Meet Our team
Co-Founder & Executive Director
In 1999, Bridget Alexander (she/her) got on a bike and rode alongside 17 youth overcoming homelessness, depression, and addiction as they tackled a 2300 mile bike trip across America, proving to the world that when you focus on the strengths of youth who have spent a lifetime defying poverty and the impacts of injustice, they dazzle. The trip tested the ideals of the newly hatched nonprofit, Waking the Village (WTV), and confirmed the belief that youth achieve big things when surrounded by relentless support, meaningful opportunities, and adults who look upon them daily with belief.
Bridget also co-chairs Sacramento’s Homeless Youth Task Force. Prior to launching WTV, Bridget taught school for 7 years, working with youth impacted by injustice. She loves sharing life with her wife and 3 kids, wood working, tromping around the river to spot coyotes, and seeing how many songs can be played on a guitar using the same 9 chords.
Co-Founder & Early Childhood Programs Director
Blithe Raines (she/her) also hatched this WTV vision and peddled across America that Summer in 1999. Since then she has done just about everything to support WTV and its youth. She has coached, developed programming, been at countless births, written grants, and advocated for youth and children in offices, schools, and local government halls. Now, Blithe oversees and trains WTV’s early childhood education teams, provides aftercare to Tubman House graduates, and teams with Bridget for continual program planning. She has 20 years experience teaching children and youth overcoming homelessness, including 4 years as a teacher at Mustard Seed School for Homeless Children. She holds a BS in Community Development with an Education emphasis. Her weekends and evenings are claimed by the joys of parenting three teenagers, baking something tasty, and exploring the world.
Lead House Director & Operations Manager/Data Specialist
Mazelle Lolmaugh (she/her) is the House Director Team Lead at Waking the Village. House Directors are responsible for partnering with youth to build a warm home culture that nurtures all those living there through traditions, rhythms, and the development of communicative, responsive relationships. House Directors are a key presence in the evenings, ensuring family rhythms and community wellness are maintained. Mazelle has over 26 years of experience in the nonprofit sector with an emphasis in Youth Development. She has been a House Director for Tubman House since 2004, living on-site, in community with residents and their children. Mazelle also manages the agency’s data/reporting, waitlist, and other administrative tasks for Waking the Village.
Director of Racial Equity and Housing Staff Support
Latisha Simms (she/her) joined Waking the Village in 2009 and brings over a decade of experience as a House Director. In addition to helping families maintain healthy evening rhythms within the house, Latisha gives residents the opportunity to experience a supportive and nurturing home environment. As an infant and toddler teacher, Latisha draws upon her parenting expertise to care for the hearts and minds of Sacramento’s youngsters.
The Creation District Director
Grace Loescher (she/her) is a practicing artist, published poet, part time emcee/host, and full time lover of all things creative. She is also a failed gardener and semi-professional tinkerer. Grace holds a BA in Studio Art and has exhibited works in a variety of locations including an interactive installation of a life size confessional booth in the Cornell Fine Arts Museum in Orlando FL. In our village, Grace runs the Creation District, a safe haven for creation, discovery, activism, daring, and dream-making for Sacramento’s youth and young adults. When taking a break from work, Grace can be found building wind chimes out of forks, performing in poetry slams, or jamming with her newly found queer folk band.
Prevention and Intervention Director
Shelly Hubertus (she/her) began serving Waking the Village in August of 2016 as a volunteer through the Jesuit Volunteers Corps (JVC). After completing her year of service as a JVC volunteer, Shelly continued working at Waking the Village as a Youth Development Coach, supporting youth in the Doorway Program and Audre’s Emporium of New Tomorrows. Currently Shelly works as the Prevention and Intervention Specialist, connecting youth to resources, fostering their familial and community support network, developing strategies and actively working to reduce Youth Homelessness in all of Sacramento. She loves helping her coachees feel empowered to work towards their goals during a difficult and transitory time in their lives, and connect/reconnect to supports that will help them be successful long-term. She firmly believes in the healing power of community and relationships, and feels privileged to elevate youth voices and work towards eradicating youth homelessness in Sacramento. Shelly graduated from Texas A&M University with a major in Communication and minors in Psychology and Spanish.
Housing Programs Director
Steph Flowers (she/her) spent 19 years in the field of education, 10 of which were as a classroom teacher. She holds an associates degree in Early Childhood Education and a master's degree in Educational Administration. She has always been passionate about educating, supporting and guiding our younger generations in hopes of giving them a solid foundation to build upon in the future. She feels blessed to join the Waking the Village team in 2021, as a Youth Development Director, where she can continue to support the youth in the Sacramento community. She is dedicated whole heartedly to walk beside these youth as they navigate the happy and the hard moments, learn new skill sets, and embark on their bright futures. She spends her time off being the mother of a teenager, staying physically active through activities like running, and focusing on rejuvenating activities for self-care like reading, listening to music or gardening. She played roller derby for 5 years and hopes to get back on skates soon (for fun).
House Director
Bryce Chiodo (he/him) is the House Director for Audre’s Emporium of New Tomorrows. A graduate of the University of San Francisco, he majored in International Studies with honors while minoring in both Jewish and Peace and Conflict Studies. Bryce brings with him a rich history of experience having worked in health care communications, harm reduction, behavioral and sexual health education alongside underserved and often marginalized populations globally. As a queer man, he feels fortunate to be given the opportunity to actively support queer youth at WTV in fostering relationships and in building community and the other personal and professional skills needed to thrive. Bryce strongly encourages practicing sustainable development through meeting folks where they are at, elevating voices from within effected communities, and aiding in strengthening the relationships, expertise, power, and resilience that already exist among communities. A country queer at heart, he can always be found gardening or trying to play with your dog.
Youth Employment Director
Coday Anthony is a longtime educator, mentor, and community leader. He has a B.S. in Entertainment Industry Production, which he earned from the University of Southern Mississippi. He has spent the past few decades of his life seeking out opportunities to use music and art to uplift humankind, a calling which brought him into the nonprofit world in 2005 via co-founding Artists of Sacramento Inc. and, more recently, joining the team at Waking the Village as their Youth Employment Director and leading their Entertainment Industry Certificate Program. As an artist, he’s performed in dozens of bands and ensembles, is a recording engineer and producer, has composed pieces for professional ensembles as well as musical scores for film. For the past decade, he has run a photography and videography company with his wife, which has grown into a full service multimedia production company. He enjoys painting, installation art, tattooing, writing, gardening, cooking, and generally anything that allows for a bit of creativity and expression… bonus points if he can share the experience with others. He’s an advocate for the disenfranchised and can usually be found, first aid pack in hand, wherever their voices and hearts are gathered.
The Creation District Wellness Director
Kela Abeleda (he/they) joined Waking the Village in November 2021. They recently switched career paths from cosmetology after realizing their love for youth outreach and would like to one day offer gender affirming haircuts to gender non-conforming youth. With a new found desire to help the community they are currently hosting outside arts and glee clubs as well as help navigate the youth to essential resources. A lover of the arts and nerd culture they are eager to support the youths on their journey for independence. Kela heals by eating anchovy feta pesto pizza and climbing trees with their cat Al Dente.