Awake Welcomes New Members to Our Survivor Advisory Panel
Awake first established its Survivor Advisory Panel back in 2020, as part of our efforts to center the voices of people who have experienced abuse in the Catholic Church. Members begin their service with a one year term from October to the following September, with many choosing to remain on the panel beyond that initial term. This diverse group is invested in Awake’s work and offers honest feedback about the organization’s ideas, programs, and goals.
This week we extend our gratitude to Deborah Rodriguez, Gino Wolfe, and Timothy Quigley, who have completed their service on the Survivor Advisory Panel. We’re also honored to welcome our newest panelists, Bill Hambleton, Cathy Lynch, Leslie Delaney, and Kate Heit, who will join returning panelists Amy Pearce, April Smith, Deborah Schiessl, Jennifer-Marie Burchell, Maria Silvers, Megan Wickard, Mike Hoffman, Vince Pérez, and Wendy Mitch.
Today, our new panelists introduce themselves to the Awake Community. Thank you to all past and current members for sharing your time and wisdom with us!
Bill Hambleton
I have spent nearly thirty years in Catholic education. After years as President and Head of School, I returned to my first love, teaching, and now chair the Religious Studies department at a Catholic boarding and day school in California.
Raised Catholic in Utah, I was sexually abused as a teenager by a priest of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. I buried that trauma for decades, reporting it only in 2024 after my brother, a heavy rescue fire captain with job-related PTSD, died by suicide. My memoir, The Sacred and Profane: A Memoir of Faith and Reckoning, tells that story, and I am honored to support fellow survivors through Awake.
I live in Southern California with my wife, a litigation attorney, and my daughter, a dedicated high school equestrian.
Cathy Lynch
I live outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, with my husband, John, and our dogs, Schmoopie and Indie. After a long career in human resources and higher education, I now work as a coach, hypnotherapist, end-of-life doula, and writer. I am well acquainted with abuse by Catholic leaders. I understand how irreconcilably unequal power dynamics can fuel abuse, including coercive control. Too often, this goes unrecognized as abuse—by the person who lived it, and by those who shape a harsher narrative around what happened. All of this can leave psychological, emotional, spiritual, and physical damage that can last a lifetime. I am honored to serve on the Survivor Advisory Panel alongside others working to ensure that people with lived experience are heard, especially those the law does not yet protect, and those who have chosen not to share publicly. Each person carries a story and deserves a community that will hold them—and their story—with care.
Kate Heit
I live in Denver, Colorado, where I enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the energy of city life. As the proud mother of three and grandmother of four, I am continually challenged, humbled, and delighted by my family. Hiking forested trails, playing pickleball, and taking ballet classes engage my mind, body, and spirit while deepening my appreciation for the life I enjoy today.
I am a semi-retired psychotherapist, with 25 years of experience. This work has given me the privilege of witnessing profound examples of both the goodness and the fallibility of the human condition.
As a survivor of clergy abuse, I have been involved with Awake for the past four years. I am deeply committed to Awake’s mission and hope to help create a safe space where survivors feel heard, supported, and empowered.
Leslie Delaney
I’m a mental health counselor and bioethicist living in Miami, but I’m originally from Argentina. I love to run, be in nature, read, and spend time with the people I love. During my free time, I can usually be found marveling at the beauty of nature from my hammock by the ocean. I believe that the existence of animals, especially horses and dogs, are irrefutable evidence of God’s love for us and have yet to meet an animal I haven’t loved. Awake has been an incredible blessing in my life, allowing me to explore my faith and relationship with God in a trauma-informed environment, without any pressure or expectation. My hope is for all survivors to experience the same love and unconditional acceptance that I have found so healing.
