Greater Sacramento Chapter

Chapter Chair

Dawn Leverett

Dawn Leverett is a Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Qualified Rehabilitation Professional with the Department of Rehabilitation in the Chico branch office. She has over fourteen years of professional experience working with individuals of all disabilities. She holds a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) certification. She currently is serving the role of Chapter Chair for the Greater Sacramento Regional Chapter of the CCDA. She is the Chair of the Butte-Glenn Community College District Disabled Students Programs and Services Advisory Committee. She was appointed to the California State Independent Living Council as a Council Member by Governor Brown in 2014 in which she served until 2017.

She has been a lecturer at California State University, Chico and a guest lecturer at California State University, Sacramento. She has been an Associate faculty at Butte Community College teaching career planning courses. And she has designed and facilitated numerous career exploration and educational workshops for the Department of Rehabilitation, Yuba Community College, and American River College. 

Chapter Secretary 

Alina Quintana

Alina Quintana (she/her/ella) is the daughter of immigrants and a product of public education systems in the Sacramento Valley. Her experiences as a first-generation, low income, Latinx, TRiO scholar inspired her to pursue a career in the field of education. Alina earned her Master’s degree in Career Counseling from Sacramento State and also has Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology as well as Chicanx/Latinx Studies from the University of California, Davis. Alina's dedication to the service of low income and first generation students has led her to support programs such as the CA Community College Chancellor’s Office, Sacramento State Career Center, TRiO Upward Bound, EOP&S, CalWORKs, College Track and Folsom Lake College's Probation and Dismissal Program. She is a professional passionate about deconstructing barriers, advocating for access, equity, and inclusion in spaces of higher education. Ms. Quintana is committed to uplifting the academic and career experiences of BIPOC students and professionals. Her work was recognized by the National Board of Certified Counselors where she was selected as a Minority Fellowship Program. Through this program, Alina developed invaluable knowledge that assists her to serve students and professionals. Through her work and her career consulting service AQ Career Consulting, Alina aims to empower emerging adults and professionals to reach their fullest potentials by translating their dreams into actionable goals and ultimately their reality.

Chapter Chair

Vanessa Rubinfeld

Vanessa currently serves as a co-chair for CCDA OC Chapter. She is an Adjunct Career Counselor and teaches  Career Development courses at Cypress College. Vanessa has also previously worked as a Career Counselor for several years at Soka University of America, Santa Monica College, and in different capacities within higher education. Vanessa received her Masters in Counseling with an emphasis in College Counseling and Student Services from California State University Northridge (CSUN) in 2012 and is currently finishing up her Post-Master's Certificate in Career Counseling from CSUN as well.  

Chapter Chair

Jessica Meshkani

Jessica Meshkani is an adjunct career counselor and faculty at Santa Monica College (SMC). She is currently pursuing the Career Education and Counseling Certificate Program at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She holds an M.S. in Counseling, specializing in College Counseling and Student Services from CSUN, a B.A. in Sociology from UCLA, and an A.A. in Liberal Arts in Social and Behavioral Science from SMC.

Chapter Co-Chair

Karl Cameron

Karl is a community college counselor/career development professional with 10+ years of experience in higher education (outreach/counseling/advising). His focus has been and continues to be helping students navigate through career and academic pathways--Expertise in general, transfer, career counseling, college event programming, student development, and career assessments--Diversified experience in a broad range of educational settings.

Chapter Co-Chair

Jake Dodderidge

Jake Dodderidge is a counselor providing career and academic counseling services to personnel in the United States Military. His focus involves helping service members in the career development process achieve their academic and career goals. Additionally, Jake specializes in assisting military services members looking to translate their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) into certifications valued by employers in a civilian work environment.  His expertise is in active duty and veteran counseling, career counseling, personal and professional development, transfer, DSPS, and Athletic counseling services. Prior to serving military personnel, Jake was a counseling intern at Palomar College and served as a coach and recruiting coordinator. His educational background includes a Master’s Degree in Educational Counseling and certifications in the MBTI and Strong Interest Inventory.

Chapter Co-Chair

Juanita Ledesma

Juanita Ledesma works for San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE) providing educational, academic, and career counseling services to students. She’s been a member of the NCDA for over 10 years. She has been in private practice and has taught career counseling courses. She holds a Master’s degree in Counseling from the University of San Diego