OFSC Team

Sally Lopez, Executive Director

Sally Lopez brings over a decade of experience as an administrative aide in both county and federal government settings, along with more than 15 years of expertise in community relations. Her career includes various roles with the County of Sonoma and the U.S. Department of Justice.

For seven years, Sally served as the assistant to the Executive Director of Sonoma County Dancers United, a nonprofit organization. Additionally, she has extensive experience as a Spanish/English linguist through her former translation company, collaborating with local, state, and federal governments as well as educational institutions.

Christy Lopez, Administrative and Programs Director

Christy Lopez is an Office Administrator at a local commercial real estate firm, where she handles bookkeeping for multiple businesses. She is also a bilingual Outreach Worker for the Division of Aging and Adult Services for the County of Marin, dedicated to engaging with the Latino senior community. Previously, she worked as a social worker assistant for Mendocino County Social Services and for Sonoma County during the pandemic.

Christy served seven years as Secretary and CFO for the local nonprofit Sonoma County Dancers United, where she also volunteered to ensure Spanish speakers had access to their programs. She is currently the interim treasurer for this organization. Additionally, Christy has worked as an interpreter for the Santa Rosa City Schools and as a case manager within the community.

Board of Directors

Kem Mahiri, Board of Directors President

Kembly Astua Mahiri is a supervising social worker for the county of Sonoma, with a long history of working with adolescents in our community. Originally from Costa Rica, Kembly is the oldest daughter of farmworkers and the first in her family to attend college. She graduated from Piner High School, received her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Sonoma State University, and her Master of Social Work from the University of Akron in Ohio. In 2005 she earned her license from the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as a LCSW (licensed clinical social worker).

Kem’s lifelong passion has been working with youth and families, and specifically helping youth recover from trauma and move to resilience and opportunity. She provides reflective supervision to professionals working with youth at risk and also serves as a community educator through public speaking. Kembly has received many acknowledgments for her work, including the Latina College Student of the Year for the state of California.

Evelin Sustaita, Board of Directors Secretary

Evelin Sustaita is part of the leadership team and serves as the program coordinator for the Sonoma Small Business Development Center (SBDC), hosted by the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber. With roots from Mexico City and Michoacan Mexico, Evelin is 1 of 3 daughters and the first in her family to attend college. She graduated from Santa Rosa High School and attended the Santa Rosa Junior College before she transferred to Sonoma State University in 2015 where she was a McNair Scholar and graduated with two Bachelor's Degrees in Spanish and Chicanx/Latinx Studies. She was a recipient of the Santa Rosa Junior College Teaching Fellows Award and the Sonoma State University Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Experiences Student Award. Evelin was also a Koret Scholar and McNair Scholar, where she conducted, presented and published research on Language and Cultural Identity among Latinx youth and success factors of Latino males in education and higher education.

During her undergraduate career she was an active member of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) a professional organization for self-identified Chicana, Latina, Native American / indigena mujeres and gender non-conforming academics, students, and activists, where she held a leadership role in the planning committee for their annual NorthBay Women of Color Conference and the MALCS Summer Institute. She was also one of the founding members of the Undocu-Scholars Coalition (USC) where she served as the treasurer and part of the leadership team to put together the first inaugural Undocu- Week at Sonoma State.

Evelin’s passion has always been to bridge the gap between access to resources and the
underserved/underrepresented communities of color. With the combination of her education, community involvement, and nonprofit work experience she continues to support her community by coordinating resources for them and guiding them to reach their goal of starting or growing a small business. She believes in the importance and impact of small businesses in Sonoma County and the economic impact that they have in our community. She strives to ensure that the Sonoma SBDC and its services are accessible to our entire community, as a native Spanish speaker she is able to provide an extra level of support and comfort to our Spanish speaking community.

Peter Lopez Jr. Board of Directors Member/Founder

Peter Lopez Jr., a resident of Santa Rosa, CA for 43 years, is the son of Mexican immigrants with a legacy of hardworking and community-engaged individuals. With over 26 years of experience in the wine and beer industry, Peter co-founded NorCal Beer Geeks, promoting craft beer culture locally and globally through social media, competitions and festivals. A former beer blogger for the Press Democrat, he is also a respected judge in the beer and wine industry.

Beyond his professional achievements, Peter has dedicated 26 years to youth mentorship as a youth mentor, basketball coach and fundraiser for youth programs. In 2017, he realized his entrepreneurship dream of owning Juncture Taproom & Lounge, a beloved community hub which closed its door in January 2024. Peter is presently a co-owner of Santa Rosa Pizzeria and hosts the At a Juncture Podcast.

Despite facing the challenges of fires, power outages and the pandemic, Peter's commitment to community resilience led him to establish the "For the Love of Rosa Fund." In 2020, using his stimulus check, he initiated a successful GoFundMe campaign, providing much-needed support to small businesses in Santa Rosa with mini-grants and essential supplies. Through his tireless efforts, Peter exemplifies the power of compassion and solidarity in times of adversity and is the driving force behind the founding of the Opportunity Foundation of Sonoma County (formerly the Sonoma County Hardship Fund).

Advisory Board

Donna Zapata

Committees

Youth

Anabel Nunez

Frank Cooper

Small Business

Larry Hillex

Crystal Diamante

Events

Ana Topete

Carmen De Loza

Chelsea Valadez