Meet Our Team
Jacob “Jake” Bradley-Rowe, CNE
Chief Executive Officer
Jake leads our organization by overseeing the administration, programs, employees, and strategic plan of our agency. Reporting to our board of directors, Jake implements strategies that promote our mission and core values in the community and oversees all day-to-day operations. Jake is responsible for program and business development, performance improvement, strengthening community partnerships, and the financial growth of our organization.
Jake brings over 18 years of experience in the non-profit arena working with Donate Life California, Capital City AIDS Fund, Association of California Water Agencies and Friends of the California State Fair. Jake has served on many non-profit boards including the Imperial Court of Sacramento and NorCal AIDS Cycle. Jake is a current chair of the Priorities & Allocations and Governance Committees of the Sacramento HIV Planning Council. Jake resides in Sacramento with his two mini schnauzers, Preston and Archie.
Kelly Snook-Fehr, LCSU
Director of Behavior Health & Case Management
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kelly holds a master’s in clinical social work from New Mexico Highlands University. She has worked in HIV/AIDS care across California, including as a medical case manager and HIV test counselor in Lake County, and later as a therapist at One Community Health specializing in maternal health and youth services. Kelly is excited to be back at Sunburst Projects as a therapist, bringing her passion and experience in DBT, ACT, and attachment-based care.
She is also certified as a HIV tester.
Linda Ryan, LMFT
Grant Writer
Linda is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has been working in behavioral health for nearly 20 years. Linda’s role as Director of Behavioral Health Services is to implement and grow our mental health clinic and services. Linda provides individual, family, couples and group counseling. Linda strives to provide any eligible client with mental health services in a timely and effective manner. Linda assists clients in developing treatment goals for health and wellness. Linda loves to travel and lives in Folsom with her daughter, her dog, and four cats.
Swathi Mamidi
Fiscal Manager
Swathi manages our financial records and accounting department. Swathi brings nearly 20 years of fiduciary experience working for private and non-profit organizations to Sunburst Projects. Born in India and immigrating to the United States in 1996, Swathi enjoys spending time with her family and gardening.
Paul Curtis
Director of Community Engagement and Fundraising
Paul Curtis has dedicated the past 40+ years to creating positive and lasting changes as a community activist and leader in nonprofit and healthcare services in the Sacramento region, as well as at a statewide and national level. He has been a passionate and tireless advocate on issues ranging from HIV/AIDS, foster care, runaway and homeless youth, and healthcare including mental health and substance abuse. Paul started consulting for Sunburst in 2021 and joined the Executive Team in 2022. He oversees the areas of Community Engagement and Fund Development, working to raise awareness of Sunburst Projects while also raising funds to support the work we do.
Dr. Chinyere Onwuli, DNP, MBA, PMHNP-BC, CNL
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Dr. Chi is a, doctoral prepared, Board Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, graduated from University of San Francisco. She has been working in the field of mental and behavioral health for over 15 years. Experienced in assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients and families with mental health disorders. Passionate in improving patient’s general health being by emphasizing on healthy remedies including but not limited to good nutrition, exercising, good sleep hygiene, self-development and awareness, providing psychotherapies and psychotropics. Dr. Chi is married, lives with her family and loves to travel.
Moina Fong
Office Manager/Executive Assistant
Moina keeps Sunburst Projects’ Executive Team organized and running smoothly, supporting the Executive Director, Senior Leadership, and daily office operations. She brings extensive experience in nonprofit organizations and media relations, along with a strong background as an Executive Assistant. Her expertise includes administrative support, client relationship development, fundraising, and event coordination. She earned a dual bachelor’s degree in journalism (with an emphasis in advertising) and psychology from San Diego State University. She also enjoys movies, musical theatre, dining out, and cruises.
Michael Jentes
Senior Medical Case Manager
Michael has devoted his career to working with the HIV community and has special insight into the many challenges those with HIV face each day. Michael brings over 10 years of HIV/AIDS medical case management experience and specializes in alternative support and funding sources like HOPWA (Housing Opportunity for People with AIDS). Michael is a life coach for people living with HIV and assists our clients with everything from filling out social security applications, acquiring medical and dental care, to obtaining food, clothing, and housing. Michael was born and raised in Sacramento and enjoys cooking, photography and gardening. He is also certified as a HIV tester.
Selena Corral
Medical Case Manager
Selena is a dedicated Medical Case Manager with 39 years of experience and a passion for advocating for the Latinx community. She leads Nosotros, a Spanish-speaking support group that provides culturally and linguistically responsive care to individuals facing barriers to mainstream services. Through her work, Selena champions diversity, inclusion, and transformative change in the well-being of her community. She is also certified as a HIV tester.
Christine Martin
Medical Case Manager
Christine has been a Case Manager with Sunburst Projects for three years and has served the mental health community of Sacramento for a total of eight years. She works closely with families, particularly those with children, and is also involved in a partner program focused on supporting women with congenital syphilis to help prevent babies from being born with related health conditions. Outside of work, Christine enjoys traveling and stays active by working out six days a week.
Jonathan Cameron
Medical Case Manager
A local favorite drag performer for over 23 years, Johnathan (AKA Taryn) holds a degree in dance and theater that he most often puts to use in fundraising for local non-profits. A loyal supporter of Sunburst Projects for many years, Taryn joined the team as a medical case manager in order to give the benefit of his community connections and life experience to our clients so that they can live their best lives. He is also a certified HIV tester.
Brandon Lawrence
Medical Case Manager
Brandon has been a Ryan White case manager in Sacramento for around three and a half years. He is honored to have the opportunity to assist this amazing community in becoming happier and healthier. He is also a certified HIV tester.
Juan Arellano
Medical Case Manager
Juan recently moved to Sacramento from Santa Cruz County, where he spent most of his life. For the past twenty years, he has served in a medical case manager role, supporting individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. Over the last two years, Juan has also worked as an HIV test counselor, providing education to the Latino community. He enjoys learning from others and remains curious about the world around him. He is also a certified HIV tester.
Chris Webster, MFT
Mental Health Clinician
Chris is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 15 years experience providing therapy services and overseeing clinical programs, including over 10 years working with the HIV community. Chris also maintains a private therapy practice in Sacramento working with individuals and couples. Before making a midlife career change to become a therapist Chris worked internationally as a Management Consultant. In his spare time Chris is a classical musician, both as a choral singer and a pianist. A native New Yorker and yankee at heart, Chris has proudly called Sacramento home for over 30 years.
Isabella Bryant, LCSW
Mental Health Clinician
Isabella Bryant is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has spent her entire career in the community mental health space and has enjoyed working specifically with the HIV community since being with Sunburst Projects. She oversees the internship program at Sunburst and works closely with the student interns as their supervisor. Isabella is a mom to two and enjoys spending time with her friends and family, spending time at the beach, working out, reading a good book, and baking.
Mike Gagnon, ASW
Mental Health Clinician
Mike brings lived experience to serve the HIV community with his background as a peer advocate, medical case manager and degrees in social work. Now as a therapist at Sunburst Projects, Mike utilizes ACT, CBT and DBT approaches. His passion is to help people increase their well-being through improved mental health. Supervised by Kelly Snook-Fehr.
Manne Ramirez, AMFT, APCC
Mental Health Clinician
Supervised by Chris Webster.
Supervised by Chris Webster.
Kenya McQueen, AMFT
Mental Health Clinician
Kenya is an associate marriage and family therapist with over 10 years of experience in the mental health field. She specializes in helping individuals and couples navigate life stressors and develop responses that align with their personal values. As a clinician at Sunburst, Kenya is passionate about empowering clients to manage stress and live fulfilling lives.
Julia Weber
Mental Health Clinician
Julia Weber is an Associate Clinical Social Worker and Mental Health Clinician at Sunburst Projects, where she began as a student intern. She finds purpose in grief work and specializes in narrative therapy for depression, anxiety, and trauma. Outside of work, Julia enjoys her family’s monthly book club, gardening, and road trips to Los Angeles. Supervised by Kelly Snook-Fehr.
Mario Lopez Mendez
Education, Outreach and Prevention Manager
Born and raised in Sacramento to Mexican immigrant parents, Mario is a first-generation college graduate. He has more than 5 years of experience facilitating nutrition and sexual health programs across both clinical and community-based settings. As a dedicated public health advocate, Mario emphasizes the need to engage community members through equitable partnerships that integrate evidence-based practices with the social and cultural priorities of the populations served. Outside of work, he enjoys playing video games, dancing salsa, playing guitar, reading, hiking, gardening, and foraging for plants and mushrooms. He is also a certified HIV tester.
Chey Mongeon
Education, Outreach and Prevention Coordinator
Chey moved to Sacramento in 2018 to get a new start in her life. She took a job working within the local Sacramento community and joined the Sunburst Family in 2020 to help transition the organization to a paperless system. Chey also recently published her first book. When she’s not at work, Chey enjoys reading fantasy novels and watching documentaries about ghosts and aliens. She lives in Midtown with her spoiled Great Dane, two snobby black cats, a thoroughly disinterested ball python, and her delightful Chosen Family. She is also a certified HIV tester.
Jerry Prettyman
PrEP Navigator/HIV Retention Case Manager
Jerry began his journey in HIV services as a Medical Case Manager with Sunburst Projects. Driven by a strong passion for HIV education and prevention, he has devoted much of his career to supporting people affected by HIV. He now serves as a PrEP Navigator and HIV Retention Case Manager, helping individuals access care and remain engaged in treatment. For the past nine years, Jerry has also played a key leadership role in the NorCal AIDS Cycle (NCAC), serving eight of those years as Crew Chief and helping organize one of the region’s most impactful fundraising rides. He is also certified as a HIV tester.
Dipuo Manamela
Administrative Assistant
Dipuo supports our agency and staff by managing our front office, answering calls, providing clerical support and keeping our office running smoothly. Dipuo has over 20 years’ experience as an HIV educator and public speaker on issues concerning HIV/AIDS. Dipuo is originally from South Africa and currently resides in Sacramento. Dipuo enjoys gardening and watching documentaries.
Jessie Rosales
Quality Control & Admin. Assistant
With over a decade of experience in administrative and operational support, Jessie specializes in streamlining processes, managing complex schedules, and supporting leadership teams. Currently serving as an Administrative Operations Specialist at Sunburst Projects, and formerly with High Times, Jessie brings expertise in data audits, digital systems transitions, and cross-departmental coordination. Known for a solutions-focused mindset and strong communication skills, Jessie has successfully led special projects and community initiatives while ensuring day-to-day operations run smoothly. He is also a certified HIV tester.
Beatriz Barillas
Creative Manager
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Beatriz graduated from California State University Monterey Bay and moved to Sacramento in 2017. She is our in-house Creative Manager and Graphic Designer, bringing over eight years of design and marketing experience. Beatriz has worked across media, healthcare, corporate, and nonprofit sectors, with a strong focus on brand consistency, accessible design in both print and digital marketing materials. She is also a certified HIV tester.
Aurora Rocha
Administrative Assistant