Mélody Saint-Saëns

Mélody Saint- Saëns is the Division Manager of the Contra Costa Alliance to End Abuse at the Employment Human Services Department. Prior to joining the Alliance in May of 2023, she worked for 18 years at Bay Area Legal Aid representing hundreds of low-income survivors of interpersonal violence in family law actions, restraining order proceedings, immigration cases, and other civil legal matters. While there, she served as the Contra Costa Domestic Violence Restraining Order Clinics Coordinator and oversaw the regional immigration law practice across seven counties.

Mélody has a B.A. degree in Spanish and International Relations (with a concentration in politics, culture, and identity) from Wellesley College and a J.D. from the University of Miami, School of Law. She is licensed under the State Bar of California. She is fluent in French, Spanish, and English. She also coaches a middle-school Ultimate team.

Oravanh Thammasen

Oravanh has over ten years of experience working in violence prevention and intervention. She earned her Bachelor’s from the University of California Irvine and a Master’s from Syracuse University. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic, providing public health education to women and young adults in rural communities. She is multilingual in English, Lao, Spanish, and Thai. Before joining the Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD), Oravanh worked at Bay Area Legal Aid as a fair housing advocate and at the Contra Costa Family Justice Alliance as the West Center Director. As the EHSD Program/Projects Coordinator, she supports the Contra Costa Alliance to End Abuse in prevention and intervention efforts to end interpersonal violence.

Claudia Gonzalez

Claudia, born in Mexico and raised in East Contra Costa County, obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Health Science from San Jose State University. Currently, she is dedicated to furthering her education by pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Health. In April 2019, Claudia became a part of the Alliance to End Abuse, where she undertakes various responsibilities, primarily overseeing the Human Trafficking Coalition and managing the Abuse in Later Life grant. Additionally, she actively engages in several multi-disciplinary coalitions and efforts. Within the Alliance to End Abuse, Claudia focuses on supporting prevention strategies, facilitating early intervention activities, and driving systemic changes to improve the wellbeing of families and the community.

Laneisha Terrell

Laneisha was raised in the Bay Area in Vallejo. She earned her Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Sonoma State University. She has been with the County since 2016 and joined the Contra Costa Alliance to End Abuse in early 2019. As a member of the Alliance to End Abuse, Laneisha is the contracts liaison overseeing the contracting process between the Alliance and Alliance partners. Laneisha also assists with managing the Alliance budget and grant tracking. She will expand her scope to include focusing on preventing violence against youth in 2024 and looks forward to continuing efforts of the Alliance to affect a systems change and end interpersonal violence.