Contact a Confidential Advocate

CARE is fully operational, taking appointments, and responding to emergencies. Click here for information about scheduling an appointment with a confidential advocate.

For urgent matters, confidential counselors are available 24/7 by calling (530) 752-3299.

Staff

CARE Staff

Celia Lugo 
Intake and Office Coordinator
P: (530) 752-3299 E: clugo@ucdavis.edu  
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Celia began her advocacy work as an undergraduate, being a classroom advocate for students in middle school. In her work, she looks to be supportive to others and provide resources to help navigate any situation. She achieved her bachelor's in Psychology and minor in Spanish from Sonoma State University in 2017. Worked for the Yolo County Office of Education and meanwhile increased her skillset and toolbox, she has continually sought out additional training which covers topics such as mental health, trauma, and grieving. She received her Community Health Worker certification in May 2022. Recently completed La Cultura Cure Circle Keeper Process, facilitator curriculum training via the National Compadres Network. Experience facilitating group sessions and cultivating a movement of community health through acknowledgment. As a continuous learner and helper, she is excited to be working with the CARE program and providing support to the UC Davis community. She enjoys learning, being outdoors, reading, and visiting the beach at least once a month. Celia's strengths are restorative, relator, responsibility, discipline, and developer.

Taylor Cirksena
Victim Advocacy Specialist
P: (530) 752-0172 E: tcirksena@ucdavis.edu 
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Taylor began her career in the field of victim advocacy and trauma-informed care working as a Crisis Specialist within the Suicide Prevention Department at WellSpace Health in 2020. She comes to UC Davis from WEAVE, a local nonprofit based out of Sacramento specializing in supporting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and stalking. Taylor first started at WEAVE as an on-call Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Advocate, accompanying survivors during their evidentiary exams and providing emotional support, safety planning, and engaging the survivor in supportive follow-up care. Most recently, Taylor was the victim advocate embedded at Citrus Heights Police Department. There she supported survivors in moments of crisis while out on patrol in the field and worked side by side with detectives to advocate for survivors throughout the investigative and judiciary processes. Taylor is an alumnus of Sacramento State and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Psychology, specifically focused on neuroscience, mindfulness practices, and the impact trauma can have on the brain.

Taylor is looking forward to being back within a university culture and is excited to support and empower members of the UC Davis community while advocating for both a safe and inclusive environment for all students, staff, and faculty.

VACANT
Victim Advocacy Specialist

Open recruitment: job posting can be found at the UC Davis jobs site, Job ID 50377. Deadline to apply is Friday, March 24th.

Jacquelynn Lira
Assistant Director
P: (530) 754-6387 E: jllira@ucdavis.edu
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

In 2007, Jacquelynn began her advocacy work in sexual assault and domestic violence with WEAVE in Sacramento County before joining the CARE program in 2012. Over the years, she has trained teams of advocates, facilitated state certified trainings for new staff/volunteers, provided outreach and education, served as an expert witness for the Yolo County District Attorney’s office, as well as assisted survivors through both the criminal justice and administrative reporting processes. Jacquelynn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Philosophy from California State University, Sacramento, she is a Certified Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Counselor in the state of California and is a certified ICI Instructor for the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training. Jacquelynn’s love and passion for this work is as strong as it was in 2007. It continues to be an honor and privilege to serve the UC Davis community.

Kelsie Sladen
Training and Education Specialist
P: (530) 754-3453 E: ksladen@ucdavis.edu 
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Kelsie began her advocacy career in 2015, working closely with and supporting underserved and underrepresented LGBTQ+ youth and young adults in Sacramento and Yolo Counties. While serving the LGBTQ+ community, Kelsie developed her skill set in crisis intervention, trauma informed care, and community safety. She used these skills along with her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology to help support, advocate for, and work closely with community members experiencing homelessness, sexual violence, mental health crisis, and substance use. This work paired with her love for the community developed Kelsie’s deep passion for community education. Over the last two years Kelsie has focused on providing community education to local organizations and schools, on a wide variety of topics including comprehensive and inclusive sex education, inclusive health care spaces, and LGBTQ+ competency. Kelsie is committed to supporting survivors and those most marginalized through trauma informed care, centering survivor experiences, and providing inclusive education. She is so excited to join the CARE team to continue doing this work and focus on sexual violence prevention and education in the UC Davis community. 

VACANT
Training and Education Specialist

Open recruitment: job posting can be found at the UC Davis jobs site, Job ID 52041. Deadline to apply is Thursday, May 4th.  

Sarah Meredith
Director
P: (530) 754-6389 E: sameredith@ucdavis.edu
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Sarah began her career in the field of sexual assault and domestic violence in 2003, working as a victim advocate in Alpine County for the South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center. After leaving Tahoe, Sarah joined the education and training department at WEAVE in Sacramento; and in 2010, she joined the UC Davis CARE team. She is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and minor in Biology, a certified Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Counselor, a graduate of the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Master Instructor Certification Course, and a certified yoga instructor (RYT-200). Over the course of her career, she has worked with hundreds of survivors of violence, and has facilitated educational programming and professional trainings to countless learners in various settings. She is passionate about prevention education and having conversations about healthy sexual communication, consent, and violence prevention.

CARE Student Assistants 

Isabella Masterson 
Outreach Student Assistant 
4th Year Psychology and Human Development; Asian American Studies Minor
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Isabella is a 4th year Psychology and Human Development double major with an Asian American Studies minor from El Cerrito, California. Isabella has been working with CARE since her sophomore year and currently serves as the Student Outreach Assistant. She has spent her time with CARE working on how to make resources more accessible to students of color and the LGBTQIA+ community. Isabella is excited to continue this work in the coming year and expand outreach to different student communities.  Her work at CARE inspires her to be a part of the change she wants to see on campus. In her free time, Isabella loves to cook, workout, thrift, and spend time with friends and family.

Natalie Liu
Graphic Design Student Assistant
4th Year Design
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Natalie is currently a 4th year Design major from the Bay Area. This is her first year working for CARE and is excited to help spread awareness through graphic design! In addition to CARE she is also a graphic designer for Student Affairs Marketing & Communications (SAMC) here on campus, and is an active member and previous co-director of Design Careers Club, a student-led organization dedicated to providing guidance and professional development resources for students interested in pursuing a career in design.In her free time, she loves trying any artistic activity she can get her hands on. Most recently that has included: rug making, crocheting, jewelry making and film photography. When not doing the above, you can find her tending to her many plants accumulated over the pandemic.