Lei Raiza Zervoulakos

Founder

​Lei Zervoulakos is a doctoral candidate in the area of Clinical Forensic Psychology. She received her masters degree in forensic psychology with a police concentration in 2019. She received her bachelor's degree in Psychology at Loyola Marymount University in 2017.

She worked as an intake coordinator and as a CCAPP registered substance abuse counselor for 2.5 years. She worked as a graduate research assistant for the Institute of Adolescent Suicide Prevention and completing her practicum. She is currently working on getting licensed as a professional clinical counselor as an associate clinician at a group private practice in San Diego, and is completing her internship to finish her doctoral program.  
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Trauma Speaks was her first project. She was inspired to be an agent of change after attending a conference in 2017. Now, she has launched a podcast as an extension of the mental health blog and non-profit. She is passionate about helping and advocating for others. She is also committed to empowering individuals who have suffered abuse in silence, raising awareness and reducing the mindset of victim blaming, victimization, and stigma attached to mental illnesses. Her research interest include sexual assault/abuse, trauma, and PTSD. As such, her dissertation focused on examining Campus Sexual Assault Policy and Procedures.

​Amber Escobar

Vice-President

​Amber Escobar graduated with a master's in Forensic Psychology  at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles. She received her B.A in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice at Marymount California University. Her research interest includes psychopathy, criminal offenders from juveniles to adults. She wants to expand psychopathy among children, help discover interventions and treatments to help the children and wants to focus on profiling with adults. She is also committed into finding alternatives to juvenile detention centers.

​Alice Tikoibau

Alice Tikoibau is currently enrolled at Sonoma State University as a Political Science major, alongside going to school she works as a caregiver reliever. She's volunteered for her local food bank and Habitat for Humanity. As secretary and being part of the social media management team she looks forward to spreading more awareness on the stigma of mental health

​Joshua Yun

Treasurer

​Josh Yun is currently an I.T Project Manager at an online bank. He received his bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Southern California (Fight on!).

​Working in Project Management, his roles include consulting on end to end project execution as well as providing financial planning and tracking. As an advocate for mental health, he wants to learn and continue the conversation regarding the stigmas of mental health.

Ramona Kraeutler

Mental Health Coach & Instructor

Ramona Kraeutler was born and raised in Germany before moving to Los Angeles at the age of 23 in order to pursue her educational career as a psychologist. She received her B.A at CSULA before entering the master’s program at CSUDH. Next to her academic achievements, she enjoyed working in multiple research laboratories for neuropsychology and trauma while working as a substance use counselor in Los Angeles and later, in Texas. Currently, she is residing in Germany again due to COVID but is looking forward to her return to the US in the near future. 
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She believes in Trauma Speaks because it creates awareness for the most vulnerable aspects of human beings and there should be no boundaries or shame for any person who seeks help in their life.

Trisha Gaw
Project Manager

Trisha is a union set decoration buyer for film and television by trade and has worked in the film and event industries for over a decade. Mental Health has always been an area of interest for her, and after reflecting on the state of mental health in her field she became passionate about exploring mental wellness techniques for professionals. She currently works in the event department for historic venues and is enthusiastic about working with Trauma Speaks to merge her interests and experience.

Keishia Mkangaza
Event Coordinator & Planner

​Keishia  received her Bachelors of Science in Gerontology, with a minor in Health Science at Towson University. She currently works for a government agency where she coordinates and plans programs and events that support senior citizens. Prior to Trauma Speaks, she volunteered for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life as Events and Entertainment Coordinator. She has experience in planning fundraising events and serving as a link to various community resources. Keishia is passionate about promoting health and wellness, she looks forward to raising awareness and learning more about mental health.

Bliss Paik
​Content Developer

​Bliss is a full-time PhD student for the Applied Social Psychology program at Claremont Graduate University. She is studying the dynamics of intergroup processes and social identity, specifically looking at the relationship between identity uncertainty and communication accommodation in intercultural contexts. She received her master’s in Applied Psychology at USC and her bachelor’s in Psychology at LMU. Her passion and advocacy for diversity and equality in psychological research has been a guide to join Trauma Speaks and be part of a mission to raise awareness for underrepresented communities.

Jeeho (Eric) Im
Content Developer

Eric currently works at Mayo Clinic researching on the use of AI in Radiology. He is currently applying to medical schools, and he majored in Biology. He decided to be a part of Trauma Speaks as he realized the importance of mental health on our well-being most especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Being in Korea at the time, a place where mental health is still largely overlooked, he wanted to help spread awareness about mental health and reduce the stigma around receiving help for mental health-related issues.