Please see our Mission on the About page.
Here is our current board – we are lucky to have a team of amazing volunteers in these important leadership and advisory positions.
Lisa Wenninger (she/her), PhD, MBA – President
Dr. Lisa Wenninger has a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Antioch University Seattle with a research focus on antiracism and equity in counseling. She is a National Certified Counselor and is licensed in California and Washington, with a telehealth-only social justice counseling practice working with individuals with marginalized identities who are navigating a complex and difficult world. Lisa runs a consulting business offering continuing education trainings and telehealth/HIPAA technology guidance to mental health professionals. Lisa supports NARTIC, the Network for Antiracist Teaching in Counseling, with administration tasks, and has been a leader of student social justice clubs in both her master’s program at Northwestern and throughout her doctorate at Antioch. She has been on the Membership Committee of the national Counselors for Social Justice for five years, serving as co-chair since 2022.
Keiko Sano (she/her), PhD – Secretary
Dr. Keiko Sano is a licensed Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, State Approved Supervisor and she has worked closely with her students and local community members. She was born and raised in Japan, and she worked in Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong to assist individuals and their families from diverse backgrounds before moving to the US. Her strong passion for counseling and counselor education in global contexts leads to her continued learning and services in culturally sensitive and equitable approaches by focusing on the diversity of counselors, counselors-in-training, supervisors, and counselor educators. As a core faculty in the Counselor Education and Supervision program at Antioch University, she values relationships and community and emphasizes student-centered learning and servant leadership. She mentors students within and outside of the institution, and she serves for the ACA Foundation, ACA’s International Committee, and Chi Sigma Iota’s Chapter Faculty Advisor Committee. As a counselor, she primarily works with expatriates, immigrants, and military populations, as well as their family members and friends in her local community.
Jared Lau (he/him), PhD – Interim Treasurer
Dr. Jared Lau is excited and humbled to join the board of Resonant Equity as a director. For over a decade Jared has been a university faculty member in counselor education and has served in several leadership roles both within the university and nationally. Jared is a nationally certified counselor and is fully licensed as a clinical mental health counselor in North Carolina and as a clinical professional counselor in Nevada. Previous counseling positions include serving as a counselor in a university counseling clinic, university career services, group and community practices, and as a 9th grade high school counselor. Jared is active in the American Counseling Association and its divisions and is a former President of the Western Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (WACES), Member of the Governing Council for the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) and is the 2023 recipient of the ACES Locke-Paisley Outstanding Mentor Award. Jared is a founding member of the Network for Antiracist Teaching in Counseling (NARTIC), is currently the Secretary for the ACA division Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ) and is an editorial board member for the Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling. Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Jared loves the water, sports, music, and spending time with family and friends.
Karena Heyward (she/her), PhD – Director
Dr. Karena J. Heyward is a counselor educator, licensed therapist (LPC and LMFT – Virginia), and creative committed to liberation, justice, and radical healing. She holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision. With over 13 years of experience in the field, Karena trains future mental health counselors and sport and performance consultants at the University of Western States, weaving anti-oppressive, systemic, and liberation-focused frameworks into every space she enters.
Her Gullah Geechee roots ground her relationship to culture, food, people, and the land, and her German and American heritage, shaped further by international travel and study abroad, informs a praxis that holds global context close. Her work in the world sits at the intersection of education, clinical training, mentorship, community service, history and current events. She is deeply committed to sustainable practice, for her students, her supervisees, her people, and herself. Outside of her work, Karena can be found in the garden, at the beach, building with Legos, making collage art, or glamping somewhere beautiful. She is honored to bring her voice and vision to the Resonant Equity board.
Thank you all for stepping up to do this work together!