Awake Welcomes Four New Directors and Offers Gratitude to Three Departing Directors
This week the Awake community expresses deep gratitude to three people concluding their terms on our Board of Directors and welcomes four new directors stepping forward to serve.
Doris Brosnan, Fr. Tom Berg, and Janine Geske have completed their board service after generously sharing their time, energy, and expertise to advance Awake’s mission. In addition, Lisa Cusmano is transitioning from her position as a voting director to serve in an ex officio, non-voting position on the Board while stepping into a new role as chaplain for Awake’s leaders. In this role, Lisa will provide faith-based emotional support to the Awake team and act as a spiritual resource to the Board to foster community and deepen integration of Awake’s mission and values.
Reflecting on the transition, Awake Executive Director Sara Larson said, “I am profoundly grateful to Doris, Fr. Tom, and Janine for the care, insight, and dedication they brought to Awake’s Board. Their leadership has helped shape this community in lasting ways. I am also thrilled to welcome our new directors and thankful that Lisa will offer spiritual accompaniment in her new role. Awake is strengthened again and again by people who generously offer their gifts in service of survivors and the wider Church.”
Our New Directors
During a meeting on Tuesday, April 7, the Board of Directors officially elected four new members. Here are the wonderful people who have joined our Board:
Regina Boyd
Orlando, Florida
“I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and the founder and clinical director of Heartspace Therapy Center in Central Florida, where I provide counseling for individuals, couples, and families and lead a team of therapists committed to compassionate and high-quality care. Much of my work focuses on trauma, relational healing, and helping people feel safe enough to share their stories and begin the process of restoration. Over the course of my career, I have become deeply aware of the profound wounds that abuse can cause within individuals, families, and faith communities.
As both a therapist and a Catholic, I believe healing requires truth and compassion, and that victims deserve to be heard, supported, and accompanied. It is an honor to serve on the Awake Board and support its mission to walk with survivors and encourage greater accountability and healing within the Church.”
Fun Fact: I dabble in gluten free baking from time to time.
Colleen Crawford
Alexandria, Virginia
“I am a nonprofit consultant, Certified Praesidium Guardian, and freelance content writer working in Northern Virginia. My experience in faith-based safeguarding and accompaniment began through a program management role, where I worked with Catholic funders and their partners to resolve gaps and create a ‘new normal’ of abuse prevention across philanthropy. As a committed, lifelong Catholic, I am profoundly moved by Awake’s mission to accompany survivors, build bridges, and offer pathways for healing and justice, and I am honored to serve on the Board. Centering survivor voices and the lived experience is necessary to transform hearts, minds, and process in our Church and beyond.”
Fun Fact: I love British panel/quiz shows and browsing in independent bookstores.
Fr. Matthew Duclos
Delmar, New York
“As a priest of the Diocese of Albany, NY, I am the Pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle in Delmar and St. Lucy/St. Bernadette in Altamont. I graduated from the Institute of Anthropology (IADC) at the Gregorian University with a Licentiate in Safeguarding, and I am the Priest Liaison to the Office of Safe Environment and a member of the Hope and Healing Committee of the Diocese of Albany. I facilitate preparatory working groups for the International Safeguarding Conference and have assisted at Awake's annual summer retreats. Safeguarding ministry and the work of Awake have shaped my priesthood in a profound and positive way. The ripple effects of abuse continue to be revealed and cannot be ignored. I believe deeply in Christ’s promise that light can emerge from places of profound darkness, and that authentic reform comes from listening, humility, and truth.”
Fun Fact: My sisters got me a kayak as an ordination gift, and I enjoy using it in the summer! I love traveling and returning to Italy for the food and culture.
Christopher Gurley Jr.
Chattanooga,Tennessee
“I am a Catholic convert of nearly twenty years with a deep commitment to the history of the Church and the lessons it offers for the present. I firmly believe that the witness and stories of survivors—past and present—are invaluable resources in shaping a more just and safe future in our Church. Their stories matter to the life of the Church. I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Religious Studies at Stanford University. My research examines African American history and U.S. Catholicism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I am a proud alumnus of Tennessee State University, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. I later earned a master’s degree in Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University, a master’s degree in Church History from Yale University, and a master’s degree in American History from Stanford.”
Fun Fact: I am a huge horror movie fan, a hiker, and a foodie (though I am not a great cook).
—Catherine Owers, Communications and Events Specialist
