Our CEO

Kathryn Hamel, Ph.D., is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience across the public, non-profit, and private sectors. She previously worked as a Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer for two non-profit mental health organizations. Before transitioning into nonprofit leadership, she served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development at a private, accredited international university. 

She also served her community for nearly 25 years as a law enforcement professional with two mid-sized municipal police departments, retiring as a police lieutenant in 2019. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Dr. Hamel is an appointed member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Human and Civil Rights Committee. She was recognized as the Advocate of the Year from the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce in 2023 and the Mental Health Professional of the Year from the Mental Health Association of Orange County in 2022. 

She is currently a registered associate marriage and family therapist (AMFT Lic #158391) providing psychotherapy in private practice and at a local non-profit, serving populations including foster youth, victims of crime, and unhoused persons. 

In addition, she holds a Doctoral Degree in Organizational Public Safety Leadership & Criminal Justice from Capella University, a Master's Degree in Psychology from California Southern University, as well as a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Vocational Education and Occupational Studies from California State University, Long Beach. 

Dr. Hamel also holds two professional certifications in trauma and resilience, as well as a third certification in the prevention of human trafficking from Florida State University. She is the author of the best-selling book, Body, Mind, and Badge: Strategies for Navigating Law Enforcement Trauma and Resilience, co-author of A Trauma-Informed Approach to Labor & Sex Trafficking, published in Police Chief magazine in 2022, and the author of Focus on Officer Wellness: Reframing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, published in Police Chief magazine in 2024. 

She has almost thirty years of experience guiding nonprofit and charitable organizations as a committed community volunteer. She is currently a Board Member of How 2 Love Our Cops and KinderVision, a nonprofit co-founded by her late mother, Ashby Sebastian, dedicated to addressing child exploitation.