Our Team

Kerrilyn has over 15 years of experience in the prevention field working at the national, state, and local levels. She has assumed project management or leadership positions on large scale technical assistance and training projects as well as national and multi-site evaluation and research projects for the past decade. She has directed 8 statewide technical assistance and training initiatives and has led or contributed to over 25 evaluation projects.

Erika is the Community Prevention Initiative (CPI) Project Director and provides project management and direction of statewide training and technical services to the prevention field. She ensures comprehensive, relevant, and timely services are provided through collaboration with subject matter experts and consultants.

Christina has worked with the CARS team in a consultant or full-time capacity since 2004. In addition to being a Senior Research Associate, she is Field Director for the Now is the Time Technical Assistance (NITT-TA) Center. Christina has a primary focus in promoting evidence-based and culturally appropriate programs and practices that foster resilience and build assets at the individual and community levels.

Renay is a social scientist and educator who has focused her career on using research to support children and families. Renay has expertise in applied research aimed at the development and evaluation of social services and programs that contribute to family health and well-being, as well as policy evaluation and performance monitoring. She previously served as the Director of Research and Evaluation for a state mental health commission, where she provided leadership over statewide evaluation of the Mental Health Services Act (Prop. 63). Prior to that, she served as Director of Research and Programming at a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Relationship Research Institute, which aimed to strengthen relationships through research. In this position, she directed several large-scale federal grants and contracts.

Miranda contributes to research, resource development, and evaluation at CARS. She works across three statewide initiatives and on several local evaluation projects. She has experience in project management, qualitative data collection and analysis, culturally competent program administration, and the translation of research into evidence-based practices.

Amy is a project director with 13 years of experience in local, state and federally funded programs. She currently serves as Project Director for the California Community College Student Mental Health Program. She brings substantive knowledge and skills specific to training and technical assistance, general planning and program implementation, administrative oversight, reporting and data management, grants management, …

Daniel E. Toleran, MS, is a Senior Research Associate at CARS. He has more than 15 years’ experience championing mental health, social services, and behavioral health prevention and treatment for LGBTQ and other groups experiencing disparities. He has directed several large, successful programs that provide integrated mental and behavioral health, HIV/AIDS services, comprehensive social services, and community advocacy to historically underserved LGBTQ communities. Daniel has served on the advisory boards, work groups, and Boards of Directors of community-based organizations, health departments, and school and clinic health programs. He has provided consultation and trainings on LGBTQ populations, health disparities, and cultural competence. He has successfully disseminated project outcomes in peer-reviewed journal publications, including two articles on differences in substance use and sexual health risk-taking among Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese men who have sex with men (MSM). Focus populations have included transgender persons, homeless adults, urban immigrants, and transition-age youth living with HIV.

Kari has over ten years of experience managing conferences and training and technical assistance projects for local, state, and national agencies. Project work includes mental health, youth mentoring, ATOD prevention, education, and emergency management for schools.

Matt has been designing, developing, and maintaining websites since 2001. He specializes in identity and branding development, printed materials and publications, database development, and online campaigns and promotions. He currently serves as project website developer on the NITT, CCC SMHP, and CPI initiatives.

Ken has more than 15 years of public health experience working in the Washington, DC and San Francisco Bay Areas on survey research, program evaluation, and technical assistance and training (TTA) projects funded at the state and federal levels. Most of this time has involved large-scale projects addressing the mental and behavioral health of historically disadvantaged populations, including racial, ethnic, and cultural minorities, and at-risk youth.

Lynn facilitates all aspects of CPI trainings, including event planning, evaluation tracking, marketing, and working with requestors and consultants. Before joining CARS, Lynn developed expertise in a variety of administrative roles by working in the areas of sales, analysis, database management, business management, project management, human resource management, accounting, contracting, and high-level administrative support.

Steven Jimenez is a Multimedia Specialist with over 15 years of experience working throughout all of forms of production, from pitch to post. Concentrating on how to most effectively tell stories through a visual medium, Steven is adept at using camera and editing equipment alike. Within CARS, Steven develops agency videos and other multimedia projections while coordinating, hosting, and monitoring discussion hours and webinars for CPI and NITT. He creates a user/viewer friendly experience by translating jargon-heavy description into visuals and narration. He also provides support for training and data capture, analysis, and reporting from incoming evaluation datasets.

Amanda Lipp is a Technical Assistance Specialist at the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS). She is dedicated to creative and innovative approaches that increase individual wellness and organizational impact. Since age 18, she has given over 150 speeches locally and internationally, and has produced over 20 short films promoting nonprofit efforts and individuals’ stories. In 2014, after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development from the University of California, Davis, she co-designed the first U.S. hosted 7th International “Together Against Stigma” Conference co-hosted by the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), the California Mental Health Services Act (CalMHSA), and the California Behavioral Health Directors Association (CBHDA).

With over 19 years of experience in coordinating local and statewide programs across the US, Joanne has multiple roles at CARS. She manages all technology, coordinates internal project websites and databases, oversees all webinar trainings, and provides project coordination on all projects.

Jacquie provides accounting and administrative support for all projects. She assists in contracting and invoicing for over 2500 TA days per year and supports data collection and entry for training evaluations. Jacquie also liaises with consultants and vendors to ensure high-quality services and accurate and efficient recordkeeping.

Kim comes to CARS from a background in writing and communications. She contributes to the research, writing, and editing of an array of publications, proposals, and project resources. She also develops content and strategy for social media, websites, and newsletters at the CARS organizational and project levels.