AVP CA Steering Committee
AVP California is coordinated by a volunteer Steering Committee currently with ten members, as well as four outreach coordinators who are building AVP programs in different parts of California. The role of the Committee is to:
- Provide a point of contact for returning citizens and the general public.
- Provide leadership and support to serve prisons not served by any local council.
- Maintain website to provide information and resources to the general public, facilitators, and returning citizens.
- Interface, represent, and advocate for AVP with CDCR and other agencies and organizations.
- Collect, aggregate, and share data on workshops around the state with AVP USA.
- Raise funds through the annual mail appeal and grant proposals.
- Facilitate discussion forums for prison coordinators and community outreach coordinators.
- Consult to local councils and provide special trainings upon request.
- Maintain facilitator and program high standards.
- Raise funds to support facilitators with workshop-related expenses (mileage, accommodation, etc)
The Steering Committee solicits nominations for new committee members each spring. New members are introduced and confirmed at the annual Facilitator Gathering in October. Steering Committee members serve a term of three years, and may serve two consecutive terms.
To contact the Steering Committee, please send a message to steeringcommittee@avpcalifornia.org
Steering Committee Members
Erika Hermosillo
Stockton Council; second term expires 11/2027 CDCR-R Liaison and Finance, Prison Coordinator and Local Council Committees
Erika Hermosillo is an educator, activist, parent, wife, and someone who believes in the power of people. From a young age she understood that the health of a person (mentally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally) is inextricably linked with community. She comes from a legacy of powerful people who have been impacted by generational trauma. Her mother worked relentlessly to break patterns of abuse and addiction so that Erika could do the same. AVP has been a space where she has been able to do the healing and processing work that allows her to continue to break cycles that would have otherwise impacted her children. It continues to support collective learning and healing and Erika feels blessed to be alongside others doing this work.
empowerederika@gmail.com
Thom McCue
Santa Cruz / Salinas Valley Council; Second term expires 11/2027 Resource and Assistance Committee
I took my Basic, Advanced, and T4F workshops around eight years ago. Since then, I have helped facilitate around 25 workshops, including all three workshop levels and Trauma Awareness/ Resiliency. Most of my facilitation has been in Soledad Prison (CTF). However, I have also facilitated in the community, a county jail “farm” facility, and the Kingdom of Jordan. My familiarity with AVP stretches back over 35 years ago through friendships with facilitators. My wife, “Loving Linda,” has facilitated for around fifteen years and has served on the AVP/CA Steering Committee. She is my inspiration. I am currently retired, having a career in urban planning, affordable housing development, and local government services. Much of my work was for, or in cooperation with, non-profit and community organizations. I recently “termed off” the Ben Lomond Quaker Center Board of Trustees. Over the six and a half years I served on the Board, I functioned at various times as Board Co-Clerk, Governance Committee Clerk, Finance Committee Clerk, and Treasurer. I firmly believe that all people have the light of Transforming Power within us. If we all turned
toward this light, the world would be a matrix of joy, fulfillment, and sustainability.
tamccue@aol.com
Laurence McGinty
Central Valley Council; first term expires 11/2027
Nomination Committee
"Mellow" Mac began his AVP history as an inside facilitator many years ago. He is currently the VP for AVP/USA and has assisted an several projects for AVP/CA.
mrlarrymcginty@gmail.com
Rob Osak
Central Valley Council; second term expires 11/2026
Communication/Tech Committee
RocknRoll Rob is an outside facilitator at Corcoran State Prison. He has been an AVP facilitator since 2016. He is a Homeschool Teacher and addiction therapist in Visalia and loves traveling and sailing in his free time. His interest in world cultures has brought him to facilitate in Belize and England, and he intends to contribute more to both AVP California and AVP International in the future. He has facilitated youth, international, community, prison, mini’s, and addiction-centered workshops. Rock on!
rob.osak@gmail.com
Dori Stone
Santa Cruz/Salinas Valley; first term expires 11/2027
Gathering Committee and Secretary
Down-to-Earth Dori has been an AVP facilitator since 2022, primarily at Salinas Valley State Prison and Central Training Facility in Soledad. For the final project of her master’s degree program in at American University in 2024, she designed and led an evaluation of an AVP pilot project in two Seattle high schools, to document outcomes and identify areas for improvement. (The report can be found HERE) Dori is very grateful for the opportunity AVP provides to connect with people from different backgrounds and life experiences, gain a window into others’ realities, learn from each other, encounter our shared humanity, and develop our skills from wherever we currently are.
doristonebooks@gmail.com
Mark Thomas
Bay Area Council; second term expires 11/2026 Newsletter Committee
Marvelous Mark is a current member of AVP California and the AVP Bay Area Council. He has been involved with AVP in many capacities since 1992 when he started participating in AVP at USP Lompoc – facilitator, trainer of facilitators, workshop coordinator, member of board of trustees of AVP USA. Mark currently lives in Contra Costa County of the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been employed as a psychology instructor, an adult education instructor, and a restorative practitioner over the last 20 years usually serving marginalized populations.
thomastp22@gmail.com
Frances "Pinkie" Weesner
Santa Cruz/Salinas Valley ; first term expires 11/2027
Nomination Committee
Frances "Perky Pinkie" Weesner was first introduced to AVP by members of the Santa Cruz/ Salinas Valley Council's speakers bureau. She attended her Basic workshop in Salinas at the Hebbron Community Center in 2013 within weeks of that introduction and knew immediately that this was something new and amazing for her. Perky Pinkie has facilitated monthly at Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) and is now the Prison Coordinator for Correctional Training Facility (CTF), both of which are located in Soledad, and has helped to facilitate community workshops in Salinas, Watsonville and Santa Cruz. "I want to help establish AVP programming and grow new AVP chapters wherever people see the need and express the desire."
Gary Wolff
Los Angeles Council; Second term expires 11/2026
Finance Committee and Treasurer
After retiring from a career in telecommunications engineering management, Groovy Gary became a facilitator in December 2005. For many years he regularly facilitated at Chuckawalla Valley State Prison and Centinela State Prison. Groovy Gary also has considerable experience working with not-for-profit organizations with a focus on financial operations and governance matters. He served as treasurer for both AVP-USA and the Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.
avp-grooveygary@earthlink.net
Office Administrator Toby Laverty
Bay Area Council Serves on multiple committees for AVP/CA.
Toby began his AVP participation in San Quentin Prison in 1997. He's been involved (off and on) during the last 25 plus years. He has been active on the Steering Committee multiple times and when he "retired" he accepted the position as the part time office administrator to assist in the routine work that needed to be done for our organization. He loves organizing and assisting in creating Gatherings for both the State and AVP/USA, and is currently the volunteer Clerk of the AVP/USA Conference Committee and volunteer community coordinator for the Bay Area Council. Toby facilitates both "inside" and "outside" workshops
admin@avpcalifornia.org