About WILLOW CIRCLE

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  Jenifer founded Willow Circle from a deeply personal understanding of what it means to survive, rebuild, and search for a place where you can belong without having to hide the parts of your story that brought you there.

Her life has been shaped by childhood trauma, life threatening violence, addiction, recovery, motherhood, disability, grief, mental health challenges, and the long, imperfect journey of coming home to herself.

Jenifer lived through a 17 year addiction before finding a pathway into recovery. Her experience taught her that recovery is not only about stopping the use of substances. It is also about rebuilding identity, learning to receive support, finding connection, and discovering who you are beyond survival.

Jenifer’s lived experience includes an ACE score of 10 out of 10. For her, that number is not a definition of who she is. It helps illuminate the depth of what she survived, the ways childhood adversity can follow someone into adulthood, and why safety, dignity, connection, and belonging are at the heart of Willow Circle.

Her story is also a reminder that an ACE score does not measure a person’s strength, the protective relationships they may have experienced, or their capacity to heal, grow, and create something meaningful from what they have lived through.

Rather than allowing her experiences to remain sources of isolation, Jenifer chose to gather them into something that could create connection for others.

She returned to school and is completing her degree in Addiction Counseling and Behavioral Health. She is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor Registrant, Peer Support Specialist, and Community Health Worker. Her developing work brings together lived experience, education, creativity, storytelling, community health, and peer centered support.

As Founder and Executive Director, Jenifer leads Willow Circle’s daily work, community outreach, gatherings, storytelling initiatives, partnerships, programs, and developing vision. As President, she also works with the Board of Directors to protect the organization’s mission and help Willow Circle grow with accountability, transparency, and intention.

At the heart of her leadership is a simple belief: people do not need to be "fixed" before they deserve community. They need places where they can be seen, supported, and invited to belong.

Lisa brings a thoughtful and grounded presence to Willow Circle. She cares deeply about family, community, and the everyday things that help people feel connected and at home.

Professionally, Lisa brings more than 20 years of experience in data-focused work. She spent more than 10 years with Dun & Bradstreet and has worked for more than 12 years as a Data Entry Specialist with Full Access High Desert, another local nonprofit. Her work reflects patience, consistency, attention to detail, and a strong respect for accurate information.

Outside of Willow Circle, Lisa enjoys spending time with her family, getting outdoors, and building with LEGO. Her appreciation for connection and creativity reflects the steady, human centered perspective she brings to the organization.

As Treasurer, Lisa helps support the financial care, transparency, and accountability that allow Willow Circle to grow with intention. Her professional experience with data, organization, and nonprofit work helps the Board oversee financial information, budgeting, internal safeguards, recordkeeping, and the responsible stewardship of Willow Circle’s resources.

We are grateful for the experience, steadiness, heart, and perspective Lisa brings to the circle.

 Nikki brings warmth, loyalty, and a deeply family centered heart to Willow Circle. Family is at the center of her life, shaping the way she understands love, responsibility, connection, and what it means to care for the people around her.

She is also learning the importance of extending that same care inward. Her growing commitment to selfcare reflects something Willow Circle holds close: caring for yourself is not selfish, and learning to make room for your own needs can be a meaningful part of healing.

As Secretary, Nikki helps Willow Circle maintain meeting minutes, resolutions, governing documents, and other important organizational records. She brings thoughtfulness, consistency, and a grounded understanding of the everyday ways people show up for one another.

We are grateful for the care, honesty, and family centered perspective Nikki brings to the circle.

Sanie King-Haug brings a deep love of family, nature, rural communities, and recovery to Willow Circle. For seven years, she worked within a rural Tier 4 Patient-Centered Primary Care Clinic, supporting data collection and reporting while helping strengthen a model of care centered on the needs of patients and families. Through this work, Sanie saw firsthand how meaningful accessible, coordinated, and compassionate care can be in rural communities, where finding the right services and resources is not always easy.

Her work extended beyond the clinic. Sanie helped explain the Twelve Steps and shared information about recovery meetings and community resources, helping people discover support closer to home.

Sanie also brings the wisdom of seventeen years in recovery. She understands that recovery is more than leaving something behind. It is an ongoing journey of discovering who you are, learning to trust yourself, and finding your way home.

Even after seventeen years, Sanie continues exploring what coming home to herself means. For her, it includes finding her voice, speaking authentically, and learning not to let other people’s opinions determine how fully she shows up.

As a volunteer board member and Willow Circle’s Multimedia Storytelling Director, Sanie will contribute to video editing, creative development, YouTube content, virtual planning meetings, and the potential development of future podcast projects. She will help Willow Circle carry people’s stories with honesty, creativity, and care, reminding others that their voices deserve to be heard.