Dana Lacy Amarisa
ana Lacy Amarisa is the founder of the Be A Bridge Condolences Project, author of Condolences Pocket Guide: What to Say and Not to Say to Grievers, and condolences coach to hospice, medical and business professionals. She worked in technology as a marketing writer for 25 years and lived and worked in Mexico for over a decade. She is a graduate of the UC Berkeley English Department.
Kirsten Domagalski, Ph.D.
Dr. Kirsten Domagalski is an Applied Psychologist with nearly a decade of research experience. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychological Science from UC Irvine and a Bachelor's in Mathematics from Central Michigan University.
Currently, Dr. Domagalski works as a Trial Consultant at Vinson and Company. In this role, she investigates the impact of issue framing and personal experiences on perception and decision-making processes to inform attorneys on high-stakes civil litigation. Throughout her academic career, she led several NSF-funded projects investigating key issues that both youth and adults face in the US legal system. Her diverse experiences have honed her ability to effectively communicate important and complex ideas to a wide spectrum of audiences, from academic circles to community members. She has seen the positive impact that quality mental health care has not only on individuals, but on families and communities, and is thrilled to be involved with Rose City Center.
Taylor James, CPA, Board Treasurer
Taylor is a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California. She earned her BA and MA from Baylor University, where she studied accounting, marketing, and Spanish. Taylor is a licensed CPA in the state of Texas and worked for Deloitte in Dallas, TX for 3 years specializing in tax accounting methods as part of their Strategic Tax Review group. Her research interests include financial accounting and tax related topics. Currently, her research projects focus on corporate charitable contributions and how nonprofit organizations' accounting decisions impact their access to capital. In her free time, Taylor enjoys skiing with her husband Jeff, practicing yoga, gardening, and baking.
Alan Karbelnig, Ph.D., ABPP, Training Chair
Dr. Karbelnig practices psychoanalytic psychotherapy in Pasadena, California, working with individuals, couples and families. He earned two PhDs, one in Counseling Psychology from USC in 1986, and another one in Psychoanalysis from the New Center for Psychoanalysis (NCP) in 1996. Dr. Karbelnig is a Supervising and Training Psychoanalyst at NCP, achieving Certification in Psychoanalysis by the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) in 2008. An award-winning teacher, Dr. Karbelnig lectures locally, nationally and internationally including in Hong Kong and Beijing, China, in Delhi and Ahmedabad, India, and in Tel Aviv, Israel. Dr. Karbelnig also enjoys writing, having published some 15 scholarly articles and five book chapters. Also, he writes a weekly Substack newsletter entitled, Journeys to the Unconscious Mind, and authored Lover, Exorcist, Critic: Understanding Depth Psychotherapy (Phoenix Press, UK) released in September 2023.
Luis Alejandro Nagy, Ph.D.
Dr. Luis Alejandro Nagy practices as a Licensed Psychoanalyst in Arcadia, California providing psychodynamic psychotherapy for adolescents and adults. Prior to becoming a psychotherapist, Dr. Nagy received his BS degree in Computer Sciences from the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) and his Specialty, Master's, and Doctorate degrees in Psychoanalysis at the Institute of the Psychoanalytic Society of Mexico (SPM) where he also served as a training analyst and professor. He extended his psychoanalytic training at the New Center for Psychoanalysis (NCP). Dr. Nagy became a member of the Board of Directors of NCP in 2019, Board Secretary of the Arcadia Educational Foundation in 2018, and President Elect of Rose City Center in 2021 where he has also served as a teacher and supervisor. Dr. Nagy has held various positions at the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) currently being the Chairman of the IPA Social Media Committee and a Consultant for the IPA Psychoanalyst Emigration and Relocation Committee. Former board member of the Federation of Psychoanalytic Societies of Latin-America (FEPAL), Psychology Professor at the Public Image Consultants School at Mexico (CCIP), an online teacher and supervisor at the China American Psychoanalytic Alliance (CAPA), and at TanXinLi (Shanghai). Dr. Nagy speaks English, Spanish, and basic Chinese.
Nina Savelle-Rocklin, Psy.D
Nina Savelle-Rocklin, Psy.D. is a psychoanalyst, author, and podcast host known for her work in the psychology of eating. She has written five books, including The Binge Cure: 7 Steps to Outsmart Emotional Eating and its companion workbook, The Binge Cure Journal. She is the author of Food for Thought: Perspectives on Eating Disorders (Rowman & Littlefield) and co-editor of Beyond the Primal Addiction (Karnac Books, Food Matters: A Biopsychosocial Approach (Phoenix Publishing House), and the upcoming Seen and Unseen: Vision in Psychoanalysis (Karnac).
In addition to contributing chapters in five scholarly books and writing over 50 articles for publications such as Psyche Online, Psychology Today, the National Eating Disorders Association, Eating Disorder Hope, and other national and international publications, Dr. Savelle-Rocklin has appeared as a featured guest on “The Dr. Drew Podcast” and over 20 radio shows and podcasts worldwide.
Her radio program, “The Dr. Nina Show,” on L.A. Talk Radio aired for over six years and can now be heard as a podcast. Her live podcast, “The Binge Cure with Dr. Nina,” on VoiceAmerica, has listeners in 45 countries and counting. She is thrilled to be on the board of Rose City Center is committed to its mission of bringing psychotherapy services to underserved communities throughout California.
Ron Sequeira, Board President
Ron Sequeira has been a mortgage banker since 1999. His talents and dedication in the mortgage industry have been recognized time and again with several awards for being in the top 10-15% of production and conversion ratios. Ron's focus is on providing exemplary service, and relentlessly following through on his commitments to his clients and business partners. Ron is bilingual, speaking English and Spanish fluently. In his spare time he loves to dedicate himself to his family, Olympic weightlifting, and the performing arts.
Ron was elected to the role of the President of the Board for a term beginning in January 2023.
John W. Shenk, JD, MBA, Board Secretary
John W. Shenk is an attorney who resolves complex corporate stalemates as an advocate or as a neutral board member. John’s experience includes partnership disputes, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and self-dealing claims, unfair competition, trade secret misappropriation, and real estate litigation. Privy to scores of board blowups and inner sanctum disputes throughout his litigation career, John has earned a reputation for his agile and strategically attuned handling of business disputes. John is known for finding consensus in the most acrimonious business divorces.
John attended Stanford University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 2001. John earned his Juris Doctor and his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law and Marshall School of Business, respectively, in 2008.
John is proud to be a father of two outstanding boys, husband to an incredible woman, and one of the founding partners of Mancini Shenk LLP.
Daniel Stover, M.A.
Daniel Stover, M.A., is the Founder and CEO of Ensight Partners. For more than ten years, Daniel Stover has been the executive coach and consultant for leaders of enterprise organizations, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and internationally recognized research and academic institutions. Daniel has two degrees from The Ohio State University and his Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dan is the recipient of the Excellency Award from Geneva Group International for his education and training, and a nominee of the Pay-it-Forward Leadership Award for women’s leadership empowerment. Daniel is a fellow of the Harvard Institute of Coaching, a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society of Consulting Psychology and its Diversity & Inclusion Task Force, the International Coaching Federation, the Nature Conservancy and a founding council member of the Tony Hsieh Awards. In his free time, Daniel is a nature photographer, rock climber and hiking enthusiast .
Ryan G. Witherspoon, Ph.D.
Dr. Ryan Witherspoon is a psychologist in private practice in Pasadena, as well as a Research Affiliate with the Center for Positive Sexuality. Dr. Witherspoon is a graduate of Pepperdine University and the California School of Professional Psychology, where he earned his Ph.D., and he is also an alumni of Rose City Center's post-doctoral psychoanalytic psychotherapy training program, where he now serves as an instructor. Dr. Witherspoon frequently publishes and presents to both academic and clinical audiences on topics including sex-positivity in clinical practice and affirming treatment of patients with diverse sexualities and intimate relationship styles. In his private practice, Dr. Witherspoon provides depth-oriented psychotherapy to a broad range of adults and their intimate relationships, and specializes in treating mood and anxiety issues, complex and attachment trauma, dissociative disorders, personality and relational patterns, and sexuality concerns.
Angela R. Wurtzel, M.A., LMFT, CEDS-C
Angela R. Wurtzel, MA, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, and Washington D.C. She provides virtual individual, group, and family psychodynamic psychotherapy. Angela is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Consultant with the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, and a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Specialist with Postpartum Support International.
Angela obtained her B.A. in Psychology from UCLA and her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. She is currently studying psychoanalysis and developing a curriculum with the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies in NYC's distance learning program. Her expertise lies in assisting clinicians in creatively understanding their own emotional experiences in order to effectively and compassionately provide inclusive psychodynamic psychotherapy.