What is Enhearten Unseen Leaders?
Video produced by Mieke Cahyadi (Instagram: Miekeeunike).
About Enhearten
Enhearten envisions unseen leaders encouraged, resourced, and thriving—discovering their passion and calling, and then rising up to live it out.
The leaders with whom we collaborate are often overlooked by funding agencies because of their gender, ethnicity, ability, or socio-economic status. We long to see these leaders—people with a passion to uplift a community—dream, create, contribute, and powerfully impact our world.
Our Vision
Our vision is to inspire, encourage, and assist overlooked and marginalized leaders who have a passion and plan to help and uplift communities locally, nationally, and globally.
Our Mission
We fund micro grants for special projects, envisioned and led by unseen leaders, to uplift a community. We provide free one-on-one coaching to journey with unseen leaders as they clarify and live their passion and calling. We provide resources and recommendations for unseen leaders who have unresolved hurts and emotional healing needs.
Our Work
Enhearten team members and friends see people with sparks of calling as we work in academia and industry; as we serve among the poor, in nonprofits, and in prisons; as we network with nonprofits around the world; as we live enheartened lives.
We see those who are unseen—leaders walking in humility, integrity, and love, uplifting a community.
As we connect with these leaders, we serve them through:
Coaching: Enhearten journeys with unseen leaders as they explore their passion and calling in life. We coach these leaders through the process of clearly articulating their calling and walk alongside them to take action and begin living it out.
Learn more about Coaching.Giving: Enhearten connects unseen leaders to people, opportunities, and resources to serve these leaders in all they are called to be and do. We work towards a day when people freely share with and receive from unseen leaders nearby and around the world.
Learn more about Giving.Healing: Enhearten walks alongside those who have experienced trauma and wounding from abusive leaders and communities. We provide survivors with healing resources and recommendations for licensed counselors.
Learn more about Healing.
Our Team
Dr. Jenny Switkes
Founder and President of Enhearten Unseen Leaders, Chair of the Board
Jenny Switkes is a professor of mathematics at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she has the joy of mentoring many first-generation college students from diverse backgrounds. She also serves as a volunteer pastor at Rise OC Church in Costa Mesa, California. Jenny takes joy in walking alongside unseen leaders around the world, and has traveled to Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Thailand. She has a heart for prisoners and has visited prisons in the U.S. and Uganda. Jenny enjoys hiking, including some epic hikes with her brothers.
Dr. Cheryl Love
Enhearten Unseen Leaders Vice President, Board Member
Dr. Love serves as the Arts, Humanities, Education & Public Policy Career Specialist, Student and College Engagement, at the University of California, Riverside. She has a Bachelor Degree in Liberal Studies and Master’s Degree in Counseling along with a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and Pupil Personnel Service Credential from California State University, Fullerton. Her Doctorate is from the University of California, Los Angeles in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Counseling. Dr. Love has 40+ years of experience as a counselor and teacher in higher education, public schools, and the non-profit sector. She is a tireless advocate for opportunities for young and old to reach their full potential regardless of their background or circumstance. She works with students to not only help them survive but thrive. She leads with a passion for working towards gender and racial equality and African-American mobility.
Dr. Susan Siaw
Board Member, Secretary; Coach
Susan Nakayama Siaw, Ph.D., (University of Southern California, 1982) has been a psychology professor at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, for more than 30 years. Her academic interests include critical thinking strategies and developmental changes in cognition across the lifespan. She serves as faculty advisor for several Christian clubs and co-leads the Christian Faculty Staff Movement on her campus. She received the Faculty Commons Erick Nilson Award for Christian Leadership in 2010. Dr. Siaw has been part of a Bible Study Fellowship class in Southern California for almost 20 years and serves as the Class Administrator. She has a passion for missions that impact students and professors at universities around the world.
Christie Yoo
Board Member, Treasurer
Christie Yoo’s educational background is in physics and she works as a software QA engineer. One part of the vision of Enhearten Unseen Leaders that is particularly inspiring to her is that Enhearten Unseen Leaders connects with individuals who are dedicated to serving the community. She cares about food equity and other issues of societal inequity that impact the ability of children to experience a safe and loving childhood. Christie is a classically trained musician and loves playing violin in community orchestras. She and her husband live in Southern California and have two young adult sons.
Melissa Soo Hoo, PsyD
Board Member
Melissa Soo Hoo is a clinical and health psychologist who provides whole-person care to adults in her private practice, Sequoia Counseling. She enjoys helping adults with anxiety, depression, and physical health related concerns to find healing so that they can achieve happier and more fulfilling lives. Melissa received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Azusa Pacific University in 2004. As part of her training, Melissa completed her psychology residency at Brooke Army Medical Center and postdoctoral fellowship at California Hospital Medical Center. Melissa enjoys exercising, baking, and traveling in her free time.
Carla E.J. Torrence, EdD
Board Member, Coach
Dr. Carla Torrence treasures her family: Husband Keith of over 40 years, 17-year-old son Makiah, and their daughter Candace, her husband Tommy, and their children: Elijah, Sianni, MaKaylah, Brooklyn, and Maliyah.
She has worked at Cal Poly Pomona for over 25 years in the Information Technology Division. She is an ordained and licensed minister who graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in December 2001 with her Bachelor of Art degree in Behavioral Science. In 2010 she completed her Master of Education with the emphasis on Rehabilitation Counseling from California State University, San Bernardino. In August 2021 she completed her Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Azusa Pacific University.
For more than 30 years she has served her community in churches, outreach to the elderly in convalescent homes, and in rehabilitation centers. For the Community Prison Mothers Program (CPMP) at Prototypes Women's Center, she helped prison women and their children. She hosted a radio broadcast "Time Well Spent" on Gospel860 radio in Phoenix, Arizona and KPRO 1570AM radio in Riverside. She has also hosted the “R” Time Getaways where women are learning how to rest spiritually, mentally, and physically.
Kathleen Wong Board Member
Kathleen is an IT consultant, focusing on the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions. She enjoys providing guidance and support to help users develop a deeper understanding and make the most of the new system. She also volunteers with the Cal Poly Pomona Alumni Association and actively engages in her local community. Passionate about increasing gender equity in STEM, Kathleen strives to create a world where leadership is accessible to all and innovation thrives through inclusivity and collaboration. She enjoys exploring the outdoors, dabbling in math/science and has a deep curiosity for discovering and learning from different cultures.
Past Board Members
Richard S. Martinez, EdD Board Member 2022-2024
Secretary 2023-2024
Marketing and Social Media Student Interns
Jayde Charlton
Marketing and Social Media Intern Fall 2023
Nolan Myer
Marketing and Social Media Intern Spring 2024
Eliot Yoo
Marketing and Social Media Intern Summer 2024