Monterey Staff

Gracie joined the MCRCC staff in October 2022. Raised in Southern California, Gracie moved to Salinas in 2010 and has been loving Monterey County ever since. She is currently going to Hartnell College as a 2 year transfer student. She is majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Sociology. As a self proclaimed extrovert, Gracie hopes to engage with the community in impactful ways such as advocacy. This is why she sought out the opportunity to be a volunteer for the MCRCC in the fall of 2021. Her passions include creating DIY magazines, hanging out with her sisters, and having themed movie nights. 

Andy joined MCRCC in February of 2022. Andy attended UCSC where his concentration was in Sociology and Psychology and will return to school Fall of 2022 for his Master's Program. Andy previously served as a member of Monterey Police Department's Multidisciplinary Outreach Team and has experience working with individuals with psychiatric disabilities, victims of trauma, people experiencing homelessness and individuals dealing with substance use. Outside of work Andy enjoys being outdoors, painting, writing poetry, reading, and spending time with his dog Charlie.

Lydia is a graduate of Kalamazoo College in Michigan, where she earned her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and Spanish. In 2019, she moved across the country to pursue her passion for comprehensive sex education and sexual violence prevention. Lydia spent two years as a sexual and reproductive health educator, and now runs the Our Voice prevention clubs with high school students in Monterey County. Outside of work, her passions include hiking, playing ultimate frisbee, dancing, and spending time with loved ones! 

Lorelei Ahlemeyer is the Campus Advocacy Manager at CSU Monterey Bay, where she enjoys empowering survivors of sexual assault.  She previously worked for the Kansas Attorney General as a System-Based Advocate under the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.  She served on a statewide multi-disciplinary team to improve the lives of sexual assault survivors and worked on a committee to develop new investigative model policies for law enforcement.   She received a Distinguished Service Recognition Award from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for her work with survivors.

Lorelei is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Kearney, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a Master’s in Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.  In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her family.

Lauren was hired as the Deputy Director after earning a Master of Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies where she focused research and course work on sexual violence and organizational capacity building. Lauren’s passion in life is rooted in MCRCC’s vision to end sexual violence, and all forms of violence. Though this passion may sometimes appear singular, she also deeply loves the natural beauty of Monterey County, her three-legged dog, family, friends, cooking, growing dahlias, and her co-workers at MCRCC who amaze her with their brilliance and dedication everyday.