Board Of Directors
Leah Watson | President
Founder of GRACE – Girls Rising Above Child Exploitation in 2017. She also served on the Board of Directors for NAMEC – National Association for Missing and Exploited Children and served as the Director of Rehabilitation for Saved In America, assisting with the rescue and rehabilitation of children trafficked out of California. Leah had significant exposure to human trafficking at a young age and has dedicated her life to preventing at-risk youth from becoming trafficked along with assisting survivors in breaking the trafficking chain to discover their worth, restore their lives and become thriving members of society. She founded GRACE after accepting God’s grace where she was immediately forgiven, washed clean of her past and renewed in Christ, allowing her to step out in faith and help others. Leah serves as the President of the Family Readiness Group at SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, recently completed her Masters of Business Administration, and intends to continue with doctoral studies in Human and Social Services to better serve the needs of this vulnerable population.
Bella Passey | VP of Program Development
Originally from northern California, Bella graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2020, where she earned a B.A. in Managerial & Organizational Communications, along with a double minor in Public Relations and Women’s Studies. She continued on to obtain her Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership by the end of 2021.During college, Bella interned at multiple organizations and nonprofits including San Diego Economic Development Corporation and Girls Rising Above Child Exploitation (GRACE), where she gathered valuable experience in project management and organizational development. Bella continued on to work at GRACE as the Operations & Events Manager before departing in the beginning of 2022. Upon graduation, Bella went to work for Girl Scouts San Diego where she was responsible for managing conflict resolution efforts, conducting financial investigations, and leading company and volunteer-wide conflict trainings.Bella’s heart for social justice issues and survivors of human trafficking is what she keeps at the center of her heart when it comes to her drive and work for equality throughout the years.
Carter Moss | VP of Ministry
A software developer turned pastor and has been leading campuses of multi-site churches for the past 14 years. He is passionate about his faith in Jesus, about his family (his wife Jenn and three kids), and about serving his local community through his church in as many ways as possible, including helping lead the fight to end human trafficking.
Marisa Lawrence | Treasurer
Marisa currently works as a tax accountant for a public accounting firm where she serves clients all around the U.S. She has always been passionate about working with youth though and volunteers with the kids ministry at her church every Sunday. She is a San Diego native who studied accounting & finance at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU). While attending PLNU, she led a tutoring program for kids at a local church whose families did not speak English as a first language. Through that experience, she became an advocate for making youth education & other opportunities for youth more equitable. In her college summers, she worked at a Salvation Army camp for kids who would not normally be able to afford camp. In recent years, she has volunteered as a tennis coach for people of all ages with developmental disabilities.
Cinda Brockman | Secretary
Cinda is retired and is passionate about helping women and children in our community and has a BS in Child Psychology/Public Health. Cinda has been a member of the Mission Beach Women’s Club (MBWC) since 2015. The MBWC Mission Statement is dedicated to community service, charitable giving, educational enrichment and social opportunities. She has been on the Board as VP of Membership and currently became Director of Philanthropy for 2024-2025. She was Co-chair for the recent fundraiser for G.R.A.C.E (Girls Rising Above Child Exploitation) this past month where MBWC raised $65,000 for this organization. Cinda is also a Certified Professional Property Manager (CPPM) and a Consulting Fellow (CF). Cinda has been an active member of NPMA since 1986 and has more than 40 years of experience in property management.
Christina Warden | Advisory Member
Christina is a very friendly and outgoing Realtor. She loves turning strangers into friends. Her ability to connect, listen and understand people has made her very successful, both professionally and personally. She has a special place in her heart for the military, so she decided to make that her specialty. She became VA Certified years ago and has been helping veterans use their VA home loan benefit since. Beyond empowering veterans by becoming homeowners, she also volunteers with many military focused non-profits, such as San Diego Veterans Coalition and Foundation for Women Warriors. Christina’s ambition and sense of adventure brought her to San Diego from Green Bay Wisconsin. That same sense of adventure has turned her into a world traveler. Wanting to meet new people, understand other cultures and see the world has brought her to Italy, Germany, Peru, Indonesia and many more places
Annie Drury | Marketing and PR Advisory
Annie is a marketing and public relations advisor to GRACE, support the organization in elevating its brand awareness. She is Senior Vice President at Allison Worldwide, a global integrated marketing and communications consultancy dedicated to driving growth, innovation and positive change for clients, colleagues and communities. She also heads up her agency’s global volunteer committee and is deeply passionate about lifting up community advocates to drive positive change. Annie has mentored several young women to support them to thrive in their careers and enjoys spending her free time volunteering for causes that support female empowerment, literacy and community health, as well as her church.
Bob Mahoney | Strategic Advisor
Bob serves as the strategic advisor to GRACE with this proficient background in consulting and business performance. Bob previously worked in the semiconductor industry managing both small and large sales and marketing organizations. He is highly skilled at developing high performance complex global organizations and business processes that drive long term repeatable success. He is passionate about empowering young women in GRACE’s “Journey to Independence” program which prepares them for success careers and advance their higher education.
Rebecca Charlson | Advisory Attorney
In Loving Memory
Wes Wasson, our dear friend and GRACE supporter. Wes served on the GRACE board of directors from the start in 2017 until his last breath on December 10, 2023. Wes lead the charge in navigating challenges, coming up with creative ways to solve problems and make the most impact. Even through his battle with cancer, he continued to serve on the board and bring hope and humor to each meeting. His wisdom and guidance has aided in the success of this organization and will have a lasting impression for years to come. He had said, “I’m honored to serve on the GRACE board. In my day job, I run a tech startup that helps unbanked women in the developing world access loans. I see so many parallels between the women we work with and the girls of GRACE… yes, they’ve had hard lives, but I don’t see them as victims. I see them as amazing young women working incredibly hard to overcome challenges as they seek to achieve their dreams of a better life. I’m inspired by their journey and am so glad I get to play a small part in their story.”
PO Box 7028 San Diego, CA 92167
619.508.2747
EIN: 82-5370669