Meet Our Founder
Doug Carson
Founder
Doug attended Santa Clara University on a baseball scholarship and later played in the minor league until injury ended his baseball career. Doug and his wife Albie raised their family in Sacramento with Albie in Real Estate and Doug with his own promotional marketing company. After the death of Albie from breast cancer in 2002, Doug founded Albie Aware Breast Cancer Foundation.
Meet Our Staff
Melissa Manzo
Program Manager
Melissa joined the Albie Aware staff in 2021 and is the organization’s Program Manager. Melissa’s primary career focus has been in the nonprofit sector, with roles including Project Coordinator for Leeds Action Society and Director of Marketing of Kids Helping Kids Sacramento. While she was born and raised in Sacramento, Melissa was educated at the University of Leeds in the UK with a bachelor’s in International Relations. In 2019, she returned to Sacramento with the intent to continue her involvement with community-focused organizations.
Meet Our Board
Julie Sauls
Board Chair/Board member
California State Senate
Julie joined the Albie Aware Board in 2020. Born and raised in Sacramento, Julie has worked in the Capitol arena for the past two decades, where she currently serves as a Chief of Staff in the California State Senate.
Julie has volunteered her time in support of education, youth sports and professional mentoring associations and is looking forward to continuing her involvement in the community with Albie Aware. She is the proud mom to two young men and along with her husband, Jeff, their rescue dog, Roger, and adopted cat George are happy to call Sacramento home.
Kaitlin Perry
Vice Chair/Board Member
Kaitlin is Senior Vice President for Perry Communications Group. Her experience in issues advocacy, political data, and policy research, has helped her play an integral role in a number of high-profile public affairs and legislative campaigns throughout the nation. At Perry Communications Group, Kaitlin leads project development and implementation of public affairs programs, including media relations, grassroots advocacy, and coalition building for a variety of nonprofit and corporate clients in business, health care, manufacturing, collegiate sports, preservation, and aging. She specializes in digital advocacy campaigns that coalesce and engage supporters to drive policy change. Kaitlin graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and a minor in Business from Texas Christian University.
Ann Grottveit
Secretary/Board Member
Kahn Soares & Conway, LLP
Ann M. Grottveit joined the Albie Aware Board in 2014. She is a partner in the Sacramento office of Kahn Soares & Conway, LLP where she is responsible for areas such as commercial litigation and regulatory practices with several key state agencies on both policy and enforcement matters, and environmental litigation. She represents several state agricultural commissions as their general counsel handling corporate, employment and compliance. Ann also represents and advises many nonprofit entities.
Chris Fahey
Treasurer/Board Member
Director of Corporate Sponsorships, CIF
Chris joined the Albie Aware Board of Directors in 2016. He began his association with Albie Aware as the founder and event organizer of the Albie Swingin’ for Life Breast Cancer Baseball Showcase in 2009, which has raised over $94,000 for Albie Aware. Chris is the Director of Corporate Sponsorships for the California Interscholastic Federation, where he is responsible for state-wide partnerships, marketing and television rights for the governing body of high school athletics in California.
Cindy Jaramillo
Board Member
Carter Wolden Curtis, LLP
Cindy Jaramillo, born and raised in Los Angeles, graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 2005 and continued her education at the University of California Berkeley. At UC Berkeley she joined the RAZA Recruitment and Retention Center, promoting post-secondary education for at risk youth, and Hermanas Unidas de UC Berkeley, that provided opportunities and resources for predominantly Chicanx/Latinx college students and alumni. In 2009, Cindy graduated cum laude from UC Berkeley with a major in Sociology and a minor in Chicano Studies.
Cindy’s legal career began in 2006, when she joined a general liability defense firm in Long Beach, CA, as a legal assistant. In 2009, Cindy became a law clerk for a firm in Torrance, CA that handled serious injury and wrongful death cases. In 2015, she joined Carter Wolden Curtis, LLP as a case manager. At CWC, Cindy manages pre-litigation clients, Spanish speaking clients and serves as a liaison between the clients, attorneys, insurance carriers and medical providers to facilitate positive resolutions for our clients.
In her spare time, Cindy likes to travel and spend time with her husband and three kids. Additionally, she is on the Board of Directors for Albie Aware, a breast cancer foundation, where she is a liaison for Spanish speaking clients and helps facilitate breast health classes.
Deborah Bonuccelli
Board Member
Debroah first learned of Albie Aware through her husband, whose cousin is Doug, the founder of Albie Aware. Deborah’s mother-in-law had breast cancer two separate times, and her sister is also a breast cancer survivor. She is one of the Pink Ladies, a group of Sacramento-area women who for the past 9 years have held an End of Summer Celebration to raise awareness and money from Albie Aware.
Kasey O’Connor
Board Member
Kasey is the Executive Director of The California Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Trust Account Program. Previously she was the Legislative Director for the California Treasurer, Legislative for the Board of Equalization, and Government Affairs Communications Manager for the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis. Kasey is a breast cancer survivor and shares her story of her diagnosis under the age of 40 years old to encourage other young individuals to advocate for themselves to get their cancer screenings.
Patty Roberts
Board Member
Patty’s passion for helping others through Albie Aware runs deeply, as she lost her sister to breast cancer. She is one of the Pink Ladies, a group of Sacramento-area women who for the past 9 years have held an End of Summer Celebration to raise awareness and money from Albie Aware.
Carrie Yoshida
Board Member
Wellness Coach
Carrie has been an Albie Aware Board member since 2016. She is a graduate of Boise State University and St. Mary’s College of California. She spent the first 15 years of her career in Healthcare Management as a Special Procedures Technologist and manager (MRI, CT, and Angiograms). She then changed her career focus where she spent 17 years in nonprofit management with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, and WEAVE. She also worked as a consultant for The Sacramento City College Foundation. As a Certified Life Coach with a specialty in health and wellness, Carrie works with individuals to create achievable wellness plans and goals for a healthy lifestyle.
