Board Members

Andina (she/her) is proud to be a descendant of Irish and Mexican/Chicane ancestors. She is inspired by her parents and grandparents that have worked to make the world a better place in unique ways. Her paternal grandparents ran a Mexican restaurant named Casa Loma in Austin, TX in the early ‘50s during segregation and they made the courageous decision to welcome people of all races to dine there. Andina’s parents, Tía María, Tío Denny and two cousins have either been instructors or students in CBB, or both. Andina has followed in the tradition of her family and worked toward climate justice and the liberation of BIPOC and LGBTQ folks. Andina is currently a board member of CBB4Life and she is grateful to serve a program that exists to uplift the voices, passion and work of BIPOC, LGBTQ, and disabled counselors. 

Andina has been working as a counselor at the Southern CA American Indian Resource Center since starting CBB in 2013 and she is deeply honored to serve the Native community. She is passionate about decolonizing the field of mental health, working with youth, facilitating women’s circles, and creating/supporting rites of passage. Andina is a long-time participant and advocate of the movement to eat plant-based foods in order to slow climate change. She works toward climate justice, liberation for all non-human animals, and the protection of all ecosystems on Earth.

Andina is a graduate of both CBB ‘14 and CBB ’16 and she obtained her professional clinical counseling license in April 2021. She is very grateful for the rich opportunities and spiritual portals that CBB has opened for her!

Alma (She/Her) is a communications and outreach professional with over 16 years’ experience working on public agency construction programs. As business outreach coordinator for San Diego Unified School District’s Facilities Planning and Construction department, Alma is a steadfast advocate for local, small, diverse construction contractors, suppliers, and A/E companies. She engages with these businesses to ensure they know about and have access to the district's Capital Improvement Bond contracting opportunities. Alma is bilingual and her experience engaging with Latino contractors has broadened minority business participation in the district’s construction program. She sits on the board of the U.S. Disabled Veteran Business Alliance and is active in many diverse business organizations. Alma is the Chair of San Diego’s Public Agency Consortium (PAC), a position she has held for over 10 years. The PAC brings together the region’s diverse business programs to increase opportunities and success for local small businesses. 

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Alma served as a CBB practicum supervisor from 2013-2020 where she was able to teach counseling practices focused on compassion, curiosity, healing and love. She found great joy in working with counselors/social change agents of the future but also with the diverse and resilient clients of the City Heights community, where she has lived for over 10 years. 

Alma is a proud graduate of UCSD, where she earned her B.A. with a double major in communications and ethnic studies. Her post-graduate work includes completion of the CBB program at SDSU where she also earned her M.S. in marriage & family therapy. Alma is currently a licensed marriage & family therapist (CA LMFT 107852).

Nola is an associate professor and director of the Community-Based Block (CBB) Multicultural Counseling and Social Justice Education Program at San Diego State University. She has served as a faculty member in the program for 20 years. The 48-year-old non-traditional program uses critical theory, affective experiential multicultural education, and deliberate democratic practices to prepare counselor/change agents from diverse, marginalized communities to serve disenfranchised communities. 

Nola’s community-based projects include: colorism, antiblackness and attachment relationships in everyday hair combing interactions between caregivers and their children; African-centered anti-recidivism mental health for formerly incarcerated community college students and their families; transborder crimmigration community counseling for human rights defenders working with asylum seekers at the Mexico/U.S. Border and telemental health counseling for LGBTIA+ asylum seekers in Tijuana, Mexico. Additionally, since 2012, Nola has also served as a doctoral faculty member in the SDSU College of Education where she advises and chairs the dissertations of African American and other ethnically diverse students. 

Nola is a licensed professional clinical counselor (CA LPCC 1390) with a private psychotherapy practice specializing in antiracism, body-centered psychotherapy and healing. She earned her doctorate in education, multicultural from the SDSU/Claremont Joint Doctoral Program in Education in 2004.

Trisha (She/Her) is very grateful for her experience in CBB which gave birth to her goals to better herself and the world around her through self-reflection, love and action. She knows first-hand the struggle to receive culturally competent mental health support and is proud to be a part of CBB for Life which helps support our students and graduates provide culturally-responsive mental health services.

Trisha earned a BA in ethnic studies from the University of California, San Diego and then went on to earn a MS in counseling from San Diego State University. She holds a Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential in school counseling and has been a school counselor in the San Diego Unified School District for the past 16 years. Trisha is passionate about social and climate justice, sustainability and living a low-waste lifestyle.

Poppy (She, Her) approaches life with a first person view of the transformative power of education. Mom, auntie, partner, friend, system reform advocate, feminist, and former foster youth, Poppy is a heart-led human who is active her community and is fueled by her belief in our collective responsibility to one another. In service to CBB for Life, Poppy is committed to making crucial connections between current students, alumni, and the community at large, in order to advance the program goals to make education and mental health a priority for minoritized people and communities.

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A champion for students, Poppy serves as director for Disability Support Programs and Services at the San Diego Community College District. After aging out of the foster care system, she attended Grossmont College and found a path to a brighter future. Thanks to the support of angel-mentors, Poppy committed to lift while climbing, and was intentional to select advanced study programs that situate social justice at the center of their missions, earning a master of education with a specialization in multicultural counseling, and a doctorate in post-secondary/community college educational leadership, both from San Diego State University. 

Mousqa Katawazi is a counselor/educator with over 20 years of experience working with diverse communities, including refugee and immigrant families, veterans and service members, and K-12 and college students. Her commitment is to developing educational programs that cultivate empathy and compassion for all beings. Mousqa also has over 7 years of experience in the non-profit sector, and is dedicated to the training and development of mental health professionals from diverse backgrounds. In her free time, Mousqa enjoys playing with her dogs and learning about plants.

Edwin (He, Him, El) is a social justice advocate, always learning to better support BIPOC communities in the quest for equality. A faculty member and counselor at San Diego City College since 2000, Edwin provides EEO and diversity training for the San Diego Community College District and serves as 504 and diversity officer for the campus, resolving complaints of discrimination with an equity lens. He served as president of CBB for Life and continues his involvement to ensure that others seeking to establish themselves as change agents in the mental health field have the same opportunity and life-changing experience that CBB can provide.

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Edwin was a Peace Corps volunteer, he lived and worked for eight years in rural Ecuador S.A. assisting indigenous communities with the development of sustainable livestock and agriculture practices. Edwin has a B.S. in animal science, an M.S. in international development and an M.A. in multicultural counseling (CBB).

Jesus Nieto (He/Him) was a student in CBB in the 1977-78 academic year, the 4th CBB cohort. Jesus cares about social justice and since 1980, has focused on educating folks about the crimes and atrocities perpetrated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency CIA.

Jesus serves CBB for Life because, as he says, “going through the program was the most important year of my life and greatly enhanced my interpersonal communication, counseling and public speaking skills. It was so life-changing for the good that I wish to pay it forward.” 

For more than 30 years, Jesus served the students of San Diego State University as a counselor, faculty member, program advisor and was faculty advisor to numerous student organizations including MEChA for 25 years, the Chicano Pre-Health Organization, the United Afrikan Students and the United Brotherhood of Afrikan Descent. Jesus taught multicultural education courses for over 2,000 future teachers over 20 years.

Jesus is blessed to be father to Andina (CBB 14/16) and Jano, and loves music, ice hockey, and food. He attended Mason High School, Monroe County Community College, the University of Toledo, Wayne State University, San Diego State University, and Claremont Graduate School.

Maria joined San Diego State University in 1977 to become part of a team of one of the most innovative faculty groups in the country in counseling – and clearly in the forefront of multicultural counseling, the Community Based Block Program in Multicultural Counseling and Social Justice Education (CBB). She was director of CBB for over 20 years.

Maria previously served as coordinator of counselor education at CSU San Bernardino, and as a school counselor in various districts. She published the first authoritative scholarly book chapter in the country on the psychology of the Chicana, and authored or co-authored publications ranging from Latino, Chicano and Mexican American mental health to the CBB as a Site of Praxis and Social Justice. Her honors and awards include SDSU Professor of the Year, and SDSU Top 25 Award to University and Community Leaders by President Weber for Contributions to Transformational Change in San Diego. In May 2010, she was awarded SDSU’s first Faculty Diversity Award. 

Consistent with the community outreach and social justice theme embedded in the fabric of CBB, Maria’s outreach to the community has been long-standing and significant. She currently serves as chair of the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees, where she has been a trustee since 1990. She has served as a consultant to local, state, and national groups with a focus on creating community dialogues on race relations and futures planning. Maria participated in the Faculty Early Retirement Program, continuing her work with the CBB Multicultural Counseling and Social Justice Education Program until May, 2014. Maria has served CBB for more than 30 years, and continues as an advocate and supporter in her role as treasurer of CBB for Life.

Agustín (He/Him) was born in East Los Angeles and has lived in San Diego most of his life. He received a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in multicultural counseling (CBB) from San Diego State University, and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish literature from UC San Diego. He has twenty four years of successful professional student affairs experience and is deeply committed to educational access, student engagement and student success. Agustín has worked at UC Santa Cruz and UC San Diego as the assistant director at OASIS, UCSD, where he oversaw retention programs for entering freshmen and transfer students as well as former foster youth. Currently Agustin is the associate dean of Student Services and Special Programs, where he works with programs such as EOPS, Disabled Student Services, CalWORKs and the Title V HIS Grant. Agustin has volunteered in many programs and services in particular regarding LGBTQ+ and Latinx populations and their intersecting identities. Agustin comes from an immigrant family, is the youngest of 9 siblings and has an 8 year old daughter. Agustin has served on the CBB for Life Alumni Association Board for close to 10 years.

Audra (She/Her) believes that the world needs more counselors. Audra is dedicated to finding innovative and creative ways to financially and emotionally support future counselors. She hopes to see more counselors in our schools, communities, places of business, and organizations.

Audra is the CEO and creator of After School Unlimited, Inc., an educational consulting and training company dedicated to creating trauma-informed learning spaces. Over the last twenty years, she has trained thousands of after school leaders, educators, counselors, administrators, and school staff with ASSET, a trauma-informed framework and collection of positive engagement tools. She builds a curriculum that is designed to break cycles of oppression, while promoting social and emotional learning.

Audra earned her BA in communication with an emphasis in public health. She graduated with her M.A. in education, with an emphasis in multicultural counseling, and completed a special study in restorative justice practices. Audra loves growing ideas, people, and plants. She is currently raising over 100 pothos and dozens of succulents, in her San Diego home.

Bio coming soon