Services by Board members are crucial in helping the Children’s
Receiving Home successfully transition to changing federal and
state funding priorities while also continuing to ensure care and
support of abused, neglected and traumatized children and teens
in the Sacramento region and neighboring counties.
Rebekah was drawn to the Children’s Receiving Home by her desire
to serve children in crisis in the Sacramento community. Inspired
by the joy she receives from raising her own young son, Rebekah
hopes to make a difference in the lives of youth, from toddlers
to teenagers. Rebekah works as a legislative advocate for
education organizations.
Josh Edlow, a lifelong Sacramentan with strong community ties,
built his relationship with the Children’s Receiving Home by
organizing community groups to play basketball with its teenage
residents. He joined the Board in 2016 and chairs the Finance
Committee, which oversees the Home’s budget—balanced from various
public and private sources, including donor contributions. Josh
is happily married and has four children. An attorney with
Dreyer, Babich, Buccola, Wood & Campora, he represents
individuals and families for personal injury, wrongful death and
product liability claims.
Dr. Gonzalez is committed to supporting children, youth, and
families in Sacramento. His body of research focuses on
identifying strategies to strengthen children’s development from
birth to adulthood. His work has been supported by the National
Science Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the
Administration for Children and Families. Dr. Gonzalez is an
assistant professor at California State University, Sacramento,
where he teaches courses on families and child and adolescent
development.
Kathleen Hamilton is honored to join the Children’s Receiving
Home Board of Directors, following a decades long career in
government and public service.
Jennifer is grateful for the opportunity to help serve the
Sacramento community and honored to help CRH carry out
its mission of meeting the needs of local children and
families. Jennifer served as Chief Financial Officer at
Sierra Forever Families for seven years, where she found
it fulfilling to use her skills in finance to support
the agency’s commitment to permanency for youth in foster care
and its mission to empower and nurture families.
Becky has volunteer experience as an advocate for families at
risk of child abuse, and teaches communication courses, including
persuasion and group dynamics, at Sacramento State University.
She holds a doctorate in communication and has many years of
experience in journalism and media relations as a former
political news reporter and as editor of the state Senate Office
of Research (SOR). At SOR, Becky edited reports on foster care
and other state social services programs.
As a mother of two adult children and the family member of a
human trafficking victim, Michele was drawn to the Children’s
Receiving Home’s emphasis on mental health services, particularly
trauma-informed therapy, and crisis intervention. Now that
her own children are grown, Michele looks forward to devoting her
newfound time and energy to supporting CRH’s efforts to help
traumatized youth heal and live productive lives. Michele
is an attorney and the Chief of the Legislation and Research
Bureau at the California Department of Tax and Fee
Administration.
Emelyn C. Rodriguez founded Rodriguez Political Law in 2018. She
practices political law, specializing in governmental ethics,
lobby, campaign finance, and administrative law. She currently
serves as the Chair of the Sacramento Ethics Commission. She was
a former Senior Commission Counsel with the Fair Political
Practices Commission, where she served for nearly
13 years. She has represented clients in federal civil
rights litigation and worked on consumer protection, First
Amendment, and environmental cases for various nonprofits.
David joined the Board in 2009 and has served as vice president
of the Membership and Fundraising committees. He was drawn to the
Board by CRH’s comprehensive approach to helping abused and
neglected children and youths, from providing shelter, food,
clothing and counseling to social work intervention and
life-skills training. David analyzes tax legislation as
Chief Consultant for the Assembly Committee on Revenue and
Taxation, and previously worked as a Sacramento attorney and in
the District Attorney’s Office in Marin County.
Heidi Sanborn is the Founder and Executive Director of the
National Stewardship Action Council and was the founding Director
of the California Product Stewardship Council for 12 years -
nonprofits dedicated to reducing waste, increasing recycling and
advocating for a circular economy. Heidi represents the
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)’s Ward 7, which
includes North Highlands, Carmichael, Antelope, portions of
Arden-Arcade, and Foothill Farms.
Drawn by her passion for children, Michelle joined the Children’s
Receiving Home Board in 2016 after first becoming a volunteer
during the holiday season. She has been honored to serve as past
chair of the Board’s Fund Development Committee. In that
capacity, Michelle and her committee work closely with CRH staff
to sustain the Home’s around-the-clock support for children in
crisis by raising thousands of dollars from donations, in-kind
contributions, grants and a host of other sources.
