Angel Faces Team

Denise Davies

Denise Davies' genuine passion and care for people was evident early in her life as a result of her aunt being burned in a house fire. As a young woman, Denise was inspired to receive a BS in nursing from Western Kentucky University. She began her career in 1974 as a nurse in the burn unit at University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky.

Her specialized background in nursing and her training and experience as a medical aesthetician, is a blessing to all her clients especially the adolescent girls at Angel Faces.

As owner of Complexions Inc., a day spa located in Solana Beach, California, Denise brings her "healing hands," expertise, uplifting spirit, and gifted abilities to the survivors of severe burns, as well, as anyone who desires radiant skin. She has found her time with Angel Faces rewarding and fulfilling adding a deeper dimension to her life and purpose.

She is especially grateful to Lesia Cartelli for welcoming her to participate in this excellent program.

Piper Denlinger

Piper is currently an engineer with the City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. "I met Lesia Cartelli through a task force that was developing a program for the fire department. We've been friends since then, and when she asked if I was interested in volunteering for Angel Faces, I cleared my calendar!"

Before the fire department Piper worked in out-patient physical therapy, specializing in return to work training as a Certified Athletic Trainer, Physical Therapy Assistant, and Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Her background strongly predicts her interest and participation in Iyengar yoga, mountain and road biking, skiing and snowboarding, volleyball and crossfitting. This interest in fitness and health puts Piper in the right position to lead the girls through their morning yoga and stretching program. This morning routine is designed to get the girls (and the volunteers) started each morning in the right direction; grounded and strong.

Piper also volunteers to support the Angel Faces program in a logistics capacity. "It's about making sure that things run smoothly behind the scenes. And, that the girls, the presenters, the other volunteers, and Lesia have everything they need to get their work done."

Piper also loves to travel, but is not sure which place is her favorite "because I haven't been to all the places yet!" She also loves to read, cook, and plot the next vacation.

Tania Farrugia

Tania Farrugia is a Registered Nurse and Art Therapist at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego. Tania is part of the Integrative Medicine Team servicing children diagnosed with cancer and their families. She provides bedside individual sessions, art therapy groups and bereavement groups for the families that lost a child. Tania has worked not only in hospitals but also in adolescent treatment programs, rehabilitation and family counseling centers.

Tania has volunteered as an art therapist since the inception of Angel Faces. Through varied art activities Tania uses the power of the creative process as a vehicle for healing, communication, self exploring and personal growth.

Susan Fowler

Susan Fowler is a Senior Consulting Partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies and a Founding Partner of Leadership Legacies, LLC. She is the co-author with Ken Blanchard of Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager, published in 2005.

Susan has established a solid and respected track record as a management consultant, keynote speaker, and innovative product designer and developer in the field of leadership training.

Susan's goal is to be a catalyst for personal change and the teacher of the skills necessary to sustain self-motivation. As one of the world's foremost experts on personal empowerment, she has delivered training seminars, workshops, and keynote speeches to more than 50,000 people, in over 30 countries and in all 50 of the United States.

With Ken Blanchard and Laurence Hawkins, she created—and is the lead developer of—Situational Self Leadership®, a best-of-class self-leadership and personal empowerment program. Her books and tapes include Achieve Leadership Genius (co-authored with Drea Zigarmi and Dick Lyles), Leading at a Higher Level (with Ken Blanchard and Associates), Good Leaders, Good Shepherds (also with Zigarmi and Lyles) Overcoming Procrastination, Mentoring, The Team Leader's Idea-A-Day Guide (co-authored with Drea Zigarmi), and Empowerment (co-authored with Ken Blanchard). Susan is an adjunct professor for the University of San Diego's Master of Science in Executive Leadership program. She currently resides in San Diego, California.

Diane French

Diane is a licensed esthetician who owns and operates Hidden Beauty Within, a skin care business in San Diego. Diane had worked in the health care industry for 21 years before volunteering her esthetician skills at the Angel Faces retreat in 2006. After this life-changing experience, she left her job in the health care industry to focus exclusively on her skin care business — her true passion — with the goal of helping others tap into their hidden beauty within.

In response to the extraordinary changes she saw in the girls at the 2006 Angel Faces retreat, Diane has recently accepted the position of volunteer spa director for Angel Faces. Due to her own life experience, Diane has a personal understanding of the hardships that girls with facial difference endure. Diane was born with a large, dark hair nevus that covered the left side of her face, forehead, and scalp. There is now a skin graft in place of where the nevus was on her cheek, but with the help of camouflage make-up the scarring is less noticeable. Diane feels that her challenges in life have made her into the strong person that she is today, and her desire is to help the girls of Angel Faces to reach their true potential as well.

Erin Grever

Hello! My name is Erin Grever. I've lived in San Diego for four years. I became a part of Angel Faces 3 years ago. One of the girls in my salon asked if I'd like to volunteer for the retreat. I would be doing hair for the girls during Spa Day. I jumped at the opportunity. Since my first retreat in 2003 I've become good friends with Lesia Cartelli.

Last year she invited me to be a full time member of the Angel Faces team. I was so honored. I have been working with young girls and women in the salon industry for over 15 years, ten year as a salon owner, educator and stylist. My career as a stylist has been a very fun and rewarding one. Helping women to look and feel their best is an incredible blessing. This is why I feel so grateful to be a part of the Angel Faces Team.

These beautiful young girls have touched my heart in ways I could never express with words. I only hope that I do the same for them.

Brenda Lavoie

Brenda Lavoie began her career in 2002 as a professional makeup artist. She attended the Toronto School of Makeup Artistry and graduated with honors. Her career was based out of Toronto Canada and at times she would travel to the United States. As soon Brenda completed her course she started her own business called Makeup Artist Services. During that time she explored many different avenues of the industry including bridal, prom television, fashion, runway, body painting and private lessons.

Although her endeavors kept her busy she was always aware of her passion for camouflage therapy. In 2003 her passion was finally fulfilled when she started working as a camouflage specialist for Cover FX Skin Care. Brenda was fortunate enough to train with Lee Graff the founder of Cover FX Skin Care in the CosMedic Clinic at Sunnybrook Hospital. Working with Cover FX really proved her true passion for helping others feel better about them selves.

Now Brenda works in the South West USA for Cover FX Skin Care as the training director. Working in this capacity allows her to reach out and teach others the wonderful craft of camouflage therapy. In the summer of 2007 she was blessed again with the discovery of an organization called Angel Faces. She is honored and so proud to be a volunteer for Angel Faces as her goal in life in to continue help others with their self- esteem through corrective cosmetics.

Brenda strives on putting her unique ability forward and will continue to build on her skills through the people she helps everyday. For her seeing someone come alive again is extremely rewarding. Brenda's vision is to provide people with instant gratification!

Danette LeLievre RN, BSN

My name is Danette LeLievre and I am honored to be a volunteer in the Angel Faces organization and part of the program. I was formally an acute care pediatric nurse and I greatly enjoy working with kids. At the age of 10, I had a severe burn injury from a house fire; an event that greatly changed my life. Initially, it seemed like a tragedy, but now I see it as a blessing. I have learned tools that have helped me grow beyond my scars. My hope is that by teaching the girls what worked for me, their lives can be happier and healthier.

Diane Matsumoto

Diane became involved with Angel Faces through her friendship with Lesia Cartelli, which began when Lesia worked with families of San Diego's Urban Search & Rescue team who responded to the 9/11 disaster. An accident during a snowboarding vacation resulted in a broken wrist. Diane learned how to make jewelry during idle hours recovering and at the time thought of it as a combination between physical therapy and a hobby. When mentioning her new interest to Lesia at the annual Cartelli Christmas party, Diane's "hobby" became the newest creative outlet for the retreat.

Diane finds the setting and opportunity for creative exploration and conversation inspirational. "It is so peaceful to sit out on the deck at the retreat, with the countryside below and the girls sitting around the table creating beautiful things and sharing conversations of their challenges. There is nothing as inspiring as assisting and watching a girl with only a few fingers and limited dexterity, making an incredible piece of jewelry to reflect the beauty that she holds within."

Diane is a wife, mother and grandmother. Diane is also a Captain with the Hemet City Fire Department, located in Riverside County, California. The ability to contribute something to the adolescent girls who have suffered a burn or facial injury has become a good balance to the more acute job of municipal firefighting.

Jill Murray

Aloha! My name is Jill Murray and I love the water, gardening, exercising, yoga, traveling, cooking, friends and Carlitos the Wonder Dog! I recently retired after 30 years of service to the City of San Diego. I spent my first ten years as a Lifeguard on San Diego City Beaches and I spend the final twenty years with the Fire Department. I ended my career on my 50th birthday as a Fire Captain.

I knew that I wanted to do some volunteer work but I was not having any luck finding the right organization. I wanted to participate in a program that works one on one with individuals. I had been a reading tutor before and enjoyed seeing the improvements the kids made. When Lesia asked me to be a volunteer for Angel Faces I immediately said "YES". I had secretly been waiting for her to ask me. After one retreat I know I want to be involved in Angel Faces for as long as they will have me. It has changed my life.

Anke Reineke, Ph. D., BCIAC

Anke is a currently a registered psychologist with Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California. She provides psychological and integrative services to children diagnosed with cancer and their families; and facilitates coping with childhood cancer groups to parents and siblings. Her focus is on assisting individuals and families to build upon their strengths to improve their relational functioning within their home, school/occupation and social environments.

Anke is a certified biofeedback practitioner as well as a certified bereavement therapist.

Prior to her formal schooling in psychology at UCLA and Alliant International University, Anke received a degree in nursing in her home country of Germany, at Wilhelms University in Muenster.

Anke is a member of both the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback and American Psychological Association – Division of Health Psychology.

Jennifer Tokatyan

Jennifer has over 17 years of Human Resources experience and over 10 years in executive leadership positions. She recently started her own consulting company, The Jenara Group. As a consultant, Jennifer provides strategic human resources and organizational development consulting to organizations seeking to optimize the human potential in their workforce to achieve business results. Jennifer has a M.S. in Human Resources Management from Chapman University and a B.A. in Business Administration from University of San Diego.

She is passionate about personal development and helping people unleash all their potential. Her inspiration comes from many sources, including her late father who courageously faced the amputation of his leg due to cancer and her sister who lives life with optimism and grace after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2004. Jennifer is honored to be a part of the Angel Faces Team and to have the opportunity to positively contribute to the girls' lives, as well as receive invaluable gifts in return.

In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys the outdoor activities including beach volleyball, running, hiking and mountain bike riding as well as spending quality time with friends and family.

Nancy Ogden West

Nancy has over 30 years experience in the aesthetic industry as a professional educator. She began her career with Redken Laboratories followed by On Stage Cosmetics as a National Educator. Nancy established a successful free-lance business in Columbus, Ohio where she hosted her own segment on Discover Columbus, a weekly television program. She has served as make-up consultant to several television news programs, corporations, organization and professional women. Nancy is accredited by the California Board of Education as a Certified Paramedical Camouflage Adviser and by the State of Ohio as a licensed Aesthetician. She has a solid business background as well. She founded the Cosmetic Design Centers in 1985 where she served a President until January 1988. In February 1988 she founded Facial Design, Inc., which operated the Academy of Facial Design and Facial Design Studios and were the forerunner of the Appearance Therapy Institute that specializes in advanced clinical seminars. Nancy maintained a private practice and help spearhead the Skin Enhancement Center for University Dermatologist, Inc. and affiliate of University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio. Ms. West is a frequent Keynote Speaker and Seminar Leader in the aesthetic and medical fields speaking on a variety of subjects from "Seasonal Trends in Make Up" to "Cosmetics after Surgical Procedures" at a Cosmetic Efficacy Symposium in Germany to "When Scars Are Physical: Paramedical Camouflage and Social Psychotherapy" at the National Association of Social Workers Convention.