Senior Leadership
Tina Burgelman
Executive Director
Tina Burgelman is a nonprofit leader and Certified Fundraising Executive with over 20 years of experience leading high-performing teams and driving philanthropic success. Tina is a biracial Filipino American who credits her deep joy for people and community to her family and cultural heritage, which have shaped her leadership approach. She believes that Raphael House is an organization driven by compassion, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to supporting families on their path to permanent housing. Tina holds a Master of Science in Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Western Washington University. Beyond her professional work, Tina is a dedicated community leader. She chairs the Development Committee on the Canal Alliance Board and previously held a Mayoral Appointment on the Oversight and Advisory Committee for the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families. She also served as Second Vice President at St. Thomas the Apostle School, supporting its leadership during the pandemic.
She lives in San Rafael with her husband, Oliver, their two sons, Jasper and Remy, their dog, Pogi, and their cat, Ganda.
Elisa Feria
Director of Family Services
Elisa joined Raphael House in August 2015. After earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University, she spent four years working as an advocate for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Her scope of service was based in both community programs and emergency shelter, and included support group facilitation, crisis line counseling, legal services advocacy for custody and domestic violence restraining orders, community outreach and education, and intensive case management. As the Director of Family Services, Elisa ensures that program staff offer the supportive services needed when families enroll and participate in our Residential and Bridge services.
Marie Wang
Director of Finance
Marie assumed the Director of Finance position at Raphael House in October 2017. She earned two Master’s Degrees, one was from the University of Nebraska, majoring in Economics, and the other was from the University of Missouri, majoring in Statistics. She has also taken many core accounting and finance courses to build the foundation of her working knowledge in the business economics, quantitative analysis, budgeting, accounting and financial analysis fields. She has over twenty years of experience in financial and business management in various business sectors, ranging from the national defense aerospace industry, private and public schools, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. She served as a Regional Controller in the California region for a national charter school management company for 4 years and then as the Director of Finance/CFO for an independent Charter School in San Francisco for 6 years. Prior to joining Raphael House, she served as the Director of Finance for a Housing Authority in the Bay Area for the past 2 years. In addition, she was, simultaneously, an adjunct Visiting Professor for 12 years, teaching Budgeting and Business Economics in the MBA programs.
Melissa Heredia
Director of Operations
Melissa joined Raphael House in April 2017. She is a Bay Area native and has a passion for helping people in her community. Melissa studied Psychology at San Jose State University and started her career supporting a nonprofit agency for youth and families in the South Bay. Her background also includes project management, customer service, and knowledge of property management, and is excited to bring her experience to serve the community at Raphael House.
Kai Ikehara
Senior HR Manager
Kai Ikehara joined Raphael House in March 2024. Kai was born and raised in San Francisco and aims to have a positive impact on the world. He graduated from UC Davis in 2019 and brings his experience in HR and compliance to Raphael House. In his free time, Kai enjoys traveling to new places and learning new languages. He believes in lifelong education and helping others whenever possible. Kai is proud to work for an organization that has a mission that aligns with his personal values, especially supporting families in need.
Mitchell Felton
Development Director
Mitchell is a successful nonprofit professional with over 12 years of fundraising experience at organizations throughout the Bay Area and has contributed to the nonprofit sector in a variety of ways, including as a volunteer for College Track, as Treasurer for his rugby team, the San Francisco Fog, and as a member of the Alumni Board of his alma mater.
Born in Hong Kong and adopted by American parents living and working there, Mitchell spent his formative years in Hong Kong before moving to Fresno for middle and high school. He later attended Pitzer College, a member of the Claremont Colleges in Southern California, and eventually made his way to San Francisco.
He lives in San Francisco with his partner, Niko. In his free time, Mitchell plays rugby for the San Francisco Fog, the West Coast’s first gay and inclusive rugby team, plays golf, stays active as an alumnus of his college, and enjoys traveling and trying new restaurants.
Development & Communications
Meagan Matthews
Development Manager
Meagan joined the Raphael House team in January 2024. With a B.S. in Human Biology and a minor in creative writing, she is specifically interested in the intersection of public health and storytelling. Her work in development began by operating a successful peer-to-peer campaign with The Farmlink Project. Through her major and a previous database management position, she has developed a knack for data entry and maintenance. She is driven by Raphael House’s mission to support families on their path to stability and feels fortunate to learn from its dedicated team. Since moving to San Francisco in the fall of 2023, Meagan has spent her spare time trying new recipes and restaurants, looking for opportunities to dance, walking around the city, and trying to make more art.
Molly Newgard
Institutional Giving Manager
Molly Newgard is a lifelong explorer of stories, places, and the connections that strengthen
communities. After beginning her career teaching art history, she transitioned into nonprofit
administration and development, where for the past decade she has helped arts and social service organizations secure the resources they need to thrive.Her time living in Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, and abroad in Lyon, Buenos Aires, Madrid, and Mexico City, along with her bi-racial background, have shaped her global perspective and deep appreciation for cultural expression and differences. Those experiences fuel her passion for supporting programs that expand opportunity and dignity for all people.
Molly recently returned to her Bay Area roots with her husband to be closer to family and their two adult children. Outside of work, she can often be found exploring museums, reading widely, traveling, practicing piano, dancing ballet or doing Pilates, playing with her dog, or photographing the hidden beauty of churches and historic architecture.
Giovanna Lomanto
Marketing Specialist
Giovanna joined Raphael House in early 2025 with seven years of communications experience under her belt. As a MFA graduate in Creative Writing, she is passionate about how stories can change any readers’ worldview. Her history in literary nonprofits—working in both programs and communications—has helped her gain a 360-degree perspective on what it takes to make a team thrive. Outside of Raphael House, Giovanna loves engaging in the Bay Area’s vibrant writing community. She helps run the small publishing press Game Over Books, curates the QTBIPOC Feature weekend at the San Francisco literary festival, and can be found running between local poetry reading series.
Amanda Hopkins
Development Assistant
Amanda joined the Raphael House team in March of 2025, bringing ten years of nonprofit development experience and a B.A. in English with additional coursework in business. Very early on in her career, she developed an interest in the financial sustainability of nonprofit organizations. She is particularly interested in how excellent data and writing can come together to make that happen, and excited to use her database and communication skills in her work at Raphael House. In her free time, Amanda enjoys writing, running, being outdoors, and reading.