Ally is a seasoned fundraising and educational development professional with more than 15 years of experience advancing mission-driven organizations and independent schools. Her career spans both the nonprofit and private education sectors, where she has built expertise in annual giving, alumni relations, major gifts, strategic planning, and community engagement. Ally began her career with six years of award-winning work as Assistant Admissions Director at a Los Angeles-based arts school with campuses nationwide before transitioning into development leadership roles. Over the past decade, she has served as Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations at a range of independent schools, from a K–8 program for gifted learners and a K–12 school in West Los Angeles to one of New England’s top-ranked college preparatory schools. She has also led strategic planning initiatives and major gift fundraising efforts for nonprofit organizations.

Brenda brings more than 10 years of experience in mental health, grief support, and community-based services, with a strong commitment to culturally responsive, trauma-informed care. During her previous eight years at Our House, she served as both Clinical Intake Coordinator and Senior Program Coordinator for the Spanish Community Program, leading grief support programs, conducting bilingual intakes and assessments, building community partnerships, and supporting individuals and families navigating loss. Most recently, Brenda worked as a Clinical Therapist with Healing Early Adverse Relationships Transforming Systems (HEARTS), providing evidence-based counseling and trauma-informed group interventions for children and adolescents while collaborating with families, educators, and school communities to promote resilience and emotional well-being.

Carolyn is a Marriage & Family Therapist working with children, adolescents, and families who seek services through Our House. Carolyn is the coordinator of the Our House School Program, collaborating with school personnel and district officials to continue to grow the school-based grief support program and deepen school partnerships. She provides training for volunteers, mental health clinicians, educators, health care providers, and graduate students throughout the community to help prepare them to work with grieving clients. Carolyn also maintains a small therapy practice with adults, teens, and adolescents.

Josh brings more than 15 years of experience in fundraising, donor relations, communications, events, and advancement operations. Most recently, he served as Advancement Coordinator at Brentwood School, where he supported donor stewardship, matching gift programs, fundraising events, annual giving initiatives, communications, website management, and constituent engagement. Throughout his tenure, Josh collaborated across development, communications, and alumni relations teams, helping strengthen donor engagement and advance the institution’s philanthropic goals. He also brings experience with fundraising databases, website content management, event marketing, and donor communications, making him very well-positioned to support and grow Our House’s development and marketing efforts.

Julia Miele is the Executive Director of Our House and brings to the team over 20 years of nonprofit experience in the fields of public health, human services, and the arts. Prior to joining OUR HOUSE, Julia served as Executive Director of Everybody Dance LA!, an arts nonprofit providing high-quality in/after-school dance education to underserved youth in Los Angeles. Her previous work with AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Los Angeles leveraged capabilities from her HIV/AIDS, family planning, and maternal and child health work with Population Services International in Washington, DC and India. Most recently, Julia served as the Executive Director of #MEAction, a national public health advocacy organization fighting for research funding, medical education, and public recognition of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. 

Juliana holds a B.A in Psychology from Villanova University and a MSW from University of Southern California with a concentration on Children, Youth and Families. With a background in providing individual and family therapy at schools and outpatient facilities, Juliana is thrilled to be working on the Children’s Program team and excited for this year at Camp Erin!

Kellie studied psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno and worked as a medical administrator in the area for twenty years. After relocating to Los Angeles, she worked in entertainment, but longed to serve the community via an empathetic and supportive environment. She was born in England, but has lived in the United States all of her adult life.

Ken is a social worker who has experience working in a hospital setting as well as with court appointed clients. Ken completed his Bachelor’s of Social Work from Eastern Michigan University, as well as his Masters of Social Work from the University of Michigan. Ken is honored to be a part of OUR HOUSE and is eager to contribute to the mission of OUR HOUSE.

Kim is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with more than 15 years of experience supporting individuals, children, and families through trauma, grief, crisis, and major life transitions. She has worked across medical, community mental health, educational, and nonprofit settings, providing clinical assessment, crisis intervention, intake screening, safety evaluation, and resource coordination. Her private psychotherapy practice in Santa Monica specializes in trauma-informed care for adults navigating loss, anxiety, depression, and life changes. Previously, she served in multiple roles at UCLA’s Rape Treatment Center, including Crisis Counselor, Child Advocate, and School Program Coordinator, supporting survivors and families during times of crisis. She also worked as a Brief Screen Counselor at UCLA Counseling & Psychological Services and as a School-Based Clinician with Vista Del Mar Child & Family Services. 

Laura is pleased to join Our House Grief Support Center as an Administrative Assistant. They attended Denison University and graduated with a BA in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry. With a background in grantmaking, Laura found their passion for supporting mental health initiatives through volunteering as a crisis counselor for The Trevor Project. They are grateful to have the meaningful opportunity to support grievers with empathy, hope, and connection.

Melisa holds a B. A. from California State University Channel Islands and a MSW from University of Denver with a concentration in Mental Health and Trauma. Melisa is excited to be a part of the Our House team and has a passion for serving the community.

Shannon is the Director of Operations at Our House Grief Support Center and works closely with the Development Director in all aspects of fundraising and event planning. Shannon started as the administrative assistant, but quickly found a passion for development and began to foster and grow her interest. She is delighted to be able to find new ways to cultivate and support the organizations mission.