COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR

Reilly is a long time skidrow resident living off an on for 20 years, most of that time living as an unhoused street based sex worker. She was employed and then housed through our program in 2020 and has gone on to create and invote her own program, Tree of Life, and is part of the new LA County Violence Interruption and Community Care Project.

OUTREACH WORKER & COVID COMPLIANCE OFFICER

Noel’s work centers around serving participants with harm reduction supplies in MacArthur Park & the BAART Clinic in Boyle Heights, alongside syringe exchange services and wound care. Noel also serves as the COVID compliance officer providing public health education on COVID and safety supplies. Before coming into

Irene works as the floor manager for the The Sidewalk Project. She has an AA in Substance and Alcohol Abuse and Psychology and 20+ years of sobriety. She spent many years in and out of incarceration and the street, and wants to make a difference for people like her and give back to her community.

This website is a work in progress while we add on all the wonderful members our team. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

This website is a work in progress while we add on all the wonderful members our team. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

This website is a work in progress while we add on all the wonderful members our team. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

This member of the team has been asked for them to be known by their role and not their name. Thank you for respecting their privacy.

Nataly is a college student pursuing a degree in social work with the goal of becoming a child therapist. At the Sidewalk Project Nataly facilitates art therapy activities for the participants such as painting, drawing, coloring, or arts & crafts. She enjoys nature, music, art, video games, Hello Kitty, volunteering at animal shelters, and spending quality time with the people.

Emily works directly with participants creating a space of dignity, support, and connection shaped by her experiences of using drugs, police violence, enduring profound loss, and 25+ years of work as a paramedic. She has witnessed abuse, neglect and harassment within the medical system and finds healing in patient advocacy. These experiences fuel her commitment to harm reduction, trauma-informed support, and radical empathy. Born and raised off-grid in a tribal territory in Oklahoma, she is a proud citizen of the Choctaw Nation. She’s a wife, mother, and roommate to a dog and a cat (who clearly think they own the place). She’s often found backpacking, camping, or traveling and secretly loves cooking, baking, sewing, and making ice cream.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CO- FOUNDER

Soma Snakeoil is one of the founders of the Sidewalk Project, and provides programmatic and administrative oversight for the organization on top of her boots on the ground style of leadership that includes crisis response, outreach, and advocacy. Her dedication to the houseless community comes from lived experience as a long-term former person who uses drugs, being unhoused, and 20 years on the spectrum of sex work. Outside of the Sidewalk Project she is a writer, artist, and activist whose work is rooted in liberation for marginalized people. In addition to her duties as the ED she serves on the Sidewalk Board.

COO & CO-FOUNDER

Stacey Dee is one of the founders of the Sidewalk Project, and provides financial and administrative oversight for the organization. Stacey is also a founding member of punk rock band Bad Cop Bad Cop, playing 50+ shows a year nationally and worldwide. She speaks openly about difficult times in her life enduring poverty, drug use, trauma, and overcoming cancer and the power of a positive and hopeful attitude. In addition to her other roles within Sidewalk she serves on the Sidewalk Board.

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Sonya’s passion for working with displaced people comes from her own lived experience being born and raised in the Central American Westlake community of Los Angeles to immigrant parents from Guatemala and El Salvador. Having experienced racism, police harassment, and medical violence to her family and community, she is devoted to fighting for and implementing culturally sensitive services for monolingual Spanish speaking Latin Americans. Sonya serves on the California Syringe Exchange Program Coalition (CASEP) Steering Committee, regularly advocates against policy that targets BIPOC communities from the LA County BOS to the LAPD Police Commission, and co-facilitates the Gender Sexuality working group hosted by STOP LAPD Spying. Sonya has also found a pathway to housing for approximately 34 individuals from immigrant families bussed to Los Angeles by Texas Governor, and dumped in the streets of Skid Row and MacArthur Park. She can be found in her down time at a local ceramics studio.

DIRECTOR OF TRAUMA INFORMED SERVICES & ENGAGEMENT

She is a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach specializing in childhood and sexual trauma, with a specific concentration on gender-based violence. Her 20+ years unhoused, doing survival sex work, substance use, and enduring the cycle of incarceration provides her invaluable lived experiences. Much of her current work is focused on BIPOC Trans Sex Workers living with HIV.

MEDICAL DIRECTOR

Mahan Naeim is the medical director for the Sidewalk Project. He completed his bachelors in science and his medical doctorate at UC Irvine. He served on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Needle Exchange Program (OCNEP). He also founded the Harm Reduction Institute (HRI) in Orange County. The only two syringe access programs that have ever served Orange County, California. He is currently a resident physician in Emergency Medicine at Highland Hospital. Outside of harm reduction and medicine, he can be found in his living room DJing very loudly or playing video games.

BOARD ATTORNEY

Amy Judd Lieberman, J.D., serves as Deputy Director of the Harm Reduction Legal Project at the Network for Public Health Law. There, she focuses on providing legal technical assistance to harm reduction programs across the country. She is dedicated to promoting laws and policies that allow people who use drugs to live long, healthy, and dignified lives.  In her spare time, she performs, writes, puppeteers, mothers, and swallows swords.

BOARD CHAIR

Her interest in health justice began in 2009 while volunteering with HIPS. She graduated from Boston University's School of Public Health, and managed one of New England's largest comprehensive SSP’s while mentoring organizations to start new harm reduction programs. She is the owner of Practical Strategies Consulting, LLC, which specializes in issues related to harm reduction, HIV, houselessness, behavioral health disorders, and other social determinants. She has worked with the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, the California Office of AIDS, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and others. She is a person with lived expertise who dreams of a future where everyone has access to all the resources they need to thrive. 

BOARD SECRETARY

Joe O’Neill is visual artist and also works as a Set Dresser in the film  industry. He has been a volunteer with the Sidewalk Project since 2019. Joe has served on the board as the recording secretary since 2022. A longtime believer in harm reduction, The Sidewalk Project has given him a place to put his beliefs into action. “I believe in harm reduction as a counter to the frequently punitive and incompassionate society we live in. I’m glad to play a small role in the great work of the Sidewalk Project.”

This website is a work in progress while we add on all the wonderful members our team. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

LOGISTICS COORDINATOR

Myra Gallarza provides administrative support for leadership and case workers tracking data for quarterly and annual reports, and works on the ground within the day center managing supplies and donations for the center and outreach. She is also the drummer and vocalist for Bad Cop/Bad Cop who use their platform to advocate for the causes they're passionate about.

MEDIA & EDUCATION SPECIALIST

Sidra leads the organization’s Comms Team, manages public communications, and creates and posts harm reduction educational content for the organization’s website and social media accounts. They are a committed sex work advocate and promoter of decriminalization with the lived experience of growing up as the child of a sex worker and person who uses drugs (PWUD).

FINANCIAL COMPLIANCE COORDINATOR

Linh Le is the bassist and vocalist of Southern California's Bad Cop/Bad Cop who was born and raised in Rochester, NY. Linh is also the co-founder of Bassists Against Racists, a campaign that features different bassists each month to raise money for anti-hate groups worldwide. She is a proud anti-fascist, socialist, feminist and will continue to fight forward towards Racial Justice, LGBTQ+, Immigrant/Refugee, Reproductive and Animal rights.

GRANT MANAGER

Rhys is Sidewalk's Grant Manager, bringing a decade of experience working for public health-focused agencies. Exquisitely sensitive and passionate about social justice and community-led public health, Rhys dedicates their career to advancing initiatives that empower and uplift communities. In their free time, they enjoy spending time with their partner and dog in Long Beach.

COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR PROGRAM MANAGER

A native Houstonian with Liberian roots, Tehana is an actor, artist, entertainer, social impact advocate, and vision producer dedicated to serving, uplifting, inspiring, and empowering communities. Since graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a major in business and minor in drama, she has become an award-winning actor and filmmaker. Though acting is her number one passion, it is her joy to create powerful content and to tell stories about underrepresented people, places and things. She devises impactful programs, concoct imaginative events to enliven those programs and ensure an abundance of resources to support the initiatives.

LEAD CASE MANAGER

Kristina works to get participants shelter and permanent housing support, resource linking, document support, and harm reduction support and linkages. Once a member Skidrow, and now housed and in recovery, Kristina is familiar with hopelessness and loss of autonomy. She came into this work to lend the hand she’d been given by like-minded organizations with compassion and non-judgement.

LEAD COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR & ARTS SPECIALIST

Crushow is a long time Skid Row leader, musician, and award-winning muralist, who collaborates with residents and neighbors to design murals to beautify buildings. Crushow has been a member of Sidewalk since the early days, helping host and organize community art events, and is now continuing that work as apart of the new LA County Violence Interruption and Community Care Project.

NEUROSCIENCE & PHARMACOLOGY RESEARCH SPECIALIST

Beth Wiese, PhD, is a harm reduction scientist with a goal to end preventable deaths from opioids. Beth’s expertise as a scientist is built on her prior lived experience navigating Opioid Use Disorder with training in neuroscience, pharmacology, psychology, philosophy, and the mechanisms of breathing. She founded and co leads Transformative Harm Reduction Research Institute of the Voices. She is passionate about her work and advocating for the health and autonomy of people who use drugs to access their basic needs. Beth loves spending time with her dog, gardening, stargazing, and being in community.

SELF DEFENSE EDUCATOR

Vanessa Carlisle holds a PhD in Writing, Literature and Gender Studies from the University of Southern California and a black belt in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu. Drawing upon their lived experience as a survivor of multiple forms of violence and their training in nonviolent communication, de-escalation, and somatic recovery methods, Vanessa’s workshops are trauma-supportive, body and disability inclusive, and responsive to clients’ immediate needs for safety. Vanessa creates individualized de-escalation and self defense curriculum for groups and teams, leads workshops with Trans Defense Fund LA, and teaches a monthly self defense workshop at EVERYBODY gym in Los Angeles.

Vanessa is a co-author of the popular zine Don’t Hate My Heels Vols. 1 and 2 (Cosmic Dog Press), and author of the award-winning novel Take Me With You (Running Wild Press). Awaken Your Sexuality: A Guide to Pleasure and Connection after Trauma and Addiction, co-authored with Dr. Stephanie Covington, is forthcoming in Oct 2025 from Hazelden Publishing.

ADVOCACY SPECIALIST

Allison is a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, certified Pilates and Mindfulness teacher, and the founder of Pelvic Sanctuary, a nonprofit dedicated to inclusive wellness education with a focus on pelvic health. Allison holds an MFA from CalArts and studied at Universität der Künste in Berlin, where she explored the intersection of embodiment, movement, and creative expression. Her work emphasizes culturally competent care and accessible wellness resources for underserved communities, including LGBTQIA+ individuals. Allison also serves as an Advocacy Specialist for The Sidewalk Project, supporting community-based health and outreach efforts.

HUMAN RESOURCES CONSULTANT

Nati Cabral is a Human Resources professional with a focus on Equity and Organizational Development. She brings extensive experience working with organizations dedicated to public health and serving vulnerable and historically marginalized communities. With a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and an MBA in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Nati is deeply passionate about people, wellness, and fostering holistic, culturally responsive workplaces. Her work centers on policy design, training, and systems development that build people-centered cultures and align organizational values with equitable practices.

MOCKINGBIRD CONSULTANT

Jessica Payne is the founder and owner of Mockingbird Analytics, a community, and non-profit research and evaluation company, which she comes to with a decade of research and evaluation project management experience in government, community, and academic settings. She is also the co-founder of Mockingbird Incubator, a nonprofit that provides incubation services to new and emerging nonprofits. Before founding Mockingbird, Jessica was the Research and Evaluation Manager for CASA of Los Angeles, where she managed large-scale data system conversion projects with more than 500+ users, as well as all original research and strategic planning for foster youth within the organization. Previously she worked with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) conducting and designing survey research with youth and TAY service providers.

MOCKINGBIRD CONSULTANT

Dr. Turesky is the Director of Research & Evaluation at Mockingbird Analytics. They are a community-based researcher and educator focused on advancing inclusive community and economic development through racial and gender equity. She examines how identity and emotions shape people’s access to places and services across the lifespan. Marisa uses participatory action research, trauma-informed program evaluation, and qualitative methodologies to center community voices into urban planning and policymaking. They have worked with the City of LA's Department of Civil & Human Rights researching reparations funding models and have conducted research with groups such as the American Planning Association, the Equity Research Institute, and the Restorative Justice Institute of Maine. She also sits on the Leadership Board of Drag Performers United, a group of queer artists working to improve economic and legal protections for drag performers across Southern California. Marisa's research has been published in top urban planning and leadership journals. She holds a PhD in Urban Planning & Development from the University of Southern California and a Masters of City and Regional Planning from Cornell University.

MOCKINGBIRD CONSULTANT

Gabby is a Research Associate and Grant Writer at Mockingbird Analytics. Gabby earned a Master’s of Public Health at the University of Southern California with a concentration in biostatistics and epidemiology. She comes to Mockingbird following tenures in research and education. In these positions, she partnered her innate curiosity with communication, critical thinking, and team-building abilities to help foster deeply collaborative environments. Her academic passions lie in human services research, and her background in neuroscience and public health grants her a strong understanding of human behavior and psychological research. As a grant writer, Gabby helps nonprofit organizations of all sizes assess potential donors, understand funding trends, author compelling proposals, evaluate programs, and use data to inform their practices. As a researcher, she uses trauma-informed harm reduction practices to co-create inquiries with partner organizations, designing mixed-methods analysis and utilizing rigorous research design practices to ensure internal and external validity of results. Gabby has worked with USC’s Institute for Addiction Science and the Population Public Health Sciences department to conduct a cross-sectional study investigating undergraduate fentanyl drug testing trends. Gabby’s achievements as a scholar and researcher were formally recognized by USC in her admission to the Delta Omega Honors Society in Public Health and her award of Outstanding Graduate Student.

Maxine Doogan is an American sex worker, social justice and politics expert and advocate, documentarian, artist, author and media personality. For 30+ years, Maxine has regularly traveled across the U.S and abroad, providing erotic services, and working to protect and enhance the rights and conditions of sex workers.

Maxine help found the Erotic Services Provider Union (ESPU), a labor rights approach sex worker rights group, the ESPLER Project which led a historic federal constitutional challenge to the anti-prostitution law in California, and Community United For Safety and Protection (CUSP) an Alaska based group of current and former sex workers, sex trafficking victims and allies, working towards the safety and protection for all in Alaska’s sex trade and finally Stop The Raids, a coalition to address the mass prostitution arrests and now deportations Homeland Security conducts under the guise of rescuing victims.

Jitasa supports our nonprofit with bookkeeping & accounting services tailored for mission-driven organizations. Outside of work, their team enjoys giving back through VTO activities in their local communities.