Fitting in is the opposite of belonging, and we need to work on that belonging- Brene Brown

Saskia has over 7 years of experience in the public and nonprofit sectors in Sonoma County. Saskia supports a culture, for Sonoma County and beyond, that values and embodies respect as the highest form of love. She believes in encouraging and trusting individuals and communities to lead and be active participants in their own healing. Saskia’s experience includes grants and financial management, public health policy systems and environment changes, performance and quality improvement, and working across multiple programs including houselessness and housing solutions, immigration, senior services, financial stability, and disaster recovery. Saskia enjoys making new friends, nature, spending time with her partner, and playing with her dog, Kiki.

Dana was raised in Sonoma County and has over 10 years of experience in higher education, hospital, and community healthcare. Dana recently completed her Master’s degree in Public Health from University of North Carolina and is passionate about using evidence-based practices to increase overall community success and health equity. She believes in building capacity within individuals, organizations, and communities to address social determinants of health. Dana’s experience includes project management, program evaluation, clinical research, data analysis, clinic coordination, community outreach and engagement, health policy and social justice. Dana enjoys traveling, knitting, comedy podcasts, and adventuring with her husband and two rescue dogs.

Mariana was born in Colombia and immigrated to Sonoma County, CA as a child. She’s bilingual and bicultural and feels grateful for the different cultural influences that have enriched her development. Mariana has B.A in Print and Online Journalism and a minor in Labor Studies from San Francisco State University. She's also currently pursuing a certificate in e-Learning Instructional Design at UC Irvine. Along with her experience as a storyteller and an affinity for the visual communication of data and information, Mariana brings to Sonoma Connect | Sonoma Unidos experience working with nonprofits and community-based organizations where she helped to advance education and trauma-informed practices in multidisciplinary fields as well as provide support and essential services to community members. Mariana has two young cats that demand a lot of attention, play, and food and when she’s not home with them she’s usually out enjoying the many parks and landscapes Sonoma County offers with friends and family.

Sofia was born in the Central Valley to farm workers but was later raised here in Sonoma County. She is a first generation Mexican-American with Indigenous roots, and since she was a child has been passionate about leadership, community service, education, social engagement and culture. She believes in creating healing practices that will help improve the quality of life for others within the community, state, federal and even at the global level. Sofia received an A.A in Political Science and Social and Behavioral Sciences from Santa Rosa Junior College. She later went off to receive a B.A in Political Science and a minor in Global and International Studies from the University of California, Davis. Sofia’s experience includes social justice and advocacy, administrative work in higher education, coalition work, community outreach and engagement, and program assistance evaluation. Sofia enjoys learning new languages, traveling, concerts, food, ASMR, and spending time with family and friends along with her cat Gohan.

Harman was born and raised in the East Bay Area where he currently resides. As a UC Davis Alumni, graduating with a B.S. in Community and Regional Development, Harman gained work experience in both Public Health and Biotech sectors before becoming a part of the CAP/Sonoma Connect Team. At the same time, Harman pursued his graduate studies at the University of Illinois, Chicago graduating with a M.S. in Health Informatics. Because of his experiences in the healthcare field, Harman developed a passion for understanding the importance of the patient journey to the wellbeing of the individuals. Harman’s experience includes communications, health education and promotion, project management, health information systems, social and organizational issues, consumer health informatics, and analysis and design. Harman enjoys watching movies/tv shows, being with friends/family, and eating good food. If you can understand his pop culture and geeky references, then chances are you can be great friends.