Our Staff

Lesley was named the Executive Director of Advocates for Victims of Assault in June 2018. She was drawn to advocacy after experiencing the powerful impact of advocacy and how it changed her life. Lesley’s personal experience has given her an unwavering commitment to advocacy. Prior to serving as the Executive Director at AVA, Lesley was a public safety professional for 18 years. Lesley most recently served as the Operations Division Commander at the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, leading a division of 33 law enforcement officers. She worked in the Investigations Section for nearly a decade. In that position, Lesley worked closely with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. During her career, Lesley served on several multidisciplinary teams and helped create cooperative agreements improving survivor services.

Mandi joined the Summit Advocates team in February 2022 with a passion to improve community health outcomes through prevention, advocacy, and effective programming. Mandi earned a Master of Public Health degree in Behavioral and Community Health from the University of Maryland prior to moving to Colorado in 2018. Mandi comes to Advocates with experience in public health, outreach, and education. Prior to working at Summit Advocates, Mandi worked at an adolescent health center in Baltimore, MD, served as an AmeriCorps member in Denver, CO, and worked for the Summit County Public Health Department as a community-mobilizer working to improve youth health outcomes in Summit. Mandi believes in the power of community and collaboration to effect long-lasting change within communities. Mandi is excited to be working at an organization that believes strongly in advocacy, empowerment, and client-centered services.

Ava Williams joined Summit Advocates for Victims of Assault in August 2021 with a passion for working with individuals displaced due to domestic violence, sexual assualt, and human trafficking. She believes in the importance of a survivor-defined and trauma-informed approach within domestic violence intervention.  Ava earned her Bachelors of Political Science and Religious Studies with a minor in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies from the University of Vermont. She has a background in nonprofit management, project management, and communications. Ava is dedicated to providing client-centered advocacy services to promote healing and self-sufficiency for our clients.

Kelly Layne is a passionate community builder to the core & this is reflected in all she does. She thrives on cultivating relationships & supporting the advancement & betterment of all.  Born & raised in Dillon, CO, Kelly knows & understands the Summit County community immensely, enabling her to relate well to our clients & culture.

Kelly's professional experience includes 20+ years in community outreach, event production, program management, marketing/PR, fundraising, staff/volunteer management & consulting for non-profits & lifestyle festivals. Clients include Whole Foods Market So Cal, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains & various educational & domestic violence non-profits.

Kelly has lived in Central America & Spain & has traveled extensively throughout the world. These experiences gave Kelly the opportunity to learn from other cultures & ways of living, all contributing to her overall growth & understanding of culture, people & diverse communities.

Through her participation in the community of Venice, CA, & as the “Chamber in Action” chair on the board of the Chamber of Commerce, Kelly founded & spearheaded a movement, inspiring community beautification & betterment that is still in effect. Over a 10-year time span, driving this & supporting local non-profits on their benefit events & outreach, she received acknowledgements & accolades from the city, county & state.  Kelly is dedicated to motivating people to live their best lives through personal growth & expansion & encouraging community to support this.  She is all about collaborating to effect change!

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As a survivor of domestic violence, Cuca has a personal connection and believes in the effectiveness of the work AVA can do for people.  She has lived in Summit County for the last 30 years. I have seen great changes, one of them is the growing need of people reaching out for a change in their lives.