, city councilwoman and a longtime educational leader with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. As an advocate for university students and women leadership, her passion and commitment over the last 17 years has focused on several areas to include: increasing diversity and inclusion, closing the achievement gap, women empowerment and leadership. Additionally, she has published a chapter in “Teaching through Challenges for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” Additionally, she has authored, " Unlock Your Power," a women's empowerment support book. Her constant perseverance and dedication led her to be appointed by the former Governor Steve Beshear to the Diversity Committee for The Council for Postsecondary Education and the Strategic Planning Committee for The Council for Postsecondary Education for the state of Kentucky.
As the former Director of Pre-College and Early Outreach Support Programs at California State University Monterey Bay, Dr. Brown Barber continues to enhance diversity and inclusion for underrepresented students and afford them the opportunity to achieve success at every academic level. Additionally, as the first minority woman as city councilwoman for the beautiful city of Monterey, California, she continues to strive for inclusive voices, affordable housing, business and residential collaborations and continued sustainability.
She received a Bachelor’s degree from Hampton University, a Master’s degree from the University of Maryland in International Business, and a Doctorate degree with a focus on Public Policy and Social Change from Union Institute and University.
As the CEO of her company and brand, Dr. Kim, Dr. Brown Barber strives to inspire women of all ages, races, cultures, identities, and religions on a global scale to live lives of their fully unlocked POWER.
Impacting Change Speaker Series:
- Keynote at National Campfire Organization, 2023
- Speaker at Boost Conference, Palm Springs, 2022
- Speaker at All in for Equity, Monterey County of Education, 2019
- Speaker at American Association for Hispanics in Higher Education 2018
- Speaker at Kentucky Women’s Forum, 2018
- Guest on The Good Radio Network, 2018
- Speaker at The American Association for Blacks in Higher Education, 2017
- Speaker at Purdue University at Indianapolis, 2016
- Assisted the coordination of the White House Hispanic Initiative Visit for
- Hispanic Awareness and Advancement, 2015
- Speaker at Kentucky L.E.A.D. at the University of Louisville, 2014
Alison Kerr
Alison Kerr was born and raised amongst the orchards of Santa Clara Valley, the third child of an engineer father and a community volunteer/teacher mother. In 1989 she walked into a small house painted pink from top to bottom. Standing in the kitchen looking out at her Del Rey Oaks cul-de-sac, she knew she was home. She lives with her partner Gerry, their dogs Ludwig and Penelope, and 4 chickens and have since done some painting, added solar panels, and planted an edible garden.
Alison recently retired as a Federal STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Action Officer at the Naval Postgraduate School, where for 18 years she helped grow the next-generation workforce to keep our country and armed forces safe, and on the forefront of innovation. The programs she developed and managed provided hands-on research opportunities for over 800 high school, community college, and university students. She also was an NPS research institute Program Manager, overseeing projects that included humanitarian disaster relief and emergency response, and energy as a national security issue.
Alison was elected as the first female Mayor of Del Rey Oaks in Nov 2018 and served until Dec 2022. She served on the League of California City’s Community Service Policy Commission for two years and as the city’s representative on the Monterey County Mayors’ Association, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, and the City Selection Committee. She also served on the Monterey County Housing Coalition and Del Rey Oaks Finance Committee. She led the city to establish the first-ever reserve fund, paid off a $500,000 debt, joined Monterey Bay Community Power, stopped a proposed access road to the airport, and put solar panels on City Hall. She formed Mayor Advisory Committees for Sustainability, Arts & Culture, Parks & Youth, and Emergency Response. She ushered in FORTAG, a multimodal path that will traverse the city, providing a safe underpass linking the two sides of the city.
COVID-19 occurred during her time as Mayor when she quickly and compassionately responded to the crisis by providing business and renter protections, as well as creating weekly Zoom “Community Campfires” for information sharing and community building. She signed the My Brother’s Keeper Mayor’s Pledge to review Del Rey Oaks’ use of force policies and created a new Community Police Advisory Committee. She proudly introduced the first-ever proclamations in support of our LGBTQ+ community and racial diversity so all neighbors feel valued and safe.
She is the Co-founder and co-chair of Sustainable Del Rey Oaks and serves on the Monterey County Airport Land Use Commission and Fallen Leaf Mutual Water Company. She helped create the Del Rey Oaks Neighborhood Watch, Concerned Citizens for Del Rey Oaks and was Treasurer for 2 of her 4 years on the Del Rey Oaks Citizens Action Group.
She holds a B.A. in Human Communications from California State University, Monterey Bay. She was a 2010 graduate of Leadership Monterey Peninsula. In recognition of her professional accomplishments, she was awarded the President’s Partnership Award from Hartnell College. She was recognized as a Women of Influence by the League of California Cities Women’s Caucus.
Maria Rabaino
Maria Rabaino is a marketing and community engagement professional based in Pacific Grove, CA. Since moving to the Monterey Peninsula in 2014 and settling in Pacific Grove in 2021, Maria has focused on using digital media to connect communities and elevate voices. Her career began with helping to launch the Rollettes, where she developed essential digital marketing skills that helped the team thrive.
Currently, as the outreach coordinator for Boundless Babe Society, Maria empowers disabled women through an online mentorship program, creating a sense of belonging and support for those navigating life with a disability and strengthening community bonds through social media and virtual workshops.
Maria has also worked with the Veterans Transition Center and on Jonathan Ahmadi’s campaign, combining digital strategy with advocacy to increase engagement. Her work included running impactful social media campaigns, digital ads, web content, and developing outreach materials that strengthened community support for unhoused and formerly incarcerated veterans and built voter confidence in local leadership. She holds certifications in Nonprofit Essentials, Marketing Essentials, Fundraising Essentials, and Grant Seeking Essentials from NonprofitReady.org.
Outside of work, she enjoys volunteering, shopping locally, and attending community theater productions. Maria is driven by a strong desire to support causes that make a meaningful impact, especially for those who are often overlooked or underrepresented.
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Anna Velazquez - Mayor of the City of Soledad
Anna has over 20 years of experience in local government—including four years as a City Council member and many more in her current position as District Director for a State Senator. Anna is well versed in the areas of economic development, affordable housing, administration and implementation of federal grants, project management and community organizing. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminology from California State University, Fresno. She was previously employed with the City of Salinas where she held a position as Community Development Analyst. During her 17 year, professional career at the City of Salinas she also held the position as Neighborhood Services Coordinator where she served as a resource and liaison for neighborhoods by facilitating and building civic partnerships. Anna and her husband Felipe Melchor are very excited to be raising their children in Soledad, in the town they were both raised.