The MEND Project
Seeks to Educate, Equip, and Restore All Who Are Impacted by Emotional Abuse and Trains Those Who Interface With Them Personally or Professionally
The MEND Project
Seeks to Educate, Equip, and Restore All Who Are Impacted by Emotional Abuse and Trains Those Who Interface With Them Personally or Professionally
Annette Oltmans, founder of The MEND Project, endured years of emotional abuse in her marriage. The original harm she experienced was compounded when she encountered spiritual and institutional abuse from her community. She experienced domestic violence in the form of Covert Emotional Abuse and additional harm from those she thought she could trust..
When she sought help, her trauma was exacerbated by the way friends, counselors, and church leaders responded. They either refused to believe her or reacted with judgment, ultimatums, ineffective therapeutic approaches, or patriarchal demands.
This further mistreatment pushed Annette deeper into isolation and hopelessness. Her health was deteriorating due to the stress from both the relationship abuse and these harmful responses. Her moment of clarity came when she observed similar physical and emotional symptoms in a close family friend who was also experiencing abuse and was not supported or believed by those she turned to for help.
This deeply resonated with Annette, bringing fresh insight into her pain. While the original abuse was devastating, the additional harm from those she sought support from was even more traumatic.
She has defined this as Double Abuse®, —the traumatic event that occurs when victims finally find the courage to speak up or reach out for help, but instead of being believed, they are criticized, judged, interrogated, given harmful advice, or ostracized by family, friends, therapists, faith-based organizations, or professional communities.
The MEND Project was created to provide healing and support for all those affected by abuse, offering a comprehensive pathway for victims to access clarifying and empowering tools on their journey toward healing and self-restoration.
We’re so glad you are here!
The MEND Project: Advocating for Victims, Empowering Survivors, Equipping Responders
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Mission Statement
The MEND Project seeks to educate, equip, and restore all who are impacted by emotional abuse and trains those who interface with them personally or professionally.
Vision
Our Statement of Faith
The MEND Project seeks to make available the teachings of Judeo-Christian principles while respecting every individual’s religious, cultural, ethnic, or socio-economic background. We acknowledge the Bible’s teachings that each person is created equal and in God’s image. MEND’s vision and mission reflect the principles and teachings of Jesus in an outpouring of compassion and mercy for the marginalized and oppressed.
We operate under the following guiding verse:
It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible﹘and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” Ephesians 5:12-13
We seek to boldly expose the hidden issues of Original and Double Abuse® in our culture, and bring them into the light so that we do no further harm to victims. With this as our guide, we hold these core values sacred:
Why Kintsugi?
We get our inspiration from the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which means golden repair.
When a piece of pottery or porcelain breaks, the Kintsugi artist mends the cracks and puts the piece back together with precious metals like gold, silver, or platinum. The process fortifies the piece, making it stronger than before. The result is a unique and stunning work of art that is even more beautiful than the original.
We at The MEND Project believe that those who have experienced abuse and bear its scars are living examples of Kintsugi. Every scar, visible and invisible, tells a story of how we overcame and healed.
Throughout our website, you will see photos and designs of the art of Kintsugi brought to life by women, men, and children. To create these beautiful pieces of art imitating life, models start with a black line, symbolizing the original harm. Next, our Kintsugi artist carefully applies gold leaf over the black lines turning what was once dark into something beautiful and powerful.
The art of Kintsugi is a redemptive symbol of what can be done in the lives of victims on the journey of healing. The scars transform from dark to light.
The MEND Project seeks to bring hope to survivors of Original and Double Abuse® in the healing process, resulting in a restored and beautiful creation.
Traumatic events destroy the sustaining bonds between individuals and communities. Those who have survived learn that their sense of self, of worth, and humanity, depend upon a feeling of connection to others. The solidarity of a group provides the strongest protection against terror and despair and the strongest antidote to traumatic experiences. Trauma isolates; the group recreates a sense of belonging. Trauma shames and stigmatizes; the group bears witness and affirms. Trauma degrades the victim; the group exalts them. Trauma dehumanizes the victim; the group restores their humanity. (Herman, Trauma and Recovery, p 214)
Our Team + Board
Annette Oltmans
Founder and CEO,
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Jill Rice
Director of Training and Curriculum
Board of Directors
Kenny Luck
Founder and President, Every Man Ministries Leadership Pastor, Crossline Church Laguna Hills
Terri Ponce de Leon
Founder, Arise & Shine
Transitional Living
Corinne Spurrier
Vice President of Hospitality, Generous.Life
Director: The M3ND Project
Advisory Board
Kay Ramsey, PHD
Executive Director,
Tradeswomen, Inc.
Glenn W. Rhodes, J.D.
Founder & Partner, Rhodes LLP
Beth Schwartz
Educator and Public Speaker
Jeffrey R. Baker, J.D.
Director of Clinical Education and Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Pepperdine University School of Law
Susan Burton
Founder and Executive Director of A
New Way of Life
Jennifer Khalifa, MSW, CHES
Senior Director of Prevention Strategies,
California Partnership to End Domestic Violence
Janice Munemitsu
Spiritual Director
Consultants
Gwyneth Kerr Erwin, PH.D., PSY.D.
Dr. David Hawkins, MBA, MSW, MA, Ph.D.
Our Team + Board
Annette Oltmans
Founder and CEO,
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Annette Oltmans is a philanthropist and passionate human rights advocate. Annette’s personal experiences of long-term emotional abuse in marriage and her extensive journey of recovery including comprehensive field research into the topics of Original Abuse and Double Abuse® ignited her passion for founding The MEND Project in 2016.
While seeking the help of professionals and responders, she experienced Double Abuse® in the form of spiritual and institutional abuse. These harmful encounters compelled Annette in her relentless pursuit of solutions that involved interviews with hundreds of victims and survivors. She uncovered common threads that cause victims prolonged states of confusion as well as what ultimately led them towards healing.
Her journey also involved interviews with hundreds of faith-based leaders and therapists which led her to discover that most are untrained and ill-equipped to identify and help victims of covert emotional abuse.
In working to prevent and remediate such harm, Annette developed protocoled models that are now being taught and implemented with therapists, churches and professional organizations across the United States. She consulted with esteemed experts in abuse, trauma, and healing to ensure the materials aligned with the highest professional standards.
Annette also serves on the Board of Pepperdine University’s Boone Center for the Family and is a Board of Trustee member of Northrise University in Zambia.
Her writing on these topics of abuse, domestic violence, and bullying has been published in AACC, Teen Vogue, and other publications.
Jill Rice
Director of Training and Curriculum
Jill Rice is the Director of Training and Curriculum at The MEND Project. She has over 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit world, including Church ministry and serving alongside the Chaplain of a University. Her degree is in Family Systems and Child Development, with graduate courses completed in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Jill is fervent about the unique mission of MEND to equip all those impacted by abuse, especially faith leaders and other trusted responders on how to interface with victims of abuse.
She is devoted to spending her time writing, editing, and maintaining oversight for curriculum and training.
She also builds meaningful connections and collaborates with impact partners to educate and serving the community regarding the effects of abuse and responses that heal.
Jill is a mom of two teenage sons and a native of Southern California. She enjoys spending time with her boys on the baseball and soccer fields, making memories with them at the beach, and soaking up precious moments with family and friends.
Board of Directors
Kenny Luck
Founder and President, Every Man Ministries
Director: The MEND Project
Kenny Luck is the founder and president of Every Man Ministries, which helps churches develop healthy men’s ministries to protect women and children and end social problems such as fatherlessness and child abuse. His daily devotional is received by 60,000 men and his weekly livestream is host to a live audience of over 6,000 men.
From 1997 to 2014, Kenny served as the men’s pastor under Pastor Rick Warren at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and is a recognized expert on men’s issues. He is also the author or co-author of 2124 books, including “Dangerous Good,” Failsafe, Overflow” and “Sleeping Giant: No Movement of God without Men of God.”
Kenny also authored the Get Healthy and Get Strong discipleship ecosystem as well as the “Sleeping Giant” program of videos, Bible studies, and meetings, of which Saddleback’s Rick Warren, former lead pastor, gave praise, saying it “gives you a local church blueprint for moving men from being an audience sitting in a seat to becoming an army marching on the field in your congregation.”
Kenny has contributed to many publications, websites, and websitespodcasts, including The Christian Post, Charisma, Christian Mingle, Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox, New Man and Men of Integrity, and frequently speaks at conferences organized by Every Man Ministries. He earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and has served with Campus Crusade for Christ and the Josh McDowell Ministry. He was previously the CEO of New Life Clinics West.
Kenny consults for various churches and organizations and is on the faculty of Trinity Encounter in Montana - a retreat experience for marketplace leaders. Ultimately, he enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, Chrissy, and their three adult children and grandchildren.
Terri Ponce de Leon
Founder, Arise & Shine
Transitional Living
Terri Ponce de Leon's passion is to inspire individual transformation and to help people steward God’s calling in their lives. Coming out of this passion, she founded Arise & Shine Transitional Living for women who graduate from substance abuse recovery programs ready to take the next steps to relaunch their lives.
Terri brings her expertise in charitable giving coming out of her 13-year career at the National Christian Foundation (one of the largest charitable giving foundations in the world) as a speaker, coach, and gift advisor.
She has served as a Chaplain & Deaconess at Hosanna Christian Fellowship and led its Advocacy Program, Addiction Recovery Program, and Women’s Outreach Ministries. She is a CA licensed facilitator for court-ordered Domestic Violence Programs through which she teaches The MEND Project models to her teams. She served on the leadership team for Ruby Women, at Biola University, and has volunteered on multiple nonprofit boards.
Currently, she has been trained by the Lakewood Sherriff Department Clergy Academy to minister in sex trafficking safe houses as well as to take part in human trafficking rescue missions in the Inland Empire and Orange County.
Corinne Spurrier
Vice President of Hospitality, Generous.Life
Director: The M3ND Project
Corinne Spurrier brings a wealth of experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors. With a 12-year career in marketing and graphic design, Corinne designed corporate identities for Fortune 500 companies, worked on new product development and packaging, and led strategic market analysis. Matching her skills with her passion to end human trafficking and other injustices, Corinne has volunteered her expertise with churches, charities, and nonprofits such as Restore (NY), First Resort (San Francisco), AVAIL (NYC), Generosity New York, and Next Generation Nepal.
Corinne has a particular gift for event planning, chairing 800-person galas and helping organizations grow their fundraising events. Corinne is an advocate for generosity to better support nonprofit organizations\
As a director for The MEND Project, Corinne is grateful for the opportunity to expand MEND’s reach as it educates the public on covert emotional abuse and Double Abuse®, equips first responders of all types on how to respond to abuse in a compassionate and healing manner, and to restore victims of abuse by providing clarity and encouragement during their journey toward healing.
Advisory Board
Kay Ramsey, PHD
Executive Director, Tradeswomen, Inc.
Dr. Ramsey currently serves as the Executive Branch Director for Southern California, Bethany Christian Services, a national nonprofit organization helping abused and neglected, and other vulnerable children and refugees by providing social services such as foster care and adoption. Kay is a published author for the LA Times and Fostering Families Today magazine. She has been interviewed on CBS Morning News, Spectrum News 1 and various podcasts As a former foster youth and adoptee herself, Kay has a personal commitment to God in being a good steward of His work as she has triumphed beyond adversity throughout her life. As a transformational leader and visionary, Dr. Ramsey brings 20+ years of experience in social services. Kay successfully completed her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in Non-profit Leadership. She also has a dual Masters receiving her Masters of Art from Pepperdine University in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, and a Masters of Business Administration.
In Fall/Winter 2020, Dr. Ramsey will be releasing her first book entitled Persevering Beyond Adversity: The Blue Print, in which she shares the gritty story about being born from sexual violence in a prison, growing up in foster care, and later experiencing homelessness after the death of her adoptive mother, and gives you tools to create a blueprint for success on how to turn pain into passion and persevere beyond adversity with faith, vision and a mentor.
Glenn W. Rhodes, J.D.
Founder & Partner, Rhodes LLP
In a career spanning more than thirty years, Mr. Rhodes has successfully represented clients in numerous matters before state and federal trial courts across the United States, courts of appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court. He also has extensive experience in international litigation. Glenn specializes in federal patent law, prosecuting patents before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and litigating patent infringement and intellectual property suits, but also holds great experience in various general litigation matters. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer on patent issues, and has taught law school courses on trial advocacy and legal research and writing. He is the past co-author and editor of the Patent Law Handbook (West Publishing). Glenn has been listed in Euromoney Legal Media Group’s Guides to the Worlds Leading Patent Law Experts, the International Who’s Who of Patent Law Experts, and in Intellectual Asset Magazine as a top Global IP Strategist.
One of Glenn’s passions in the law has been in successfully representing numerous asylum seekers in the U.S. immigration courts, focusing his representation on victims of domestic violence and abuse.
His range of representation included women asylum seekers from multiple Asian and Latin American jurisdictions. He has received numerous awards for his pro bono efforts, including being named Pro Bono Partner of the Year.
Glenn enjoys fly-fishing, cooking and spending time with his kids and grandchildren. He is an avid hiker and bicycler. In 2014, Glenn and his son completed the Waves to Wine ride of 150 miles to support the work of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He travels extensively, including to the North Pole and he hopes to make it to Antartica eventually. Glenn is a member of the National Eagle Scout Association.
Beth Schwartz
Educator and Public Speaker
Beth Schwartz is a nurse, pastor and teacher who’s life purpose is to bring healing and freedom by leading and empowering the world towards awakening and health. She stepped down as the Women’s Pastor at Saddleback Church in Orange County CA to teach students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Masters in Public Health programs at Azusa Pacific University and West Coast University. She oversees public health students in homeless shelters, schools, home health, hospice and wound care centers. She is an educator and public speaker on Leadership and Spiritual Healthcare Analysis.
Beth has a Masters of Science in Nursing and will finish her Masters of Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in June 2020. She loves yoga, thrifting and creating abstract art. She is a wife to Scott, and mother to two wild teenagers, Maren and Ethan.
Jeffrey R. Baker, J.D.
Director of Clinical Education and Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Pepperdine University School of Law
Professor Baker is the Pepperdine University School of Law's Director of Clinical Education and is an Associate Clinical Professor of Law. He directs the clinical program which includes the legal clinics, externships and practicum courses. He supervises and teaches the Community Justice Clinic, and he serves as the school’s pro bono director.
In the Community Justice Clinic, Professor Baker practices with law students to provide pro bono legal services to local nonprofits and international nongovernmental organization dedicated to justice, human rights, and community empowerment among vulnerable and marginalized populations. The Clinic serves clients at work in fields of homelessness and poverty, gender-based crimes and women’s empowerment, sustainable agriculture and rainforest conservation, human trafficking and access to education, farm-worker rights and access to justice.
Professor Baker graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School before returning to his home state of Mississippi where he had a diverse trial and appellate practice in health care, mass tort, products liability, pharmaceutical liability, medical malpractice, insurance, toxic tort and personal injury litigation with the firm of Watkins & Eager. From 2006-2013, Baker was an associate professor of law and Director of Clinical Programs at Faulkner University Jones School of Law in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was Professor of the Year in 2011-2012. At Faulkner Law, Professor Baker taught the Family Violence Clinic, designed and launched the Elder Law Clinic, and supervised and taught the Externship Program, among other courses. Professor Baker is a mediator, and coached Faulkner Law’s national championship teams in the ABA Representation in Mediation Competition.
His scholarship addresses domestic violence and gender justice in families, including intersecting fields of moral philosophy, religion, legal history, social science, and multidisciplinary professional responses. Professor Baker speaks and writes regularly on clinical education, professional formation, public interest lawyering and social justice. He also edits the Clinical Law Prof Blog and is actively involved with the Clinical Legal Education Association and the Section on Clinical Legal Education of the Association of American Law Schools.
In Alabama, he received the Montgomery Advertiser’s Martin Luther King Spirit Honors Award and the Justice for Victims Award from the area domestic violence shelter. He has served as co-chair of the Montgomery County Task Force on Domestic Violence, on the Pro Bono Task Force for the Alabama State Bar, and on organizing committees for the One Place Family Justice Center. He also is an honorary member of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
In California, he serves on the boards of nonprofits committed to access to justice and health care in vulnerable international communities. He is actively involved in church, local public schools, and youth sports.
He is a member of the Mississippi, Alabama and California bars.
Susan Burton
Founder and Executive Director of A New Way of Life
Susan Burton is the founder and executive director of A New Way of Life, a nonprofit that provides sober housing and other support to formerly incarcerated women. Nationally known as an advocate for restoring basic civil and human rights to those who have served time, Susan was a winner of AARP’s prestigious Purpose Prize and has been a Starbucks “Upstander,” a CNN Top 10 Hero, and a Soros Justice Fellow. She is the author, with Cari Lynn, of Becoming Ms. Burton, From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women (The New Press), a winner of an NAACP Image Award and named a “Best Book of 2017” by the Chicago Public Library. Her book, life, and nonprofit come out of her personal life story, which speaks to “the breathtaking resilience of the human spirit.”
After tragically losing her five-year-old son when a police cruiser struck and killed him, grief overtook her and she became drug-addicted and impoverished. She was incarcerated for crack cocaine and went in and out of jail six times over approximately a ten year period.
Each time, she was released with limited money, no photo ID and no social security card. She finally found the CLARE Foundation in Santa Monica where she was treated for substance abuse and addiction, turned her life around, and founded New Way of Life where she has helped more than 3,000 formerly incarcerated women get a home and lead a healthy life.
Additional awards and accolades: 2007 appointment to Little Hoover Sentencing Reform Commission and the Gender Responsive Strategies Commission by former CA Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; 2010 Citizen Activist Award from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government; 2011 CNN Hero for her extraordinary work and impact in Los Angeles; 2012 Purpose Prize Winner and Community Fellow for the California Wellness Foundation, Women’s Policy Institute Fellow through the Women’s Foundation of California and the Open Society Foundations; 2014 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award; 2015 named one of United State’s 18 New Civil Rights Leaders by the Los Angeles Times; 2018 Honoree for Women’s History Month by the National Women’s History Project; 2019 bestowed honorary degree in Doctor of Humane Letters from California State University, Northridge.
Jennifer Khalifa, MSW, CHES
Senior Director of Prevention Strategies, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence
Jennifer Ponce is the prevention education manager with Laura’s House, a nonprofit that offers education and comprehensive services to domestic violence survivors in Orange County, Calif. She obtained her Master of Social Work from Boston University and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. For the last 15 years Jennifer has implemented community outreach and education programs internationally and domestically. She is passionate about social welfare and providing education and resources to disadvantaged communities and victims of violence. Jennifer has been instrumental in the creation and expansion of Healthy Emotions and Attitudes in Relationships Today (H.E.A.RT.), an effective teen dating violence prevention program, and has also developed other successful prevention programs addressing intimate partner violence, inclusivity, healthy masculinity, and restorative justice practices. Jennifer has been featured as a guest expert on “The Doctors”, talk radio, as well as in The Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register. Jennifer is a highly sought expert on the topic of intimate partner violence and is frequently a guest lecturer at high schools, colleges and universities, and a guest speaker at national conferences.
Janice Munemitsu
Spiritual Director
Janice Munemitsu is a spiritual director in private practice and Biola University, as well as a team member in charge of donor engagement for Generous Giving. Her passion is helping people find true spiritual freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17) through soul care, spiritual direction, and generosity. She has served on the Generous Giving team since 2011, connecting people to the biblical message of generosity through the Journey of Generosity experience. After having led back-to-back capital campaigns for over 9 years at Mariners Church in Irvine, CA, her heart grew for truly transformational stewardship and personal spiritual renewal.
Janice learned about the cycle of abuse and domestic violence as well as the process toward recovery and restoration by serving for 18 years as a member of the Board of Directors for The Sheepfold, a long-term residential program for abused mothers and their children. One of Janice’s greatest joys is to see souls healed and transformed to live out their God-given callings. Her heart is for women to be fully and whole-heartedly who God created them to be as His beloved.
Janice comes from the consumer brands/food industry, where her last role was Vice President of Consumer Brand Marketing, ConAgra Foods. She has experience in change management and culture change and has served on a corporate board in the real estate industry. Janice has a B.S and M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. She received a M.A., Spiritual Formation and Soul Care at the Institute for Spiritual Formation (ISF), Talbot Seminary/Biola University. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the National Christian Foundation California, Asian Access, and The Malachi 3 Foundation. She is a founding team member of the Mendez v. Westminster Freedom Trail and Tribute Monument to open in 2021, commemorating the 1947 victory that led to school desegregation 9 years before Brown v. Education and public school access for children of all races in California. With a heart for travel and light suitcase to match, Janice is a native of Orange County, CA.
Consultants
Gwyneth Kerr Erwin, PH.D., PSY.D.
Gwyneth Kerr Erwin, Ph.D., Psy.D., is a Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst in private practice in southern California, working with adults, couples, families, adolescents, and children. Her areas of expertise include infant and child development, the repercussions of trauma upon development and its assessment and treatment, unresolved trauma and its assessment and treatment, and the use of creativity in the healing process.
She is the Past President of the Newport Center for Psychoanalytic Studies and its Training Division, the Newport Psychoanalytic Institute, and its Board of Directors. In addition to being a Faculty member at NPI, ICP, and LAISPS, she is an active keynote and contributing presenter at conferences. She is a Member of the Newport Center for Psychoanalytic Studies, The Association for Autonomous Psychoanalytic Institutes, the International Forum for Psychoanalytic Education, and the American Counseling Association.
As a professional writer, book doctor, and editor of twenty-five years, she conducts private professional writing groups and is a dissertation consultant.
Dr. David Hawkins, MBA, MSW, MA, Ph.D.
Dr. Hawkins, of The Marriage Recovery Center, is a Clinical Psychologist who is a leader and expert in the field of treatment for narcissism and emotional abuse in the context of relationships. He’s developed one-of-a-kind programs for the treatment of narcissistic individuals and the people who love them. His unique approach targets breaking unhealthy patterns of thinking and behaviors, and teaching new skills to develop emotional intimacy and to meet the needs within the relationship.
He is a speaker and trainer for the American Association of Christian Counselors and has been writing columns for Crosswalk.com, CBN.org, and Believe.com. He is the bestselling author of over 30 books.
He and the Marriage Recovery Center partner with The MEND Project to insure quality and comprehensive training for all those impacted by abuse.
Visit him and his team here: http://www.marriagerecoverycenter.com
Our Team
Annette Oltmans
Founder and CEO, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Annette Oltmans is a philanthropist and passionate human rights advocate. Annette’s personal experiences of long-term emotional abuse in marriage and her extensive journey of recovery including comprehensive field research into the topics of Original Abuse and Double Abuse® ignited her passion for founding The MEND Project in 2016.
While seeking the help of professionals and responders, she experienced Double Abuse® in the form of spiritual and institutional abuse. These harmful encounters compelled Annette in her relentless pursuit of solutions that involved interviews with hundreds of victims and survivors. She uncovered common threads that cause victims prolonged states of confusion as well as what ultimately led them towards healing.
Her journey also involved interviews with hundreds of faith-based leaders and therapists which led her to discover that most are untrained and ill-equipped to identify and help victims of covert emotional abuse.
In working to prevent and remediate such harm, Annette developed protocoled models that are now being taught and implemented with therapists, churches and professional organizations across the United States. She consulted with esteemed experts in abuse, trauma, and healing to ensure the materials aligned with the highest professional standards.
Annette also serves on the Board of Pepperdine University’s Boone Center for the Family and is a Board of Trustee member of Northrise University in Zambia.
Her writing on these topics of abuse, domestic violence, and bullying has been published in AACC, Teen Vogue, and other publications.
Jill Rice
Director of Training and Curriculum
Jill Rice is the Director of Training and Curriculum at The MEND Project. She has over 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit world, including Church ministry and serving alongside the Chaplain of a University. Her degree is in Family Systems and Child Development, with graduate courses completed in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Jill is fervent about the unique mission of MEND to equip all those impacted by abuse, especially faith leaders and other trusted responders on how to interface with victims of abuse.
She is devoted to spending her time writing, editing, and maintaining oversight for curriculum and training.
She also builds meaningful connections and collaborates with impact partners to educate and serve the community regarding the effects of abuse and responses that heal.
Jill is a mom of two teenage sons and a native of Southern California. She enjoys spending time with her boys on the baseball and soccer fields, making memories with them at the beach, and soaking up precious moments with family and friends.
Board of Directors
Kenny Luck
Founder and President, Every Man Ministries
Director: The MEND Project
Kenny Luck is the founder and president of Every Man Ministries, which helps churches develop healthy men’s ministries to protect women and children and end social problems such as fatherlessness and child abuse. His daily devotional is received by 60,000 men and his weekly livestream is host to a live audience of over 6,000 men.
From 1997 to 2014, Kenny served as the men’s pastor under Pastor Rick Warren at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and is a recognized expert on men’s issues. He is also the author or co-author of 2124 books, including “Dangerous Good,” Failsafe, Overflow” and “Sleeping Giant: No Movement of God without Men of God.”
Kenny also authored the Get Healthy and Get Strong discipleship ecosystem as well as the “Sleeping Giant” program of videos, Bible studies, and meetings, of which Saddleback’s Rick Warren, former lead pastor, gave praise, saying it “gives you a local church blueprint for moving men from being an audience sitting in a seat to becoming an army marching on the field in your congregation.”
Kenny has contributed to many publications, websites, and websitespodcasts, including The Christian Post, Charisma, Christian Mingle, Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox, New Man and Men of Integrity, and frequently speaks at conferences organized by Every Man Ministries. He earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and has served with Campus Crusade for Christ and the Josh McDowell Ministry. He was previously the CEO of New Life Clinics West.
Kenny consults for various churches and organizations and is on the faculty of Trinity Encounter in Montana - a retreat experience for marketplace leaders. Ultimately, he enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, Chrissy, and their three adult children and grandchildren.
Terri Ponce de Leon
Founder, Arise & Shine Transitional Living
Director: The MEND Project
Terri Ponce de Leon's passion is to inspire individual transformation and to help people steward God’s calling in their lives. Coming out of this passion, she founded Arise & Shine Transitional Living for women who graduate from substance abuse recovery programs ready to take the next steps to relaunch their lives.
Terri brings her expertise in charitable giving coming out of her 13-year career at the National Christian Foundation (one of the largest charitable giving foundations in the world) as a speaker, coach, and gift advisor.
She has served as a Chaplain & Deaconess at Hosanna Christian Fellowship and led its Advocacy Program, Addiction Recovery Program, and Women’s Outreach Ministries. She is a CA licensed facilitator for court-ordered Domestic Violence Programs through which she teaches The MEND Project models to her teams. She served on the leadership team for Ruby Women, at Biola University, and has volunteered on multiple nonprofit boards.
Currently, she has been trained by the Lakewood Sherriff Department Clergy Academy to minister in sex trafficking safe houses as well as to take part in human trafficking rescue missions in the Inland Empire and Orange County.
Corinne Spurrier
Vice President of Hospitality, Generous.Life
Director: The MEND Project
Corinne Spurrier brings a wealth of experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors. With a 12-year career in marketing and graphic design, Corinne designed corporate identities for Fortune 500 companies, worked on new product development and packaging, and led strategic market analysis. Matching her skills with her passion to end human trafficking and other injustices, Corinne has volunteered her expertise with churches, charities, and nonprofits such as Restore (NY), First Resort (San Francisco), AVAIL (NYC), Generosity New York, and Next Generation Nepal.
Corinne has a particular gift for event planning, chairing 800-person galas and helping organizations grow their fundraising events. Corinne is an advocate for generosity to better support nonprofit organizations.
As a director for The MEND Project, Corinne is grateful for the opportunity to expand MEND’s reach as it educates the public on covert emotional abuse and Double Abuse®, equips first responders of all types on how to respond to abuse in a compassionate and healing manner, and to restore victims of abuse by providing clarity and encouragement during their journey toward healing.
Advisory Board
Kay Ramsey, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Tradeswomen, Inc.
Dr. Ramsey currently serves as the Executive Branch Director for Southern California, Bethany Christian Services, a national nonprofit organization helping abused and neglected, and other vulnerable children and refugees by providing social services such as foster care and adoption. Kay is a published author for the LA Times and Fostering Families Today magazine. She has been interviewed on CBS Morning News, Spectrum News 1 and various podcasts As a former foster youth and adoptee herself, Kay has a personal commitment to God in being a good steward of His work as she has triumphed beyond adversity throughout her life. As a transformational leader and visionary, Dr. Ramsey brings 20+ years of experience in social services. Kay successfully completed her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in Non-profit Leadership. She also has a dual Masters receiving her Masters of Art from Pepperdine University in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, and a Masters of Business Administration.
In Fall/Winter 2020, Dr. Ramsey will be releasing her first book entitled Persevering Beyond Adversity: The Blue Print, in which she shares the gritty story about being born from sexual violence in a prison, growing up in foster care, and later experiencing homelessness after the death of her adoptive mother, and gives you tools to create a blueprint for success on how to turn pain into passion and persevere beyond adversity with faith, vision and a mentor.
Glenn W. Rhodes, J.D.
Founder & Partner, Rhodes LLP
In a career spanning more than thirty years, Mr. Rhodes has successfully represented clients in numerous matters before state and federal trial courts across the United States, courts of appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court. He also has extensive experience in international litigation. Glenn specializes in federal patent law, prosecuting patents before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and litigating patent infringement and intellectual property suits, but also holds great experience in various general litigation matters. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer on patent issues, and has taught law school courses on trial advocacy and legal research and writing. He is the past co-author and editor of the Patent Law Handbook (West Publishing). Glenn has been listed in Euromoney Legal Media Group’s Guides to the Worlds Leading Patent Law Experts, the International Who’s Who of Patent Law Experts, and in Intellectual Asset Magazine as a top Global IP Strategist.
One of Glenn’s passions in the law has been in successfully representing numerous asylum seekers in the U.S. immigration courts, focusing his representation on victims of domestic violence and abuse.
His range of representation included women asylum seekers from multiple Asian and Latin American jurisdictions. He has received numerous awards for his pro bono efforts, including being named Pro Bono Partner of the Year.
Glenn enjoys fly-fishing, cooking and spending time with his kids and grandchildren. He is an avid hiker and bicycler. In 2014, Glenn and his son completed the Waves to Wine ride of 150 miles to support the work of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He travels extensively, including to the North Pole and he hopes to make it to Antartica eventually. Glenn is a member of the National Eagle Scout Association.
Beth Schwartz
Educator and Public Speaker
Beth Schwartz is a nurse, pastor and teacher who’s life purpose is to bring healing and freedom by leading and empowering the world towards awakening and health. She stepped down as the Women’s Pastor at Saddleback Church in Orange County CA to teach students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Masters in Public Health programs at Azusa Pacific University and West Coast University. She oversees public health students in homeless shelters, schools, home health, hospice and wound care centers. She is an educator and public speaker on Leadership and Spiritual Healthcare Analysis.
Beth has a Masters of Science in Nursing and will finish her Masters of Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in June 2020. She loves yoga, thrifting and creating abstract art. She is a wife to Scott, and mother to two wild teenagers, Maren and Ethan.
Jeffrey R. Baker, J.D.
Director of Clinical Education and Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Pepperdine University School of Law
Professor Baker is the Pepperdine University School of Law's Director of Clinical Education and is an Associate Clinical Professor of Law. He directs the clinical program which includes the legal clinics, externships and practicum courses. He supervises and teaches the Community Justice Clinic, and he serves as the school’s pro bono director.
In the Community Justice Clinic, Professor Baker practices with law students to provide pro bono legal services to local nonprofits and international nongovernmental organization dedicated to justice, human rights, and community empowerment among vulnerable and marginalized populations. The Clinic serves clients at work in fields of homelessness and poverty, gender-based crimes and women’s empowerment, sustainable agriculture and rainforest conservation, human trafficking and access to education, farm-worker rights and access to justice.
Professor Baker graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School before returning to his home state of Mississippi where he had a diverse trial and appellate practice in health care, mass tort, products liability, pharmaceutical liability, medical malpractice, insurance, toxic tort and personal injury litigation with the firm of Watkins & Eager. From 2006-2013, Baker was an associate professor of law and Director of Clinical Programs at Faulkner University Jones School of Law in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was Professor of the Year in 2011-2012. At Faulkner Law, Professor Baker taught the Family Violence Clinic, designed and launched the Elder Law Clinic, and supervised and taught the Externship Program, among other courses. Professor Baker is a mediator, and coached Faulkner Law’s national championship teams in the ABA Representation in Mediation Competition.
His scholarship addresses domestic violence and gender justice in families, including intersecting fields of moral philosophy, religion, legal history, social science, and multidisciplinary professional responses. Professor Baker speaks and writes regularly on clinical education, professional formation, public interest lawyering and social justice. He also edits the Clinical Law Prof Blog and is actively involved with the Clinical Legal Education Association and the Section on Clinical Legal Education of the Association of American Law Schools.
In Alabama, he received the Montgomery Advertiser’s Martin Luther King Spirit Honors Award and the Justice for Victims Award from the area domestic violence shelter. He has served as co-chair of the Montgomery County Task Force on Domestic Violence, on the Pro Bono Task Force for the Alabama State Bar, and on organizing committees for the One Place Family Justice Center. He also is an honorary member of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
In California, he serves on the boards of nonprofits committed to access to justice and health care in vulnerable international communities. He is actively involved in church, local public schools, and youth sports.
He is a member of the Mississippi, Alabama and California bars.
Susan Burton
Founder and Executive Director of A New Way of Life
Susan Burton is the founder and executive director of A New Way of Life, a nonprofit that provides sober housing and other support to formerly incarcerated women. Nationally known as an advocate for restoring basic civil and human rights to those who have served time, Susan was a winner of AARP’s prestigious Purpose Prize and has been a Starbucks “Upstander,” a CNN Top 10 Hero, and a Soros Justice Fellow. She is the author, with Cari Lynn, of Becoming Ms. Burton, From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women (The New Press), a winner of an NAACP Image Award and named a “Best Book of 2017” by the Chicago Public Library. Her book, life, and nonprofit come out of her personal life story, which speaks to “the breathtaking resilience of the human spirit.”
After tragically losing her five-year-old son when a police cruiser struck and killed him, grief overtook her and she became drug-addicted and impoverished. She was incarcerated for crack cocaine and went in and out of jail six times over approximately a ten year period.
Each time, she was released with limited money, no photo ID and no social security card. She finally found the CLARE Foundation in Santa Monica where she was treated for substance abuse and addiction, turned her life around, and founded New Way of Life where she has helped more than 3,000 formerly incarcerated women get a home and lead a healthy life.
Additional awards and accolades: 2007 appointment to Little Hoover Sentencing Reform Commission and the Gender Responsive Strategies Commission by former CA Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; 2010 Citizen Activist Award from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government; 2011 CNN Hero for her extraordinary work and impact in Los Angeles; 2012 Purpose Prize Winner and Community Fellow for the California Wellness Foundation, Women’s Policy Institute Fellow through the Women’s Foundation of California and the Open Society Foundations; 2014 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award; 2015 named one of United State’s 18 New Civil Rights Leaders by the Los Angeles Times; 2018 Honoree for Women’s History Month by the National Women’s History Project; 2019 bestowed honorary degree in Doctor of Humane Letters from California State University, Northridge.
Jennifer Khalifa, MSW, CHES
Director of Prevention Strategies, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence
Jennifer Ponce is the prevention education manager with Laura’s House, a nonprofit that offers education and comprehensive services to domestic violence survivors in Orange County, Calif. She obtained her Master of Social Work from Boston University and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. For the last 15 years Jennifer has implemented community outreach and education programs internationally and domestically. She is passionate about social welfare and providing education and resources to disadvantaged communities and victims of violence. Jennifer has been instrumental in the creation and expansion of Healthy Emotions and Attitudes in Relationships Today (H.E.A.RT.), an effective teen dating violence prevention program, and has also developed other successful prevention programs addressing intimate partner violence, inclusivity, healthy masculinity, and restorative justice practices. Jennifer has been featured as a guest expert on “The Doctors”, talk radio, as well as in The Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register. Jennifer is a highly sought expert on the topic of intimate partner violence and is frequently a guest lecturer at high schools, colleges and universities, and a guest speaker at national conferences.
Janice Munemitsu
Spiritual Director
Janice Munemitsu is a spiritual director in private practice and Biola University, as well as a team member in charge of donor engagement for Generous Giving. Her passion is helping people find true spiritual freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17) through soul care, spiritual direction, and generosity. She has served on the Generous Giving team since 2011, connecting people to the biblical message of generosity through the Journey of Generosity experience. After having led back-to-back capital campaigns for over 9 years at Mariners Church in Irvine, CA, her heart grew for truly transformational stewardship and personal spiritual renewal.
Janice learned about the cycle of abuse and domestic violence as well as the process toward recovery and restoration by serving for 18 years as a member of the Board of Directors for The Sheepfold, a long-term residential program for abused mothers and their children. One of Janice’s greatest joys is to see souls healed and transformed to live out their God-given callings. Her heart is for women to be fully and whole-heartedly who God created them to be as His beloved.
Janice comes from the consumer brands/food industry, where her last role was Vice President of Consumer Brand Marketing, ConAgra Foods. She has experience in change management and culture change and has served on a corporate board in the real estate industry. Janice has a B.S and M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. She received a M.A., Spiritual Formation and Soul Care at the Institute for Spiritual Formation (ISF), Talbot Seminary/Biola University. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the National Christian Foundation California, Asian Access, and The Malachi 3 Foundation. She is a founding team member of the Mendez v. Westminster Freedom Trail and Tribute Monument to open in 2021, commemorating the 1947 victory that led to school desegregation 9 years before Brown v. Education and public school access for children of all races in California. With a heart for travel and light suitcase to match, Janice is a native of Orange County, CA.
Consultants
Gwyneth Kerr Erwin, Ph.D., PSY.D.
Gwyneth Kerr Erwin, Ph.D., Psy.D., is a Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst in private practice in southern California, working with adults, couples, families, adolescents, and children. Her areas of expertise include infant and child development, the repercussions of trauma upon development and its assessment and treatment, unresolved trauma and its assessment and treatment, and the use of creativity in the healing process.
She is the Past President of the Newport Center for Psychoanalytic Studies and its Training Division, the Newport Psychoanalytic Institute, and its Board of Directors. In addition to being a Faculty member at NPI, ICP, and LAISPS, she is an active keynote and contributing presenter at conferences. She is a Member of the Newport Center for Psychoanalytic Studies, The Association for Autonomous Psychoanalytic Institutes, the International Forum for Psychoanalytic Education, and the American Counseling Association.
As a professional writer, book doctor, and editor of twenty-five years, she conducts private professional writing groups and is a dissertation consultant.
Dr. David Hawkins, MBA, MSW, MA, Ph.D.
Dr. Hawkins, of The Marriage Recovery Center, is a Clinical Psychologist who is a leader and expert in the field of treatment for narcissism and emotional abuse in the context of relationships. He’s developed one-of-a-kind programs for the treatment of narcissistic individuals and the people who love them. His unique approach targets breaking unhealthy patterns of thinking and behaviors, and teaching new skills to develop emotional intimacy and to meet the needs within the relationship.
He is a speaker and trainer for the American Association of Christian Counselors and has been writing columns for Crosswalk.com, CBN.org, and Believe.com. He is the bestselling author of over 30 books.
He and the Marriage Recovery Center partner with The MEND Project to insure quality and comprehensive training for all those impacted by abuse.
Visit him and his team here: http://www.marriagerecoverycenter.com
Partners
The MEND Project would like to thank ALL our financial partners for your support and investment in our mission and those we impact through its implementation.
A special thanks to:
The Carol and James A. Collins Foundation
The DevTo Support Foundation
Ralph M Parsons Foundation
City National Bank
Help & Information
If you are in immediate danger contact the national hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) or call 911.
Disclaimer: The author of this website, The MEND Project and its founder, Annette Oltmans, takes responsibility for the presentation of the content of this website. We are not clinicians, but are researchers and desire to help you. We are not trying to vilify any gender, or any person, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality etc. Our mission is to identify and clarify the single behaviors or patterns of behaviors that occur when covert abuse is present. The material on this website and the services our nonprofit offers are offered in an effort to serve all victims of abuse. © 2025 The MEND Project. All Rights Reserved.