2026 NOW Conference Presenter

Emilie Iannarelli

Emilie (she/her) is the Violence Prevention and Education Program Coordinator at the Center for Support and Intervention. At CSI, Emilie oversees Bears that Care, a student-led Active Bystander initiative, and directly supervises nine peer-educators who facilitate discussions on Social Identity and Microaggressions, Hazing, Consent, and more for the campus. Additionally, Emilie serves as Co-chair for UC Berkeley’s Hazing Prevention Collaborative. She comes with over 6 years of violence prevention experience. Emilie earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from...

Gina Garcia

Gina Garcia is Senior Associate Director of Employer Relations at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, where she partners with MBA students and employers to build meaningful career connections. With a history of directing recruiting strategies and over 20 years of experience cultivating relationships across industries, Gina understands what it takes to stand out professionally. As a first-generation college graduate and advanced degree holder, she also
understands the power of authentic networking to open doors and create opportunities. She serves as Chair of the Cal...

Janelle Yasukochi

Janelle Yasukochi began her career at UNLV in 2017. She is currently the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Advising Practice in the Office of the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success. She was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, worked abroad in Fukuoka, Japan for three years, and then moved to Las Vegas. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biochemistry at California State University, East Bay and her Master's of Business Administration at UNLV. She enjoys spending time with her family, meeting new people, and traveling.

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Jennifer Johnson-Hanks

Jennifer Johnson-Hanks is a professor of demography and sociology. She is a cultural demographer with interests in fertility and family, epistemology, and the history of population thought. Her publications include the books Uncertain Honor: Modern Motherhood in an African Crisis; Understanding Family Change and Variation: Structure, Conjuncture, and Action; and a forthcoming book, How We Count: Why Quantitative Social Science Matters.

Johnson-Hanks served as Chair of the Committee on Academic Planning and Resource Allocation...

Julio Gomez

Julio Gomez (he/him) is the Academic Achievement Counselor with the Re-entry Student Program, a student equity program within the Division of Equity and Inclusion. He earned his bachelor’s from Berkeley in 2022 and has worked at Berkeley for 3 years. Julio brings his lived identity as a first generation college student, transfer and re-entry student, and new professional to his role as a supervisor of student staff and as a counselor.

Julio was born and raised in the bay area. Before returning to school, he worked in the restaurant industry as...

Katrina Pantig Naval

Katrina Pantig Naval (she/her/siya) develops and implements professional learning experiences focused on increasing racial literacy and cultural fluency, consults on Staff Engagement & Belonging issues, and facilitates workshops and training. Key programs within her portfolio include the Berkeley Cultural Humility and Awareness Training, Critical Voices in SEB, and the Berkeley Career Opportunities and Resources for Employees program.

Katrina’s expertise in critically engaging key stakeholders on issues of race, identity, culture, and...

Kelli Breland

Kelli Breland is currently a Talent Development Specialist at the University of California, Merced. This work allows her a chance to collaborate with staff and units across the campus to embed values based leadership,compassion within teams, and a shared goal to uphold the mission of theUC system. With over 13 years of UC experience in roles ranging from major gift fundraising to instructional design and program analysis, Kelli has remained actively involved in promoting the wellbeing and continued growth of staff. Kelli holds a Masters degree in Psychology from...

Kellye Franklin

Kellye Franklin is a Leadership Strategist and Performance Coach who helps highachieving professionals close the hidden gaps that stall performance, visibility, and career growth. With 20+ years leading programs and teams in Fortune 50 environments, she brings a practical, systems-minded approach to influence, communication, and sustainable results— especially in complex, mission-driven workplaces like higher education. Kellye is known for real-talk facilitation and tools people can use immediately (scripts, frameworks, and simple planning methods). At NOW, she’ll help...

Kristina Soriano

Kristina Soriano, MHA is the new Operations and Events Coordinator at the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, where she supports programming and helps strengthen systems that advance the science of well-being. Previously, Kristina served as Executive Assistant at the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, where she supported senior leadership within a complex, interdisciplinary research environment. She brings deep experience navigating institutional systems, cross-functional collaboration, and the often-invisible work that sustains mission-...

LaToia Burkley

Your Big Debut, LLC, CEO / Executive Coach

LaToia Burkley specializes in activating, educating, and elevating the voices of high-achieving professionals so they can serve at their highest sense of self while gaining clarity and confidence along their career journey. A goal-oriented, certified Executive and Career Coach, LaToia is deeply passionate about pouring into her community through coaching and holding space for career pathing for individuals of all identities, backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses.

Drawing on her expertise in Human Resources and Business Operations, LaToia helps clients identify and...