Our Team

he/him/his
Program Director
francisco.sapp@sanmateopride.org
650-579-5441

Working both nationally in the US and provincially in Ontario, Canada, Frankie has been entrenched in social justice advocacy and programing for over 20 years. His career began facilitating workshops around intersectionality, leadership, advocacy, equity, and anti-oppression. Advocating for the expertise of people with lived experience, he coordinated peer education programs around HIV prevention, substance use, and harm reduction. He later worked as a Capacity Building Assistance Specialist partnering with Native Communities supporting with the design and implementation of their own HIV prevention campaigns and educational events. He also supervised and operated a peer-run Ontario-wide LGBTQ phone/chat support line.  

Most recently, Frankie co-directed a province-wide harm reduction capacity building program to support networks of frontline workers, their managers, and public health units around overdose prevention, best practices regarding equipment use, and advocating for extremely marginalized and silenced communities. This work included education and training both in-person and online in the form of webinars, an online course, and the development of standardized web-based toolkits.  

Frankie implements his work through a lens of intersectionality, is deeply connected to his Filipino roots, and has a complicated history with the messiness between gender and sexuality. He has worked as a consultant to nonprofits, been featured as a plenary speaker at conferences across Ontario and the US, is an excellent baker, and brings his humor and life experiences with him everywhere he goes.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker
she/her/hers
Mental Health Clinician & Intake Coordinator 
verna.barrientos@sanmateopride.org
650-644-1632

Verna is a Bay Area native. She is a lover of both formal and informal education and received her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from San Jose State University in 2018 and became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in 2022. By Verna obtaining her MSW degree and becoming an LCSW, she is living proof that it is important for people with mental health challenges to dream big because they can accomplish amazing things in their lives.

Verna has lived with depression and anxiety since she was a teenager, and several of her family members also live with mental health challenges. Verna strongly believes that some of the ways to end stigma around mental illness are by creating spaces for open and honest conversations about mental health and wellness, having unconditional love and support from peers, friends, family, and chosen family, and for service providers to be knowledgeable and empathetic about mental health, mental illness, and everything in between. Verna is a strong believer in the importance of self-care. She practices self-care by reading thought-provoking books, playing card games and ping pong, practicing mindfulness, having deep and meaningful conversations, and going for walks on the beach with her pound puppy Zero.

she/her/hers
Marketing & Community Engagement Lead
marilyn.fernando@sanmateopride.org
650-465-6789 (text ok)

Marilyn is the Marketing and Community Engagement Lead for the San Mateo County Pride Center. She is a First-Generation Filipina-American who graduated with BA in Women and Gender Studies from San Francisco State University in 2017. She has been an organizer with the San Francisco Dyke March for the past 5 years and has served as the co-chair for the past 2 years. Her experience as an organizer with the Dyke March and identity as a QWOC has emphasized her devotion to creating safe, accessible and inclusive spaces for Queer folks to gather and build community. She is originally from Salinas and moved to San Francisco 10 years ago. If the Golden Girls were zodiac placements, she describe herself as a Rose Sun, Blanche Moon & Rose/Dorothy cusp rising. Outside of work, you can find her karaokeing to George Michael, watching cooking shows, and thrifting or re-watching episodes of Bob’s Burgers on her spare time.

he/him/his
Health Equity Coordinator & Clinical Program Analyst
alex.golding@sanmateopride.org
650-465-6795

Born and raised in Fremont, Alex has lived in the Bay Area his entire life. Driven by his passion and dedication to help improve the lives and well-being of fellow LGBTQIA+ individuals, Alex earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Santa Clara University in 2016. Since then, he has gained valuable experience serving local community-based nonprofits and has specialized in work with homeless and at-risk youth. As the Pride Center’s Case Manager, and a member of the queer community himself, Alex brings his knowledge, enthusiasm, and creativity to the forefront of his work. By cultivating the unique strengths and abilities of the those under his care, and by connecting them to any resources and services they may need, he aims to help individuals achieve wellness and autonomy while meeting their goals. Outside of work, Alex enjoys unwinding by spending time with his loving partner and family; staying fit through yoga, dance, and kickboxing; rocking out on the drums; and binge watching his favorite shows with his cat.

she/her, they/them
MFT/PCC trainee
Jessica.gugg@sanmateopride.org
Supervised by Ralph Notor, LMFT#35208
Phone: (650) 240-8885 (text OK)

Jessica (or Jess) grew up all over the United States in her childhood, which showed her the value of seeing the world through different lenses at an early age. She applies this empathy-led approach to her therapeutic practice, centering her care in curiosity about how a client experiences the world, and appropriately advocating for them in relation to these experiences.

Jessica obtained their bachelor’s degree in psychology from San Francisco State University. In and after their time as an undergraduate student, they worked and volunteered in a variety of settings – including day programs, correctional facilities, research labs, retail locations, live-in care homes, transitional living facilities, camps, and international preschools – and learned a great deal from everyone they’ve worked with.

Jessica is currently in their second year of a Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program and looks forward to continuing to work with the LGBTQ2IAP+ community among others as their career goes on. When Jess isn’t working or studying, she likes to practice ever-important self-care by spending time at the beach, reading poetry, traveling, going to live music shows, and caring for her cat who will sometimes make playful appearances in video meetings.

she/her/hers or they/them/theirs
Volunteer and Peer Group Coordinator
elana.ron@sanmateopride.org
650-465-2407

Elana Ron (She/they) grew up in the Bay Area and lives in Half Moon Bay. She is excited to be joining this team because she understands the importance of what the Pride Center and its groups bring to the community- without an LGBTQ+ teen group that she was involved in, she would not be the person she is today. Having been involved in theatre since childhood, Elana was immersed in the LGBTQ+ community long before realizing she was part of it.

While her degree is in Musical Theatre, she has a passion for history and making sure that all voices can be heard. She has previously worked in customer service for a number of theatre companies and Olivia Travel (a lesbian travel charter company), and spent a few years teaching. She also is involved with CoastPride- helping to organize and facilitate their Agin’ Well and Family group, teaches music, dance, and theatre classes for children and is often part of community theatre shows. Her variety of work and life experience has taught her the importance of listening to communities, showing up when needed, and helping to train and organize volunteers. Non-profits- whether a community center, mentoring program, or theatre company – cannot survive without their volunteers, so Elana understands the value of making sure everyone can feel prepared and valued when they decide to step up and help. She has four rescue dogs that you may see behind her in Zoom meetings.

she/her/hers
Mental Health Clinician
Registered Associate MFT#117800
Registered Associate PCC#7880
andrea.roth@sanmateopride.org
650-207-6499
Supervised by Ralph Notor, LMFT

Andrea is a Hapa, born and raised in the Bay Area. Her passion for helping those with complex intersectional backgrounds led her to get her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco’s social justice orientated MFT program and to work with ethnic-, sexual-, and neuro-diverse adults, children, parents, and families combined for over 3.5 years. She is dedicated to making therapy a truly healing space, one in which one’s true self can be discovered after clearing away the distorted lens that the world, others, or even that one may see oneself through.

Andrea believes that therapy is most successful when it is collaborative and individualized. She aims to tailor therapy to her client’s specific needs, whether that means exploring one’s past history, the impact of the various societal, family, couple, or school systems one’s embedded in, one’s present thoughts and feelings, or on making positive changes in the future. She draws from an integrative approach of techniques that range from attachment-based and systemic to solution-focused and cognitive-behavioral.

During her spare time, she loves testing out new baking and cooking recipes with her friends and family, dancing, and rock climbing. She also enjoys listening to stand-up, picnicking in the park, and trying her hand at DIY projects.

she/her/hers or they
Lead Trainer & Events Coordinator
Azisa.Todd@sanmateopride.org
650-554-1234

Azisa (Zi) Todd was born and raised in Oakland, and uses she/her/hers/they pronouns, or simply Zi. Much of their community work started young when Azisa was a Girl Scout and continued into high school. While in high school, she did the usual queer things like co-organize the Queer Straight Alliance and Feminist Club. After, Zi went on to undergrad, served as a member then director of BlaQue, UCLA’s Black LGBTQ+ organization. Zi hosted events, workshops, and study sessions up until the pandemic hit. Having since graduated from UCLA, she decided to jump back into academia and pursue a master’s in public health at San Francisco State University with an emphasis in community health education. Azisa’s long-term goal after completing the MPH program is to pursue a DrPH or PhD in public health and teach what they have learned to college-level students.

Azisa is excited to be the Lead Trainer and Events Coordinator position at the San Mateo County Pride Center because of their background in organizing and hosting events for the queer community in LA and the various workshops Zi helped develop; doing this form of work is both rewarding and joyful for Zi. Outside of academia and work, she is learning how to roller skate and watch a lot of anime.

she/her, they/them
Administrative Coordinator
lowellyn.sunga@sanmateopride.org
Phone: (650) 695-0006

Low (she/they) is the Administrative Coordinator for San Mateo County Pride Center. She has several years of administrative experience working for corporate and nonprofit organizations. She is a founding member of the San Mateo County Pride Center and helped open the doors for the first ever Pride Center in San Mateo County in 2017. Most recently, she worked for a national LGBTQ+ study that focused on how being LGBTQ+ influences physical, mental, or social health over time. She is ecstatic to return to the Pride Center where she can continue to provide support to the community throughout San Mateo County where she feels like it’s coming home. Low enjoys spending time her family and her niblings (gender neutral term for niece and nephew) and seeing them learn and grow.