Meet the Team
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Alejandra Carrillo
Program Director – She/Her/Hers
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Cat Corral
Co-Founder & Artistic/Executive Director – She/Her/Hers
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Ingrid Guerrieri
LMFT, Expressive Arts Therapist - Ella/She
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Vince Martinez
Graphic Design & Marketing - He/Him/His
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Colleen Prieto
Grants and Communications Specialist - She/Her/Hers
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Robert Prieto
Data and Information Technology Specialist - He/Him/His
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Linzy Clara Ramos
Apprentice Teaching Artist/Program Coordinator - She/Her/Hers
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Maia Starling
Finance Manager - She/Her/Hers
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Seiha Vor
Co-Founder and Lead Teaching Artist/Choreographer - He/Him/His
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Steph Walsh
Managing Director – They/Them/Theirs
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Angela Won
Program & Business Administrator - She/Her/Hers
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Irie Zepeda
Social-Emotional Coach - They/Them/Theirs
Teaching Artists
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Viviana Alcazar
Dance Teaching Artist - She/Her/Hers
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Kris Apple
Music Director – He/Him/His
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Rebecca Bellingham
Writing, Theatre, and Choir Teaching Artist – She/Her/Hers
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Kanna Burch
Dance Teaching Artist - She/Her/Hers
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Jovani Chavez
Dance Teaching Artist - He/Him/His
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Haragni Chuna
Apprentice Teaching Artist - She/Her/Hers
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Joseph (Dyno) Corrales
Teaching Artist – He/Him/His
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Ron Davis
Dance Teaching Artist- He/Him/His
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Leo Francisco
Dance Teaching Artist – He/Him/His
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Eric Geiger
Dance Teaching Artist – He/Him/His
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grace shinhae jun
Dance Teaching Artist - She/Her/Hers
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Kristina (Miss Piggy) Mananquil
Dance Teaching Artist - She/Her/Hers
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Alma Perez
Dance Teaching Artist - She/Her/hers
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Ilana Queiroz
Capoeira Teaching Artist - She/Her/Hers
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Miesha Rice
Performance Poetry Teaching Artist - She/They
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Keomi Tarver
Dance Teaching Artist - She/Her/Hers
Officers - Board of Directors
Maren Dougherty, President
Executive Director of Marketing & Communications, San Diego Convention Center
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Maren Dougherty leads public relations, marketing, and corporate communications for the San Diego Convention Center. Bringing more than 15 years of communications and marketing experience, she has held leadership positions with the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles and the Balboa Park Online Collaborative in San Diego. A graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Maren has written for publications such as Fodor’s San Diego, San Diego Magazine, and National Geographic Adventure.
Alison Aragon, Vice President
Director of Development, California State University San Marcos
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Alison was born and raised in San Diego, where she spent her childhood playing sports and dancing to Now That’s What I Call Music! 7-9. She was a first-gen student studying politics and sociology at UC Santa Cruz, played on the Women’s Golf Team for four years, and graduated from the University of San Diego with a Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership and Management in 2017 and the Fundraising Academy in 2019. Alison is passionate about creating equitable access to education, shifting power through community philanthropy, and petting all the dogs. She has worked at various nonprofits in San Diego County, including the National Conflict Resolution Center, San Diego Foundation, Pro Kids, First Tee – San Diego, and currently serves as Director of Development on the University Advancement team at California State University San Marcos. Alison is a member of the Latina Giving Circle, North County Philanthropy Council, San Diego Women’s Foundation, active in the Community-Centric Fundraising San Diego chapter, and volunteers at Last Chance at Life All Breed Rescue and Adoption in Oceanside.
Linde Hotchkiss, Treasurer
Executive Vice President and Southwest Market Leader, ABD Insurance and Financial Services
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As Executive Vice President and Southwest Market Leader for Newfront, Linde is responsible for expanding the firm’s reach across Southern California and throughout the entire Southwest. Before joining Newfront, Linde held various leadership roles at Willis Towers Watson, including her most recent position as Western Region Leader for Large Accounts and Global Client Advocacy.
Linde also spent over 20 years as a finance and operations executive for Marsh. Her expertise and experience spans Property & Casualty and Employee Benefits, and she is highly skilled at working with clients ranging in size from middle-market to sophisticated large group and large risk.
Mrs. Hotchkiss serves the community on several boards including Junior Achievement (recent board chair), Safe Haven Children’s Medical Outreach, and transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project. She is a frequent presenter on Inclusion and Diversity and was recognized by the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation as one of two North American Inclusion Champions for 2019.
Alina Caceres, Secretary
Fractional Operations Executive
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Alina Caceres is an experienced Operations executive, driving the alignment of people, processes, and tools to achieve organizational success. Her career has spanned specialties from accounting to sales and all levels of management, in sectors as diverse as service, healthcare, software, and transportation. Outside of work, she has poured energy into studying nutrition & wellness, elevating family-owned businesses, and supporting community youth. She is passionate about finding new ways of tackling old problems and enjoys learning from each new person she encounters. And each year of new experience (re)shapes her perspectives. In her youth, she spent afternoons and weekends in dance classes; which taught her about friendship, discipline, confidence, and artistic expression. She now serves transcenDANCE with the hope of pulling her years of experience together, and sharing lessons learned with future generations of artists.
Board of Directors
Jennie Breister
Senior Account Executive, San Diego Business Journal
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Coming Soon
Phyllis Tabula
Assistant Vice President, Senior Loan Administrator, U.S. Bank
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Phyllis Tabula is a seasoned loan administration professional specializing in Affordable Housing Lending, with deep expertise in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, multifamily lending, bond-financed transactions, and regulatory compliance. As an Assistant Vice President in loan administration, she oversees complex affordable housing portfolios from closing through servicing, ensuring precision, strong communication, and disciplined execution at every stage.
Phyllis brings to nonprofit board service a collaborative mindset, operational rigor, and a strong commitment to advancing equitable community development. Her work is grounded in the belief that reliable, mission aligned loan operations are essential to expanding and preserving affordable housing opportunities.
Charlene Cornelia
Director of Evaluation & Compliance, MAAC Project
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Charlene is a native San Diegan and joins the board with several years in non-profit senior leadership focusing most recently on evaluating program impact and compliance strategy. She has worked with cross-functional teams to support economic development and advocate for increased access to education, health care, and social services. She grew up enjoying the performing arts and is honored to be on the board of directors for multiple local creative youth organizations like transcenDANCE.
Lorenza Fabre Vega
Chief Executive Officer, Latattore Foundation
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Lorenza Fabre Vega a Licensed Clinical Social Worker is a dynamic and compassionate leader whose accomplishments reflect a deep commitment to mental health, social justice, and community empowerment. As CEO of the Latattore Foundation, she has spearheaded strategic initiatives to enhance funding practices and developed mental health workshops to support immigrant families, showcasing her dedication to inclusive and culturally responsive care. With a rich clinical background and Master’s degree from Columbia University, Lorenza has consistently demonstrated her values of empathy, equity, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her goals center on promoting holistic well being and systemic change, using her bi-cultural background and extensive experience to bridge gaps in care and uplift vulnerable populations.
Mikhak Ghorban
Principal, Ghorban Law, APC.
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Mikhak Ghorban is the founder of Ghorban Law, APC, specializing in immigration and nationality law. Born in Tehran, Iran, she spent part of her childhood in England before settling in San Diego, where she attended San Diego State University.
Committed to community service and advancing diversity and inclusion, Mikhak has held leadership roles with numerous nonprofit and professional organizations. She served as President of Lawyers Club of San Diego in 2024–2025, becoming the organization's first Iranian American president, and previously represented the group on the board of California Women Lawyers.
She also serves with the San Diego County Bar Association, Women of Color in Law, and the Iranian American Bar Association-San Diego, where she received the organization's Community Impact Award.
Her commitment to community service extends to years of volunteer work with the Palomar Council PTA and continued involvement with her children's school community. Mikhak's leadership and service have earned recognition from several organizations for her positive impact on the San Diego community, including the Service to Diversity Award in 2026 and recognition as a San Diego Business Journal Woman of Influence in Law in 2025.
Saran Wiggins
Senior Sales Executive, Key Accounts, United Healthcare
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A native San Diegan, Saran Wiggins is a Key Accounts Sales Representative at UnitedHealthcare, where she partners with large and complex employer groups to deliver innovative, data-driven health benefit solutions. With 20+ years of experience in employee benefits and healthcare strategy, Saran helps organizations navigate cost management, plan design, and population health initiatives while enhancing the overall member experience.
In her years in the industry, she has worked closely with executive leadership, HR teams, brokers, and consultants to align medical, ancillary, pharmacy, behavioral health, and wellness solutions with each client’s business objectives. Known for a strategic and consultative approach, she leverages analytics and market insights to drive measurable outcomes, improve engagement, and support long-term client retention.
Saran holds a MBA in Organizational Leadership from Point Loma Nazarene University and is committed to continuous learning in healthcare innovation and employer-sponsored benefits. Outside of work, she is a proud member of Bethel AME Memorial Church and of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Interested in serving on our Board of Directors and helping to affect positive change in the lives of our youth through dance and performance? Please email Managing Director Steph Walsh - steph@tdarts.org