Board Members
Executive Board of Directors
Rebecca LeShay Araujo
President
Rebecca is a certified and licensed genetic counselor in Southern California. She has volunteered in several leadership roles for the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) and the Southern California Genetic Counselors (SCGC). She especially loves working with her regional colleagues on all the amazing programming that SCGC now offers beyond just the Annual Conference, and is proud of how fast the organization has grown in such a short time! She welcomes contact from SCGC members to discuss how the organization can best support them or to discuss ways that members can be more involved.
The president's role encompasses...
Lauren Watson
President Elect
Lauren Watson is a licensed and certified genetic counselor in the greater Los Angeles area. She currently works as a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) Manager at Myriad Women's Health, leading a team of genetic counselor MSLs who provide education, clinical support, and technical expertise to health care providers interested in implementing hereditary cancer risk assessment and reproductive genetic screening. Prior to her management role, Lauren was a Regional Medical Specialist and MSL at Myriad. During her time as a genetic counselor in Southern California, Lauren has volunteered for the Southern California Genetic Counselors (SCGC) for several years, working on several committees and previously served as the organization's Secretary and Treasurer. Prior to joining Myriad, Lauren trained at Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling. She is also a member of NSGC, as well as an alumna of the City of Hope Intensive Course in Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment.
The president's role encompasses...
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Joan Oliver
Past President
More details to come...
The president's role encompasses...
Ruben Martin
Secretary
More details to come...
The secretary is responsible for scheduling meetings for both the board of directors and the executive board. Besides hosting the meetings, the secretary sets the agenda and logs minutes for each session. The secretary is also SCGC's principal point of contact for general correspondence, responding to or forwarding emails received by the organization and answering questions in the forum. Within SCGC's forums, the secretary reviews and shares posts submitted by our members. The secretary also maintains and organizes SCGC documents and records, and manages various accounts for the organization.
Emily Parkhurst
Treasurer
Even as a kid, I loved science and genetics. My third-grade science fair project was to draw my family tree. I received my master’s degree in genetic counseling from California State Northridge in 2001 and have been working as a clinical Genetic Counselor at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles since 2004. I have been on the SCGC board of directors since 2022. Today, my hobbies include playing video games, making YouTube videos, hiking, long distance running and swimming. My favorite race is the two-mile Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier open ocean swim every summer.
The treasurer is responsible for keeping track of the finances of SCGC, including monitoring income and paying expenses.
Board Members at Large
Amanda de Leon
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
Amanda de Leon is the DEI committee chair (2024-2025). She is a certified and licensed genetic counselor receiving her Master's degree in genetic counseling from the University of Minnesota. She is an assistant professor and clinical genetic counselor at UC Irvine. In addition to being the DEI chair for SCGC, she is also involved with the NSGC Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) and Access and Service Delivery (A.S.D.) Committees.
The DEI committee is responsible for representing the voices of diverse genetic counselors and serving in an advisory capacity in developing, implementing, and collaborating with other committees to support SCGC's strategy with regard to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice for its members and the communities we serve.
Anusha Vaidyanathan
Interim DEI Co-Chair
More details to come...
The DEI committee is responsible for representing the voices of diverse genetic counselors and serving in an advisory capacity in developing, implementing, and collaborating with other committees to support SCGC's strategy with regard to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice for its members and the communities we serve.
Soon to be announced!
Marketing
More details to come...
The marketing committee is responsible for...
Soon to be announced!
Education
More details to come...
The education committee is responsible for...
Jamie Phan
Membership Co-Chair
Jamie Phan is a Laboratory Genetic Counselor at Kaiser Permanente where she assists with lab stewardship efforts. She graduated from the Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine’s Genetic Counseling program in New York City. Prior to that, she attended UCLA where she was the vice president of the GCSIG. She has volunteered for several committees for the SCGC Annual Conference and was a speaker in 2024. She is committed to engaging with SCGC membership and building a robust genetic counseling community in Southern California.
The Membership Chair/Co-chairs maintain the SCGC database and assists members with updating their information. They answer questions about membership, alongside the Secretary. They consult with the nominating committee and oversee the elections to the Board of Directors. This includes distributing ballots to the general membership, tabulating, and communicating results to the SCGC membership. The Membership Chair/Co-chairs are also responsible for communications with the membership and works with the Marketing Committee to share news about events, socials and updates regarding important issues.
Nicole Choy
Membership Co-Chair
Nicole Choy (she/they) is currently employed as a genetic counselor at Kaiser Permanente. They received their master’s degree from the Keck Graduate Institute in 2021. They have previously served the SCGC community as the Outreach Committee co-chair and currently serve as the co-chair of the Membership Committee. Nicole is passionate about student mentorship and education.
The Membership Chair/Co-chairs maintain the SCGC database and assists members with updating their information. They answer questions about membership, alongside the Secretary. They consult with the nominating committee and oversee the elections to the Board of Directors. This includes distributing ballots to the general membership, tabulating, and communicating results to the SCGC membership. The Membership Chair/Co-chairs are also responsible for communications with the membership and works with the Marketing Committee to share news about events, socials and updates regarding important issues.
Hunaydah Elfarawi
Outreach Co-Chair
Hunaydah Elfarawi, MS, CGC is a licensed, board-certified genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics at City of Hope National Medical Center. She has a Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to completing her master’s degree, Hunaydah earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from University of Ottawa, with a minor in psychology. During that time, she investigated how institutions and laboratories approached the process of variant reinterpretation in the context of familial testing while working at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Her interests include increasing equitable access to genetic services among underserved populations and community outreach.
The Community Outreach Committee is responsible for SCGC’s engagement with patient advocacy organizations, local undergraduate genetic counseling special interest groups, and local educational events. The committee also works to identify community events that are relevant to the SCGC to increase the visibility of the Genetic Counseling profession and the SCGC organization. The committee will also work to develop educational resources and materials for community engagement.
Rushna Inaba
Outreach Co-Chair
Rushna is a licensed, certified genetic counselor based in Los Angeles (residing South Bay, raised San Fernando Valley). She earned her M.S. Genetic Counseling from UC Irvine in 2022, and has worked in clinical cancer genomics, research, and insurance utilization management in remote/hybrid capacities. Her favorite thing about SoCal is the diversity of cultures to learn about and enjoy.
The Community Outreach Committee is responsible for SCGC’s engagement with patient advocacy organizations, local undergraduate genetic counseling special interest groups, and local educational events. The committee also works to identify community events that are relevant to the SCGC to increase the visibility of the Genetic Counseling profession and the SCGC organization. The committee will also work to develop educational resources and materials for community engagement.
Nicole Choy (she/they) is currently employed as a genetic counselor at Kaiser Permanente. They received their master’s degree from the Keck Graduate Institute in 2021. They have previously served the SCGC community as the Outreach Committee co-chair and currently serve as the co-chair of the Membership Committee. Nicole is passionate about student mentorship and education.