Program Services
Jenise (they/them/elle) | Programs Manager
Jenise “JT” has been a Central Coast resident for over 20 years, growing up in and then serving the community’s youth as a teacher and youth leader for over 10 years. Jenise graduated from California State University, Fresno with a degree in Cultural Anthropology and earned their master’s degree in Education. They began working in Special Education as a speech pathologist assistant in 2017 and continued on to serve as a classroom teacher and in an educational leadership capacity. Jenise has become involved with nonprofit organizations, serving in various positions for the past 4 years, and was drawn to Pacific Pride Foundation’s work and mission, and hopes to continue serving LGBTQIA2S+ and underserved communities through their position as Programs Manager.
Jenise is always looking for ways to serve their community and underrepresented populations, most recently as the Director of Education for the Dunes Center in Guadalupe, working with low-income, first generation, and migrant students. Jenise also supports the students of Allan Hancock College as faculty in the Social Sciences department and they work constantly to ensure representation and safety for queer students and students of color. Jenise’s passion to serve and uplift others comes from their lived experience as a queer and nonbinary Latine. Having navigated life as someone who didn’t always fit into society’s “boxes,” Jenise works to help others be and feel seen, whether that looks like creating drone-filmed virtual hikes for people who cannot get out into nature, or highlighting the nonbinary gender models of other cultures in educational settings. Jenise’s values and sense of equity is their drive to continue their work in racial and environmental justice.
Jenise can be reached at jenise@pacificpridefoundation.org or 805-335-2530.
Jennifer (she/her/ella) | Counseling Manager
Jennifer is a first-generation Chicana from Oxnard, California. She graduated from California State University – Channel Islands with a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Sociology. Prior to joining Pacific Pride Foundation, Jennifer was the Managing Director for 805UndocuFund, where she managed the organization’s operations and programs. She also gained experience in coalition building by co-managing the California UndocuFund Network with other immigrant-serving organizations. In addition to that, Jennifer has over 4+ years of experience working with youth in roles such as a Youth Behavioral Counselor for Aspiranet and After-School Program Site Leader for Oxnard City Corps.
All the work Jennifer does and hopes to continue doing is rooted in community building, immigrant rights, social justice and expanding mental health services for the LGBTQ+ immigrant community.
Jennifer can be reached at jennifer@pacificpridefoundation.org or 805-963-3636 x 024.
Azalea (she/her/ella) | Training & Education Manager
Azalea grew up in both Goleta and Santa Barbara and has been a lifelong advocate for equity that stems from her intersecting identities as a Latina who is part of the LGBTQ+ community. She attended the University of California, Riverside, earning both a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Latin American Studies. Through the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, she created and conducted a two-year research project titled “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Education,” researching and analyzing the effects that accessing equitable and inclusive resources had on student success. She then pursued a Master’s Degree in International and Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco.
As an Advisor at San Francisco State University, Azalea had the opportunity to join SF State University’s Safe Zone Ally Program Coordinating Committee, fostering an equitable and inclusive campus environment, and providing on-going learning opportunities presented through an intersectional, racial justice framework. At UC Riverside, Azalea worked for the Chicano Student Programs Center and collaborated closely with UC Riverside’s LGBT Resource Center. As a volunteer, Azalea collaborated with and led the planning committees for the annual ¡Presente! Conference from 2018-2022, which aimed at providing a safe, brave space for the LGBTQ+ Latine community, the Queer and Trans People of Color Conference in February 2020, and annual Pride Proms for high school youth in the Inland Empire. In her free time, Azalea can be found riding her bike, camping, hiking, and being outdoors.
Azalea can be reached at azalea@pacificpridefoundation.org or 805-963-3636 x 026.
Levin (they/them) | Community Engagement Manager
Levin graduated from the University of California – Santa Barbara (class of 2023) with a degree in Feminist Studies. They completed a thesis on the experiences of k-12 LGBTQIA2S+ youth in the sex education classroom, with particular emphasis on long-term effects of queer/trans erasure. Levin considers themselves an eternal learner, and believes that much of one’s learning takes place outside of the classroom. Levin’s lived experience as a queer, trans nonbinary, and disabled individual has informed much of the work they do. They come to Pacific Pride Foundation from UCSB’s Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, where they were the LGBTQIA2S+ Coordinator for Undergraduate Wellness. In this role, they expanded access to healthcare and mental health resources for the queer and trans community at UCSB. Levin is passionate about drag as a form of art and as an act of resistance, and can often be found at drag shows supporting the local artists.
Levin can be reached at levin@pacificpridefoundation.org or 805-963-3636 x 108.
