Candace Sala Hewitt, Events Coordinator and Development Associate. Before joining Astraea, Candace developed her professional background as a strategic planner in consumer marketing at Saatchi & Saatchi. Candace is also writer, poet, and performance director who has worked with such groundbreaking queer playwrights as Ingrid Rivera and Andre Lancaster. She believes in the transformative power of political self-expression through cultural arts and media. Candace received her BA from Smith College in 2001.

Joo-Hyun Kang, Director of Programs. Joo-Hyun is a Seoul-born Korean American activist whose political work has been in the areas of racial/gender justice, anti-war, self-determination and LGBTST liberation struggles. She is a trainer and speaker on various topics, including direct action organizing and organizational development. Joo-Hyun was the first paid staff person and former executive director of The Audre Lorde Project, a center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit & Transgender People of Color community organizing, and has served on the boards/steering committees of organizations including the NYC Organizing Support Center and Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press.

Shaya Mercer, Philanthropic Partnership Officer. Shaya brings to Astraea a wide variety of freelance and consulting experience in communications, development, events, and media production for both non-profit and for-profit organizations, including the Seattle International Film Festival, Overland Entertainment, and the Environmental Grantmakers Association. An activist and a filmmaker, she has contributed to the social and economic justice movement through her award-winning documentary film, Trade Off, about the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle. Shaya moved to NYC from Seattle in 1997 and currently lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Lorraine Ramirez, Assistant to the Executive Director. Lorraine graduated in May '03 from Pomona College, where she earned a degree in Women's Studies with a research focus in women of color feminisms and feminist anti-violence theory. As an undergraduate, Lorraine was a leader in the school's feminist and queer activism arena and served as co-facilitator of the Women's Union and of the Queer, Questioning, and Allied Mentor Program. She has lived and worked several summers at Hidden Villa Ranch, an organic farm committed to community education, social justice activism and environmental stewardship.

Audrey Rivers, Administrative Assistant. For the past three years, Audrey served as the Program Assistant of Group Services for SAGE (Senior Action in a Gay Environment) where she worked with LGBT seniors. She sits on the Advisory Board of AALUSC (African Ancestral Lesbians United for Societal Change), and expects to graduate from Lehman College in the Fall of 2005 with a B.S.W. Audrey is a lesbian single mother of an 8-year-old son named Tyler, and whenever she can find free time, she loves to visit parks and museums with him.

Sonya Shields, Director of Development. The former Director of Development for the New York City Anti-Violence Project, Sonya has more than 15 years of experience in marketing and fundraising arenas. Also the former Director of Development for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Sonya has worked for the advertising and direct marketing firm, Prime Access, Inc. She has served on several boards including Astraea, the Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer, the HIV Services Council Committee for the Office of the Mayor (DC) and The Dance Institute of Washington. She is a current board member of the National Black Justice Coalition. Sonya is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, DC, and lives in Brooklyn.

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