SASO

SASO Staff

Michael Rendon-Executive Director

Born and raised in Colorado, Michael has lived in Durango since 1993. Michael is the first male director of SASO and has been with agency since October 2008. Aside from being the Director, Michael sits on the Durango City Council, and currently serves at the Mayor Pro-tem for the city of Durango. Michael is the Vice-President of the La Plata County Regional Housing Alliance providing housing through the City of Durango, and is a Board member with the Unity Project, providing inter-cultural understanding in the Durango area. For fun Michael plays violin with his Gypsy band, Carute Roma and he enjoys hiking, gardening, and reading with his Partner, Minna Jain.

Emma Salazar-Community Education Coordinator

After graduating from Fort Lewis College in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Human Services,  Emma began working with community organizations dedicated to empowering young people culturally, academically, and socially.  Her career goal continues to be teaching young people how to identify their strengths and use those to become self-sufficient and confident.  She has worked with young people in a variety of settings, and has studied development of children from birth through adolescence.  She has also completed requirements for Teacher Education at the middle school/high school level. 

Olivia Donaji-de Pablo-Community Organizing Coordinator

Born and raised in Mexico, Olivia Donají moved to Durango in 1993 after finishing a BA in Business Administration from the University of Morelos, Mexico.   During 1997-99 she attended Fort Lewis College and earned her teaching certification. Currently, she is working in obtaining a Sociology Degree at FLC.  Her first encounter with SASO was in 1997 when she became the Latino Outreach Coordinator and volunteered for the hotline for a couple of years. She has worked as the Program Coordinator for the Companeros Latino Resource Center, the Latina Outreach Coordinator for Alternative Horizons, a Bilingual Elementary School Teacher for the Farmington School District, and the Interim Coordinator for the Colorado Immigrant Rights State Coalition.  She is also the Founder of the Ballet Folkloric of Durango, as well as an active and engaged community member. All of these positions have prepared her to embrace her passion for working with Social Justice Issues.  She has been SASO’s Community Organizer since 2007.  In her personal path she enjoys: Activism, traveling, local colors, people, family, poetry, writing, painting, nature, and dancing.

Andrea Rossi-Advocacy Services Coordinator

Andrea began volunteering for SASO in October 2007, and has been with SASO as the Advocacy Services Coordinator since August 2009.  She was raised outside of Denver, and arrived in Durango in August 2007 as a transfer student attending Fort Lewis College.  At Fort Lewis, Andrea studied Anthropology and Gender/Women’s Studies, and was actively involved in campus and community events.  At Fort Lewis, She was president of Feminist Voice, a participant in Dance Comotion, an actress and producer of “The Vagina Monologues,” a member of the Durango Youth Coalition, and vice-president and president of SEEDS-Campus Ecology.  Andrea also worked at the FLC Environmental Center as the Education and Outreach Coordinator, and planned events, like Earth Week, and ran programs, like the Youth Environmental Leadership Program at Miller Middle School.  When she is not at work, Andrea enjoys Durango’s seasonal fun, from biking and climbing in the summertime to skiing or snowshoeing in the winter, and volunteering at the La Plata County Humane Society on any free weekend or afternoon.

Fernando Mendoza-Volunteer Coordinator

Raised in Durango, Fernando is the youngest member of our team. He is a graduate of Durango High School and he is passionate about working with grassroots, non-profit organizations. He has volunteered and worked for several non-profits in Durango, including: Del Alma, Companeros, Latina Initiative, Unity Project, and now SASO. Fernando volunteered with SASO for two years prior to becoming a member of the SASO team in October of 2009.

Ruby Jo Walker-Support Group Therapist

Ruby Jo Walker has been a social worker for over 30 years and has been working in the field of trauma for over 20 years.  She is certified in EMDR and Hakomi, a mindfulness-based, body-centered method of therapy, and has advanced training in MatrixWorks, using a group as a living systems model.  Ruby Jo is in private practice specializing in trauma, growth work, and supervising psychotherapists.  She is currently getting certified in Somatic Experiencing, an advanced trauma technique developed by Peter Levine.  She has passion and excitement about therapy—working with both clients and helping therapists to further develop their skills.  Ruby Jo was in the first CAPP training in Durango and is a past Board member of SASO.  She has one daughter who always keeps her on her toes.  She loves being a parent, and loves outdoor activities including hiking, snowshoeing, x-country skiing, and biking.  Ruby Jo is passionate about personal growth and professional development—and brings this love to all of her work and her life.

Dawn Haney- Executive & Program Associate

Born and raised in the Midwest, Dawn made her way to Durango in 2004. Soon after, she joined SASO as the Prevention Coordinator, applying her master's degree in Health Promotion to educate students about sexual violence prevention. In June 2005, she was promoted to Executive Director, where she was fortunate to work with an amazing team of staff, volunteers, and board members. Some of her proudest accomplishments at SASO involved the agency's shift to recognize how sexual violence is used as a tool of multiple oppressions. She helped build SASO's Council on Sexual Violence Prevention, worked on immigrant integration with the Unity Project, and co-chaired Out on the Colorado Plateau, a conference to raise LGBTQ visibility. She took an "early retirement" from SASO in October 2008, and soon learned that you can never truly leave the SASO family. She continues to work with SASO as the Executive & Program Associate, helping out with a variety of administrative and program tasks for the agency. Now that she has free time, she also enjoys writing, studying Buddhist meditation, and finding new ways to organize for social justice.