Our Board of Directors

Click for Profiles of Our Advisory Board members

E. Onja Brown Lawson, M.A. – Families ACT! President- Onja is the mother of four children. She has been an educator for many years. She has worked as a counselor at Santa Barbara City College and was the Assistant Director of the Education Opportunity Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Onja was on the faculty at San Francisco Community College for seven years, and was the Director of Education for the Marine Ecological Institute, Redwood, California, prior to moving to Carpinteria, California, in 1987. For the past ten years she has worked as a home/hospital instructor for the Carpinteria Unified School District; and is also, working on a project in Santa Barbara, involving the environment and energy conservation. Mrs. Lawson has been active in a number of community organizations that serve families and children in the Carpinteria and the south coast community. Education: M.A. degree, counseling, San Francisco State University; B. A., Biology, San Jose State University; A.S. degree, science, Monterey Peninsula College. Onja also, completed requirements and was admitted into UCSF Medical School. Additionally, she has several California teaching and counseling credentials, including K-12, special education and community college counseling. Though a resident of California since graduating from college, Onja sill holds close ties to New York City, which is where she honed the desire to be in a profession that served others, an example set by her mother.

David Jimenez - Families ACT! Treasurer - David is the IT Manager for Wyatt Technology in Goleta, where he has been employed since 2001. He is the son of immigrant parents from Jalisco, Mexico and has lived in Santa Barbara most of his life. He attended Santa Barbara High and graduated from UCSB with a BS in electrical and computer engineering. David has worked in the fields of engineering and software since 1986. David tutors community college students in math and science since 2001. He has lived in Santa Barbara most of his life. David believes in giving back to the community. He is choosing to do so by working towards a better solution to the complex and often co-occurring problems of mental health, behavioral and substance use.

Kristi Curtis - Kristi has lived in Santa Barbara for the past 10 years with her son Kaleb who is 11. She moved to Santa Barbara to attend college at Brooks Institute of Photography. While in school she worked for Project Recovery, a program of the Council of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Shortly after graduating in 1994 with a B.A. in Visual Journalism she initiated the Youth Media Project in collaboration with the Committee for Social Justice, publishing a quarterly newspaper called Shape of Voice. The youth led newspaper empowered Santa Barbara area teenagers, especially those underprivileged, by providing a forum to express their thoughts and opinions while promoting a sense of self esteem and responsibility with a common goal of social justice. Currently Kristi is studying as an Ayurvedic Practitioner working in the field of preventative health care.

Pauline Maxwell - Pauline grew up in Boston, the oldest of nine children. She is a Santa Barbara superior court commissioner, commissioner of the treatment courts and is currently developing a restorative court. Her passions are traveling and cooking. She is married with two grown sons. Their generation seems plagued by an epidemic of drug overdoses, and several of their former schoolmates have died that way. She is passionate about finding a way to prevent the addicted and the mentally ill from wasting their lives in prison.

Linda Orozco - Linda's family has lived in Santa Barbara for several generations. She has worked in retail and counseling and is doing her internship in preparation for her graduation from the Alcohol and Drug Counseling Program at Santa Barbara City Collage. Linda is the mother of four children and grandmother to four grandchildren.

Sally Hughes, LMFT - Sally makes her audiences laugh and cry while they absorb invaluable and powerful healing life lessons. Graduating Summa Cum Laude in her late 40's. She re-entered the workforce as a single mother of two young sons. While working full-time, she also cared for her mother, an Alzheimer's victim. Internal fortitude, wisdom, an irrepressible spirit and impossibly positive attitude were essential for her own personal challenges. Her eldest, brilliant son killed himself at 23 after receiving both his B.S. and M.S. in theoretical mathematics in four years - a mere two weeks after turning 21. Sally is now a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, suicide survivor, speaker, and author. She also is the co-founder of a non-profit promoting children to access their unique, resilient full potential.

Deedrea Edgar, JD – Ms. Edgar is a Deputy Public Defender in Santa Barbara who represents criminal defendants and persons who are conserved due to their mental or physical disabilities. Ms. Edgar was born in Salinas, California and grew up in Santa Barbara. She graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with High Honors and with Distinction in her major of Law and Society (BA, 2002). In 2005 she received her Juris Doctorate Degree, and in 2006 she received her license to practice law. Ms. Edgar had previously been employed by the Department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services as a Patients’ Rights Advocate for all clients in the county receiving mental health services. As an advocate she defends clients against criminal charges and represents clients in exercising their legal rights to treatment, benefits, and serves as their voice in the legal system. Prior to her legal career Ms. Edgar was a Graduate Student Advisor and Program Manager for the UCSB Chemistry and Biochemistry Department; worked abroad in England in the banking industry and studied abroad in Mexico. Ms. Edgar is a past member of the Golden Key Honor’s Society, United Way, Santa Barbara Women’s Political Action Committee, Santa Barbara Legal Aid Volunteer, and Treasurer of her Student Bar Association.

Lois Hamilton - A political activist, working full time for peace and social justice, Lois Hamilton is the Santa Barbara Chapter Leader for the Progressive Democrats of America--a national, grassroots organization intent on mobilizing the progressive vote to bring about real change on all levels of our government--national, state and local. Lois was elected as a delegate to the California Democratic Party Convention for 2011-12, and plans to help shake things up in Sacramento to stop some of the draconian cuts to social programs and education in our state budget and end the Corporate Welfare that is destroying out state economy. Lois’s husband, Dr. Van R. Hamilton, a primary care physician at Sansum Clinic, is himself a strong advocate for Universal Single Payer Health Care, and works side by side with Lois to make this a reality in our state. As a mother and a grandmother, now retired from the business world, she is committed to making our country a better place for EVERYONE. Lois believes that criminalization of the mentally ill, many of whom are addicted to drugs, is a crime against humanity and has become a growing trend across America. She believes that there has got to be a better way.


	Our Board of Directors Click for Profiles of Our Advisory Board members E. Onja Brown Lawson, M.A. – Families ACT! President- Onja is the mother of four children. She has been an educator for many years. She has worked as a counselor at Santa Barbara City College and was the Assistant Director of the Education Opportunity Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Onja was on the faculty at San Francisco Community College for seven years, and was the Director of Education for the Marine Ecological Institute, Redwood, California, prior to moving to Carpinteria, California, in 1987. For the past ten years she has worked as a home/hospital instructor for the Carpinteria Unified School District; and is also, working on a project in Santa Barbara, involving the environment and energy conservation. Mrs. Lawson has been active in a number of community organizations that serve families and children in the Carpinteria and the south coast community. Education: M.A. degree, counseling, San Francisco State University; B. A., Biology, San Jose State University; A.S. degree, science, Monterey Peninsula College. Onja also, completed requirements and was admitted into UCSF Medical School. Additionally, she has several California teaching and counseling credentials, including K-12, special education and community college counseling. Though a resident of California since graduating from college, Onja sill holds close ties to New York City, which is where she honed the desire to be in a profession that served others, an example set by her mother. David Jimenez - Families ACT! Treasurer - David is the IT Manager for Wyatt Technology in Goleta, where he has been employed since 2001. He is the son of immigrant parents from Jalisco, Mexico and has lived in Santa Barbara most of his life. He attended Santa Barbara High and graduated from UCSB with a BS in electrical and computer engineering. David has worked in the fields of engineering and software since 1986. David tutors community college students in math and science since 2001. He has lived in Santa Barbara most of his life. David believes in giving back to the community. He is choosing to do so by working towards a better solution to the complex and often co-occurring problems of mental health, behavioral and substance use. Kristi Curtis - Kristi has lived in Santa Barbara for the past 10 years with her son Kaleb who is 11. She moved to Santa Barbara to attend college at Brooks Institute of Photography. While in school she worked for Project Recovery, a program of the Council of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Shortly after graduating in 1994 with a B.A. in Visual Journalism she initiated the Youth Media Project in collaboration with the Committee for Social Justice, publishing a quarterly newspaper called Shape of Voice. The youth led newspaper empowered Santa Barbara area teenagers, especially those underprivileged, by providing a forum to express their thoughts and opinions while promoting a sense of self esteem and responsibility with a common goal of social justice. Currently Kristi is studying as an Ayurvedic Practitioner working in the field of preventative health care. Pauline Maxwell - Pauline grew up in Boston, the oldest of nine children. She is a Santa Barbara superior court commissioner, commissioner of the treatment courts and is currently developing a restorative court. Her passions are traveling and cooking. She is married with two grown sons. Their generation seems plagued by an epidemic of drug overdoses, and several of their former schoolmates have died that way. She is passionate about finding a way to prevent the addicted and the mentally ill from wasting their lives in prison. Linda Orozco - Linda's family has lived in Santa Barbara for several generations. She has worked in retail and counseling and is doing her internship in preparation for her graduation from the Alcohol and Drug Counseling Program at Santa Barbara City Collage. Linda is the mother of four children and grandmother to four grandchildren. Sally Hughes, LMFT - Sally makes her audiences laugh and cry while they absorb invaluable and powerful healing life lessons. Graduating Summa Cum Laude in her late 40's. She re-entered the workforce as a single mother of two young sons. While working full-time, she also cared for her mother, an Alzheimer's victim. Internal fortitude, wisdom, an irrepressible spirit and impossibly positive attitude were essential for her own personal challenges. Her eldest, brilliant son killed himself at 23 after receiving both his B.S. and M.S. in theoretical mathematics in four years - a mere two weeks after turning 21. Sally is now a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, suicide survivor, speaker, and author. She also is the co-founder of a non-profit promoting children to access their unique, resilient full potential. Deedrea Edgar, JD – Ms. Edgar is a Deputy Public Defender in Santa Barbara who represents criminal defendants and persons who are conserved due to their mental or physical disabilities. Ms. Edgar was born in Salinas, California and grew up in Santa Barbara. She graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with High Honors and with Distinction in her major of Law and Society (BA, 2002). In 2005 she received her Juris Doctorate Degree, and in 2006 she received her license to practice law. Ms. Edgar had previously been employed by the Department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services as a Patients’ Rights Advocate for all clients in the county receiving mental health services. As an advocate she defends clients against criminal charges and represents clients in exercising their legal rights to treatment, benefits, and serves as their voice in the legal system. Prior to her legal career Ms. Edgar was a Graduate Student Advisor and Program Manager for the UCSB Chemistry and Biochemistry Department; worked abroad in England in the banking industry and studied abroad in Mexico. Ms. Edgar is a past member of the Golden Key Honor’s Society, United Way, Santa Barbara Women’s Political Action Committee, Santa Barbara Legal Aid Volunteer, and Treasurer of her Student Bar Association. Lois Hamilton - A political activist, working full time for peace and social justice, Lois Hamilton is the Santa Barbara Chapter Leader for the Progressive Democrats of America--a national, grassroots organization intent on mobilizing the progressive vote to bring about real change on all levels of our government--national, state and local. Lois was elected as a delegate to the California Democratic Party Convention for 2011-12, and plans to help shake things up in Sacramento to stop some of the draconian cuts to social programs and education in our state budget and end the Corporate Welfare that is destroying out state economy. Lois’s husband, Dr. Van R. Hamilton, a primary care physician at Sansum Clinic, is himself a strong advocate for Universal Single Payer Health Care, and works side by side with Lois to make this a reality in our state. As a mother and a grandmother, now retired from the business world, she is committed to making our country a better place for EVERYONE. Lois believes that criminalization of the mentally ill, many of whom are addicted to drugs, is a crime against humanity and has become a growing trend across America. She believes that there has got to be a better way.