Senior Leadership
Marc Slater
Executive Director
Marc joined Raphael House in 2016. He comes to Raphael House with over a decade of nonprofit experience in marketing, media, and development. Marc was born in Los Angeles, he grew up in Malibu, California, and he has been enjoying the food, culture, and people of the Bay Area as a resident since 2004. Marc has based his professional career on being in service of others. This idea was fostered as a young man after saving a mother and her two children during a flash flood in 1991. This experience defined his life, and later his professional career. Marc started his career working in film and marketing and later dedicated his career to serving others as a director for the Boy Scouts of America and by heading shelter operations for the Humane Society. He is excited to continue his mission of serving others and having an impact on our local community as part of the Raphael House family.
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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.
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Nora Niesen
Director of Development
Nora joined Raphael House in January, 2021, following 6 years of fundraising in the Bay Area and 15 years of experience on both the giving and asking sides of philanthropy. Prior to working in the nonprofit sector, Nora worked in marketing and sales in the higher education publishing field in Boston, Albuquerque, and New York City. Nora received a BA in Communications from Simmons University in Boston and a Certificate in Fundraising from New York University. Through her first professional experience as an intern for Rosie’s Place, the first women’s shelter in the United States, Nora learned early on that she is mission-driven. Nora thrives on helping organizations and their people succeed, and she is thrilled to contribute to an experienced team doing meaningful and well-respected work to empower those we serve.
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.
Operations
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.
Development & Communications
Meagan Matthews
Development and Engagement Associate
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.
Kaya Woods
Marketing Specialist
Kaya joined Raphael House in July 2024, bringing a B.A. in Liberal Arts and a Pre-MBA certificate focusing on digital marketing. With four years of marketing experience across startups, agencies, and non-profits, she focuses on integrating data-driven insights with creative strategies to expand outreach and engagement. Inspired by Raphael House’s mission and impact, Kaya is eager to contribute to the organization through innovative marketing efforts. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring the outdoors and discovering new culinary experiences in San Francisco
Family Services
Ralitza Doynova
Children’s Services Manager
Ralitza is the Children and Family Services Manager at Raphael House. She joined Raphael House 11 years ago as the Tutoring Club and Children’s Outings Coordinator leading the academic tutoring, filed trips and children’s festivals and events for several years. She now heads Academic Tutoring and Enrichment for children and ESL tutoring for adults. Ralitza holds a Master’s Degree in Education and a B.A. in English.
David Macias
Bilingual Residential Case Manager
David Macias joined Raphael House in March 2022. Born and raised in the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco, David sparked a passion for helping others and supporting his community. Prior to Raphael House, David worked at other non-profit organizations within the Tenderloin Community, providing support services to formerly homeless single adults. David attended CCSF, and would like to further his education by pursuing a BA in Psychology. As a Bilingual Residential Case Manager, David works in collaboration with families in our Residential Shelter to address individual barriers to housing in order to develop a long-term plan for success. Some of his hobbies include cooking, trying out new restaurants, photography, and sightseeing.
Elena Novikova
Senior Residential Manager
Serving as the Residential Program Coordinator since 2004, Elena strives to maintain a tranquil, home-like atmosphere in which our diverse families can overcome crisis and find stability. For many of those years, she lived at Raphael House alongside the residential families, an experience she finds to be crucial in learning how to foster a successful healing environment. Prior to her work at Raphael House, Elena studied music at a post-graduate level in her home country of Russia, taught children of various ages both privately and in academies, and performed with several musical groups.
Daniela Guzman-Mayo
Bilingual Family Stability Specialist
Daniela joined Raphael House in July of 2024. She is a first generation Cuban immigrant who grew up in San Francisco and prides herself in being involved and giving back to the community that made it possible for her to be one of the first people in her family to graduate from college in the United States. Daniela graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2021 with a Bachelors in Psychology and has spent her time since then working for various nonprofit organizations in San Francisco. Most recently, she served as a bilingual residential case manager for Compass Family Services, based at The Margot, a permanent supportive housing site. Daniela is excited to bring her case management experience to Raphael House and looks forward to continuing to be a resource for families who are looking to stabilize their lives and pursue education or career development.