Foundation Fellows

Patrick Bozarth serves as the Executive Director of Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada, and is also a mental health and substance abuse treatment counselor. Patrick earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles and was awarded the distinguished honor of being the first-ever graduate to earn a specialization degree in the field of LGBT psychology and counseling, in addition to being the first recipient of the Sandra L. Golvin Memorial Scholarship for LGBT affirmative psychology. 

Over the past several years, he has gained extensive clinical experience working with a wide range of populations in outpatient and in-home care, case management and group counseling. Patrick currently serves as a member of the Ryan White Executive Planning Council and the SAPTA Advisory Board. In 2015, he launched the Nellie Bly Leadership Society, a first of its kind initiative focused on increasing awareness of mental health care in Nevada through education and advocacy. 

Since 2008, Shalimar T. Cabrera has served as the Executive Director for the Las Vegas sites of United States Veterans Initiative (U.S.VETS), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the successful transition of military veterans and their families. She manages a multi-million dollar budget and supervises a large team of more than 50 staff, plus intern students, who provide housing, employment, and other support services in two residential facilities for more than 300 individual veterans, plus one veteran service center and scattered site programs in Las Vegas to assist more than 500 veteran households annually. 

Shalimar is also the Chairperson of the Las Vegas Veterans Stand Down, coordinating outcome-driven services to meet the needs of hundreds of veterans each year.  She also currently serves as the Co-Chair for the Southern Nevada Homeless Continuum of Care Board.  Shalimar holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, and a master’s degree in social work, with a concentration on management and community practice, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Arash Ghafoori is the Executive Director of the Nevada Partnership for

Homeless Youth (NPHY), Southern Nevada’s most comprehensive service

provider for homeless youth. Since assuming the post in 2012, Arash has led an agency-wide overhaul and rejuvenation, growing NPHY into a more effective, efficient, and sustainable direct service provider, while turning NPHY into a community leader on issues affecting Southern Nevada’s most vulnerable population.  

Arash is active in the national and local movements to end youth homelessness, serving in leadership roles on the Southern Nevada Homelessness Continuum of Care Board, National Safe Place Advisory Board, and a variety of local and national committees and working groups.      

Arash holds a joint bachelor’s degree in international relations and political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.         

He was honored in 2014 as a “40 Under 40” business trailblazer by Vegas Inc. and received the 2016 Executive Leadership Award from National Safe Place and the Green Chips Sustainable Leadership Award for 2017.

Liz Ortenburger has been fighting for the rights of women and youth during the past 20 years. In nationwide organizations such as Girl Scouts and the YMCA, Liz worked diligently to ensure all youth had the opportunity to thrive through experiences that helped them realize their full potential. In her current position as the CEO for SafeNest, Liz employs her energy and passion for domestic violence victims and their children as she leads staff and volunteers, ensuring every survivor can see their path from crisis to confidence. Liz earned her MBA at IESE, a top globally-ranked business school in Barcelona, Spain, and her bachelor’s degree in business administration at California State University, Fresno. 

A nationally ranked track and field athlete in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races, Liz earned academic honors and an athletic scholarship. Today, working to end the domestic violence epidemic in Clark County and raising two happy, healthy children are Liz’s main focuses.

Sherri Cane (“Sugar”) Vogel is the Executive Director of the Southern Nevada Senior Law Program, an organization that delivers free legal services to Clark County residents who are 60 and older. SNSLP serves 2,000 clients in the areas of estate planning and probate, long-term health care, prevention of elder abuse and elder law rights. Sherri served as Chair of the State of Nevada Elder Abuse Task Force from 2006-2012. She has received degrees from the University of Sheffield, in England, the University of Michigan, and Oxford University, as well as a law degree from Detroit College of Law.

Jeff Detrick is an Army veteran that served 12 years as a combat medic, deploying twice to Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently, Jeff works as an Academic Coordinator at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has worked in this positon for the last three years assisting adults wanting to pursue their post-secondary degrees/certifications or high school equivalency. Jeff sits on the Adult Learner Advisory Committee and the Non-Traditional Student Scholarship Committee at UNLV. Jeff is also a student pursuing his Masters in Public Administration at UNLV.

Jeff is currently the president of the UNLV Alumni Veterans Club, a Commissioner on the Nevada Dept. of Veteran Services (NVDS) Veterans Services Commission, and a Committee Member on the NVDS Southern Nevada Veterans Cemetery Advisory Committee.

Christina Vela has more than 20 years of professional and progressive human and social service experience that includes developing and administering foster care, homeless and supportive services to children, youth, transition age-youth and their families. She has worked as a Manager for the Clark County Department of Family Services, Social Services Program Specialist for the State of Nevada and a Program Specialist for the Federal Administration for Children and Families-Children’s Bureau in Washington, D.C.  Christina also has worked for nonprofits, including Chief Program Officer for St. Jude’s Ranch for Children and Coordinator for the State of Nevada Coalition to Prevent the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. 

Most recently Christina has returned to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children as Executive Director.

Christina holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is a proud alumnus of Emerge Nevada, Leadership Las Vegas Class of 2013, Jameson Fellows and Clark County Leadership Academy.  Additionally, Christina was formerly a member of the Board of Trustees for the CASA Foundation of Las Vegas and former Board President for Southern Nevada Children First.  Recently Christina was recognized by Vegas Inc. for 2018 Women to Watch.