Staff

Lisa Culp
Executive Director

By the young age of 13, Lisa knew she wanted to make a difference in the community, and did so by helping those who founded Loaves & Fishes bring sandwiches to the homeless near the railroad tracks. Lisa studied both at UCLA and University of Grenoble in France, and received her degree from UC Davis. A long-time activist and voice for those less fortunate, Lisa spent 10 years after college working in Nicaragua while living on dirt floors. After seeing poverty abroad, Lisa chose to return home to raise her son. She continued working with those struggling to survive by creating various programs with Loaves & Fishes and Quinn Cottages. One of the projects Lisa designed grew into today’s Women’s Empowerment. After working more than 10 years on local issues regarding homelessness and as an employee of Loaves & Fishes, Lisa currently serves as Executive Director of the now independent nonprofit, Women’s Empowerment, which earned Nonprofit of the Year in 2009. In 2008, she received the Woman of the Year Award from the National Association of Business Women for her vision in founding the organization. In 2010, she earned the Ruby Award for her efforts to serve the homeless, a distinction granted on a regional level. Lisa speaks Spanish, German, and French.

Erie Shockey, MSW
Associate Director

After growing up in the Midwest as a tomboy with her parents and two brothers, Erie attended the University of Texas in Austin. She then moved to the Washington, DC area for graduate school and received her Master's in Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. While living in Fairfax, Virginia with her husband and two sons, Erie worked as a school social worker. She focused on older teens and young adults with special needs, who were transitioning into the workforce. After moving to Sacramento, Erie began working as a case manager in 2002, helping women to become their own case managers in life. She also coordinates the Women’s Empowerment Volunteer Job Mentoring Program. Erie’s greatest pleasure on the weekends is exploring the nooks and crannies of beautiful Northern California, camera in tow.

Corinna Dewar, MSW
Program Manager

Corinna began working at Loaves & Fishes as a social work intern, making her way over to Women’s Empowerment shortly after her internship was complete. She joined Women’s Empowerment in 2003. She received her BA in International Relations from UC Davis and a Master's in Social Work from Sacramento State. Working as a case manager and program coordinator, Corinna has honed her social work skills in addition to some of the other hats she wears at Women’s Empowerment: bookkeeper, office machine liaison, and keeper of files. In her free time Corinna enjoys reading, bowling, television, and scrabble.

Merita Wolfe, MSW
Social Worker

I was born in Ohio, and raised in Los Angeles and Sacramento, California.  I received an Associates Degree in Human Services with an emphasis in chemical dependency studies in 1998.    My life experience and case-management experience has led me to work with many diverse populations, including homeless inmates, women, and drug addicted individuals.  This work encouraged me earn to earn a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Addictive Disorders.  Additionally, my work experience includes 10 years of employment with the State of California.  I returned to school and graduated with a Master of Social Work degree from CSU, Sacramento.  I believe that social work really fits my personality because I enjoy helping people. Over the years, working with individuals with a range of complex situations and challenges has given me the strength to have empathy and compassion while working with others.  My goal is to treat people the way I would want my own family to be treated. I look forward to forming long term relationships based on trust and mutual respect. I believe that creating a safe place for another human being could be the beginning of a new way of thinking and an increase in the quality of life. In my spare time I enjoy reading, massages, and jazz cruises.

Michelle DeSart Adcock
Volunteer Coordinator

Michelle joined the Women's Empowerment team in 2009.  She previously worked at WEAVE coordinating volunteers and assisting with fundraising efforts. Michelle also served two years as a member of AmeriCorps NCCC, a national service program where some of her favorite projects included working on an organic farm in Baltimore, planning community volunteer days in Maine, and assisting with disaster relief in the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Michelle is a native Sacramentan. She graduated from Azusa Pacific University in 2003 with a degree in Communications and Cinema Broadcast Arts. In her free time, Michelle spends time outdoors hiking, biking, and just enjoying nature. She also likes visiting with friends and family.

Alice Barry
Jesuit Volunteer

Alice graduated from Fordham University last May before moving across the country to join Women's Empowerment through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. During her time at Fordham, Alice volunteered at a local charter school as well as a non-profit that connected Bronx residents with housing and employment resources. She was also an active member of the campus women's organization - also called Women's Empowerment! Alice is excited to continue working with strong and inspiring women. She will be spending this year assisting with 2011 Gala planning, community partnership work, and employment searches in the graduate center. In her spare time, Alice enjoys reading, cooking, and exploring new places.

Dominique Martinez
Childcare Coordinator

Hi there! My name is Dominique Martinez and I am your Childcare Coordinator. That means I provide care for the toddlers and school-age kids whose moms enroll in the Women's Empowerment class or the W.E. Works! program. I make sure they have age-appropriate activities and healthy meals and snacks. I have been in the childcare field for nearly sixteen years! I love what I do and I can't imagine doing anything else. I married into the military and have traveled to various parts of the world. I am a proud mother of five. I look forward to my time at Women's Empowerment, getting to know the kids and moms whom we serve.

Tonya Tyus Parker
Employment Specialist

Tonya was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and relocated to Sacramento 26 years ago. Tonya has always been fortunate to be blessed with a multitude of skills and has been able to gain a broad array of employment opportunities both as a teenager in Ohio, and as a single mom in California.

As a single parent for over ten years, Tonya has always possessed a strong work ethic and the ability to train, to teach, to motivate, and to facilitate these skills in others, with her "WE CAN" attitude. This allowed her to move up the corporate ladder as a leader with one of America's major fast food chains. She retired from this arena taking the best of her skill sets and a leap of faith. WIth a desire to spend more time with her soon to be teenage sons, Tonya returned to school to complete here baccalaureate degree in behavioral sciences.

Tonya's unrelenting desire to give back to the community and to be of service to others has lead to her work with the underserved populations in the greater Sacramento area. SHe launched WE C.A.N., Inc, "The Career Action Network," in 2003. WE C.A.N., Inc works in conjuction with many local non-profit, city and state agencies to provide employment/career consulting services to persons with disabilities and homeless women and their children. Tonya has her certification as a Career Developer and she is a member of the California Career Developers Association. Tonya joined the Women's Empowerment team in 2009.

When we believe We Can, then We Do!

Laura Keating 
Jesuit Volunteer

Laura grew up in Austin, TX before attending Catholic University in Washington D.C. where she studied Architecture. Through volunteering she has gotten the opportunity to travel to many places throughout the U.S. as well as Jamaica and Panama. More importantly, she has enjoyed being involved in organizations and serving in the cities she has lived in. She is excited to join the Women's Empowerment team for a year to assist with childcare, and get to know the Sacramento community.

Kate Towson
Fund Developer

Kate most recently joined Women's Empowerment in January 2012, and is thrilled to be a part of the team! For the last two years, she had been serving as an Americorps VISTA volunteer with Sacramento Steps Forward. She graduated from Washington College (in Chestertown, Maryland) in 2009, where she got her undergraduate degree in Political Science and focused on human rights and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa. While in college, Kate lived in Grahamstown, South Africa (and bungee-jumped off the Bloukrans River Bridge while she was there); took a 3-day whirlwind tour of Ethiopia; hiked to the first base camp of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, fell in love with the island of Zanzibar, and ran along the beach in The Hague, Netherlands. A native Pennsylvanian, Kate is new to California, but will probably never leave. You'll most likely find her outdoors, in a book store, on her bike or at a yoga studio.

Kelsey Bardini
Social Work Intern

After growing up outside of Santa Cruz, CA,  Kelsey moved to Sacramento to attend Sac State, where she got her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work.  While getting her BSW, Kelsey interned at Mustard Seed School at Loaves and Fishes and met Corinna from WE.  Kelsey loved WE so much that upon entering her second year of graduate school at Sac State she decided to come back as the social work intern!  Kelsey will graduate with her MSW in May and is looking forward to a long life of social workin', traveling, and making a difference in the world.  In her spare time, Kelsey enjoys spending time with her friends and family, obsessing over television shows, playing the guitar, hiking, and exploring.