Denise Lilley
Denise Lilley – Board President, 2016 to present
Denise relocated to Reno from Portland, Oregon in 2013. She has over 30 + years of non-profit involvement and currently serves on the boards of the Stimson Miller Foundation (Portland, OR) and National Charity League, Inc. (Costa Mesa, CA). In addition, Denise is an active CASA with Washoe County and serves as a group leader for BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). Denise possesses strong organizational skills, a business development mindset and commitment to the Awaken mission. Denise joined the Awaken board in 2016. Denise is married with four grown daughters. During down time, she enjoys all sports, especially walking and hiking, meeting new people, reading and traveling to see her daughters and experiencing new cultures.
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Denise Lilley – Board Chair
Aaron Clark - Board Secretary
Aaron Clark – Secretary, 2017 to present
Aaron Clark is native born to the Reno-Sparks area. His local knowledge and experience served him as he worked in the real estate industry since 1999. He joined the team at Edge Realty in 2010. Aaron offers expert advice to the public as a regular speaker on the Jon Sanchez show, representing Edge Realty. He is passionate to help businesses expand and succeed in our community, which is seen when he consults and helps develop business leaders. He is known for his ability to create structures, and strategies for business owners and organizations. Aaron has served on the board of several non-profit organizations in the community. He is excited and passionate about the mission of Awaken, participating and supporting for several years before serving on their board beginning in 2017. Aaron enjoys spending time with his amazing wife and three awesome children, visiting Lake Tahoe and playing the guitar.
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Aaron Clark – Board Secretary
Daniel Fred
Daniel Fred, 2011 to present
Daniel graduated from Texas Tech University in 2005. He is the Project Coordinator for the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (CASAT) at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is currently finishing his Master’s degree in Drug and Alcohol Counseling at the University of Nevada, Reno and is the Associate Director for the Nevada House of Prayer. Daniel felt compelled to partner with Melissa in combating domestic commercial sexual exploitation of women in NV after reading an article in the RGJ about Awaken INC’s outreach efforts to girls caught up in the local sex industry. Daniel has served on Awaken’s board since 2011.
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Daniel Fred
Jacob Klaus
Jacob Klaus, 2017
Bio coming soon.
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Jacob Klaus
Jason Guinasso
Jason Guinasso, Advisory Board Member, 2017 to present
Jason Guinasso is an attorney and co-founder of the Reese Kintz Guinasso Law together with his wife Kim Marsh Guinasso. The firm employs 18 people with law offices in in Reno, Incline Village and Las Vegas. Jason is a solutions-driven attorney committed to adding value to the clients and communities he serves. Jason’s law practice includes Employment and Labor Law, Human Resources Support, Public interest and nonprofit organizations and Government Affairs and Legislative Advocacy among many other specialties. Additionally, Jason has maintained a significant appellate practice, which has included preparation of petitions for judicial review of administrative decisions, extraordinary writs and appeals to the Nevada Supreme Court. Jason is dedicated to serving our community by providing pro bono legal services to faith-based organizations, non-profits, and civic organizations. In this regard, Jason serves on the Nevada State Public Charter School Board as Board Member appointed by the Honorable Governor Brian Sandoval. Jason is an advisory Board Member of Awaken and provides pro bono legal services to Awaken and its clients. Jason and his wife of 22 years, Kim, have two children, Robbie (20) and Adeline (13).
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Jason Guinasso
Staff
Melissa Holland
Melissa Holland serves as the Founder and Director of Awaken. She holds a Masters degree in Marriage Family Therapy from the University of Nevada, Reno. Melissa started as a counselor offering pro bono services to women affected by commercial sexual exploitation. In 2011 she and Jen Robinson co-founded Awaken, a nonprofit who’s mission is to increase awareness and education surrounding the issue of commercial sexual exploitation and to provide housing and restoration for its victims. Melissa believes strongly in responding to God’s call to seek justice for the oppressed, and is passionate about uniting local churches and the NV community in the fight to end the sexual exploitation of women and children.
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Melissa Holland
Founder and Executive Director
Jen Robinson
Jen holds a B.A in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is currently working toward an MBA at the University of Nevada, Reno. She and Melissa Holland co-founded Awaken in 2011. Jen is currently co-chairperson of the Prevention committee on the State of Nevada’s Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Coalition. Jen enjoys building strong, trust-filled relationships with the women and children Awaken serves. She is dedicated and passionate, and truly believes she will see commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking eradicated in northern Nevada and around the world.
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Jen Robinson
Co-Founder and Youth Intervention Director
Kasia Klaus
Kasia Klaus joined Awaken in 2017, where she currently serves as the Program Director. Prior to moving to Reno, Kasia held positions as a state and tribal prosecutor in Wisconsin. Kasia graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic, cum laude and a collegiate athlete, with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She also obtained a J.D. from Liberty University School of Law, and has been admitted to practice law in the states of Washington and Wisconsin. Kasia developed a passion for combating sex trafficking in 2010 while interning with a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. that focused on human trafficking legislation. She believes her trial experience as a former prosecutor enables her to fearlessly advocate for the mission of Awaken, and is honored to be working for such a noble organization.
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Kasia Klaus
Program Director
Katy Hartley
Katy holds a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Western Seminary. She specializes in trauma and attachment therapy. Katy is trained in the application of EMDR therapy to complex trauma and attachment difficulties. She specializes in both adolescents and adults. Katy works directly with women and children who are victims of sexual exploitation, provides crisis intervention, and clinical consultation; she facilitates group and individual therapy and also delivers professional trainings. In addition to her work with Awaken, Katy is the Program Director for the Koinonia After School Day Treatment Program, an intensive outpatient treatment program for at-risk teens and foster youth, and is also an adjunct professor at Multnomah University. Katy has a heart and passion for the broken, and it is her desire to see all the wounds from sex trafficking healed in each woman and child.
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Katy Hartley
Clinical Specialist
Catherine Leon
Catherine brings more than a decade of fundraising experience to Awaken. She enjoys helping donors realize their philanthropic goals and dreams and has served as a program manager, grants manager, and director of development for various multi-million dollar agencies. Most recently, Catherine served as the grants manager for Sierra Nevada Journeys where she helped implement a robust grants program generating more than $1million in government and private foundation revenue. Catherine serves as the treasurer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Sierra Chapter, was among the first graduates of the Leadership in Evaluative Thinking Institute and earned her bachelor’s degrees in English Literature and Spanish Literature from the University of Nevada, Reno.
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Catherine Leon
Director of Development and Communications
Stephanie Sherman
Since 2013, Stephanie has been serving as a Mentor to the women seeking restoration through the services of Awaken. With a BBA in Marketing from Texas Christian University, she has worked in non-profit management, serving in local ministries and community organizations since moving to Reno after graduation. She and her husband, Bill Sherman, started Hope Community Church in 2006, where Stephanie most recently worked as Life Groups Director. They are also the proud parents of Rachel and Will, both currently finishing degrees at Nevada.
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Stephanie Sherman
Volunteer Coordinator
Molly Mahannah
Molly graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a bachelors of science in Health Ecology with a minor in Biology. Molly has always had a passion for helping people. Molly spent 11 years working with children and adults with mental illness. During this time Molly worked with many youth who had been sexually exploited. This continued to grow her heart for helping in this arena. God opened the door and called Molly into this position with Awaken. Molly’s heart drives her goal to help our clients regain their lives and become independent.
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Molly Mahannah
House Manager
Sarah Thrall
Sarah is our Off-Hours Case Manager for our housing program. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in Human Development & Family Studies and a minor in Developmental Disabilities. Sarah started out as an Awaken intern her senior year and joined the team upon her graduation. Sarah has a passion in her heart for helping others and working in this field is something she values and hopes to continue for the long-term.
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Sarah Thrall
Off-Hours Case Manager
Annie Gunter
Annie is a full-time Case Manager at Awaken. She is working on her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her passion for social justice was ignited as a high school student when she spent a summer working with CSE victims in Thailand and continued to grow as she pursued her undergraduate degree in Psychology and English-writing, focusing much of her attention on gender issues. Annie has taught developmental English at TMCC for the past three years and worked with underserved populations throughout that time. Her goal as a case manager is to help each of her clients realize empowerment and hope for a future.
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Annie Gunter
Adult Case Manager
Meg McKinney
Meg McKinney has worked in the movement to end violence against women and children since 1996. Meg has recently joined Awaken from Alaska, where her efforts with remote and tribal communities revealed the depth and breadth of challenges facing survivors. Meg’s diverse education—she has a Bachelors of Science in Linguistics from Georgetown University and a Masters of Arts in Documentary Film from Stanford University–and trauma informed training serves her well as she transitions from the DVSA movement to endeavors aimed at ceasing commercial sexual exploitation of women and youth. Meg has a keen sense of social justice, a fire for promoting autonomy and empowerment, and a joy for cultivating relationships.
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Meg McKinney
Adult Case Manager
Heather Winslow
Heather is a Youth Case Manager at Awaken and joined after training to be a volunteer mentor. She heard about Awaken through her church and instantly felt passionate about empowering young women to become all God has called them to be. Heather is also pursuing her Ph.D. in Geology at the University of Nevada, Reno.
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Heather Winslow
Youth Case Manager
Deanna Logoteta
Deanna graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelors of Science in Accounting and obtained her Arizona CPA in 2004. Deanna first became aware of Awaken and the issue of sex trafficking in 2014 while working at Reno Christian Fellowship Church. After attending the Awaken Annual Banquet and hearing the courageous stories of the survivors, Deanna’s heart broke for these victims and she wanted to help in someway. In 2015, the Lord opened doors to allow Deanna to assist Awaken with their accounting needs. She has faith that God has Awaken strategically placed in the community to help change this city.
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Deanna Logoteta
HR/Accounting Manager
Denise Lieberknecht
Denise relocated from San Diego to Reno in 2014 when her husband joined the staff of Grace Church. She immediately fell in love with the city and the people here. She was first exposed to sex trafficking while living in San Diego, as it is a growing epidemic in the border town. Once moving to Reno, she was encouraged by learning about Awaken and its efforts to help bring restoration to victims and change to the city. Her role with Awaken combines her background of executive support with her passion to help serve victims of exploitation. She is a firm believer that everything can be redeemed and is honored to be a part of the important work Awaken is doing.
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Denise Lieberknecht
Program Coordinator
Lindsay Morgan
Lindsay graduated with a degree in graphic design in 2006 and since then, has worked on design and communication teams in many non profits and churches both in the states and internationally. She grew up in Moscow, Russia as a missionary kid where her passion to empower and help those who the world considers outcasts began. She has a heart for women and children who are victims of sex trafficking, and a strong desire to help bring awareness to the issue. She is beyond thrilled to be part of the Awaken team and is thankful to work with so many wonderful people who are making a positive difference in the world.
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