Mory Chhom

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Mory is a 1.5 generation Cambodian-American born in a refugee camp in Thailand and raised in Modesto, California. In 2008, she earned a BS in Health Sciences and in 2013 a Master’s in Public Health from SJSU. She dedicates her career to achieving health equity for vulnerable and marginalized community members. Since 2006, she has had the privilege and honor of working for and with low income underserved and unserved communities of color to support the facilitation of self empowerment, improvement of health and wellness through engagement and awareness, health education and advocacy, and celebrate culture and identity. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and camping in Northern California, bicycling with her family and she is a huge fan of cooking, dancing, and collecting records.

Patricia Rodriguez, MPH

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Patricia Rodriguez is the Co-Founder & CEO of Bayview S.O.L., Director of Operations with SisterWeb Community Doula Network, and a small business owner of SF Parking, LLC in San Francisco. She is a life-long resident of San Francisco who is familiar with the changing demographics and needs of her community. Her passion for community service, dedication to public health, and working with midwives and doulas sparked an idea to create a space of healing and care for marginalized communities, specifically pregnant mothers. Patricia is committed to addressing the economic and social conditions and influences responsible for health inequities in the most vulnerable populations of San Francisco. By recognizing the Social Determinants of Health and eliminating the disparities faced by specifically poor women of color, she has made it her mission, in partnership with other CBOs, to improve health outcomes for those women most at risk.

Patricia holds a Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco.  She has over 15 years of healthcare experience, with six years of executive leadership at a non-profit, Federally Qualified Health Center as the Chief Operating Officer and ten years as a small business owner.

Shlomit Gorin, PsyD

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Dr. Shlomit Gorin started at RAMS as a practicum trainee and later transitioned to staff psychologist in the Adult Outpatient Clinic and supervisor in the Training Program. Her interests include immigration; intergenerational transmission of trauma; sex and gender; expressions of psychic phenomena via the body; the impact of material living conditions along with social, cultural and political forces on the individual; and the integration of disciplines in the humanities with psychoanalysis. Shlomit maintains a private practice in San Francisco providing psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and adults. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature and a master’s degree in Slavic Languages and Literatures from Northwestern University, and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Wright Institute.

Dr. Jei Africa, PsyD, MSCP, CATC-V

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Dr. Jei Africa, PsyD, MSCP, CATC-V, is the Assistant Director of Human Services Agency at the County of San Mateo. He is an innovative thought-leader, strategist and clinician who is passionate about integrating effective culturally responsive practices into the core functioning of County services.

Most recently, Dr. Africa was the Director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) at the County of Marin. In his tenure of four and a half years, he focused on expanding community outreach, engagement and access to underserved communities, expanded the continuum of care for justice-involved behavioral health clients and led the acquisition of several critical residential facility projects for residents who have mental health and substance use conditions. He also championed and led many initiatives that resulted in BHRS becoming a more trauma-informed, culturally humble and anti-racist organization.

For over a decade, Dr. Africa served as the Director of the Office of Diversity and Equity with the San Mateo County Health System where he led agency-wide efforts addressing health equity that received State recognition. He spearheaded the development of the first-ever multi-disciplinary behavioral health LGBTQ+ community center, led the health system’s change efforts to enable the collection of SOGI data for all patients, and was instrumental in the opening of a transgender health clinic. Prior to that, he was Clinical Director at Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse and Manager of Youth Treatment Services at Asian American Recovery Services. In addition to his professional work, Dr. Africa was appointed to serve as a founding member of the San Mateo County LGBTQ Commission, and currently volunteers with the Alliance for Community Empowerment (ALLICE), an all-Filipino organization that provides free education on healthy relationships. He also served on the board of National Alliance on Mental Illness California (NAMI CA) and the College of Behavioral Health Leadership. Currently, he is a board member of Voices of Recovery-San Mateo and Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc.

Jei Africa holds a Post-doctoral Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychopharmacology, a Doctorate of Psychology in Clinical Psychology and a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology from Alliant International University/California School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Africa received a Bachelor of Social Science degree from the University of the Philippines (Manila), in Behavioral Science.

He serves as an adjunct faculty member at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and at the Mabuhay Health Clinic, a free student-run clinic affiliated with the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF). He was a member of the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities Regional Health Equity Council (RHEC) IX. Currently, he is a member of the Office of Health Equity Advisory Committee under the California Department of Public Health. Dr. Africa is a fellow with the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) Leadership Institute.

Jei was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinos in the United States (2009) and received the California Statewide Cultural Competence Professional Award (2009) for his leadership, professional contributions, and service promoting health equity and cultural competence. He was celebrated as one of the 2012 LGBT Local Heroes by KQED and Union Bank at the Castro Theater. In 2015, the California Psychological Association awarded him with the Distinguished Humanitarian Contribution Award for his exemplary work in promoting equity and social justice. He received both the Health Equity Changemaker Award from the New Leaders Council of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area Municipal Election Committee (BAYMEC) Service Award in 2017.

Dr. Africa is a licensed clinical psychologist and holds certification in both substance use and trauma, a certified executive coach and a credentialed county senior executive.

He was the first openly transgender county behavioral health director in the state and in the US.

Natalie Tualemoso Ah Soon, MPH

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Natalie Tuālemoso Ah Soon is a visionary and systems-changer committed to advancing health and mental health equity. She is a bold thinker and strong proponent of collaborative culture to achieve optimal health and mental health outcomes across the lifespan and
among all communities.

Natalie has most recently transitioned from her role as the Director of Population-Focused Programs into the Director of Community Engagement & Government Relations. She came to RAMS in 2014 and her journey here is unique. Her roles and programs are many firsts at RAMS and for Pacific Islander and Asian communities in the SF Bay Area. She directs two mental health prevention and early intervention programs in San Francisco County (2014) and Alameda County (2018). Both programs are in direct partnership with long-standing, trusted community-based organizations. In 2018, RAMS expanded its reach and services for the first time to Alameda County to replicate the community mental health promotion and prevention model of service, focusing on Pacific Islanders. Our efforts include the: Samoan Wellness Initiative anchored at Samoan Community Development Center, Filipino Mental Health Initiative-SF with the Filipino-American Development Fund/Bayanihan Community Center, Southeast Asian Mental Health Initiative-SF, and the Pacific Islander Wellness Initiative anchored by Taulama, Regional Pacific Islander Taskforce, and Samoa Community Development Center.

Outside of her work at RAMS, Inc., Natalie is a co-founder and co-chair of the Regional Pacific Islander Taskforce in the Bay Area. This movement emerged out of a shared interest/passion to increase the visibility of Pacific Islander health needs and highlight their
assets/strengths to address health and social disparities. Natalie holds a Master of Public Health from San Jose State University and is a proud San Francisco State University alumna where she honed her passion for public health. Outside of clock-work and heart-work, she is a nurturing and protective mother and grandmother, charming spouse, caring sister, and cool aunty. She is a proud native of American Samoa and fluent in Samoan.

Sonja Scott, MPA

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Sonja has extensive experience in managing and overseeing programs providing services to both youth and adults, and specifically working with homeless populations including homeless veterans in rapid-rehousing and securing permanent and supported living housing. Sonja’s most recent position before joining RAM, was as Director at Homeward Bound of Marin, overseeing the shelter programs and case management services for homeless individuals seeking shelter services in Marin County. Sonja’s prior experiences as a Director and Manager at Glide Memorial, Swords to Plowshares further strengthens her expertise in handling complex issues involved in crisis work and trauma-informed behavioral health services. In addition to these work experiences, Sonja was also the Director of Programs for the California Police Activities league, spearheading multiple statewide projects with the objective of fostering positive relationships between youth and police officers. Sonja currently oversees our Peer- Based Services Crisis Response & Street-Based Services which includes a novel program, integrating peers in a co-responder model to address non-violent behavioral health crises in San Francisco and reducing law enforcement engagement in these situations.

Sonja obtained her bachelors degree in Human Development and a minor in Criminal Justice from Cal State, East Bay and was nationally selected for the prestigious National Urban Fellowship (NUF) which led to her obtaining her Master’s degree in Public Administration from Baruch College in New York. Sonja was born and raised in Oakland, California and has three other siblings. In her spare time, Sonja enjoys cooking, attending festivals, travelling and spending time with friends and family.

Michele Alexia

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Michele Alexia was born & raised in San Francisco and for over 20 years has served our community working with programs that assist seniors, homeless youth, and people with disabilities. Ms. Alexia joined RAMS in 2002 and has worked within the mental health community performing vocational counseling & training, program development, advocacy, and management. Currently, as Associate Director of Vocational Services, Ms. Alexia oversees programs that promote empowerment and community inclusion through training, employment, and internship opportunities in the community. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Nicole Ng, MA

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A San Francisco native, Nicole is dedicated to championing collective health and equitable social systems for communities of the Bay Area. Nicole first joined RAMS in 2015 and played an integral part in the start-up of the Division of Peer-Based Services. As Operations Manager for the program from 2015-2018, Ms. Ng supported many aspects of the program’s development including: building infrastructure to support employment and training of peer providers within the agency, helping to establish RAMS first peer-run wellness center, and overall co-creating a culture of compassion and trauma-informed community support as a foundation for client services. As Associate Director of Peer Counseling & Support Services, Ms. Ng is excited to continue contributing to the mission of expanding peer support services in San Francisco and advancing the peer provider profession.

In her clinical training, Ms. Ng holds a Master’s degree in Integral Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies and is a registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist working towards full licensure. She has received training from RAMS Fu Yau Project and Liberation Institute in San Francisco. Additionally, Ms. Ng brings a decade of professional experience from the business world and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Managerial Economics from UC Davis.

In her personal time, Nicole enjoys urban hikes through the city, scoping out local eateries, cooking, and yoga.

Richard Zevin, LCSW

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Richard (Richie) Zevin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has worked at RAMS since 2007 and has worked in the behavioral health field since 2002. Richie has been with the RAMS Division of Peer-Based Services since its inception in 2015, serving first as Clinical Manager and then as Associate Director of Peer Counseling Programs. In these roles with the Division, Richie has provided supervision, clinical consultation, and training for peer-identified staff, interns, and students while cultivating and maintaining collaborations with community partners across more than 30 sites within the system of care. He has assisted with the launch and implementation of innovative new programs in San Francisco, including overdose prevention efforts and an alternative to law enforcement response for behavioral health emergencies.

Prior to his time with the Division of Peer-Based Services, Richie worked as a Behavioral Health Counselor across multiple RAMS programs serving adults, youth, and families. He was the Program Manager for SF-ACT, a school-based treatment and diversion program for justice-involved youth, and received the 2014 RAMS Rising Star/Leadership Award for Outstanding Service. Richie brings a strengths-based and collaborative approach to the Division, advocating for culturally responsive and trauma-informed services that are driven by community needs, along with a model of staff support that fosters professional growth and sustainability.

Richie received his Masters in Social Work from UC Berkeley. In his time outside of work, he is endlessly interested in discovering and exploring the hidden gems, urban wilderness, and public libraries of his beloved San Francisco.

Janny Wong, LMFT, PPSc

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Ms. Wong started her career at RAMS as a Mental Health Consultant in 2010.  She later moved into the Lead Mental Health Consultant, then to Clinical Manager, and now the Director of Fu Yau Project.   As a bilingual and bicultural clinician, Ms. Wong’s passion to work with the Chinese community; especially with children and their families.

Ms. Wong earned a Master’s of Science in Counseling at Cal State East Bay and holds a Pupil Personnel Services Credential to provide School Counseling at a public K-12 School.  Prior her Master’s she earned my B.A. Social Welfare with an emphasis in Psychology and Sociology along with a minor in Interdisciplinary Studies in Early Childhood.