Staff

Deborah DeBare, Executive Director 
Deborah DeBare has served as the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence for fifteen years. Before being hired by the Coalition in 1995, Ms. DeBare had served for five years as the Executive Director of the Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County (DVRCSC), one of the member agencies of the RICADV.  Prior to her position at the DVRCSC, Ms. DeBare was the Policy and Information Associate for theRhode Island Division of Mental Health and Community Services.  She received a Master’s Degree from the Heller School at Brandeis University and a BA degree from Brown University.

Cheryl Delekta, Finance Director
Cheryl Delekta has been the Finance Director at the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence since 1999.  In addition to overseeing all of the accounting functions, she manages the fiscal requirements of the Agency's state and federal grants.  Cheryl received her Master's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Rhode Island and has been working with non-profit organizations for more than 20 years.

Anayra Garcia, Office Manager/ Training Coordinator
Anayra Garcia is the Office Manager and Training Coordinator of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  She manages the fluidity of the agency's daily operations that include: financial matters, technical support, record management, donor management, and general office support. Anayra handles incoming phone calls, provides clerical support, coordinates meetings and sets up the calendar of trainings that are held by the RICADV. She has been at the RICADV for seven years, and brings a range of experiences from her past professional experience as a Legal Secretary and Customer Service Representative.

Lucy Rios, Director of Prevention
Lucy Rios is the Director of Prevention at the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence. At RICADV, Lucy facilitates training for advocates, criminal justice personnel, service providers, and other allied professionals on the dynamics of domestic violence and related topics such children who witness, teen dating violence prevention, etc.  Since 2003, Lucy has been coordinating RI’s Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement Leadership through Alliances (DELTA) Project funded by the Centers for Disease Control.  Through DELTA, Lucy provides technical assistance to state and community stakeholders on primary prevention of domestic violence and has led a statewide strategic planning process for primary prevention.  Lucy also represents the RICADV on several statewide networks like the Sexual Violence Prevention Steering Council and the Healthy Kids Rhode Island Coalition.

Zulma Garcia, Director of Policy
Zulma Garcia has been working in the domestic violence movement for over fifteen years. She was hired in 1996 by the Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center as the Director of Community Services to develop and implement their Latina Advocacy Program. In 2002, Ms. Garcia joined RICADV as the Director of SOAR (Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships) a taskforce of the RICADV. In this capacity, she worked organizing survivors of domestic violence. During the last six years, Ms. Garcia has held the position of Director of Policy. She is responsible for the development and promotion of RICADV’s annual legislative agenda as well as establishes and maintains positive relationships with legislators, member agencies and community based groups to create collaborations on mutual interests and opportunities. Ms. Garcia received her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science from Roger Williams University.

Rachel Orsinger, Legislative Coordinator
Rachel Orsinger is the RICADV’s Legislative Coordinator. She received a BA from Brown and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center, where she taught classes in basic legal issues to young mothers in shelters and represented teens in the court system. Before law school, she served as an AmeriCorps member at the Providence Children's Museum and worked for Citizen Schools in Boston.

Carmen Recalde-Russo, SOAR Coordinator
Carmen Recalde-Russo is the Coordinator of SOAR (Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships). She joined RICADV in 2007. Prior to joining the Coalition, Carmen worked for Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center as the Latino Advocate.  She holds a Law Degree in Paraguay, South America, her country of origin. In Paraguay she represented victims of domestic violence in Family Court cases. She also represented and provided legal assistance to worker’s and farmer’s cooperatives.
 
Reza Clifton, Communications Coordinator
Reza Clifton is the Communications Coordinator of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She oversees the agency's publications, helps coordinate Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and engages in other public awareness activities to promote the Coalition's efforts to end domestic violence. Prior to being hired by the Coalition in July 2012, Reza worked and served as a consultant helping schools, arts organizations and community agencies with strategic planning, community outreach, and communications. She also developed projects for online, radio and community settings that connected women, musicians, and diverse communities to issues related to health, race relations, and gender equity. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2003 with a degree in African and African-American Studies.

Cristina E. Williams, Media Relations Coordinator
Cristina E. Williams is the Media Relations Coordinator of the RICADV. She coordinates the development and implementation of media-related activities that include responses to high-profile domestic violence cases, planning press events, procuring coverage for campaigns to end domestic violence and public outreach for member agency events. Prior to joining RICADV, Cristina worked at the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where she garnered support from local business and media communities to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Her experience includes communications and public affairs work for corporations such as The New York Times and Sony, where she delivered integrated marketing solutions, corporate branding, strategic planning, philanthropic events and other business communications. She holds dual bachelor's degrees in English and Journalism/Media Studies from Rutgers College, The State University of New Jersey.