Meet the Team
Meet the dedicated team behind ANDVSA
Brenda Stanfill
Brenda Stanfill has served as the Executive Director of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA) since September 2021. Before joining ANDVSA, she dedicated 25 years as the Executive Director of the Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living in Fairbanks, Alaska, where she supported survivors across Interior Alaska.
Brenda is an active participant in numerous statewide and national groups, where she advocates for Alaska’s survivors, ensuring their rights are upheld and they can access vital healing services.
She holds a Master’s in Public Administration with a focus on restorative justice practices from the University of Southeast Alaska and a Bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Outside of work, Brenda cherishes time with her large family, including her children, grandchildren, and a spirited Dachshund who keeps her on her toes.
Brenda Stanfill
Executive Director
Brenda Stanfill has served as the Executive Director of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA) since September 2021. Before joining ANDVSA, she dedicated 25 years as the Executive Director of the Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living in Fairbanks, Alaska, where she supported survivors across Interior Alaska.
Brenda is an active participant in numerous statewide and national groups, where she advocates for Alaska’s survivors, ensuring their rights are upheld and they can access vital healing services.
She holds a Master’s in Public Administration with a focus on restorative justice practices from the University of Southeast Alaska and a Bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Outside of work, Brenda cherishes time with her large family, including her children, grandchildren, and a spirited Dachshund who keeps her on her toes.
Christine Mcleod Pate
Christine Mcleod Pate
Legal Program Director
Cindy Lind
Cindy works with the Capacity Building Team to provide training and technical assistance for the Network and their Program Members to help build a strong foundation for their staff and agencies. Cindy loves spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren, and being in the outdoors – camping, fishing and nature walks. She also embraces the challenge of being an older person at the boxing gym she goes to.
Esse Smith
Esse (they/them) coordinates our technical assistance (TA), training, and support services to prevention, education, and outreach staff across Alaska. They manage our monthly Statewide Prevention Calls, annual Grounding in Prevention Series, biennial Prevention Gathering, and ongoing TA to CDVSA prevention grantees. They also lead outreach to and onboarding of new prevention staff at our member programs, maintain our prevention listserv, and manage access to our online resource platforms (like Prevention Basecamp). Esse loves creating visual art, harvesting plants for tea, and snuggling their cat Monkey.
Jen Mitchell
Jen Mitchell is the Capacity Building Specialist and provides comprehensive technical assistance and support to legal advocates across the state, ensuring they have the resources and knowledge needed to effectively serve survivors in their communities. She hosts regular educational webinars for advocates and organizes ANDVSA’s annual Legal Advocacy and Wellness Sharing (LAWS) conference. With 7 years of experience as a victim advocate at one of our member programs, Jen is deeply dedicated to empowering advocates and supporting survivors. Outside of work, Jen enjoys life with her partner, dog, two cats, and thriving collection of over 80 houseplants.
Josh Medina
Joshua (he/him), like many other Alaskans, immigrated to the United States at a young age. Coming from the Philippines, the transition was stark, but Alaska quickly became his home. Growing up in the small town of Kodiak, Alaska, Joshua grew up fishing and hiking. However, Joshua’s appreciation for Alaska and its natural beauties only deepened with time. Wanting to give back to Alaska and the communities that helped raise him, Joshua’s career has been devoted to serving others. in addition to working for the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence as a prevention specialist, Joshua works as a juvenile justice counselor for the McLaughlin Youth Center, helping adjudicated youth make positive changes in their lives.
Lindsey Mathis
Lindsey is our Grants and Administrative Director. Although, she says never hesitate to reach out with any questions, if she can’t help you, she will find you the right person who can! Lindsey loves iced coffee, video games and anything crafty but as a first-time mom to a one-year-old little girl, she spends most of her free time showing her daughter all the exciting adventures and experiences life has to offer.
Katy Ruff Soden
Katy Soden is the senior staff attorney at the ANDVSA Legal Program. She has been with ANDVSA since 2010. For 10 years, Katy litigated family law and protective order cases involving domestic violence. Now her primary role is recruiting, training, and mentoring volunteers to represent survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Lauree Morton
Lauree helps facilitate our sexual assault response support for member programs. She staffs the Membership committee and acts as liaison for new member agencies. She is the go-to person for legislative engagement. Lauree enjoys jam/jelly-making in the spring and summer; and crocheting during the winter months.
Lorraine Willis
Lorraine Willis is responsible for developing and providing training and technical assistance to advocates, law enforcement, forensic nurses, and people interested in responding to sexual violence across the state of Alaska. Her background in mental health and sociology and terminal degree in macro social work allow her to bring a unique and trauma informed perspective to her work. When she is not working, she enjoys hanging out with her animals and family, cultivating her indoor jungle, loud music, and all things moody, dark and spooky.
Majorie John
Marjorie is responsible for providing travel and event support for ANDVSA. She works closely with the Executive and Deputy Director and in tandem with all the ANDVSA team, arranging venues, setting up catering and ground transportation, and organizing materials for events. She provides a lot of behind-the-scenes support, such as purchasing office supplies, business cards, and promotional material. Marjorie also books travel for both staff members and program participants.
Mary Norcross
Mary Norcross
Financial Administrator
Amber Adams
Amber Adams is the Communications Manager at ANDVSA, where she leads internal and external communications, supports member engagement, and manages storytelling efforts across platforms. With a background in recruiting, coaching, and strategic consulting, Amber brings a people-centered approach to her role—one rooted in clarity, collaboration, and equity. Passionate about strengthening communities through effective communication, she is committed to amplifying the voices of survivors and advancing statewide efforts to end domestic and sexual violence. Outside of work, Amber enjoys reading, creating intentional moments with her family, and finding new ways to blend creativity, faith, and strategy in her personal ventures.
Natasha Patterson
Natasha Patterson is one of our Paralegals and Legal Program Coordinators. She has been with ANDVSA since 2023 and primarily provides support for in-house attorneys and volunteer attorneys with their work in family law and domestic violence protective order cases representing survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Ray Romberg
Ray oversees prevention support to member programs, helping plan and implement trainings and TA along with statewide prevention activities like the annual LeadOn youth conference. Ray also coordinates the violence prevention Statewide Leadership Team, Pathways to Prevention, and sits on several statewide workgroups. When not working, Ray can often be found on the trail or the beach with a ridiculous number of dogs and their partner and 6-year-old daughter, Avery.
Rodney Gaskins
Rodney Gaskins is the Capacity Building Director at the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA). A retired U.S. Army veteran with 20 years of service, he has extensive experience in leadership, training, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). With a background in nonprofit leadership and business consulting, Rodney is dedicated to strengthening agencies and individuals who support survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Sadie Cowles
Sadie Cowles is the Legal Fellow for ANDVSA through the Alaska Fellows Program. She recently graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in American Studies.
Stephanie Degner
Stephanie Degner is the Legal Program Coordinator at ANDVSA, where she manages applications from victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, schedules intakes, and assesses how to address their legal needs. With five years of experience at the Alaska Court System prior to joining ANDVSA, Stephanie brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Outside of work, she is a devoted mother to three school-age children, a loving pet owner, and shares her life with a wonderful partner. Stephanie enjoys exploring nature and spending time on the water.
Laura Tuttle
Laura Tuttle is the Administrative Specialist at the Alaska Network for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, where she provides essential support to the organization’s daily operations and statewide initiatives. With over 15 years of experience in healthcare administration, financial coordination, and executive support, Laura ensures that ANDVSA’s internal systems run efficiently so staff and advocates can focus on advancing safety, justice, and equity across Alaska. Laura was drawn to ANDVSA by its powerful mission and the opportunity to contribute to meaningful change in her community. She believes that strong administrative support is the backbone of effective advocacy and is proud to be part of a team that uplifts survivors and strengthens systems of care throughout Alaska. Outside of work Laura loves to spend time with her family, travel, and hang out with her 11-year-old Shih-tzu Truffy.
