Meet Our Team

Community Ambassador

Adriano Faria is a multilingual community advocate and social impact professional whose journey spans two continents. Originally from northeastern Brazil, Adriano combines his background in electronic engineering with a deep commitment to social work and community development.

Before moving to the United States in 2018, Adriano dedicated eight years to Brazil's public education system while simultaneously volunteering in local harm reduction programs supporting homeless communities and also with a percussion therapy project, creating social change by providing free classes to disadvantaged communities and individuals experiencing homelessness.

In Santa Cruz, Adriano has dedicated himself to nonprofit work, collaborating with local organizations to support vulnerable populations. Additionally, as a cultural bridge-builder, Adriano has established several free Latin music events in Santa Cruz, bringing people together and building community through music and dance. His community dance initiatives foster connection, inclusivity, and social unity, celebrating the diversity of the community.

Since September 2024, Adriano has been serving as an outreach ambassador for Miracle Messages in the Santa Cruz and Watsonville areas. In this role, he combines his extensive experience in community development with his passion for creating meaningful connections, fostering community engagement and making social impact in the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness, while building more inclusive communities.

adriano.ambassador@miraclemessages.org

Chief Operations Officer

Colette brings a lifelong commitment to community service and volunteering to the Miracle Messages team. She earned a Master’s degree in Psychology with a focus on behavioral genetics and has volunteered in some capacity since her first year of college. As a past Rotary club president, Area Governor, and current Rotarian, she applies the “Service above Self” Rotary motto in all she does. After hearing Kevin give a presentation in 2018, she became an immediate fan of how well Miracle Messages fit her values and ensures that no one has to feel helpless on the issue of homelessness.

colette@miraclemessages.org

Director of Reunion Services

Gabby first came to Miracle Messages in early 2016 after seeing a sibling reunion highlighted on a local news show. She contacted Kevin and immediately started offering Miracle Messages to her unhoused friends in the community. Gabby has been an active member of the homeless service provider community in South Florida through her work with the Choose Love Foundation for 10+ years and has helped grow our partnerships with other service providers such as HOPE South Florida, Sisters of Charity, Jubilee Center of Hollywood, Showering Love, and where it all began, Choose Love Foundation.

gabby@miraclemessages.org

Director of Communications

Storytelling is the through line of Imani’s story.

She has a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance with a minor in Humanities from California Institute of the Arts. Photography and videography are ways Imani has continued to hone her storytelling skills. Imani specializes in filmmaking and social media content creation that has served to shift mindsets with messages of hope. She has created content for non-profit organizations, churches, musical artists, realtors, business leaders, and more.

Imani has been committed to vocational service for over 20 years, choosing to serve individuals living in poverty, victims of trafficking and other disenfranchisement. She’s traveled across North America, Asia and Europe, partnering with organizations seeking refreshment, encouragement and skills training. She has worked in Marketing and Communications the past 5 years, and is honored to be the Director of Communications at Miracle Messages. She currently resides in Oakland, Ca. with her furry friend Juju.

imani@miraclemessages.org

Development Director

Kelly has 17 years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector, including 13 years in fundraising, where she has supported missions related to food and nutrition security, education, child welfare, neighborhood development, youth services and youth development, refugee services, global humanitarian work and more. 

She has fundraised for both small and large organizations, including local, national and international missions. She brings best practices from across revenue streams with strengths in fundraising strategy, communications, and major giving. Kelly lives in Michigan with her husband and their two dogs.

kelly@miraclemessages.org

Founder-in-Residence

Kevin F. Adler is an award-winning social entrepreneur and the author of the new book, When We Walk By, a must-read guide for ending homelessness in America.

Since 2014, Kevin has served as the Founder and CEO of Miracle Messages, a nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness rebuild their social support systems and financial security through family reunification services, a phone buddy program, and the first basic income pilot for unhoused individuals in the US, backed by Google.org and as part of a $2.1 million randomized control trial led by researchers at USC. Kevin’s pioneering work on homelessness and relational poverty has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, PBS NewsHour, Los Angeles Times, CNN, on a billboard in Times Square, in his TED Talk, and in his groundbreaking (and hopeful) new book, When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America.

Visit https://www.kevinfadler.com/about for more.

Director of Miracle Friends

Madeline brings decades of experience in information technology, operations, and social service to the team. After graduating from college with a degree in Political Science and Computer Science, she spent her career as an information technology professional, retiring in 2019 as Director of Information Technology. She used her passion for helping others during her retirement by volunteering for several non-profit organizations, including Miracle Messages. While watching an interview with Kevin in the spring of 2019, she discovered she could use her IT skills and her desire to help our unhoused neighbors as a volunteer digital detective. Seeing the strong impact Miracle Messages and their volunteers had in every interaction convinced Madeline to come out of retirement to accept the position of Director of Operations.

madeline@miraclemessages.org

Executive Director

Mary has spent over two decades in the nonprofit sector working on issues of equity, homelessness and health. Prior to becoming Executive Director of Miracle Messages, she was the Executive Director of California at Health Leads working closely with community partners, local public

health departments and health care systems. Prior to Health Leads, Mary was the Director of Program from Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency, a leading homeless service provider in

Alameda County, CA. Mary started her work in supporting individuals

with intellectual disabilities and mental illness. Currently, Mary sits on the Board of Directors for Courageous Women and is the Treasure of the Board of Directors for the Ability Challenge. Growing up, Mary lived in Buffalo, NY and spent

her summers in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Home is now Richmond, CA to her, her two children, rottweiler puppy and partner. She holds a Master of Health Care Delivery Sciences from Dartmouth College, MPH from University of North Carolina and a BA from State University at Buffalo.

mary@miraclemessages.org

Director of Miracle Money

Growing up in a small town in California, Nelly always knew a strong sense of community and the positive effects from it. This coupled with her passion to work with disenfranchised communities brought her to Miracle Messages. Nelly brings her years of case management expertise from working with people experiencing chronic homelessness in Sonoma County where she first learned of the Miracles Messages' mission while utilizing it for her clients. Immediately, she knew it was something she wanted to be a part of. Doing outreach on the streets of San Francisco, Nelly is not only sharing the programs of Miracle Messages and Miracle Friends, but also smiles and conversations with our unhoused neighbors.

nelly@miraclemessages.org

Engagement Manager

Rosalie started volunteering with Miracle Messages in January 2022.

With a strong background in Human Services and Chemical Dependency counseling, she passionately advocates for mental health and domestic violence awareness. She utilizes her life experiences to inspire empathy and compassion in her role as Engagement Manager.

rosalie@miraclemessages.org

Program Associate

Growing up on the East Coast in a family impacted by homelessness, Sarah has had an innate passion for social equity work, historically approaching the field through storytelling as a photographer, filmmaker, and writer. An opportunity to serve as an interim volunteer coordinator for a shelter on the East Coast planted a seed and desire to nurture this career path, and was brought to sharper focus after moving to California. Upon finding Miracle Messages at a serendipitous time, she was grateful to join the programming team. Sarah lives with her husband and twin daughters in the Bay Area.

sarah@miraclemessages.org

Head of Program and Impact

Sheena draws from 20+ years in public health through program development and research. Across her time in nonprofit management, Sheena has worked in cross-sector settings where stakeholders ranging from large institutions to community-based organizations and lived experience advisory groups - all working together to improve services and systems. 

Prior to her current role, Sheena worked closely with community partners, public health departments, schools, and social service organizations to develop and scale initiatives addressing essential needs and integrating health, education, and social supports. Her experience includes overseeing local, statewide, and national program operations. She has also built on her expertise in policy, narrative change, research and evaluation through roles with nonprofits in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and abroad.

Sheena grew up in Los Angeles and now resides in San Diego. She holds an MPH from Drexel University, a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Irvine, and a BA in Neuroscience and Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania.

sheena@miraclemessages.org