Vahisha Hasan, MDiv, MA
TRACC CORE ORGANIZER & Rapid Response Coordinator
Vahisha Hasan (she/her) is a faith-rooted organizer moving at the intersections of faith, social justice, and mental health. She is the Executive Director of Movement in Faith, a project of Transform Network. She is a powerful public speaker, transformative facilitator, social justice trainer, minister, and writer with a deeply prophetic voice and imagination for how faith communities can be an active part of healing and collective liberation.
She is the Director of the SEAL Initiative at American Baptist College in Nashville TN (SocialJustice, Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership). Vahisha is also a core team member of TRACC4Movements (Trauma Response and Crisis Care) providing supportive tools for wellness for those who labor in freedom and liberation. She also serves as an associate minister at Christ Missionary Baptist Church, under Rev. Dr. Gina Stewart, Senior Pastor, where she was licensed and ordained June 23, 2019.
Vahisha holds a dual Master’s of Divinity and Master’s of Mental Health Counseling with an Education Specialist Certification from Gardner-Webb University and a bachelor’s degree in Communications with a concentration in Interpersonal Organization from The University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill.
In addition to penning book reviews, journal articles, online publications, and writing a bachelor’s curriculum in Applied Psychology, she has curated and co-edited three editions of Resipiscence: A Lenten Devotional for Dismantling White Supremacy, 2018-2020.
Alexis Francisco, MSW
TRACC CORE ORGANIZER
Alexis Francisco (he/him/his) lives and works at the intersections of spirituality, healing and social change work. He lives his commitment to the wellbeing and liberation of Black people throughout the diaspora and all oppressed people through his work as a community organizer, facilitator, therapist, contemplative and spiritual director.
His spiritual well draws from the waters of his training and practice in Christian liberation theology, Lucumi/Orisha tradition and AfroCarribean ancestral veneration. Alexis holds a Masters in Social Work from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and a Masters in Divinity from Union Theological Seminary. Alexis is engaged in community organizing that aims to improve the material conditions of Bronxites and shift the dynamics of power and oppression in New York City.
He has experience in organizing and grassroots community work in a variety of areas including alternative to incarceration programs, equitable economic and community development, health justice and police accountability. As a therapist, Alexis supports the mental health and wellness of NYC based workers as they organize for equitable conditions and the transformation of their industry.
Teresa Mateus, LCSW, E-RYT 200
TRACC Co-Creator/Director, CORE ORGANIZER
Teresa Mateus (she/her/hers), MSW, E-RYT 200 is a graduate of NYU's School of Clinical Social Work where she graduated in 2007. She spent nearly 10 years working with combat veterans and survivors of military sexual trauma at the Vet Centers, a branch of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Her work there informed her knowledge and practice modalities for treating and healing trauma. While at the VA she received the NYU's Recent Alumna Award for integrative approaches for trauma treatment for programming she created to heal trauma utilizing trauma-conscious yoga, creative arts, and equine-facilitated psychotherapy. Her work with combat and war trauma has extensively informed her understanding and response methodology for movement trauma - as she has seen a parallel between the symptoms and manifestation of both kinds of trauma and trauma response.
Teresa's work over the last 10 years has centered at the intersection of activism, healing and spirituality and she is the co-founder of The Mystic Soul Project (BIPOC/QTPOC-centered spirituality, activism and healing) and TRACC 4 Movements (trauma response and crisis care for movements). She speaks, writes and trains at these intersections across the United States.
Teresa's work with trauma and crisis response for movements has included education and trainings for activists and healing care providers. She provided trauma response care at Standing Rock and in Charlottesville, VA. She has also provided consultation and support for a variety of other movement, action and protest-oriented healing care response and currently is coordinating crisis response, community education, and training for practitioners during this COVID-19 and movement Uprising moment with her organization TRACC4Movements.
Teresa is also the author of three books: Mending Broken: A Journey Through the Stages of Trauma & Recovery, Sacred Wounds: A Path to Healing from Spiritual Trauma, Going Naked: The Camino de Santiago & Life as Pilgrimage.You can learn more about Teresa and her work at www.teresamateus.com , www.tracc4movements.com, www.mysticsoulproject.com. You can also find her on social media (fb, twitter, instagram) @teresamateuschi.
Xan West
TRACC CORE ORGANIZER
Xan West (she/her/hers) is the Executive Director at One Life Institute in Oakland, California which centers healing care and support for BIPOC/QTPOC and folks on the frontlines of social change. She considers herself a street theologian, a messy mystic, radical ritual holder, and spiritual trauma healer.
Xan holds a Certificate of Spirituality & Social Change from the Pacific School of Religion. She has been a participant and volunteer at OneLife for several years, and is part of the facilitation team for our Healing Black Lives retreats.
Proud to have been born and raised in Oakland, Xan has over 20 years of experience in social justice movement work, mostly related to police accountability, queer rights, Black liberation, and community healing. She lives with her partner M.J. and their toddler son Glory.
Xeres Villanueva
ADMINISTRATIVE & PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR
Xeres Villanueva (she/her/hers) | TRACC ADMINISTRATIVE & PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR | has deep roots in community building, social entrepreneurship and activism. She is involved in community building projects such as Tuesday Night Cafe and various social justice groups. She has been in the worlds of freelancing, small business and non-profits throughout her career. Xeres is also a co-founder of the WE Empowerment Center, a grassroots financial receivership organization dedicated to support liberatory community and creative projects. Her interests are media and pop culture, cultural and art activism, liberation movements, economic empowerment and food.