Executive Director
Cyndy Ainsworth

Cyndy Ainsworth joined Kara in 2001 after a long career in high-tech marketing. Immediately before joining Kara, she was a consultant advising Internet start-ups on marketing strategy. Prior to that she served as Director of Marketing at wine.com, an online retail pioneer and as Product Marketing Manager at Amdahl Corporation. She is a long-time member of the board of the Downtown Palo Alto Farmers Market. She was named Director of Administration at Kara in 2005 and Executive Director in 2007.

Adult Services Director
Sue Carter

Sue Carter joined Kara as a volunteer in May 2004. She became a staff member in November 2005. Sue is responsible for coordinating clients and volunteers involved in individual peer counseling and the many grief support groups offered by the Adult Program. Sue moved to the USA from England in 1998 and has been a Registered Nurse since 1985. In 2003 she obtained a BSc. Hons. in Nursing Studies from the University of Manchester and The Royal College of Nursing in England and she obtained her license to practice Nursing in California in April 2006. , In addition to her responsibilities as director of adult services Sue provides one-to-one grief support for clients and a group facilitator for parents who have lost an adult child. Sue is also a member of Kara's Community Outreach Program.

Client Services Director
Shelly Gillan

As Kara's Director of Client Services since 2000, Shelly has been active in Kara since November 1994 as an adult peer counselor. She has served as a member of Kara's Crisis, Community Out Reach and Education Team since 1999. She works as a community consultant to local elementary, middle and high schools, which have experienced grief or sudden loss. At Kara, she has facilitated and supervised groups for children, teens, parents, adults and Kara counselors. Her background includes extensive experience with anticipatory death, life threatening illnesses, complicated grief involving suicide, homicide and parents grieving the death of a child. As a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern, Shelly currently holds a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology and a certification in Death and Grief Studies.

Community Outreach & Education Director
Jim Bronson

Jim Bronson joined Kara as a facilitator in Youth and Family Services in April 2000. He assumed the leadership of Kara's Community Outreach team in October 2002. Jim is the founder of the nonprofit Challenge Learning Center, which provides leadership training for young people, and has completed graduate studies in Psychology.

Development Director
Stephanie Demos

Stephanie Demos joined Kara in April 2009 as Development Director after serving as Executive Director at Pacific Art League. Previous non-profit experience includes fundraising for the Adult Services Division of EHC LifeBuilders (homelessness/emergency shelter), Director of Development at Diabetes Society of Santa Clara Valley and both program and development work for the Centre for Living with Dying. Stephanie visited the Centre first as a client following her younger brother’s suicide, returned as a volunteer and eventually joined the staff. As a volunteer peer counselor she worked one-on-one, facilitating grief groups and participating in crisis intervention. When invited to join the staff to manage the children’s program, she made the transition from the for-profit world to the public benefit sector.

With over 20 years experience in business (ROLM, MCI, DataCard, Citicorp/Quotron), Stephanie is an active member of the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP SVC) having served on the Board as well as co-chairing the annual National Fundraising Day event.

Special Projects Director
Jim Mulvaney

Jim became a Kara client after the death of his wife in December 2000. He volunteered as a Kara grief counselor and became a Counselor Supervisor in 2002. He joined Kara's staff in the fall of 2004 and has held the positions of Director of Adult Services, and Director of Programs prior to his current position. As Special Projects Director, Jim supports Kara's program directors, trains volunteers, gives public talks, coordinates Kara's services for caregivers and end-of-life clients, and provides technical support for Kara's websites and databases. He also serves Kara clients as an individual counselor and group facilitator.

Jim has 40 years of experience in the development and management computer applications, specializing in expanding and improving operations. His expertise includes planning, project management, computer application design and implementation, organizational management, and training.

Jim holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson College of Technology, an MS in Industrial Management and Computer Science from SUNY Stonybrook and an MS in Engineering Economic Systems from Stanford University. He completed the Metta Institute End-of-Life Care Practitioner Program (2006) and a certification in Death and Grief Studies (2008). Jim is certified as a Fellow in Thanatology: Death, Dying and Bereavement through the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC).

Youth & Family Services Director
Liz Powell

Director of Kara's Youth and Family Services since 2004, Liz facilitates and supervises groups for bereaved children, teens, parents, and Kara group facilitators. She provides consultation for community mental health professionals working with bereaved families, for parents as they work with their children's grief, and for schools and other organizations that serve children, youth, and families. Liz has been active with Kara since 1999 as a children's group facilitator, and has extensive experience with families who survive a loss by suicide, homicide, drug overdose, or the death of a child. As a Marriage Family Therapist Intern, Liz works with adults, teens, and children suffering complicated grief due to pre-existing psychosocial conditions. She holds a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology. Before joining Kara, Liz volunteered with abused and neglected children and teens as a Child Advocate, and enjoyed a 25-year career in high tech and media managing the development of products, graphics, and interactive media.

Youth & Family Services Assistant Director
Beth Keller

Beth Keller joined Kara as a volunteer in 1998 and became a staff member in 2004. In addition to coordinating various Youth and Family programs, Beth has facilitated both adult and children's support groups and provided one-to-one grief counseling support for adults. Prior to her work at Kara, Beth served as director for a national educational reform project based at Stanford University, working with teachers, principals and district administrators to restructure elementary and middle school practices. Beth received her undergraduate degree in public policy with a focus on child policy from Duke University in 1986.