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Nayeli brings to Journey Out nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector with an extensive background assisting survivors of domestic violence and homeless populations, working closely with law enforcement to assist those in crisis, including victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. Prior to Journey Out, Nayeli served as the Senior Site Director for Client Services at Chrysalis, a non-profit dedicated to creating a pathway to self sufficiency for homeless and low income individuals by providing the resources and support needed to find and retain employment. Nayeli was responsible for the day to day operations of the largest Chrysalis site. As the Senior Site Director, she managed personnel, grants, resources, facility operations and external partnerships. A hands-on contributor and key member of the Client Services Management Team, Nayeli participated in the development and implementation of short and long-term organizational strategies and served as a trusted advisor for Senior Leadership and all Chrysalis Management.
Nayeli has extensive experience working with survivors of domestic violence, the re-entry population and in housing. She is a proud Angeleno who is passionate about serving her community and believes that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. She holds a B.A. in Organizational Leadership.
Donna Sarullo joined Journey Out in 2003 and served as Case Manager and Program Director from 2003 to 2008. Donna has extensive experience in domestic violence having worked with the Domestic Violence Project of Glendale YWCA and the Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) program in the San Fernando Valley. While with DART, she assisted victims of domestic violence by riding along in emergency domestic abuse situations with the LAPD as a victim advocate.
In 2008 Donna left Journey Out to serve as Program Director for the Valley Branch of the Arthritis Foundation. Donna returned to Journey Out in 2010 as Outreach Coordinator and now serves as the Director of Programs and Operations. Ms Sarullo has been honored by the County of Los Angeles and the Bureau of Victim Services for her many years of dedicated service to victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking and her commitment to the anti-trafficking movement. Donna holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration – Nonprofit Management.
Cindy has been with Journey Out since 2014. As the chief financial administrator, Cindy oversees all of the financial operations. This includes keeping track of and responding to budget requests, managing the day to day in-flow and out-flow of funds, reconciling all accounts, and maintaining the overall fiscal health of the organization. Prior to joining Journey Out, Cindy worked for the C5 Youth Foundation, an organization that assists inner city youth. For 15 years she was an active volunteer as PTA President, School Site Council President, and President of the Education Foundation. Cindy is a native Californian with 2 kids, Taylor and Blake, and a grandmother of three.
Stephanie Cuevas joined Journey Out in October 2017, and she serves as a Crisis Case Manager. She is a graduate of California State University Northridge and holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with an emphasis on Criminal Justice. With her degree Stephanie had hopes of becoming a police officer, but through the process she realized that she had another calling, and saw that her passion to help the community could be fulfilled in a different way. Stephanie’s background of service, which includes assisting victims of domestic violence attain restraining orders, helped her transition into her current role of supporting victims of human trafficking. After attending Journey Out’s Human Trafficking Case Manager/Advocate training, Stephanie began working with the LAPD Task force and going out to conduct street outreach. Through this work, Stephanie became more aware of how big of an issue human trafficking is. As a result of her experience at Journey Out, Stephanie hopes to bring awareness to her surrounding communities.
Jewell joined us at Journey Out in June 2021 as a Survivor Advocate. Jewell has a diverse work background that contributes uniquely to her work with Journey Out. Her six years at global market leader IKEA taught her essential customer service and de-escalation skills. Earlier in her career, she worked in Human Resources where she learned to advocate for those the system is not made for.
She majored in philosophy pre-law at CSULB and is currently working on her Advocate Certification through the National Advocate Certification Program.
Jewell is also a survivor, trafficked in both prostitution and pornography, who regularly uses her voice alongside other survivors and activists to shine a light on the needs of survivors and the human rights violations in the sex industry. She is currently working on a book about her exploitation in the hardcore porn industry.
Melanie Johnston joined Journey Out in the Summer of 2022. She was born and raised in a small town in Iowa before relocating to Los Angeles, CA after her college graduation. Melanie went to Morningside College where she obtained a BA in Counseling Psychology.
Melanie’s passion for victim services began early on after being exposed to domestic violence, substance abuse, and sexual assault in her community. Seeing the lack of resources in rural areas pushed her toward the social services path, in the hopes of assisting in change. During her bachelor studies, she interned and volunteered with domestic violence and sexual assault agencies, working with survivors and their children as well as doing on-call work for the crisis line. After moving to Los Angeles, she worked with teenage foster youth, getting direct exposure to CSEC victims and the Life.
After building rapport with CSEC victims, seeing and hearing first-hand the experiences and trauma caused by the Life, Melanie was moved to continue offering trauma-informed services and support to populations that need it most. Melanie holds a BA in Counseling Psychology, a Master of Social Work (MSW), and is an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW) in the state of California.
Melissa joined Journey Out in June 2024 as a Case Manager. Raised in the San Fernando Valley, Melissa has always been passionate about supporting vulnerable populations. She earned her degree in Child and Adolescent Development from California State University Northridge, with minors in Family Studies and Psychology. In 2025, she completed her Master’s in Social Work from California State University Dominguez Hills.
Melissa started in social services at 1736 Family Crisis Center, where she worked with families and survivors of domestic violence. While in grad school, she interned with LA Family Housing, supporting families experiencing homelessness through crisis intervention and mental health counseling. She also worked with Los Angeles County Of Education, providing counseling to youth.
Through these experiences, Melissa saw how important trauma-informed services are when working with vulnerable populations. Her drive to make a difference continues to guide her work today, as she supports trafficked victims. She values and prioritizes the approach of compassion, empathy, and respect. She aspires to obtain her LCSW and provide therapeutic services to further support those in need.
Jena Lowe is a Case Manager and Patient Advocate at Journey Out, where she supports survivors of human trafficking and exploitation on their healing journeys. Before entering the mental health field, she spent nearly two decades as a journalist and creative, drawn to stories of human connection and resilience. She holds a Master’s in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School.
Jena’s own healing journey led her to explore mindfulness and unconscious processes, ultimately earning a Master’s in Psychology with training in Marriage and Family Therapy and psychodynamic practice at the Maple Counseling Center. She has supported individuals navigating complex trauma, anxiety, substance use, and more, always centering awareness, compassion, and empowerment. Grounded in a whole-person approach, Jena strives to create space for survivors to feel seen, heard, and honored in mind, body, and spirit.
Jessica has spent the last decade in social services working with special needs, gang intervention & prevention, and specifically focused on the anti-trafficking movement for the last ten years. Her various roles include crisis management, mentorship-advocacy and transformative development for survivors of labor and sex trafficking. Jessica has published research on Sex Industry Work-life Balance and has a Master’s in Nonprofit Management.