Meet the Team

Chandra Alexandre, the Chief Executive Officer of Community Action Marin, is a seasoned nonprofit executive and fund development professional with 20 years of experience supporting organizations to social justice outcomes. Her work has helped strengthen regional affordable housing and early childhood education initiatives, expand education reform strategies nationally, and resource grassroots-led movement building for global women’s rights.

While at the Bay Area Council, she was commended by the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women for her work leading outreach, community engagement, and fundraising to support the 2011 APEC Women & The Economy Summit hosted by Secretary Hillary Clinton. Prior to her nonprofit roles, Chandra worked in financial services and for the US Department of State.

She has taught both full-time and part-time students in the University of San Francisco’s Master’s in Nonprofit Administration program focused on philanthropy and is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, serving her local chapter as President in 2019. She is a mentor nationally in the AFP Women’s Mentoring and Leadership Development Program and locally in the United Nations Association of San Francisco. She is a member of the Strive Together Leadership Program focused on equity efforts in Marin County. Chandra is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and holds a certificate in Ethical Leadership from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. She graduated from Columbia with a dual degree in psychology and philosophy and holds MBA and Ph.D degrees.

Chandra’s commitment to equity serves her well at Community Action Marin, where board and staff are standing with low-income families and individuals struggling to find opportunity and fulfill their dreams in challenging times. Her vision is to help propel local efforts to eradicate disparities forward while promoting self-sufficiency for all in a county that has the largest inequities between racial groups in California. Doing this will require a healing-centered approach that brings awareness of community trauma to the fore. Under her leadership, Community Action Marin will continue to provide the high-quality services necessary to meet community needs while also fostering and advocating for a thriving Marin County.

As the Director of Comprehensive Health Services for Community Action Marin’s Children and Family Services, Kristine Aguilar leads the programmatic implementation of health, nutrition, disabilities, and mental health services. She comes from a vibrant multi-cultural community which informs her work as a clinical social worker and drives her passion for pursuing social justice, equity, and advocacy for underserved communities.

Understanding that early support and intervention is critical in breaking the cycle of poverty, Kristine previously worked with the San Diego Center for Children—a therapeutic educational setting that inspired further development of her diverse clinical skills.

Additionally, she provided triage care and treatment for individuals with persistent mental illness while with UC San Diego’s Gifford Clinic; conducting individual and group psychotherapy and collaborating within a multi-disciplinary team of physicians and clinicians. Never shying away from working directly with those with high-risk needs, she also has experience providing re-entry support to previously incarcerated individuals released on parole; working with community partners to assist with employment, housing, and substance abuse recovery.

Kristine became involved with Community Action Marin as a parent in the Head Start program. She served as Chairperson of the Head Start Policy Council for the 2019-2020 school year. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from San Diego State University and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Southern California with a concentration in mental health. In her free time, she enjoys reading inspirational biographies and spending time with family.

Heather Bettini grew up in Marin County and is passionate about advancing social justice and equity so everyone has the opportunity to reach his/her full potential. Heather is Community Action Marin’s Economic Opportunity Director, and in this capacity, she leads the implementation of a proven financial/career coaching model and delivery of basic needs services that mitigate economic disparities in the community. Part of her work focuses on bridging resource gaps for low-income families who are unable to make ends meet, largely due to the 48% cost of living increase in Marin County over the past four years (2014-2018).  

Prior to working at Community Action Marin, Heather led a national pilot project administered by the Center for Law and Social Policy and the American Association of Community Colleges, which demonstrated that when low-income students accessed additional financial support services, they realized greater success in school and in their careers. Heather earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences with a focus in Cross-Cultural Studies, and minors in International Relations and French.  

Heather has worked with the United Nations Environment Program in several capacities in Kenya, Germany and South Korea. Heather was a Peace Corps Master’s International student at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, where she earned a Master of Public Administration in International Management degree while serving as a Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize City, Belize. While there, she conducted research on cognitive and emotional challenges Belizean children faced that impeded integration into their schools and communities. Heather is proficient in French and Creole and has basic Spanish skills. 

Rommel joined Community Action Marin as Director of Family Services in 2020, bringing over 10 years of experience in Nonprofits and Social Justice, both locally and internationally.

Driven by his passion for education, equity and inclusion, he takes pride in providing the best services possible for families and community members.

Rommel was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador, and his goals include providing tools and programs that benefit families in need.

His favorite quote is, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Russell joined CAM as Director of Finance in December 2020, bringing over 25 years of experience in running finance departments. Russell has served previously in similar roles at The Linux Foundation, AKQA, and J Walter Thompson amongst others. Russell first began a career in accounting with Arthur Andersen in the early 1990’s.  During his time working in their Audit & Business Advisory Department, he also obtained his qualification as an ACA (UK equivalent of a CPA).

Russell was raised in the North of England as the youngest child in a family of 2 kids.  He has a passion for animals having volunteered at Marin Humane for several years, and also for triathlon having completed multiple events at various distances.

Russell holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Oxford University.  He now lives in San Rafael with his two children, their dog, cats, and chickens.

Gina Guillemette is committed to individual, organizational and social change that advances human dignity and justice. With over 20 years of nonprofit experience, Gina’s strategic and operational leadership skills are grounded in deep expertise in the work of community-based, direct service organizations. She has led organizational development efforts as well as public policy and advocacy initiatives strengthening public and private systems related to early childhood education and family support, immigrant and refugee rights, income supports and asset building for people with low incomes, as well as housing, health care, and human services for underserved communities.

At Community Action Marin, Gina works with individual leaders and teams to leverage the knowledge, experience, passion and skills present in each person as well as the collective toward our shared goals to transform Marin County into a place where every person can thrive.

Gina received a Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, a Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction from San Francisco Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor’s degree from Alma College. Prior to joining the team at CAM, Gina has served in a variety of nonprofit leadership roles, including with the Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership and Parent Services Project in California, and Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights and the Ounce of Prevention Fund in Chicago, IL.

Laurel Hill, Vice President of Mental Health Services, is an experienced executive with a long history in civic and social services.  She has worked at Community Action Marin for 29 years in various roles, including as a Program Manager, VP of Children and Family Services, and Deputy Director.   

In her present role, Laurel oversees all of the agency’s adult- and family-serving programs including Peer Mental Health, Family Partners, Economic Opportunity and Central Kitchen; collectively these programs serve 1,500 people a year with a budget of over $4 M and 45 staff.  Laurel has deep experience managing State- and Federally-funded programs, and is particularly skilled at results-oriented outcome management, budget development and management, and outcome data collection and analysis. 

Laurel’s prior professional experience includes work in the planning department for the City of Fairfax, and in escrow for a local real estate company. 

Born and raised in Marin County, Laurel has a passion for galvanizing the community to engineer local solutions to local conditions of poverty, and promoting maximum participation in civic life for those with low incomes.  

She earned her Bachelor of Arts from San Francisco State University with a focus in English Language and Literature/Letters.  She now lives in Petaluma and enjoys gardening, the beach, and time with nearby family, including a 23-year-old daughter and two stepsons, both in their thirties. 

Gary Intersimone joined Community Action Marin as Finance Manager in March 2018, bringing 30 years of experience in Accounting.

Gary has served previously as Finance Director for MAC’s Children & Family Services Inc., Finance Manager for Wardrobe for Opportunity, Finance Director for Arcadian Health Plan, Senior Accountant for Scripps Health Inc.

Gary was raised in Burbank, California as the oldest child in a family of two kids. He has a passion for home improvement, cooking and gardening. He now lives in Santa Rosa, California with his German Shephard dog named Stormy, and enjoys eating out and concerts.

Monique Liebhard began her career in the field of early childhood education as a preschool teacher in Oakland CA.  She has more than twenty-five years of experience and her expertise spans from early intervention, case management, state subsidized childcare, to grants management and facilities development. She has served as the director of several large child development centers inclusive of Head Start and California Department of Education funding and has been involved in projects that have influenced early care and education for childcare initiatives in the state of California, such as First 5 California, California Early Childhood Mentor Program, West Ed-California Inclusion Behavior Consultation (CIBC) project, and several county QRIS programs. Additionally, she has taught courses in Early Childhood Education and Human Development at several California Community Colleges and holds a Master of Science degree in Educational Psychology.

Connie joined Community Action Marin as Director of Mental Health Services in March 2021, bringing 16 years of experience as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Marin and Sonoma County Community Behavioral Health systems of care, Quality Assurance, Contract Management, Trauma Informed Care, and Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Services.

Connie has served previously as LMFT with Centene Managed Care Health Insurance, and Program Director at Buckelew Programs.

Connie first began a career in behavioral health as a residential care provider with adults diagnosed with a serious mental illness in Marin County and with homeless families in Sonoma County.  In those roles she gained invaluable experience in SMI Specialty Mental Health, trauma informed care, recovery-oriented modalities, and childhood trauma.  Her work included collaboration with Sonoma County Family, Youth, and Children Services to support homeless families that also have open CPS cases.  This was a successful pilot program launch that exceeded outcomes and collected data supporting ACES research in childhood early prevention education.

Connie was raised in both Minnesota and Hawaii as the oldest child in a family of 3 kids. She has a passion for ecopsychology and creating a sustainable environment for future generations. She also has a passion to create and change policy that supports sustainable mental health programs and interventions in our local communities.

Connie holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Sonoma State University. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified WRAP Facilitator, and Triple P Educator. She now lives in Petaluma with her two daughters and enjoys hiking, gardening, and spending time with friends.

Cassie Ristine started her personnel training back in 1988 while enlisted with the U.S. Navy.  In July 2000, Cassie began her employment with Community Action Marin as the Payroll Specialist and in 2002, she attended Sonoma State University where she received her education in Human Resource Management and was quickly promoted. 

Cassie’s ability to deal with sensitive information and her knowledge of CAM policies and procedures has served the Agency well.  Among Cassie’s many valued qualities, she is deeply committed to working in a collaborative, transparent and inclusive manner, which allows her to build positive and lasting relationships with staff and peers.  Cassie serves as a member of the Leadership Team, and is a member of the union negotiation team for the agency.

Carmen joined Community Action Marin as Director of Early Education in September, 2020, bringing 30+ years of experience working with State funded and Head Start/Early Head Start funded centers.

Carmen has served previously as Program Manager-Education with YMCA of the Eastbay/Early Child Impact, Program Manager Early Head Start-CCP. Also at YMCA of the Eastbay, an Early Head Start Specialist and as a Center Director.

Carmen first began a career in Early Childhood Education as a Toddler teacher at St. John’s Infant/Toddler Center. In those roles, she gained invaluable experience in the importance of quality interactions and relationships between the infant/toddler and the caregiver. Carmen was the lead teacher for the toddler class and modeled quality interaction with the toddlers for the teachers and aids that worked under her.

Carmen was raised in Berkeley, CA as the middle child in a family of 4 kids. She has a passion for serving children and families of low income from diverse backgrounds and helping them to gain knowledge of their child’s development and assisting them with accessing all community services to help them with a goal to move them up and out of poverty on the economic scale.

Carmen holds a Masters in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College. Additionally, Carmen holds CLASS certification for Infant/Toddler & Pre-K. She now lives in El Cerrito, CA with her family and a dog named Diesel. She enjoys shopping, traveling to different beaches, and watching anything produced by Tyler Perry.

Alanna Williams joined CAM as Director of Learning and Evaluation in August 2020, bringing experience in research, project management, and serving vulnerable populations.

Alanna was previously a Policy Associate with Opportunity Insights, a policy-research institute at Harvard University led by Professor Raj Chetty, where she worked with cities, foundations, and non-profits to translate economic research into policy action. Her projects included planning and acquiring data for evaluation of youth development programs, scaling interventions for families with housing vouchers, and analyzing upward mobility data and policies for cities including Charlotte, NC.

Earlier in her career, Alanna served as an analyst at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She primarily worked in the research division, using data to understand market trends and how to best empower consumers in the face of complex systems. She has also tutored community college students to help them towards graduation, and volunteered at an elementary school in Ecuador.

Alanna was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California. She graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a major in Economics and minors in Political Economy and Latin American Studies. She now lives in San Rafael, where she enjoys occasional physical activity, watching telenovelas, doing trivia, and trying to cook.