“We have to be visible. We are not ashamed of who we are.”
– Sylvia Rivera
Our People, Working In La Cocina
BUFFY TRENT WOLF
(SHE/HER/ELLA)
Associate Director, Parental, Infant, and Early Childhood Mental Health Services
“I am a reflexive collaborator in thoughts and actions. I am committed to building authentic collaborations with our Latine communities and partners, working diligently to cocreate pathways that result in equitable mental healthcare services, in transformative reflective capacity, and in my increased ability to accompany others in this space…”
JANINA E. FARIÑAS (SHE/HER/ELLA)
Founder &
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
“I am a lineage-holder, an elder weaving two threads. The first thread convenes Latine innovations that transform and heal–us, together. The second thread propels that healing with the force of change-making potential. My purpose? To remember and tell the stories of how we've healed, in our cocinas, together.”
SARAH MCNAMEE
(SHE/HER/ELLA)
Clinical Director
“I am a conspirator and evidence of the power of sharing “el poder.” I create a safe and inviting environment for community members to engage with their authentic selves. I work at La Cocina to shape a world in which all people care and are cared for so that we may all create a tapestry of empathy together…”
MELITA QUANCE
(SHE/HER/ELLA)
Bilingual Clinical Training Supervisor
“I am a seeker, and I search for justice every day. I fight for the kind of justice that leads to the liberation of me and the liberation of you, which is the only way we will all thrive. That is how I know that my freedom is bound up with yours and why we must do the justice thing together…”
MARIE ZELEDON
(SHE/HER/ELLA)
Bilingual Masters-Level
Clinician Intern
“I am a mind guide; I support community members as they find meaning in their authentic selves and spread healing to others, and my community…”
KATHERYN MEDINA
(SHE/HER/ELLA)
Bilingual Masters-Level
Clinician Intern
“I am a caring companion. I walk alongside children and families, accompanying them on their journeys to heal and grow, always in the language of their hearts…”
JENNIFER LARROTA
(SHE/HER/ELLA)
Communications & Marketing Manager
I am a storyteller. I blend verbs, nouns, pronouns, images and color and use them to illustrate narratives of liberation that engage and inspire our communities to heal and to grow.