OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ann Livingston, Board Chair

Ann lived in Hawaii for much of her life before moving to Dallas in 1999. After a 20-year career as a sales and marketing executive in cosmetics, she returned to UT Dallas to earn a graduate degree in Southwest Literature as well as an ESOL teaching certificate. Ann then taught English and ESOL at Richland Community College in Texas before moving to São Paulo, Brazil for two years. There she taught ESOL in an orphanage and worked to learn Portuguese.

In 2011, Ann and her husband, Mark moved to Santa Fe. Ann became involved in a variety of nonprofits; sitting on the board of the Cancer Foundation for New Mexico, and the Museum Foundation of New Mexico, and as secretary on the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, contributing in fund-raising and event planning. Two boxers and a Boston Terrier puppy, hiking, artistic endeavors, and a far-flung family keep her busy otherwise. 

Dona Bolding, Vice Chair

Dona Bolding grew up playing outside in Texas, the third of four sisters. She practiced law in Houston before moving with her husband, Roger Hamilton, and three kids to Wellesley, MA in 1996. Every summer beginning in 1992, the family traveled to Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, and from 2001 to 2019,  Dona led summertime hiking and backpacking seminars for kids and adults there. Now that their children are grown and scattered across the country, Dona and Roger have settled permanently in New Mexico and are proud to support Girls Inc. of Santa Fe.

“Getting to serve an organization that values the talents and potential of girls, fosters their self-worth, leadership and community commitment, and advocates for their rights is a great privilege and a great joy. It gives me hope for the future.”

Adrienne Alexis Murray, Secretary

Born and raised by a village in Los Angeles, CA, Adrienne Alexis Murray moved to New Mexico in 2018 and currently serves Folk Artists and their communities as the Associate Director of Marketing and Community Engagement for the International Folk Art Market (IFAM) Santa Fe. Adrienne spearheads virtual and IRL event planning & logistics, membership engagement, and VIP program coordination, and digital outreach. She also has professional experience in facilitating community-centered programming, member & volunteer training, acquisition & retention, fundraising campaigns, and online learning. She is a proud alumna of the 2020 cohort of the New Mexico Women of Color Nonprofit Leadership Initiative and her passions include providing mentorship and opportunity for young women of color through connection and the creation of beloved community.

Adrienne also serves as the Director for Community Engagement for Resilient New Mexico: Behavioral Health for Families and as a virtual event consultant for cultural institutions in and around Santa Fe. She serves on the Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority Educational Foundation’s Communications Committee and as a Junior Board Member for the Armando Gallegos Memorial Foundation. Adrienne holds a B.A. in Public Relations and Organizational Communication from California State University Los Angeles, an M.S. in Public Administration with an emphasis in Public Sector Employee/Employer relations from California State University, Long Beach, and a certificate in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Florida Atlantic University.

“My overall goal is to see more reflective and representative leadership in local, state, and federal government. To me, there is no better place to begin that work than to support our emerging leaders, the participants at Girls Inc. of Santa Fe.”

She enjoys baking delectable desserts, traveling, singing, dancing, crafting, reading, and spending time exploring New Mexico with her partner Elias and their Corgi Watson, and two cats Cosmo and Luna.

Sascha Anderson, Board Member

Sascha was born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma, and is a proud Chahta ohoyo. Sascha’s professional work has focused on training, development, and communications, but now is centered on advancing progressive causes across the state of New Mexico. Sascha’s community work has focused on equity in education, immigrant justice, and reproductive justice. Sascha moved to Santa Fe in 2015, where she now resides with her husband, Michael, and three spirited girls – all strong, smart, and bold.

Linda DeWolf, Board Member

Linda moved to Santa Fe in 2014 having, like many, visited the city different for decades. Before that she was a bit of a rolling stone, having lived in some eight different states and 30+ homes. She moved to Santa Fe because, as an artist, she loved all aspects of the beauty and spirituality that the high desert represents. She is a nurse by training (later she obtained a degree in English) with her career path taking her from nursing to patient advocacy to community service to philanthropy. She has written and published on a variety of topics.

She revitalized and ran a national foundation for 10 years which focused on promoting innovation in health care. She then co-founded GoPhilanthropic Foundation, a global not-for-profit, seeking to shift the power and privilege in philanthropy by creating engaged communities of donors and partners supporting grassroots programs.

Linda has always been passionate about women’s and girls’ issues and is proud to be part of an organization that inspires girls to be “strong, smart, and bold. She has two sons and six grandchildren. She loves learning, international travel, art, facilitation, networking, and mentoring others.

Laura Hudman, Board Member

My education as a young girl in the Deep South is an awakening one to look back upon, to say the least. The lessons in “social graces” on how best to fit in with the cultural mores of the time were more along the lines of “socially disgraceful.” It was a time to not be too strong or too bold and certainly not appear to be smarter than the boys in those days. Sure it was nice to have straight A’s, but not to talk about it with anyone. Fast forward to today’s changing culture and women and girls being seen for all that they truly are and the importance of equality for all. A feminist is simply anyone who believes in equality regardless of gender. One of the most beautiful sights at the DC’s Women’s March was the fact that so many men were walking that day. It is a privilege to walk in support of GIRLS, Inc. The difference that all of the meaningful programs make in the lives of so many girls in Santa Fe is remarkable.

Suzanne Kern, Board Member

Suzanne is a science professor at Minerva University, a liberal arts college implementing evidence-based educational practices in the context of an undergraduate program where students live together in a new global city each semester. She is endlessly curious about people, places, and how the world works. Suzanne’s love of learning and teaching started early, supported by family, friends, and mentors. She researched bacterial metabolism and earned her PhD in Biology from MIT. After various teaching roles at Caltech and the Claremont Colleges in California, she became a professor at Minerva and moved to Santa Fe in 2016.

Mary Kushnir, Board Member

I spent the first thirty years of my life in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During that time I obtained undergraduate
and graduate degrees in business and I obtained my CPA. I worked for an international accounting firm
in Tulsa and was asked to work in the Calgary, Canada office for a year, where I met the man I would
marry. Ken and I lived in Calgary, England, Dallas and Houston, Texas, before finding our dream
retirement location of Santa Fe. During the last few years, Ken and I have focused on exploring the
world, and enjoy traveling to learn about other countries cultures and histories.

During our time in Texas, I devoted significant time to boy scouts as a way to stay involved with my boys.
I loved watching and helping young boys develop into strong, independent young men who could be
perfectly comfortable outside in nature sleeping, cooking, hiking and exploring, knowing what to do in
most any emergency. They learned to give service to their communities and to be the best humans that
they could be. At Girls Inc of Santa Fe, I have found an organization that is devoted to inspiring girls to
become Strong, Smart and Bold. I am so excited to focus on girls now at this point in my life!

Ellen Marshall, Board Member

Ellen started her life in Philadelphia, PA where she graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Psychology. She worked at Pennsylvania Hospital for several years as the Clinical Research
Coordinator for the Department of Oncology. From there Ellen moved to Denver, CO where she
lived for 30 years. She worked at Humana Health Plan; negotiating contracts and implementing
quality assurance and utilization review processes.

In 1993 she was recruited to join The Doctors Company, a Medical Malpractice insurance carrier, where she was a Vice President. She was transferred to Los Angeles in 2008 to run the company’s largest regional office. While in Denver, Ellen was on several committees at the Denver Botanical Gardens, and after moving to Los Angeles, her home was featured during the Hancock Park Historical Home garden tour for its sustainable landscape, the only one in the neighborhood! She remained in Los Angeles until 2013 when she retired to Santa Fe, where she lives with her partner Rusty Crutcher and their sweet terrier Rudy. When Ellen came to Santa Fe she volunteered at the Botanical Garden and the Food Depot. She joined the board of GISF in 2014 after she went on a tour and saw, firsthand, how they were changing the lives of girls in Santa Fe. In 2020 she was termed off of the board and rejoined in 2021.

Sylvie Obledo, Board Member

The daughter of a civil rights attorney and a nurse, Sylvie grew up in the Southwest, Northeast, and West Coast. She loves meeting new people, experiencing new places and cultures, and learning about humanity. Driven to creatively inspire others through storytelling, beauty, and experiences that touch and transform, her multi-passionate background includes fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment. An actor, she performs in film, television, and theater. Inspired by her parents, who fought for those with no voice, she enjoys roles empowering the expression of others. A yogini, she practices mindful sustainable living on and off the mat, enjoys domestic and international travel, creates conscious beauty for others, trendspotting, and learning about ancient wisdom for our modern world.

During the day, you’ll find her at Shared Assessments, the trusted source in third-party risk management. As Senior Director, Committee Management, she facilitates thought leadership and peer-to-peer networking for the world’s top risk management experts across multiple industries.
As Director of the Ambiance Décor of the largest folk art market in the world, she created concepts, managed, and produced the look and feel of the International Folk Art Market-Santa Fe and Arlington. In addition, she assessed brands and provided recommendations for Whitaker International, a strategic lifestyle agency. As US Sales Agent for Novotex A/S, the first environmental apparel manufacturer in the world, she serviced clients including Garnet Hill, Hanna Andersson, and Patagonia, protecting their brand DNA throughout the design and development process of private label programs. While Fashion Director at Here & There, she attended runway shows, covered fashion in New York, Paris, London, and Milan, and trendspotting for a client roster of retailers and manufacturers. Throughout the years, Sylvie has advised decision-makers and counseled creatives, entrepreneurs, and executives on how to build their brands. She’s provided creative direction for ID systems, websites, marketing collateral, brand books, lookbooks, still and moving images, products, services, environments, and experiences.

Sylvie spoke at TEDxABQ on “Navigating Enoughness Through Creativity.” She enjoys a wanderlust approach to a global life and savors moments of beauty, creativity, and the luxury of enoughness at home in New Mexico.

Diane Ramsey, Board Member

The oldest of six siblings, Diane grew up in Gloucester, Massachusetts and Green Bay, Wisconsin. She was profoundly influenced by the few options then available to her mom – a young, divorced mother in the 1950’s and by her mother’s desire that her children pursue a college education.

Diane’s professional career in advertising and marketing began in Chicago. Relocating to Iowa eight years later, she began a 20-year stint working in consumer advertising, corporate communications, customer management, and economic/community development. Diane served for 10 years as co-founder and CEO of the Iowa-based nonprofit Women Lead Change, an organization dedicated to developing, advancing, and promoting women and organizations to impact the economy and future workforce. Diane found her true passion in helping develop women and girl leaders. In collaboration with Iowa’s Governor, she established the Epic Corporate Challenge – one of the nation’s first statewide public-private partnerships to advance women leaders.

Upon retiring, Diane moved to Santa Fe with her husband, Bruce Johnson. She served on the board of the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos. In addition to her work with Girls Inc., Diane also serves on the marketing committee for the Santa Fe Alliance for Science, as a mentor for American Corporate Partners supporting both US Military veterans and their spouses, and as co-chair of an International Folk Art Market committee.

Diane, her husband, and their Weimaraner (Harper Lee) are enjoying all that Santa Fe and New Mexico have to offer.

Reba Serafin, Board Member

Reba received her BAs in Psychology and Sociology from the University of New Mexico. It was not long before she decided to return to UNM to pursue her MAs in Counseling and School Counseling. Reba is a Native New Mexican and an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of New Mexico, she is passionate about mental and behavioral health issues. Currently, Reba is a Provider Relations Specialist with Falling Colors Corporation, where she works closely with Providers throughout New Mexico and contributes to the Falling Colors Foundation. When she is not working and traveling around our beautiful state, her hobbies include team roping, camping, hunting, and spending time with her family. Reba would like to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident, and help them to realize and value their own personal strengths. Reba said it’s an honor and a tremendous opportunity to be a member of the board for Girls Inc. of Santa Fe.

“I am humbled and amazed by the wonderful people who put their individual talents to use furthering the Girls Inc. of Santa Fe’s mission, vision, and values.