Salinas Staff

Desteney Garcia is from Salinas, California and received her B.A. in Human Development and Family Studies from California State University Monterey Bay. She volunteered with the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center as an advocate before becoming our Human Trafficking Outreach Specialist in December 2022. In her free time she enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with her cats, and volunteering with the Marine Mammal Center on Sundays. 

Wendy joined MCRCC in October of 2022 as a Crisis Intervention Specialist. She was born and raised in Monterey, California. Wendy earned her Bachelor's in Criminal Justice at Sacramento State University. She has experience working with at risk and CSEC youth, and families experiencing homelessness. Wendy is excited to be a part of the MCRCC team. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and going to the movies. 

Giselle is a bilingual prevention educator and joined MCRCC in September of 2022. She graduated from the University of California, Davis in the spring of 2022 and got her Bachelor of Arts in Chicana/o Studies and Political Science. Giselle is a born and raised Salinas native who enjoys watching movies, biking, running, and spending time with her dog, Gordo. She is very excited to have joined the MCRCC team and get to provide for and serve her community. 

Bianca attended San Jose State University for her undergraduate and graduate degrees, where she earned a Masters in Sociology. Much of her research was done on the topic of sexual consent in high school sex education curriculums. Her background includes working at various non-profits such as CASA of Monterey County and our local Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, running, grabbing an iced coffee while reading feminist literature or simply taking care of her plants. She is very excited to work with the community and be a part of the MCRCC. 

Cindy is a licensed clinical social worker. She received her BA from Vassar College in New York and her MSW from Simmons College School of Social Work in Boston. Before coming to Monterey County Rape Crisis Center, she worked for 11 years at the D’Arrigo Children’s Clinic at Kinship Center, providing therapy to children and their families, as well as providing a myriad of other supportive roles within the clinic. She is very excited to be part of MCRCC.

Paola moved to Monterey from Sacramento to attend school, where she obtained her B.A. in Psychology at CSU Monterey Bay. She started volunteering at MCRCC in Fall 2016 as an Advocate. She plans to continue school and obtain her Master's in Social Work with hopes of one day working as a therapist with survivors of trauma. She is beyond excited to be a part of the team at MCRCC. In her free time, she loves to go back to Sacramento and spend time with her family and Maximo her dog.

Carl is the PREA Outreach Manager and provides advocacy and supportive services to incarcerated survivors at local detention facilities throughout Monterey County. Carl believes all survivors are deserving of dignity and respect, and is committed to providing incarcerated populations with support.

Prior to Rosa’s position as the Child Abuse Treatment (CHAT) Program Manager for The Monterey County Rape Crisis Center, she was in Child Abuse Prevention for seven years. She graduated from CSUMB with a BA degree in Collaborative Health and Human Services with a concentration in social work.

Robyn is a 2015 graduate of CSU Monterey Bay, where she earned her Bachelors of Arts in Collaborative Health and Human Services with a concentration in Public Administration. While she attended CSUMB, she interned for three semesters with MCRCC’s outreach program.