Board Members
Founder &
President
Board Member &
Marketing Director
Board Member
Team Members
Operations Manager
Facilitator
Facilitator
Program Director Emeritus
Program Director Emeritus
From an early age, Elya was drawn to the expressive arts— writing poetry, singing and acting, dancing, and exploring various arts and crafts. However, after earning her B.A. in Religion at Duke University and her J.D. at Stanford Law School, Elya took a detour from her creative endeavors to practice law, eventually serving as General Counsel of two public companies. Following her legal career, Elya launched and led a nonprofit business networking group for women and served on boards of both non-profit and for-profit businesses.
At the same time, Elya returned to her passion for the expressive arts, first with singing jazz and cabaret, then acting in plays, musicals, and independent films. For the last 15 years, Elya has focused on creative writing, mixed-media art, dance, and yoga. She is a certified Social Emotional Arts Facilitator through the Arts & Healing Initiative, as well as a certified SoulCollage® Facilitator, and level one NIA dance instructor.
Elya’s poetry has been widely published in literary journals and magazines in the United States and internationally and has been nominated for several awards, including several nominations for Best of the Net and for the Pushcart Prize, most recently for her poem: “Thirteen Ways of Looking at My Rapist”. Her first chapbook, Open The Fist, a poetic exploration of her experience of childhood abuse and healing, was published by Finishing Line Press in June 2020. Her first full-length collection, Dragonfly Puzzle Box, will be released by Sheila-Na-Gig Editions in Fall 2026.
Inspired by the power of the expressive arts in her own healing journey, Elya launched HaGomel to provide free expressive arts programs to help other women who have experienced various forms of trauma. She serves as President of the organization, as well as Program Director and Facilitator, guiding the strategies and standards of HaGomel.
Amy Phillips has more than 20 years in the Los Angeles arts community.
She founded Girl Empowerment LA, a creative strategies program that explores issues of identity, self-esteem, role models and goals through the lens of the visual arts. Since 2015, she has worked with middle and high school students in both the Los Angeles and the Beverly Hills Unified School districts and Girl Scout troops. As a teaching artist with artworxLA, she worked with students in continuation high schools throughout the city teaching students about democracy through the visual arts. She also facilitates an adult workshop called enVision Boards where participants assemble found objects to create a pathway to envision a goal or objective.
Amy has completed the Certification Program in Social Emotional Arts (SEA) with UCLArts & Healing. She was a member of Congresswoman Karen Bass’ Congressional Art Committee and is the California State Legislative Co-Lead for Moms Demand Action. Phillips is also involved in social action at Temple Isaiah where she introduced religious school students to advocacy through the arts. At Temple, she is on the Social Action Committee and sings in the choir.
She is an assemblage artist and incorporates vintage and found items into her pieces. Her works include both personal reflections and political commentaries.
Recently, Susan retired from her position as Senior Vice President and Senior Underwriter with Bank of America. In this capacity, she had primary responsibility for structuring loans, the preparation of the credit approval memorandums and for recommending credit decisions to the bank’s senior credit officers.
Susan served on the various executive committees focused on sound lending practices and responsible growth. As a senior member of the underwriting team, Susan was responsible for the assisting in the training of analysts and junior employees. Prior to joining Bank of America, Susan spent seven years with U.S. Bank as a Senior Underwriter and Account Executive. Prior to her work at U.S. Bank, Susan spent 13 years with Wachovia Bank holding positions of Operations Manager, Underwriter and Account Executive.
Susan brings expertise in banking, risk management, customer service and leadership. She is a thoughtful strategic thinker with warmth and compassion and she has a sincere interest in supporting mission-centered organizations.
Susan graduated from UC Irvine with a B.A. in Economics. Susan lives in the Los Angeles area and has two children. She has earned her black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has taught martial arts to children and adults in the community. She also participates in various volunteering and fundraising activities for causes such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s including an Aids Lifecycle Cycling Ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles six times leading a team that raised over $1 million for the cause.
Nadia immigrated to the US from the former Soviet Union at the age of 12 and has been a Los Angeles resident since. She graduated from California State University, Northridge with a degree in accounting and obtained her California CPA license. After spending 17 years in accounting departments in the Medical Laboratory and Pathology fields, she joined her sister to form Gazal Consulting Inc., which offers accounting services to small and medium businesses in the Los Angeles area. Over the past 15 years, Gazal Consulting has grown to a staff of 15 and their client base covers multiple states. All employees are women, most are working mothers, and the “work-life balance” that many companies write about is a fact of life at Gazal Consulting, where overtime is discouraged, and chaperoning field trips is highly encouraged.
Since leaving the Corporate world, Nadia has served on the Boards of several non-profit organizations and is passionate about promoting women’s education and well-being. She is excited to be able to support the mission of HaGomel.
Susan Cardosi fell in love with storytelling and expressive arts at a very young age. She has been a dancer, writer, facilitator, and nonprofit leader. Her personal essays about being an adoptive parent, articles on team communications, and short fiction stories have been published in various magazines and e-zines. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Susan received a bachelor’s degree from Otterbein University with studies in communications, literature, and dance.
For almost three decades, Susan has worked and volunteered with mission-driven organizations supporting women and families, the arts, and STEAM education. Her nonprofit experience started with the founding of a community volunteer club in high school, and she then went on to work with the Abuse Refuge Shelter and COSI Science Center during college before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her arts career in film and dance.
After a few years of performance and independent film work, she felt drawn back to nonprofits and programming for children. Susan worked for the Los Angeles Zoo and Kidspace Children’s Museum where she was active in national museum associations for sixteen years, and then focused on fundraising and corporate partnerships with The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company. She is an advocate for literacy initiatives and was a founding member of Bridge to Books and served on the board of the SoCal Independent Booksellers Association.
After gaining indispensable knowledge and experience within nonprofit management–including operations, marketing and communications, fundraising, and human resources–Susan has consulted for a wide range of mission-driven organizations and companies throughout California. She now works as HaGomel’s Operations Manager and serves on the Advisory Boards for Light Equity and the Corporate Giving Network.
Annette Torres is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and healing practitioner dedicated to creating safe, affirming spaces where women can heal and reconnect with their power. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations from California State University, Los Angeles, and works as an educator at the East Los Angeles Women’s Center, supporting survivors through education, advocacy, and community-based work.
Her work has taken her across the United States, where she has performed and facilitated spaces that blend music, movement, and embodied practices. A multi-instrumentalist, certified yoga instructor, and sound bowl practitioner, Annette integrates breath, sound, and rhythm as tools for grounding, resilience, and restoration.
Her greatest inspiration is her daughters, who fuel her commitment to demanding a safer, more just world for women. Outside of her professional work, she stays connected to joy and balance through hiking, running, dancing, and spontaneously picking up her guitar, believing that healing is both intentional and lived daily.
We are pleased to welcome Anastasia Knight to the HaGomel program facilitation team. Anastasia is a self-described “process over product artist” with a Master’s in art therapy & counseling from SAIC. Anastasia practices through the lenses of self psychology and object relations theory and focuses on how the tactile materiality of art making engages with the nervous system. Anastasia’s intention in her work is always to increase self-efficacy and self-advocacy in her clients and peers. Currently she works in homeless outreach where she provides mental health-focused case management to homeless individuals. In her free time, she is a cat mom, a road-tripper, and a lover of fashion.
Diana Calderón is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, bilingual educator, and certified Grief Educator with over 16 years of experience creating spaces for reflection, healing, and creative connection. A former school teacher and administrator, and an alum of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Leadership Institute, her work blends heritage, generational stories, and contemporary art forms. Diana is co-founder of an exploratory satellite space, Asterix Gallery + Studio, creating opportunities for underrepresented artists in the Southwest. She mentors emerging creatives, directs one-of-a-kind murals and art installations, and facilitates workshops that use honesty, humor, and the creative process as tools for meaningful making. Currently, she is developing books exploring grief through art and storytelling, mentors creatives, and continues to transform personal and collective experiences into creative, healing spaces.
Kate is a female survivor of rape, an SEA-certified trauma-healing poetry workshop facilitator, a disciple of renowned psychiatrist and trauma specialist, Dr. Gabor Mate, and the author of the poetry collection “all my favorite men are dead: a healing book of pain”, which is the first in a trilogy of books that explore the difficult and complex experience of healing from sexual trauma.
In addition to facilitating virtual workshops for HaGomel, Kate hosts creative arts retreats for female survivors of sexual trauma through her company, Create & Heal. Her first international retreat will be held in Paris in the fall of 2025. She is also the creator of the “Emotional Care Kit,” a tool that combines several creative-arts healing modalities to provide on-demand help for individuals struggling with depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Through her work, Kate strives to share the healing power of poetry with as many survivors as possible.
Michelle Pereira (She/They/Ella/Elle) is a lover of all bodies of water (and all nature elements), a cat whisperer (dogs aren’t too far off), randomly curious, a wounded healer from complex trauma who reclaims their neurodivergence, proud Centro Americane, a bibliophile, Queer, and a Tia or Aunt (her favorite).
Professionally, she currently holds a role as a Clinical Supervisor/Mental Health Clinician at a community college and mentors and guides associate clinicians through clinical supervision at several community centers. They received their Master’s in Social Work with a specialization in community mental health from California State University, Long Beach.
She is also the founder of Soul Warriors Empowerment Self-Defense. Her journey in providing ESD started in 2018. They recognized the need for providing healing and prevention efforts through empowerment self-defense to the local community that consisted of BIPOC who were healing from intergenerational and systemic trauma. She is integrative in her work and aids in healing by also working with individuals through the use of crystals and tarot cards.
Nancy L. Weiss, LCSW, BCD is a psychotherapist, spiritual director, collage artist and poet.
She holds Masters’ degrees in Clinical Social Work and Education. Nancy taught in the Clinical Psychology Program at Antioch University and supervised MFT and LCSW interns for more than 20 years.
Her diverse body of experience and interests includes an extensive private practice, SoulCollage® facilitation, and facilitating groups in the ancient Jewish practice of Mussar. As Coordinator of Manchim, the Facilitator Training Program for The Mussar Institute, she co-created the curriculum and leads online trainings for rabbis and lay leaders.
Nancy developed a SoulCollage® adaptation for children called MeCards4Kids® that she piloted in a multi-age elementary classroom. She is lead author of the book, How to Make MeCards4Kids®: Creative Expression for Children and the Grown-Ups in Their Lives, which won the 2014 Nautilus Silver Medal Book Award in the Parenting/Family category. In addition to helping children access their inner wisdom, the MeCards process is a valuable tool for working with traumatized and special needs populations.
Nancy leads expressive arts workshops and trainings for psychotherapists, educators, families, non-profits serving the underprivileged, and other organizations, including UCLArts & Healing.
She is a co-creator of the Lights of Mussar™ Cards for Creating a Balanced life. Her collage art appears in Midrashic Mirrors, which illustrates the richness of creating art to reflect the essence of each Torah portion.