center for council staff
Jared Seide
Executive Director
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Jared Seide is the Executive Director of Center for Council. He has designed, piloted and coordinated council-based programs in prisons, assisted living facilities, youth groups and a variety of non-profit, faith-based organizations, social service and law enforcement agencies, including the "Co-Mentoring Project,” for emancipated foster youth, the "Organizational Wellness Project,” for the staff of scores of community-based organizations, the “Council for Insight, Compassion & Resilience” active in more than twenty prisons throughout California and winner of the American Correctional Association’s Innovations in Corrections award, the "Trainer Leadership Initiative," supporting emerging council leaders serving impacted communities, and the council-based "Peace Officer Wellness, Empathy & Resilience” (POWER) Training Program for law enforcement and correctional officers. “Compassion, Attunement & Resilience Education” (CARE) for Healthcare Professionals is a program he developed with Dr. Ann Philips Seide that focuses on burnout and dysregulation amongst physicians, nurses and other first responders and utilizes innovations mindfulness science and compassionate communication techniques like council to support a culture of professional wellness in healthcare.
Jared has coordinated, mentored and facilitated council programs at over a dozen schools in Southern California and has led trainings and retreats focusing on reconciliation and community-building throughout the U.S., and in Poland, Rwanda, France, Colombia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Jared directed the "Center for Council Practice" initiative of The Ojai Foundation, the antecedent of Center for Council. He co-led the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Conference on integrating Council and SRM in California and Rwandan prisons and was a Resident Fellow at the Bellagio Center. He has been a presenter at conferences and seminars, speaking on the integration of Council into varied arenas, including South by Southwest, International Association of Chiefs of Police, California Rehabilitation Oversight Board, Association of Change Management Professionals, Bellagio Fellows Gathering, Monterey Restorative Justice Commission and the Restorative Justice in Motion Conference, at Eastern Methodist University. Jared’s educational background includes a BA with high honors from Brown University. Prior to his work with Center for Council, Jared led careers in the entertainment industry and the corporate world. He is a member of the Zen Center of Los Angeles, a graduate of the Upaya Institute Chaplaincy Program and has been a Spirit Holder for Zen Peacemaker Bearing Witness Retreats around the world. Jared is also the author of Where Compassion Begins: Foundational Practices to Enhance Mindfulness, Attention and Listening from the Heart, a book that draws from the extraordinary contributions of many teachers, mentors and allies who have contributed to the evolution of the work of Center for Council. Read archived articles and listen to interviews with Jared. |
Summre Garber
Director of Operations
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Summre Garber has been working in nonprofit finance and operations for over a decade in the Los Angeles area. Beginning with film festival and event production at Slamdance, the Bentonville Film Festival, and others, she moved into her role as the Director of Operations at the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center bringing her skills as a community organizer and independent thought leader from her festival background. Summre is committed to engaging people from all backgrounds towards thoughtful communication and mindfulness and regularly practices mediation and yoga with her two children. Summre received an MA in Film Theory from San Francisco State University.
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Mitch Highley
Program Manager
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Mitch Highley was born and raised in Orange County, California. He has been involved with Center for Council since 2016, when he enrolled in the council program at Ironwood State Prison, where he was facing a life sentence.
"I spent half my life incarcerated due to poor choices and lacking a sense of purpose and belonging in the community. Center for Council is where I learned healing from my past is possible. It gave me a safe place to learn, grow, and be vulnerable with my peers. Connection was invaluable to my recovery and these circles served as the ground for empathy, compassion and understanding to not only take root, but flourish. I discovered how to fill voids of emptiness with emotions I couldn't identify in my past. Through council interactions I learned to leave prejudice and look for similarities rather than differences." Despite his sentence, Mitch committed himself fully to his self-improvement and education in prison. He achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology with an emphasis on criminology as well as Certification as a Substance Abuse Counselor. As a result of his work and transformation, he was granted parole in 2019. He has been working to share his story of redemption, and giving back to support those on the path, ever since. |
Sydney Scanlon
Program Specialist
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Sydney Scanlon is a dedicated professional with a passion for driving positive change in the world. With a multifaceted career spanning across nonprofits, research, marketing, design, and education, Sydney has consistently focused her efforts on addressing critical global issues. Whether elevating the work of musicians, universities, or nonprofits, she brings a creative and conceptual lens. Her unwavering commitment to healthcare, education, equity, and mental health has driven her to make a meaningful impact in every endeavor she undertakes. Having worked extensively within nonprofit organizations on a global scale, Sydney has demonstrated her exceptional ability to effect change in diverse communities. Her work has touched upon crucial matters such as healthcare accessibility, educational empowerment, and mental health support, advocating for those often marginalized or underserved. Currently, Sydney leads the Accountable Community for Health at the Center for Council—a pioneering multi-sector collaborative focused on meeting the needs of system-impacted populations. She has published research in climate change and health, childhood trauma, and psychedelic therapy. Sydney received a BA with honors from Amherst College with a Five College Certificate in Culture, Health, and Science and teaches yoga across LA.
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James DeBacco
Council Reentry Program Manager
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James DeBacco was born in Riverside, CA and raised in Los Angeles County, California. His journey has been one of remarkable transformation. His affiliation with the Center for Council began in 2016 during his enrollment and subsequent graduation in the Council for Insight, Compassion & Resilience (CICR) Program at Ironwood State Prison, while serving a life sentence. "I spent nearly 28 years of my early adult life incarcerated following an early discharge from the United States Marine Corps. Center for Council offered me a way to look deep within myself and see the possibilities of my humanity. Center for Council taught me that it is OK to be afraid and be yourself. The essence of being who you are is the culmination of all your experiences in life. The connections I made in Center for Council were life-changing. Center for Council helped me to understand that compassion, empathy, and insight are not tasks that we have to learn, rather, they are gifts within each of us to become a better version of ourselves. I was taught how to accept, cope, let go, and heal from a traumatic past. The teachings from Center for Council taught me the true meaning behind the values of diversity and inclusion."
Despite his incarceration, James committed himself to self-improvement and education. He achieved an Associates degree in Social & Behavioral Sciences and obtained a Paralegal diploma. James also authored impactful publications titled "Bridges to Freedom" and "Positive Interventions." His determination and growth ultimately led to parole in 2019. Since his release, James has focused on furthering his education and serving others. He obtained a second AS degree in Human Services Addiction Studies in 2020 and graduated Magna Cum Laude from California State University Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Science degree in Rehabilitation Services in 2022. Currently, James is pursuing his graduate studies, focusing on Adult Mental Health and Wellness, with the goal of earning a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at the University of Southern California in the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. His previous role as a Case Manager on Skid Row resulted in securing stable long-term housing for a significant number of individuals, earning him congressional recognition for his contributions to the community. Since 2021, James has been dedicated full-time to the Center for Council, initially as a case manager and subsequently as a program manager. He now leads the Council Reentry Program, providing invaluable support to formerly incarcerated individuals as they navigate the challenges of reentry into Los Angeles. |
Brie Thiele
Advancement Manager
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Brie Thiele is thrilled to join the team at Center for Council after many years working in the TV news industry. Her profession has taken her all over the country; most recently to Nashville, Tennessee where she was ¼ of the Good Morning Nashville team. Prior to that, she spent several years as a reporter at FOX Sports San Diego covering the 2016 MLB All-Star game and the Los Angeles Chargers’ final season in San Diego. Throughout her time on camera, Brie continually found herself drawn to stories involving nonprofit organizations. She hopes to use her journalistic prowess to shine a spotlight on, and illuminate, the important work Center for Council is doing.
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Wendy Travers Chao
Operations Associate
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Wendy has years of experience in helping communities thrive, through her work at various nonprofits and schools in the Midwest and California. She graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Business Administration (Marketing). In her previous job at the Silverlake Jewish Community Center, Wendy acted as registrar for the preschool and b’nai mitzvah programs, created new cost and time saving processes, and loved helping the families feel a sense of welcome and belonging. At the University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing and Professional Studies, Wendy prepared course materials and conference room setups for a large catalog of adult education courses, created and reported on post-course surveys, and managed the billing process.
While her three sons were young, Wendy worked as a Special Education Paraprofessional in Minnesota schools, acting as a 1:1 guide to students with a variety of special needs. She took courses in wellness and mindfulness in schools, including MindUp! training and Resilience Training. It was during this time that Wendy realized her passion for wellness and healing, and she completed her Certificate in Holistic Health Studies from St. Catherine University in St.Paul, Minnesota. Wendy is thrilled to join Center for Council and is grateful for the sense of purpose and community it brings to her life. |
Kyle Kidd
Communications Associate
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Kyle Kidd joins the Center for Council as the Communications Associate where he will head up outreach to media and community partners, assist in driving DEI initiatives, and elevate the importance of council to broader audiences. Kyle was born in Birmingham, AL, and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication with a minor in Political Science from Jackson State University. Since then, Kyle has worked on public communication campaigns covering an array of subject matters including political campaigns, racial justice, mass incarceration, voter disenfranchisement, and higher education. Passionate about transformation being articulated through words, deeds, and thoughts -- Kyle takes delight in fostering dialogue that invites compassion and healing while inspiring radical change that transcends societal boundaries.
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Averyl Dietering, PhD
Grants Manager
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Averyl Dietering, PhD, has over a decade of experience in grant writing and management in a variety of cause areas including restorative justice, mental healthcare, education, racial justice, youth development, pregnancy and maternal health, homelessness services, environmental justice, immigrants rights, workforce development, the arts, and animal rescue. She has helped nonprofits secure over $30 million in both private foundation and government grants. Averyl began her grants career by writing academic grants for her own award-winning research during her BA, MA, and PhD degrees. Her dissertation at the University of California, Davis focused on cultural histories of difference, exploring both the challenges of overcoming difference as well as imaginative practices of togetherness. Because of this research, she is especially inspired by Center for Council’s work in bridging differences, effecting systems change, and mitigating social isolation.
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Ann Seide, MD
Chief Medical Advisor
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Ann Seide obtained her MD from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, and completed Internal Medicine residency in the Navy at Portsmouth Naval Hospital. She later completed a Fellowship in Integrative Medicine, and is board certified in both Internal and Integrative Medicine. Dr Seide witnessed the effects of stress and burnout throughout the healthcare system, leading her to pursue a 2 year chaplaincy program at the Upaya Institute, where she focused on provider wellness and systems theory. Dr. Seide brings a firm grounding in evidence-based medicine to creating programs with Center for Council that combine the best of current, scientifically sound integrative practices alongside the practice of council. Such Structures of Belonging become emergent practices that serve to mitigate the social isolation, loneliness, and poor physical and mental health that is highlighted in the Surgeon General’s 2023 Advisory.
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David France
Engagement Liaison
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A true champion for dreamers, David inspires social change. He is the author of Show Up!: Unlocking the Power of Relational Networking, a story-filled guide for those hungry for what's next in life; showing how to connect with opportunities by investing in authentic relationships. He is a business/nonprofit advisor, and a sought-after keynote speaker. He has appeared in Time Magazine, CNN, Al Jazeera, among many other news outlets. He believes joy in life is increased when we give our lives away for the joy of others! David supports Center for Council with his creative communication skills and engagement strategies to elevate the visibility of our work.
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