Meet The Team
Darcelle Lahr
E.d.D
Founder & CEO
Darcelle is the Founder and Executive Director of L.C. and Lillie Cox Haven of Hope, supporting socially-minded entrepreneurs and small business owners in delivering valuable services to vulnerable communities.
Darcelle brings a unique breadth of cross-cultural professional expertise in business strategy, program development, management, implementation, due diligence, construction, and operations, and a keen understanding of the dynamics and challenges of micro and social-enterprise business leadership. Darcelle provides compassionate, seasoned guidance to social change advocates in transitioning from early-stage visionaries to strong, focused leaders and governance directors.
Prior to her current engagements, Darcelle directed the expedited development, national energy sales agreements, and construction of multiple-unit renewable power plant programs in Southeast Asia, and business development, strategy, and implementation activities for U.S. retail electricity and energy services programs.
Darcelle earned her Doctorate in Education from Mills College, her Master of Arts Degree in Educational Leadership from Mills, is an honored graduate of the Transnational Executive MBA Program of CSU East Bay, and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. Darcelle is a licensed Professional Mechanical Engineer in the state of California.
Christianne Barreto MBA
Chief Financial Officer
Christianne serves as CFO with L.C. & Lillie Cox Haven of Hope. Christianne’s experience spans multiple industries, throughout which she has carried her passion to improve the lives of those she serves. Her work focuses on supporting the accounting, financial, and operations needs of small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Christianne began her account management career supporting small local entrepreneurs in San Diego. She soon merged her work with her previous experience and passion for social good by working at Mission Edge as a Client Services Specialist supporting back-office functions at multiple nonprofit organizations. After relocating to the Bay Area, Christianne served as both the Finance Associate and Consulting Associate at Olive Grove, expanding into accounting and operations functions. She then rapidly earned the role of Finance Director, focusing on improving client operations and strengthening financial analytics.
Christianne earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Accounting from San Diego State University, earned her MBA from Mills College with an emphasis in socially responsible small businesses and nonprofits, and is a Certified QuickBooks Online Advanced ProAdvisor.
Dagny Brown
MBA
Senior Research Analyst
Dagny Brown is a business consultant and researcher with 15 years of experience in strategy, nonprofit leadership, and project management. Dagny earned a bachelor’s degree in Community Studies from U.C. Santa Cruz and a Masters of Management degree from Mills College. She is passionate about creating radical and authentic change in our communities.
Dagny’s research interests span contributors to economic instability and correlations with pre-term birth for families of color, barriers to growth for small businesses of color, and key considerations for viability for manufacturers and makers in
communities of color.
Mika Weissbuch
MBA, MPP
Director Social Justice Policy
Mika Kie Weissbuch is a social impact consultant, working with communities of color to facilitate spaces for leadership and empowerment. In 2011, Mika founded Huellas de Paz, which focuses on education, arts, and youth leadership in Managua, Nicaragua.
Mika’s consulting experience spans digital arts, small business bookkeeping, and small business research, along with education, community engagement, and youth leadership both in the Bay Area and Nicaragua.
Previously, Mika served as Program Engagement Specialist, developing and delivering bilingual education services for early-education learners. Mika’s international work includes serving as a Fulbright Research Fellow investigating economic, social and psychological effects of climate change in rural farming communities in Nicaragua. Mika earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Critical Social Thought & Politics from Mount Holyoke College, and is completing her joint MBA/MPP degree at Mills College.
Sandra Bernal
MPP
Director of Business Policy
Sandra Bernal hails from the tiny, yet wondrous country of El Salvador. She experienced many humorous situations while learning English in the U.S. that have strengthened her trust and belief in her ability to accomplish the goals she sets for herself in life. Her life experiences and future dreams have encouraged her to earn her Master's Degree in Public Policy, Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Paralegal Certificate, and a Certificate in Applied Data Science. Sandra’s mother's teachings to not be comfortable with the status quo, combined with Sandra’s own curious mind and hunger to learn, have helped Sandra to apply her knowledge to find solutions to our most complex problems in creative ways. Sandra’s love for sports, exploring nature and learning about the universe, have also
positioned her to explore and appreciate the known, the unknown, and the beauty that surrounds us.
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